Mass Effect fans rejoiced at the announcement of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition on November 7, 2020 (which fans of the series know as “N7 Day”); the game is a full remastering of the original trilogy of games that saw its birth on the Xbox 360 back in 2007. 

As fans of the series know, the first game in the trilogy stood out more as a “pen and paper” RPG-style action game, which was what BioWare was most known for in the past as the developer of games like Dragon Age Origins and Neverwinter Nights. So it makes sense that the development team has spent the most time retooling and reworking the gameplay to align it more with Mass Effect 2 and 3, which were more akin to action RPGs. 

In a recent blog post on BioWare’s website, the small BioWare development team went to work instituting changes and improvements to the first game. Not only were there graphical upgrades but also many more combat upgrades and even level redesigns. 

Some of the changes and improvements include (for Mass Effect 1 unless indicated):

• Weapon accuracy improvement 
  • Reticle bloom is more controlled
  • Weapon sway removed from sniper rifles (THANK GOD!)
  • Aiming down sights/”tight aim” camera view has been improved
  • Improved aim assist for target acquisition
• Weapons cool down much faster
• Weapons can be used by any class now without penalty
• Inventory management improvements (items can be labeled as “junk” now)
• The cover system has significantly improved
• Squadmates can be controlled independently 
• Some boss fights have been tweaked and improved
• Many improvements to the Mako vehicle (a LOT of improvements)
• Many character creation improvements (including FemShep from Mass Effect 3 as the default FemShep)
• A new unified launcher for all three games
  • Which includes a standard character creation system throughout all three games
• DLC armor and gear now integrated into the campaigns as obtainable through purchasing in-game or built from researching  
• Audio is remixed and enhanced across all three games 
• Since no multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 will be implemented, your Galactic Readiness level will reach higher levels if you carry over your progress from playing 1 and 2. Also, the Extended Cut will be the default finale. 
• Improvements to the Paragon-Renegade system in Mass Effect 2
• And many, many more…

There’s a deep dive into some of these improvements on IGN, and expect more news to come, especially in terms of the upgrades in the visual department! 

So, who’s excited to jump back into the world of Mass Effect and save the universe from the Reapers again? I know I am. Share my excitement in the comments below, and let me know if you plan on playing the game making the same choices again! 

Source: BioWare