Mass Effect Legendary Edition Release Date Announced

I own all three Mass Effect trilogy games for Xbox 360. Thanks to backward compatibility, I can still play those games today in the Xbox ecosystem. I’ve had the itch to revisit the games, but I know it’ll be worth it to wait. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is on the way, and now we have a release date. Not to mention, the updates to the game are quite substantial. I think for a lot of people, this trilogy defined an era of gaming. No longer did massive RPGs only exist on PC. Not to mention, BioWare stepped up to the plate in a big way with this project. Despite your opinions on story elements or the truly awful controls for the Mako in ME1, the series is an overall triumph for the gaming medium. Here’s what to expect with the new remasters.

How Much is Changing with the Remasters for the Mass Effect Trilogy?

Image Credit: BioWare/Electronic Arts

It was really great to finally get a Mass Effect Legendary Edition release date but I’m more excited to see what’s actually changing. If you already own the games on PC, then mods can help you spruce things up a bit. The real difference with this new release is going to be the care put into the basic elements of each entry. BioWare developers quickly let players know that the major change this time around is in visuals. You will get access to all the DLC released for the games, but that’s not necessarily “new” content. The real update is in what you’ll see on screen.

In the new 4K trailer for the game, the changes are staggering. Back in November when the Mass Effect Trilogy Legendary Edition remaster was announced, I had a feeling the updates would be minimal. Especially with a new Mass Effect game on the way, how much energy would they put into updating the old trilogy? As it turns out, a lot of energy is going into making this the best way to play these games in 2021. Everything from environments and vehicles to the characters themselves looks incredible. The funny thing is that these don’t just look modernized, they look comparable to any game developed today.

So what will that mean for players revisiting the game? I was pleased to see a Polygon interview article include a quote from project director Marc Walters on this point. In the article, Walters explains, “we really stayed true to everything that you would remember in your mind’s eye, like your nostalgia of the game had to be consistent.” Essentially, you’re getting the same experience you loved with graphics fit for modern gaming. Sign me up.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition Release Date

Overall, the real question now is when can we play the game? Well, it’s coming sooner than I would have guessed. Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be out on May 14 for PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One, and will be playable on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X via backward compatibility. In short, we’re just months away from another adventure with Shep. We have a lot of fans of this series at Comic Years, so we’ll likely talk about it a lot. For now, I want to make one more point before wrapping up this article. The point is this: gaming offers a unique opportunity for fans to revisit their favorite experiences in a way that improves with the technology.

Image Credit: BioWare/Electronic Arts

We’ve seen this approach to remastering film or TV to some extent. In reality, gaming is one of the few industries that actually involves major remaster projects. It’s a really unique way to keep the most essential projects over the years alive. As gaming becomes more and more prominent in mainstream culture, I think this will help the industry carve out its own value separate from other forms of entertainment. There’s no end date for a piece of media, but if you’re constantly improving the experience of that media, won’t it encourage more revisits?

I know at least three of us here at Comic Years who are ready to hop back in to Mass Effect in May. If you’re excited about the remasters too, then let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading Comic Years for all things gaming, comics, and pop culture.

Featured Image Credit: BioWare/Electronic Arts

Taylor is the Gaming Editor of Comic Years and a lifelong fan of video games. He holds two degrees in Political Communication and wrote a Master's Thesis on resistance movements, race, and the exploitation of college athletes. His wife and two Toy Australian Sheppards keep him sane.