Without question, the Mass Effect games were some of the best from the PS3 and Xbox 360 era. Their combination of role-playing, sci-fi adventure and great characters left a mark on many players, who have been clamoring for a while for a remaster of the first three Mass Effect games.
The people behind the games (BioWare), though, did not heed their call, releasing the disappointing Mass Effect Andromeda in 2017 instead.
And as this console generation comes to an end, the time was finally right for BioWare to announce that a remaster (which was rumored to be in the works for a while) of the Mass Effect games was indeed coming.
“For many months now, our team at BioWare has been hard at work updating the textures, shaders, models, effects, and technical features of three enormous games. Our goal was not to remake or reimagine the original games, but to modernize the experience so that fans and new players can experience the original work in its best possible form”, said BioWare on its website (via Eurogamer).
The Mass Effect Legendary Edition will include the original Mass Effect game, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. It will also feature all the DLC released for the three games. BioWare promises “super-sharp resolution, faster framerates and beautiful visual enhancements”, with the games’ visuals being “optimized for 4K Ultra HD”.
So this means that fans of the original games and newcomers are likely in for a treat if this remaster lives up to expectations.
Those who have already played through the games will get a chance to relive some of the trilogy’s best moments, such as Sheppard’s emotional address to his crew in Mass Effect 1, or that surprising meeting with Garrus in Mass Effect 2. And at least they won’t have to endure Mass Effect 3’s much-hated ending, as BioWare patched that up long ago.
Players will also get a chance to enjoy Mass Effect 3’s Citadel DLC, which is one of the best DLC expansions ever released for a game.
BioWare, though, could use this opportunity to improve the games’ third-person shooting even if it’s not remaking the Mass Effect games here. The shooting was always the weak link in a game series which oddly had so much of it, so it would be a good thing if the Canadian developer uses this opportunity to fine tune Mass Effect’s third-person action.
Aside from announcing the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, BioWare also confirmed that work on another Mass Effect game is underway.
“Meanwhile here at BioWare, a veteran team has been hard at work envisioning the next chapter of the Mass Effect universe”, said BioWare via General Manager Casey Hudson on its website.
It’s unlikely that this game will be Mass Effect Andromeda 2, though. This is because Mass Effect Andromeda had one of the worst launches for a video game ever, leaving so many fans of the series disgruntled back in 2017. People online mocked some of the game’s technical defects, while Andromeda was also as buggy as a roach infested cellar when it hit shelves that year, so BioWare will certainly not want a repeat of that situation.
Will BioWare bring the original trilogy’s protagonist Commander Sheppard back somehow, letting us enjoy another adventure in the familiar Mass Effect universe? This remains to be seen, and it’s clear that whatever the new Mass Effect game turns out to be, it’s still a very long way from release.
This is because BioWare is still hard at work on its multiplayer online game Anthem, while a team at the Canadian developer is now envisioning the next Dragon Age, a game of which we know very little so far, but one for which we have high hopes for taking into account how good the earlier Dragon Age games were.
For the time being, though, it would be a great thing the Mass Effect trilogy remaster is as polished as can be, and lets those who enjoyed the games back in the day relive their memories while introducing a new generation of players to the Mass Effect universe when it arrives in spring next year.
Read more: Could Bioware be joining the list of failed video game studios?