I love reviewing games. Diving deep into their inner workings and constructing a review in between actually playing gives me added purpose to explore every nook and cranny. As I have only been reviewing games officially for a few years, I do often look back and think about how those older gems would fare under closer inspection. While this could be a worthy project in its own right, there is still an almost never-ending barrage of new games that are fighting for my attention. Yet, when an absolute classic gets anything as much as a new lick of paint, I have all the excuses I need.

In the last decade, we have seen many of the gaming giants of old falling from grace. Blizzard, Bethesda and Bioware to name just a few have been partaking in a campaign of self-sabotage. In their heyday, these companies were the pillars of the games industry and we trusted their games to deliver the goods. Even developer CD Projekt Red, who until recently could do no wrong, spectacularly destroyed their reputation last year by releasing a game that was probably two years shy of being finished. However, this month we have been getting a taste of what those glory days of old felt like, with a much-requested remaster of Bioware’s pivotal space opera: Mass Effect. 

This seminal RPG took the gaming world by storm when it released in 2007 and then over the next five years followed up with two more entries to complete the trilogy. The first game wasn’t perfect, far from it in fact and yet there was something very special about this brand new world from Bioware. Now we finally have all three games being delivered to us as one massive saga. This not only includes the remaster itself but all the DLC (minus one) that was ever made. The only other missing feature is the multiplayer that was part of the third games progression tally. While the multiplayer was decent, I never liked this being tied to my progress and so I for one am happy with this change. So let us take a look at what has made Mass Effect such a cherished game the world over.

Mass Effect

First Date

As with any epic adventure, we must have our hero and in Mass Effect, it is Captain Shepard who must save the galaxy from certain destruction (literally). On starting a new game you have a few key choices to make which will carve out a history for your own version of Shepard, as well as what class you will be. If you run a Google search of Captain Shepard you will invariably get images of the male version popping up but it was in fact one of the female variants that became the face of my heroic space jockey. 

Very much like a first date, the opening game in the series is both exciting, fresh and yet comes with its fair share of awkward moments. I would say the acting quality is all over the place but the main characters deliver some very memorable moments. Shepard does have a sense of humour and can also be rambunctious which is bought to life wonderfully by voice actor Jennifer Hale. It’s a pity that many of these awesome lines are often delivered by stone-faced Shepard as the animation can leave a lot to be desired, even with the remaster. I also think Shepard runs around like she has shit herself and this weird running animation just seems to get more bizarre with each release.

This first game does an incredible job of mapping out this new world, including the history of the Mass Effect relays and how they catapulted humanity into the stars. There is enough spoken dialogue to get you through the game but reading the many nuggets of information really helps enhance the already excellent background. There are many aliens races in Mass Effect and these are also fleshed out with a deft hand and very quickly the player will have a bead on what to expect from each race. For example, the Krogan are war-hungry warriors who will more likely break you in half than shake your hand. Everything about their appearance tells you this before they growl in your direction. This excellent design ethos is present throughout all of the game’s visuals which is one of the main reasons why Mass Effect is such an intoxicating experience. 

A Space Oddesy 

Your game time in Mass Effect will be mostly split between fast-paced combat and exploring the dialogue of the story. Conversations in Mass Effect are handled with a radial menu system where the player can explore a topic and hear Shepard voice an interpretation of it. Most of the time I was happy with the way Shepard set out my point but occasionally the response is way off track. What I love about these conversions and confrontations is you are given a lot of control, from throwing a punch to starting a galactic war. This decision-making process will filter into the Paragon and Renegade system. Paragon is being considerate, thoughtful and measured whereas Renegade does what it says on the tin. This balance of morals will filter into a bar that will fill with whichever side you tend to favour. The cool part is this then unlocks additional dialogue choices or quick-time events that give you other options and even circumvent some of the fights with alternative outcomes. It is well known that once you head down one path you should embrace that way of dealing with people for that playthrough. I will say that often the renegade path can feel a little too extreme and that it closes off too many options to be used exclusively.

Of course, Shepard can’t talk her enemies to death (erm she can) which is when it’s time to stop the chat and grab your gun. With the player controlling Shepard, you will also have two squadmates beside you doing their thing. The AI running the crewmates is serviceable as they will find cover, lay down fire and mostly carry out the actions you choose. With the remaster you can now tell them to go to a specific place (like in the second and third game) which really helps in tense gunfights. Each character who joins the Normandy will have their own set of skills pulled from a set of broader disciplines. Biotics, for example, have powerful telekinetic abilities that can throw things around and add damaging warp effects. Some of these can even be combined with other skills to cause a chain reaction. There are also tech-based skills like hacking into robotic/synthetic enemies or activating sentry drones. I like this system because you often get a crossover on styles, Wrex for example is a powerful biotic but is built like a brick shit house and can dish out lots of firepower. Overall I have always loved the combat in Mass Effect and am happy to see the first game has been improved to bring it closer to the following two outings. 

Mass and Effect

One of the stand out elements of Mass Effect was how well the writers handled player agency. Right from the character creation, the Shepard you play is based on the choices you make. As the game progresses you will come across key decisions that will lead to permanent consequences for that Shepard. These events will then ripple across time and change the options open to you in both this game and even in the following two adventures.

Did you kill Wrex in the first game? Then he won’t be greeting you on the Krogan Homeworld in second. Did you send Garrus to his death at the end the second game, well you can forget that reunion in the third. Even small details are remembered by the games many plot strings, such as punching a reporter’s lights out or saving a random scientist from her own creation. It is fascinating to see these decisions, both large and small, come back at you later down the line.

Forming relationships of a sexual nature is also a thing in Mass Effect and as you might have guessed these choices will follow you from one game to the next. Certain characters will be possible lovers depending on your own Shepard’s gender. As a female Shepard I have always become attached to Liara in the past but this time I mixed things up with some surprising results. The sex scenes are handled just about as good as any other game, which is to say badly. However, I will concede that because players love these characters so much it is easy to look past these areas that are lacking. 

Space Truck

As you explore the galaxy in the Normandy you will enter many different systems and usually, there will be one planet that you can land on with Mako. This is basically an APC with six all-terrain wheels and a few heavy weapons. Once you are planetside there will be various generic markers to find that will glean resources and artefacts that add minor rewards later in the game. The mineral rewards are also used as something of a second currency to unlock new items and story elements. When you have a specific mission on that planet this will often include a base of some sort with an indoor location. It’s interesting that in this first game you are allowed to depart the Mako with your squad to collect items but at almost no time do you encounter foes that you can best unless within the safety of the Mako itself. However, this freedom does make the on-foot and ‘driving sections’ gel together that much better.

The controls of the Mako have been tweaked and the added boost forward is a godsend. The weapon systems comprise of a minigun and cannon firing explosive shells. The issue with combat in the Mako is that most things you come across offer little challenge and can be destroyed with a quick strafe of bullets. There are some larger enemy forces to take on such as the Geth force on Feros or the occasional Thresher Maw on planets. These offer a more satisfactory challenge to the Mako’s offensive capability but it still doesn’t stop the feeling you are driving a shoebox in low gravity.

In this remaster the planets and larger drivable locations have been given a decent facelift, with added details, improved lighting effects and geometry. However, even with these improvements, the planets are still barren of detail and life with the occasional pack of random animals wandering around. Getting to all the points of interest is also a test of mental endurance as the terrain can be infuriating to navigate. I’m quite tenacious and see these sections as a battle of wills. However, for many new players, I can see the drivable areas of the game being nothing more than boring filler that takes you away from the better parts of Mass Effect. 

Mutton Dressed as Lamb

Any gamer who has been around for a while knows that going back to older games can be dangerous. The original Deus Ex or Half-Life for example both looked very different when I returned years later (thank you Black Mesa), but at the time of release these were decent looking games. One of the goals of the developers was to make this remaster look like how your brain remembered them and on that score they have done a wonderful job.

In the remastered trilogy, the first game has by far had the most work done in order to bring it closer to the second and third instalment. The whole game has been infused with high-resolution textures, new lighting effects and assets rebuilt from scratch. These changes are both impressive and immediately apparent, even without seeing them side by side. The opening mission on Eden Prime now looks vastly different to the original and personally  I love these improvements. However, these changes have also changed the atmosphere and I know some fans won’t appreciate that. Bioware has also stated they improved the default female Shepard to be more in line with the second and third game but personally, I think this model looks awful. Thankfully all the classic options are still present and correct.

There has also been a litany of improvements done to both the UI and moment to moment gameplay. The UI is now more akin to Mass Effect 2 with a sleeker footprint that offers more information to the player. Cover mechanics now work better and even the aiming reticule has been lined up properly. Those long load times have now been drastically reduced so travelling around the Citadel for example is far less problematic. You can now also give squad members commands to move to a specific place which is very helpful indeed. Another fairly big change is the levelling rate has been tweaked so you no longer need to play the game multiple times in order to hit the maximum level cap. It is changes like this that show the team in charge of the remastered version really did their homework and looked at what fans wanted. 

Mass Effect 2

Phoenix Metaphor 

I’m not sure I can articulate just how much I love the opening sequence to this epic sequel. In a few brief hours, you see your beloved Shepard spaced and Normandy scattered to the solar winds. The moment when you walk into a section of the ship that is now open to space takes your breath away, simply because you know these are the dying moments of the Normandy that carried you through the first game. It is a testament to Shepard that her legend is what spurs the Illusive man to effectively bring her back with the Lazarus project and once again task her with saving the Galaxy. With her original crew having moved on after her apparent death, Shepard must now adapt to her new circumstances and face the new threat of the Collectors. As our reborn Shepard sees the rebuilt Normandy for the first time and the must fades in,  it’s moments like this that make this series so fucking awesome.

Evolve or Die

Even from the first few moments in Mass Effect 2, it is apparent that the gameplay from the first and second title is like night and day. The weapons all pack more oomph and have a much more satisfying effect on your enemies. Even with respectable efforts to bring the first game closer to the second, Mass Effect 2 is much more fun to play. Targeting enemies with abilities in the first game felt like it was mostly based on luck, this is vastly improved for Mass Effect 2. There are plenty of other design differences that will stand out if you have come straight in from the first game. Weapons now require ammunition but this is never a problem as it drops like confetti from enemies. The UI was also drastically improved which we saw applied (mostly) to the prior game for this remaster.

Ditching the Mako, as much as I have some affection for the old girl, was a great move. This echoes a bigger change in the sequel with far better use of space. In the first game, you would often be presented with massive areas of the gameworld that just felt empty and lifeless. Even with all the visual improvements, it often felt like exploring a disused 1980s shopping centre. Another good example of this is the Citadel where the level designers used the damage in the first game to justify a more compact reworking. 

Getting the Band Back Together

So aside from facing the new threat of the collectors, putting a new team together is the main driving force behind the missions in Mass Effect 2. This will include some of the old gang and also approaching brand new characters for the cause. It is these recruitment missions that are one of the highlights of Mass Effect 2 with some really interesting plot lines and locations. Once you have enticed the new crew member aboard there will also be a follow-up mission and helping them with it will leave them fully focused on your main goal. These follow up missions are also fantastic and will unlock additional skills for that character. 

With a huge number of missions both big and small, there will be plenty of opportunities to try out the different characters and their combat abilities. Throughout all three games, you will see some truly amazing sights and the developers never shy away from trying different mechanics, whether it be piloting a mech deep under the sea or scaling the walls of the Citadel. With experience, you will also start to see which skill sets work best in which situation, Tali vs Geth for example. I also love how Shepard can spend some Element Zero to take on one of these specialised skills for herself. 

Grinding to Win

In Mass Effect 2 you will now scoot around each cluster and system manually, the former requiring fuel for the Normandy. They also introduced four rare materials as a research currency, which you mostly gather by dropping probes into planets from orbit. I had a real love-hate thing going with scanning planets, as I had gathered all the resources I needed in the first few hours of play but my OCD compelled me to scour all the planets like some kind of hyperactive ant farm. Like driving around the first games lifeless planets in the Mako, this is the one thing about Mass Effect 2 I would happily remove or streamline.

With a new ship, there are also some new features to enjoy such as Shepard’s own luxury quarters, curtesy of the Illusive Man. These new digs come with the ability to change your armour components/aesthetics as well as view your fish and model ship collection. Things like this are always a cool idea but once you’ve seen it a few times there’s little reason to go back. The HammerHead hovercraft is available for some missions and complements the standard dropship very well. I love that one of the pieces of DLC lets you visit the location where the original Normany came to rest. Walking around the wreckage of the old ship is haunting and emotional as you quietly remember fallen comrades.

Best in Class

There is no doubt that Mass Effect 2 is by far the best game in the series. The first game was an awesome introduction to the universe but was clearly flawed in many ways. This sequel takes the solid foundation from that first game and improves pretty much everything. All the good storytelling is here but now the combat is fluid and exciting. The places you will visit all feel more grounded and lived in thanks to a far higher degree of environmental detail. 

As I have mentioned, one of the best elements of Mass Effect is making choices with lasting consequences and Mass Effect 2 ends by taking this idea to it a new high. Everything you have been working towards comes to a head and you as commander must make those tough decisions that will later haunt you. As far as interactive storytelling goes this is as good as it gets and what cemented the Mass Effect series into the hearts of gamers all over the world.

Mass Effect 3

Time to Pay the Reaper

So being the concluding piece of the epic Shepard odyssey, Mass Effect 3 had a lot to do to beat the awesomeness of the prior outing. This game is set six months after the events of the second and a lot has changed. Shepard was grounded after her little fling with Cerberus and of course, the council completely ignored all of her warnings. It does make you wonder, could nobody have just whipped out their mobile and taken a few clips of the Reaper they encountered. Ah well, never underestimate the power of denial I guess.

Messed With

Opening scenes are indeed dramatic but for me are also marred by how many of the game’s systems they messed with (again!). In the transition from the first game, I would say almost every change was a welcome improvement but in this third game, most of the changes seemed to take the experience backwards a notch. For one, my version of Shepard just looks weird with awful looking angular eyes that look surprised at random moments. Her hands also look withered and often appear almost alien due to their odd shape. Shepard still runs like Forest Gump when he is wearing those leg braces so at least some things stayed the same. These shortcomings are even more obvious when all the other characters around her look significantly better with this being the third game. I know Shepard is somewhat pliable due to the RPG aspects in character creation but my Shepard from Mass Effect 2 looked significantly better (so why change it?). 

The way weapons work and items are stored has also been fiddled with and I really wish they had just left it all alone. I can see the constant acquisition of weapons in the second game needed some work so that is one change that I do appreciate. However, the way weapon stats are conveyed to the player is still cumbersome and hard to gauge. Weapons can all now be upgraded which will change how it performs in the field. Thankfully each mod will auto replace itself when you get the improved version. I feel these ‘improvements’ are just change for change’s sake and don’t really add anything to the experience.

Mass Effect 3 feels like it lost some of its RPG heritage along the way in order to make the gameplay flow better and maybe appeal to a wider audience. Not being able to holster your weapons sounds like a minor thing but in actual fact, for me, it is by far my biggest complaint. As it stands Shepard and her companions are forced to run around pointing their guns at everyone regardless of the situation. I actually play these games as an RPG and this kind of limitation is so immersion breaking, especially when it would be such an easy issue to fix. From what I can gather the reason behind it was due to memory limitations on the original Xbox. Why this change was also inflicted on all the other versions is beyond me. I am equally irked that this issue wasn’t fixed for the remastered version as it was certainly raised by fans at the time of the original release.

Loose Ends

Despite the third game being my least favourite in the trilogy, it is still an absolute epic concluding chapter to the Shepard story arc. It is this game where you really start to see the vast web of other possible outcomes to your prior choices. As with all the games in this remaster, the DLC has  just been sprinkled over the top and doesn’t explicitly say it is DLC anymore. Even for someone who played the original games, this can be a little confusing. The Leviathan and Shadow Broker DLC are exceptionally well made but also need a few hours to polish off. A few times I was just doing one more mission before bed and would end up playing until the wee hours of the morning because I’d inadvertently started a large piece of DLC. However, I can see the merits of weaving them into the game to look like they always belonged there. 

This third game did get a lot of flak when it released because most gamers felt that the ending didn’t reflect all the choices the player had made on their journey. I can certainly sympathise with the fans who felt like they had been denied the ending they had crafted after sweating each choice carefully. However, the journey does reflect your choices in its own right and with the extended ending now being standard, this conclusion (or at least the one I chose)  does offer a good degree of closure.

Conclusion

The Mass Effect Legendary edition does exactly what the fans have been asking for and a little bit more. Take all three games, give them a new coat of paint and finally releases them as one complete package. As we can see, the majority of the visual upgrade has been poured into the first game, as it should have been to mesh it with the second and third. The amount of work that has been done here is significant and Bioware should be given a lot of credit for this. The second and third games have seen more of a spit and polish in comparison, but then again they didn't really need anything more.

This was always going to be a balancing act: change too much and you lose what made that original experience so captivating. However, if you do too little you then can’t really justify asking people to purchase all three games again. Thankfully this project is pretty much bang on and makes it very easy to recommend to new players and old fans alike. I finished my own playthrough yesterday and after a hundred and twenty hours I walk away utterly content with my experience. I even chose an ending I’ve never seen before which has given me a lot to think about

With the Mass Effect trilogy now having new life breathed into it, we can forget the woes of Andromeda for a while and revel in this beautiful game world once more. The real question is, can the new Mass Effect game set the series back on course or will this remaster act more as a time capsule for the Bioware of old? Despite everything we have seen from Bioware in recent years (or more accurately everything we haven't seen) I still have a fools hope that a modern-day Mass Effect game can once again capture our imagination for what we may find in the stars.

Thank you for checking out my review of the Mass Effect trilogy (the Legendary Edition!). I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Please share my website with friends and you can see all my updates on Twitter @riggedforepic