Mass Effect Legendary Edition Releases on May 14
Well, it’s what we’ve all been waiting for and now it’s here! Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be making its way to fans of the epic, sci-fi trilogy on May 14. And not only will it include the original game, but a ton of new, visual, and mechanical additions.
Visually the new remaster looks nothing short of incredible, with the addition of upgraded 4K visuals that’ll make the game – particularly the original – pop. No longer will it be bright, blocky mess, but details like walls and even the Mako, the worst controlled vehicle in all of space, will be hard not to admire. Also, for fans of J.J Abrams, you’ll be happy to know that there are probably more lens flares than you can count on both your hands. Fun!
Jokes aside, from what we’ve learned from both TheGamer and Eurogamer, it seems as though the first Mass Effect has got most of the extensive rework. Eden Prime, the starting area of the original, has had some “dramatic improvements to some of its environments.”
But looks aren’t everything. The original had the elevator mechanic, which let you listen to your squadmates talk to one another in a way that was very similar to companions talking in the Dragon Age series. The only problem with this is that the elevator ride often felt like it took minutes to complete. Thankfully, with the Legendary Edition, that’s now a thing of the past. Also, the Mako? Apparently drives like a dream now.
Unfortunately, as we expected back when we first heard rumors about the game coming out, there will be no additional content for characters or story added. For example, despite Jack having originally been written as pansexual, her romance with Female Shepard will not be included in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition when it releases on May 14. Disappointing, but not at all surprising.
Other changes included is that the default Female Shepard look that was first introduced back in Mass Effect 3 is now implemented in every single game. Of course, you’ll still be able to customize your Shepard if that look doesn’t suit you, and character customization even has some new baubles for newcomers and old players alike to mess around with.
Overall, it sounds like an exciting remaster for a sci-fi trilogy that, whilst incredibly troubled with poor queer representation and a complete misunderstanding of gender, is still very much well-loved by queer audiences.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition will launch on May 14 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. They will also be available to play on next-gen consoles, but will not receive any patches that’ll give them a distinctive upgrade.
About The Author
Hmm. I’m happy for all the console gamers and those who don’t want to mod their game because that can be complicated, but I am slightly dissapointed. It kind of feels like they invested the bare minimum of things needed to justify a new release. The legendary edition will be much more streamlined than modded versions of the original, but better textures and improved lighting are already available with mods. And in contrast to the “legendary edition”, the community provides mods for more diverse romances.
And I also don’t understand the design choice to swap the blood red sky from the Eden Prime mission for a generic “bright and beautiful” setting in the teaser image.