The test
Can we say that Mass Effect is to video games what Star Wars is to cinema? One thing is certain: in both cases, the initial trilogy will have left indelible memories for fans of space opera. And if the action-RPG of Bioware is not as old as the film “A new hope”, the weight of the years started to be felt all the same for some time. After all, the first episode dates from fourteen years ago, which is not far from constituting an eternity vis-à-vis video game standards. The arrival of this Legendary Edition, which acts both as a remaster and almost complete, is therefore excellent news.
We will not do you the affront to present the original trilogy in detail, as its fame is important. From 2007 to 2012, this space soap opera will indeed have delighted many players, Bioware still being a large studio at the time. Among the qualities that have contributed to the success of the franchise we can cite the good balance between action and RPG, choices that matter and that reverberate from one episode to another, an iconic hero but that the player is free to replace by the avatar of his choice, various alien races, endearing characters, and an atmosphere of space opera ultimately not so common in video games. Of course, all of these strengths are still valid today and this Legendary Edition has the intelligence not to seek to replace what is already working. On the other hand, this compilation greatly facilitates access to the saga since it brings together the three games under a single launcher. It is possible to directly launch the episode of their choice, but we advise everyone to start (or start over) with the first one.
Not only has the overall experience been unified across the different strands but, more importantly, the first one is the one that has benefited from the most significant and noticeable / visible changes. For example, the physics of the Mako vehicle have been reworked to be less floating than before. Weapons have been rebalanced and aiming and locking systems improved. The first Mass Effect remains relatively rigid at times, but at least it cannot be accused of distorting the original work. Other balancing changes have been applied, such as removing aim penalties based on hero class. Class-based weapon restrictions have similarly been lifted, which we think is a pretty good thing. In addition, the Legendary Edition offers a new system of levels, which now range from 1 to 30 (instead of 1 to 60), which fortunately does not change the progression pattern in terms of points. experience and talents. The purists can anyway select the old system in the options if they wish.
MASS EFFECT LENS FLARE EDITION
Beyond these gameplay considerations, it is obviously the graphic changes that take the lion’s share in this remaster. Even the pre-calculated cutscenes have undergone a facelift, via an upgrade in resolution and the addition of additional special effects. So yes, most of the time, these come down to light halos of the “lens flare” type, as we could already see a little too systematically on the promotional screenshots published in recent months. With this craze the developers are sticking a bit to get beaten up, but when you look at it, the series has always overused this particular effect. This aesthetic choice therefore at least has the merit of consistency, if not that of sobriety. And it would be a bad judgment on Bioware to remain blocked on this point of detail, because the graphic improvements are numerous, real and visible. Especially for the first episode and its fourteen years of age!
The minimum required for a remaster in 2021 is indeed there: 4K resolution and framerate of 60 frames per second (or more on PC). But that’s not all, far from it. If the three components still run under Unreal Engine 3, just like the original games, many graphic elements have been reworked. Some textures have been completely redone, and all have benefited from an increase in resolution. The modeling of almost all the characters has also been revised, especially on the face, while the clothes now show much more detail. As for the levels, some have been redone or enriched with decorative elements in order to appear less empty. The character creation tool, now common to the three components, has also been enriched with new options. The game even has a nice photo mode, equipped with all the options that go well (depth of field, focal length, aperture, filters, possibility of hiding characters or vehicles, etc.). Finally, the technical report can also be proud of significantly shortened loading times, especially on new generation PCs and consoles (thank you SSDs!).
THEY CAME, THEY ARE (ALMOST) ALL THERE
All the graphical improvements of this legendary edition are welcome and relevant (apart from one or two lens flares, you will understand), and only those who confuse remake and remaster will have the audacity to find the games ugly. But even if the graphics hadn’t changed an inch, this compilation would still be worth it for many players, because it does not just bring together the three major parts of the saga. It also embeds for the occasion almost all of the downloadable content that has been offered for sale during the six or seven years of operation of the franchise. Knowing that the latter is published by Electronic Arts, you can imagine that this represents a hell of a lot of additional content! And indeed, we are entitled here to forty DLC which, in addition, have the good taste of being all directly integrated into the component for which they are intended. The player does not have to navigate through menus to activate this or that content and can directly experience the adventure as a whole. These DLC contain in particular about fifteen scripted extensions, the rest being essentially made up of packs of weapons and armor. You can therefore count on a hundred hours of play in total, or even a hundred and fifty if you decide to turn over each stone. Faced with this more than respectable lifespan, it would be inappropriate to rail too much on the absence of two specific sections, even if that remains regrettable. The “Pinnacle Station” DLC, excluded for technical reasons (corrupted original code), and the multiplayer mode of Mass Effect 3 are thus missing, the studio having preferred to focus on the whole solo aspect. Finally, the most annoying remains the impossibility (temporary while waiting for a patch?) To combine English voices and French subtitles, the game requiring an “all English” or “all French” from the installation. Not enough to whip a Shepard!
