Rather than doing a remake of the epic trilogy, BioWare opted to remaster the Mass Effect games into Mass Effect: Legendary Edition in order to preserve the nostalgia from the original games. However, some changes were made, such as an overhaul of Mass Effect 1's gameplay, as well as more minor adjustments like camera angles during a certain Miranda scene in Mass Effect 2. So, many fans might be expecting Mass Effect: Legendary Edition to allow for more same-sex relationships.
Same-sex relationships are possible throughout Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. However, BioWare didn't make changes or additions to romantic options, so sexualities haven't changed. For example, Ashley Williams is only romanceable as male Shepard in the Mass Effect series, and this will stay consistent with the Legendary Edition remasters. Interestingly, though Kaiden Alenko was only romanceable with a female Shepard in Mass Effect 1, he can be romanced by both male and female Shepards in Mass Effect 3.
One caveat to same-sex relationships in the Mass Effect trilogy is the alien races. While Mass Effect lore officially considers these relationships xenophilic romances rather than heterosexual or homosexual, most aliens in the Mass Effect universe are considered either masculine or feminine. Still, while some aliens like Liara T'Soni are available to both male and female Shepards, others like Garrus and Thane are only available to female Shepards and Tali is only available to male Shepards.
The news that characters and their sexualities were not changed will come as a dismay to some fans, especially in light of a report from TheGamer, which stated that Mass Effect 2's Jack was originally written as pansexual. BioWare changed this, reportedly after some heat from Fox News, due to criticism following Liara T'Soni's romantic scene in Mass Effect 1. Jacob as well was once meant to be a same-sex romanceable option. However, BioWare chose against making these adjustments, despite some backlash that followed after TheGamer's report.
For human same-sex romance options in the Mass Effect trilogy, there are only a few as most "same-sex" relationships are left to alien races such as with Samara and Morinth in addition to Liara. Kelly Chambers is one of the most popular choices, making her debut in Mass Effect 2, and she's available for both male and female versions of Commander Shepard, as is Diana Allers, who appears only in Mass Effect 3. For men, Steve Cortez isn't bisexual but is available as a romance option if players chose a male Commander Shepard.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition releases on May 14 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: TheGamer
