Mass Effect Legendary Edition comparison video: What's changed since the original trilogy?

All three games from the original trilogy (and can we just point out that Andromeda is well worth a play?) have been remastered and packaged together in one handy collection, which also includes all the DLC - and there is a lot of it - that you may have missed the first time around.

Buy Mass Effect: The Legendary Edition at Amazon

While replaying Mass Effect is never a bad thing, the big question is whether the remaster is worth the price tag. Has Bioware done enough to make this an essential purchase for players old and new?

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition comparison video

During the promotional campaign for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, the developers from Bioware shared the video below, which highlights a number of major differences from the original versions of these games.

Better-looking locations, smoother controls for the MAKO vehicle and improved character models are among the major changes, and eagle-eyed players may also notice that there is smarter lighting, more detailed textures and plenty of other tiny little changes going on in the Legendary Edition. Here's a breakdown of the changes in a bit more detail:

The revamped MAKO in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

Ah, the MAKO. The dreaded vehicle that you will spend a lot of time in during the first Mass Effect has never been a fan favourite and that is largely down to the clunky controls that made manoeuvring a nightmare.

Happily, it has been refined in the Legendary Edition and now functions much better with improved boosters and handling. It is still a bit of a pain, and the sections spent in the MAKO remain a low point of the game, but at least you won't accidentally flip yourself upside down quite as much - although it will still happen.

Improved graphics in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

The bulk of the work here has been done to Mass Effect 1 and, without question, the game looks better than it ever did. Colours pop off the screen now and the 4K does wonders for making the alien planets you visit feel real and vibrant.

2 and 3, however, largely look as they once did - and we have a video further down the page to show you - although textures have been improved, as has some colouring.

Weapons changes in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

Here is what EA had to say about the changes to the weapons in the game: "In the first Mass Effect, accuracy (including reticule bloom and weapon sway) has been tuned across all weapons to allow players to maintain more consistent firepower, while still managing their shots/overheat meter. We’ve also improved the aiming down sights (ADS) camera view to be tighter on combat so that ADS is more accurate (like the second and third games), and we’ve improved the aim assist to provide better precision. These small behind the scenes changes collectively make combat much “snappier,” putting more control into the player’s hands."

Gameplay changes in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

It is the first Mass Effect that benefits the most from the gameplay changes - although the changes are not quite as notable as we would have hoped. Specific changes include a rebalance of abilities, with the immortality power being much better now than it once was, and there are many other tweaks and changes that EA has listed (see below) that do help to make the first game feel fresher than it once did - the following two games have only had minor changes.

• Shepard can now sprint out of combat
• Melee attacks are now mapped to a button press rather than automatically occurring based on proximity to an enemy
• Weapon accuracy and handling has been significantly improved
• Reticle bloom is more controlled
• Weapon sway removed from sniper rifles
• Aiming down sights/”tight aim” camera view has been improved
• Improved aim assist for target acquisition
• All relevant enemies now take headshot damage in the first game
• Previously some did not, including humanoid enemies
• Ammo mods (Anti-Organic, Anti-Synthetic, etc.) can now drop throughout the whole game
• Previously, these stopped dropping at higher player levels
• They are now also available to purchase from merchants
• All weapons can be used by any class without penalty
• Specializations (the ability to train/upgrade certain weapons) are still class-specific
• Weapons cool down much faster
• Medi-gel usage has been improved
• Base cooldown reduced
• Levelling benefits increased
• Increased Liara’s bonus to cooldowns
• Inventory management improvements
• Items can now be flagged as “Junk”
• All Junk items can be converted into Omni-gel or sold to merchants at once
• Inventory and stores now have sorting functionality
• Some abilities have been rebalanced
• Weapon powers (i.e., those that are unlocked on each weapon type’s skill tree) have been improved:
• Effectiveness/strength is increased (duration reduced in some cases)
• Heat now resets on power activation

Story changes in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

The core story is the same in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, but you might notice that some extra bits have been added that weren't in the base game(s) originally. All the DLC has also been incorporated into all the games, which is a definite plus, and now these extra segments will seamlessly flow alongside the main story - rather than having to be downloaded separately - and you will start them at just the right time!

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Legendary Edition vs Original Trilogy - which is better?

The first Mass Effect game definitely looks better in its new Legendary Edition form. We knew that was the case going in, as this game is where the bulk of the remaster work lies - but what about the latter two games? How do Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 fare?

Well, we have put the first three minutes for the original Mass Effect 2 and the Legendary Edition version side by side and, as you can see, the difference is not exactly striking. It is worth noting that Mass Effect 2 looked great anyway, same with 3, but we were hoping for more in terms of the visuals than we have got here.

But see for yourselves in the video below. On the right is the original Mass Effect 2 while the remaster is on the left. Can you spot the differences?

The differences are slight in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, and while there are definitely improvements, they don't jump out like many of us were hoping for. Anyone expecting to be blown away might be a little disappointed.

If you've bought the game and you plan on completing absolutely everything the trilogy has to offer, you'd better set aside a great deal of time for it, as it will take "hundreds of hours" to tick everything off.

For what we thought of the game as a whole, and why it is our game of the week, check out our Mass Effect: The Legendary Edition review!

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