The long-rumored remaster of the original Mass Effect trilogy was finally announced on N7 Day. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will be a 4K remaster of the first three games in the series, which saw Commander Shepard face down the mysterious Reapers in a mission to save the galaxy from a secret cycle of destruction.
Though the release will not be a full remake as some fans had hoped, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will include all of the DLCs released for the original trilogy as part of the package along with its upgraded visuals. The remaster is currently set to arrive in Spring 2021, but some fans have already noted one major thing missing from the N7 Day announcement.
When BioWare announced the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, some fans were quick to note that the game would not be released on the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X. Considering that the announcement of the remaster was finally made in the month that the next-gen consoles are launching, this appears to be a strange omission.
Many fans were hoping that the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition would be developed for the next-gen consoles themselves, fully taking advantage of the graphical upgrades this would allow. This would be closer to a full remake than the remaster fans are actually getting, however, and it is worth noting that the last game in the original Mass Effect trilogy released a full console generation ago already, back in 2012. It also does not mean that PS5 or Xbox Series X owners will not be able to play the remaster.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition can be played on the new consoles, with a catch. Players will have to buy the version for the older generation of PlayStation or Xbox depending on their console of choice, and this version will then be forward compatible, meaning that it can run on the newer consoles. Most gamers will be more familiar with the term backwards compatible, which is when new consoles are able to run games from previous generations. The idea of forward compatibility is simply a change in perspective to that of the game rather than the console, likely focused on because the Legendary Edition was announced so near to the release of the new consoles.
BioWare has confirmed that the studio is working on “targeted enhancements” instead of releasing an official PS5 or Xbox Series X version of the remaster. Little has been confirmed about what exactly these enhancements are or how they will work, though it does suggest that fans playing the remaster on the newer consoles will see some graphical upgrades more fully taken advantage of.
The announcement that the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is not being developed solely for the next-gen or specifically to take advantage of the upcoming generational hardware leap will be disappointing to some fans of the series. While players can still expect to see significant graphical improvements, the fact that EA and BioWare plan to release the game for PC, PS4 and Xbox One almost two quarters after the release of the new consoles could spell bad news for the remaster. Until more details release and BioWare is able to fully showcase some of the upgrades now, however, many fans will be content knowing that the long-awaited remaster is finally around the corner.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition releases spring 2021 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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