Mass Effect is near and dear to several gamers, for a variety of reasons. Shepard’s struggle against the Reapers is a classic in the gaming world, even if it’s not that old, and that’s why so many believe Shepard will return in Mass Effect 4. BioWare may have denied the latest rumor, but there’s no denying how much people love Shepard and Mass Effect.
It’s a day for celebration, then. Just as Shepard celebrated their in-universe birthday last month, today (May 14) is a birthday for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. It was released exactly one year ago, and that’s reason enough to boot it back up or just to celebrate the franchise ahead of N7 Day later this year.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Was What Fans Wanted
It’s no secret that, essentially since the moment Mass Effect 3 dropped, fans had been beginning for remasters of the first game, of the second game, and eventually, of all three games. Fans talked about it for years before it was ever confirmed, which was a telltale sign of how badly fans wanted it. And when BioWare and EA confirmed Mass Effect: Legendary Edition’s development, it was an answered prayer for many fans.
If some were worried, though, that would be understandable. A well-down remaster of the Mass Effect trilogy was just about the safest bet BioWare and EA could make, but fans have seen this bet blow up so many times with other games. Warcraft 3 Reforged comes to mind as one example of a game that was released before Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, and some time after that, Diablo 2 Resurrected, Crysis Remastered, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition also dropped the ball.
That’s not to say the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was perfect. There were performance issues and other miscellaneous things, but BioWare gave Mass Effect 1 most of the work and continued to refine Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. Many problems with the original trilogy were still there, but this was a collected remaster, not a remake. The end result was a game that met fan expectations and was all the better for it.
It's no secret that this may be the morale boost BioWare needed. It’s had a rough couple of years, with the maligned-at-launch Mass Effect: Andromeda (although its popularity has seen a huge surge in recent years) and the ultimate fate of Anthem. Yet, with Mass Effect 4 and Dragon Age 4 on the horizon (despite any reported hardships along the way), Mass Effect: Legendary Edition set the tone for better and improved BioWare games. Fans no doubt have their concerns, but if Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is any indication, BioWare knows what its fans want.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
