After what seems like an eternity, BioWare and EA finally announced full remaster of one of the greatest trilogies in gaming history; Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3. Dubbed the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, it houses all three titles with all of their respective DLC, with the exception of Pinnacle Station from the first game, and will boast improved visuals for Ultra HD and 4k resolution. Now, both the studio and the publisher have announced that the collection will officially launch later this Spring on May 14, as well as a sweet new trailer to boot.
There was a leak last month for potential release date of March 12, but as we now know that is not going to be the case with the May 14 date. BioWare offers a side by side comparison of the visual upgrades on their site, and while they aren’t going to be earth-shattering, it’s definitely a major difference from how the trilogy originally looked. This is especially evident with the first entry, Mass Effect, as the graphics have not aged terribly well from 2007. With the new visuals, it’s almost like you’re looking at a totally different game, as everything from the landscape, all the way down to the Heads Up Display (HUD) has been reworked.
In addition, the load times have been drastically reduced, as this was a constant issue with the first two titles in particular. The first game in the franchise suffered greatly with this as well, as the elevators in every single world would take an unbelievably long time to load. Mass Effect 2 didn’t have as bad a problem with this, but it still took a while between screens to continue with the game. When we get our hands on Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, those long load times will be long gone, especially for those playing with on the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S as those run off of Solid State Drives (SSD).
BioWare and EA also announced the Mass Effect Legendary Cache, which is essentially a Collectors Edition of games, but without the actual game. This isn’t the first time that they’ve done this either, as they also gave Mass Effect: Andromeda the same treatment. However you feel about this type of marketing, die-hard fans of the series will more than likely not want to miss out on this set, as it comes with a fully wearable N7 Helmet that also lights up. It also comes with a steelbook, an N7 Acceptance Letter, two canvas art prints, and a morality spinner. It costs $149, but if you’re interested in this set, you can check it out here.
Thankfully, BioWare is continuing the Mass Effect series as they completely surprised everyone at The Game Awards 2020 when they announced brand new entry in the series, as well as a new look at the next upcoming Dragon Age game. We’re still waiting to hear more about both titles, but with the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition coming out soon, we’ll be more than likely occupied for a long time. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will officially launch this year on May 14 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC through EA Origin and Steam. It will be backwards compatible with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.