Fly me to the moon

A new month is almost upon us, and the PlayStation Plus games for Dece??mber have leaked just before the date ticked over.

Dealabs, which has leaked the list of PS Plus games before, has the alleged games for this coming month. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is reportedly due up, as is Biomutant and Divine Knockout, or DKO.

These games will reportedly be headed to PlayStation Plus' Essential tier, the base level of PS Plus in Sony's tiered structure.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8i53TtQ6IQ

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition needs little introduction. It's a remastered collection of the Mass Effect trilogy, putting the ??whole thing in one tidy, neat package. And frankly, if it's going up on PS Plus, there's even fewe?r excuses to not dip into this and try it. There's not many other RPGs out there that do what this trilogy did.

Biomutant is the rodent post-apocalyptic action game from Experiment 101 and THQ Nordic. It dropped last May and?? seemed like it got an okay reception. If you like the idea of playing as woodland critters with gritty looks and weapons, this might be up your alley?.

As for Divine Knockout, that's a new multiplayer game from Red Beard Games and Hi-Rez Studios. According to a Steam page listing,?? it's a third-person platform fighter that seems to take a more 3D approach to its smashing and bashi?ng.

Last chance for last month's games

Keep in mind that the changing of the calendar month also means November's games are rotating ou??t. As the December PlayStation Plus games hit, the November ones depart. So if you've yet to ?pick them up, sooner's better than later.

For November 2022, the list included Nioh 2, Heavenly Bodies, and the LEGO Harry Potter Collection. Those will rotate out some?time in December, so be sure to nab them if you want them.

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A space adventure for day traders

Mass Effect is one of those series that we've played so many times, sometimes it can be fun to load up a mod for the sake of switching things up a bit. You could always go for the expanded armory or expanded galaxy, or even try the Take Back Earth mod if you really want to make it interesting. Of course, I'm sure there are some crypto bros out there who are also Mass Effect fans, or at the very least, some pe?ople who want to try to game a stock mark??et in a low-stakes environment. Or maybe they just hate the probing mini-game. Who's to say?

Either way, this Mass Effect Legendary Edition mod might be for you. It's called Nos Astra Mineral Exchange (created by beccatoria and Team Pyjak), and adds a whole galactic stock market to Mass Effect 2, which allows players to trade money and resources. (Thanks, PC Gamer.) Basically, you can either trade minerals and mine them, or just forgo the probing altogether.

There are also new missions attached to the mod as well, which include new voice lines for existing characters with AI dialogue tool xVASynth t?han??ks to the work of modder Gaige Barker.

To gain access to the newly available stock market, players will first need to head to the Crescent Nebula, then to the Asari world of Illium, then to the capital city of Nos Astra, and then finally to the docks entrance where public trading terminals can be? found. There's also a terminal on the Shadow Broker's ship, if that's more convenient.

The mod's site even details the Mass Effect 2 stock market's exchange rate, which is the kind of thing I don't really get, but go nuts if you're into that sort of thing. Nos Astra Mineral Exchange is available to download on NexusMods or Mod DB �just make sure you have the ME3 Tweaks Mod Manager ready to go first.

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Prime members get a ticket to fight the Reapers

Amazon's Prime Day is coming up, where it offers a bunch of deals specifically for its subscribing members. On the games side of things, that includes a few freebies. And this year the lineup is pretty good, as Prime members can get a copy of Mass Effect Legendary Edition and some Star Wars games for the low, low price of free.

In an Amazon blog, the company reveals some of the games arriving as freebies for Prime Day. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a big one, as that's all three Mass Effect games and their single-player DLC, packing the whole trilogy into one launcher. If that gets you eager for space action, there's also a few Star Wars games on offer too: Star Wars Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy, Jedi Outcast, and Republic Commando. Or, for gearheads, there's Need for Speed Heat and GRID Legends.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8i53TtQ6IQ

Indies on deck

Amazon says that during Prime Day on July 12-13, members will be able to claim over 30 free games. And in the leadup, there are some other games to add into your backlog too, from June 21 up through July 13. They range from indie hits like Rain World to classics like Metal Slug 2 and The King of Fighters 2002.

Here's the list:

• 10 Second Ninja X
• 8Doors: Arum’s Afterlife Adventure
• Addling Adventures
• Bang Bang Racing
• Clouds & Sheep 2
• Death Squared
• Fatal Fury Special
• Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams
• Gone Viral
• HUE
• Manual Samuel
• Metal Slug 2
• Metal Unit
• Pumped BMX Pro
• Puzzle of the Year â€?10 Pack
• Rain World
• Road Trip â€?3 Pack
• Samurai Shodown II
• Serial Cleaner
• The Crow’s Eye
• The Darkside Detective
• The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark
• The King of Fighters 2000
• The King of Fighters 2002
• The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor

You can find more on the Amazon Prime Gaming site.

The post Amazon Prime Day ?freebies includes Mass Effect Legendary Edition and more games appeared first on Destructoid.

All three games

It's Mass Effect Game Pass time. We knew it was coming, but at this point if you haven't played the classic trilogy, you have an easy excuse to do it.

While Xbox Game Pass is the more-liked option, it's also hitting EA Play today. You know, that thing you probably don't think about very often? I can remember Origin and EA Play's launch like it was yesterday, and it's still around. Multi-million-dollar companies are indomitable like that. You can find the full EA Play lineup here. A few big additions include It Takes Two, as well as Star Wars Squadrons.

In any case, Mass Effect is easily worth playing if you already have a subscription for either of these things. As an added bonus, Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out on console and PC: it's not a "h??alf-measure" Game Pass dump like some titles that are "just the cloud" version.

Poor Andromeda! It never stood a chance and for some people, may as well not exist. If only EA had led with the Legendary Edition way back when, the series probably would have been in better shape. As is we're in this weird holding period where a lot of folks carry so much water for this extremely fandom-conducive series, but the fatigue set in because of Andromeda's rushed development.

Now it has to claw its way out of the dungeon to an extent: but with that fandom secure, I don't think it'll take too much effort. There's always going to be a seat at the table for Mass Effect, even if it's the smaller one on the side of the main banquet. For the next effort, they probably need to go completely shameless?? fanservice to get people to buy in day one. I'm fully expecting a "Shepard clone" situation at minimum!

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Launching probe for confirmation

Whispers that came over the information superhighway this weekend suggest that Electronic Arts' excellent RPG trilogy Mass Effect: Legendary Edition could be headed to Xbox Game Pass, following a hastily remov??ed Xbox Store listing.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAScSKBDuno

First spotted by Polish website XGP,? a new listing for the sci-fi space opera appeared on the Xbox Store Friday, November 19, emblazoned with a badge signifying its availability on the popular paid subscription service. The listing was then hastily removed, but not before XGP was able to bag a sneaky screengrab of the title. Here's hoping it wasn't a misprint.

Of course, there is prior pedigree for EA titles to hit the Game Pass. The publisher's games are often made available on its own EA Play service, which itself is included with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. It would make perfect sense for the remastered edition of BioWare's dramatic and beloved series to be made available to the service's users at some point in the future, and given Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is already six months old (yes, really) now is?? as good a ??time as any.

We'll be sure to give you the heads-up should Electronic Arts or Microso??ft confirm/deny t??his development... Shepard...

Mass Effect Edycja Legendarna ??w Xbox Game Pass �ciekawe odkrycie w oficjalnym sklepie [XGP]

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No middle sliders

When a game gives you a character creator, that mechanic can be more fun?? than actually playing the rest of the game. How you choose to make your character can say a lot about you �maybe you want an in-universe version of yourself to roleplay with, or an ori??ginal character, or maybe you're just trying to make the most hilarious monstrosity you can think of.

Sometimes playing around in the character creator becomes the point of the game entirely �this can happen often with The Sims, especially those who enjoy making Sims that look as close to their favorite celebrities as possible. Some even go out of their way to create meme icons like Shrek or Handsome Squidward. And I can't be the only one who has made multiple joke Bloodborne characters without playing w??ith them at all, right?

[caption id="attachment_295385" align="alignnone" width="1280"] [Image Source: YouTube user Dalaric Wolfborne][/caption]No matter what you make your characte??r look like, something that always interests me is the metanarrative that can emerge from custom character designs. Players often prescribe their own narratives outside of the game's story to their characters, with players eventually overwriting the built-in narrative with their own, like how people will watch a movie with the sound turned off and make up the dialogue to thei?r liking.

An awesome example of this is the series Monster Factory created and hosted by Justin and Griffin McElroy of My Brother, My Brother, and Me, and The Adventure Zone fame. If you haven't seen this series on Polygon's YouTube channel, it's absolutely worth a watch. It started back in 2015, and regardless of how you feel about the McElroy's, you can't deny t?hat the series has produced some true comedy go?ld during its run.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1jGnFt78H8

Each character they make in a new game, which usually constitutes at least a few episodes of the series, has its own personality and story that the hosts impose on it, which can lead to some downright hysterical roleplaying moments. My personal favorite is The Final Pam from their Fallout 4 series, which is so ridiculous and goofy and something that still mak?es me laugh to this ??day when I think about it.

While games obviously let us live out our stories while playing, I think character creators go even further, because they allow us to attach our story that extends beyond the game's own. This kind of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking is often more aligned with tabletop games, but I honestly think that's because most of ?us don't realize we're even doing it.

I personally don't plan for my own original characters to be any certain way when I play them, but lo and behold, it ends up happening anyway. Take my Mass Effect playthrough, for example. I started playing through the series with my friends, and after learning that I could in fact get with some aliens through the course of the series, I decided to camp up my character creation a bit. I decided my version of female Shepard was there to save the universe, of course, but also had a highly prioritized side goal to hook up with Garrus, and in turn created her to look as close to the Instagram beauty standards as possible, with blonde hair, a tiny nose, and huge lips. After much deb??ate, I ended up naming her Boney S?hepard for obvious reasons.

While I definitely found this a great deal funnier than my friends did, it was a really fun way to blow off some steam, and create my own version of a classic character, even if it is a purposefully silly one. More serious roleplaying in a game can be equally as fun, but I can't think of any other media that would let you experience its otherwise very serious story with the same level of whimsy, and I find that delightful. The whole thing ends up feeling much more personal, as you create your own memories of the experien??ce that otherwise wouldn't be there.

So what's your favorite way to roleplay in a game with character creators? Do you have any fun stories of your characters' adventures? Which game ??has your favorite character creator of all time?

Story Beat is a weekly column discussing anything and everything to do with storytelling in video games.

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Still fairly Paragon, with one exception

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition brought the trilogy onto modern consoles this last May. Today, BioWare announced what choices players of the Legendary Edition have been making, who's?? been surviving, and what y'all have been doing about the Rachni.

Posted on social media, the infographic shows that Sheps are still skewing male, with 32% of players opting to play as FemShep. Earthborn and Survivor are still popular for the origin choices (though the latter only beats War Hero by a slim 1%), and weirdly enough, Soldier is the most popular specialization. I wonder if that's just from Mass Effect 1 character creation, because I usually play Solider in the firs??t and ?Vanguard in the next two.

//twitter??.com/masseffect/status/1420036454??042857472

Ashley is leaving Virmire more often than Kaidan, and thankfully, only 6% of players left Urdnot Wrex on the planet too. 93% of players saved the Rachni Queen in the first Mass Effect, though for the 7% who didn't, 67% of them went on to kill the Reaper Rachni Queen in Mass Effect 3.

Squadmates surviving Mass Effect 2's Suicide Mission isn't too surprising, as it mostly follows the formulas and flowcharts that are floating around the internet. (I can't imagine playing Mass Effect 3 without Mordin, though.) 96% of players got Tali pardoned, and somehow, there are still 4% of Mass Effect Legendary Edition players sabotaging the genophage. Who hurt you?

The most popular squadmates in Mass Effect 1 are the non-human ones: Garrus, Tali, Liara, and Wrex lead the rankings, with Ashley and Kaidan coming in at fifth and sixth. A lot of these choices line up with my own playthrough, with one exception: 68% of players punched the reporter in the face. I prefer the diplomatic approac?h, but respect the direct one.

These sorts of infographics and stat breakdowns are always rad, though honestly, it makes me want to know more. Who's the most popul??ar romantic interest? How many people survived the Suicide Mission with the bare minimum? Who else tried the Ryncol in the Dark Star Lounge? If there's more info out there, I'd love to see it.

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A defining trilogy, finally in one launcher

There haven't really been many series that try to do what Mass Effect does. Other games have certainly carried choices across individual entries or even multiple games, but Mass Effect threads the various decisions your C??ommander makes throughout three full games and their myriad DLC.

It stands out as a major piece of what the PS3-360 generation was, and what hasn't been attempted since, except by other BioWare games like the Dragon Age series—and even then, those games swap their protagonists,?? rather than carry a single one through. It isn't just a hero, but a Commander Shepard, your Commander Shepard.

The result is a series with divisive takes and differing preferences, ranging from which romance and squadmate is the ultimate best to which choices are the right ones to make. I'm still taken aback when people say they killed Wrex on Virmire, or Mordin on Tuchanka, or escaped the Collector's Base without a perfect run. For some folks, these are their canon playthr?oughs, preserved in amber as the way they experienced this trilogy for the first time.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition (PC [reviewed], PS4, Xbox One)
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: May 14, 2021
MSRP: $59.99

It's nigh-impossible to separate those experiences from playing Mass Effect. They're essential to the experience. And thankfully, the Legendary Edition doesn't make too much effort to change any of that. What's amazing about the Mass Effect Legendary Edition is simply what it is: this entire trilogy, with (almost) every single piece of additional content, gathered into one unified launcher. That alone is enough reason for anyone who enjoys storytelling in games, tough choices, big space epics, or just some good RPG-shooter hybrid ??fun to take note.

For those who haven't played or heard about these games, Mass Effect follows the story of Commander Shepard, a human soldier who becomes embroiled in a galaxy-spanning confl?ict after activating a beacon left behind by an extinct alien race, the Protheans. As you embark on your journey to hunt down a rogue special agent, you meet and befriend aliens of many different species, all with their own backstories and cultures; you fight synthetic battle platforms called the Geth and dozens of mercenary armies; recruit a team, get to know each other??, and maybe even fall in love. And eventually, you uncover the greater threat: a fleet of life-forms called the Reapers, who are going to eventually invade the galaxy.

I've spent the last few weeks putting another 100-plus hours into all three games, in an effort to see exactly how the trilogy has changed, and in some cases, how it hasn't. All three of the Commander Shepard-led Mass Effect games are here, and the only DLC left out is Pinnacle Station, which isn't a tough loss when compared to other, more plot-relevant side stories. It is the full trilogy, accessible from a launcher that lets you easily carry one save—in my case, Jareth Shepard—throug??h all three games.

Of course, there are still changes made to the individual parts. This isn't a 1:1 recreation, but it's also not a full-on remake. The first Mass Effect received the most attention, and it really does show. Character models are noticeably different, mostly to positive results (though maybe not for Udina), and environments look fairly different compared to their original?? counterparts. There isn't a magic switch to flip to see the old look, but the change?s range from aesthetic—especially in the lighting department—to a few arenas here and there that have been moved around.

There are also some gameplay adjustments made, mostly to smooth out the experience of Mass Effect 1. The Mako is a little weightier and stickier, though I still found myself defaulting back to the legacy controls. The combat tune-ups feel pretty good though; as I wrote before, this is definitely still Mass Effect 1, with a?ll the good that entails but also some of the jank that can never be fully removed (and depending on who you ask, that's a good thing).

Journaling our way through the Milky Way

• Mass Effect: Legendary Edition - impres??sions of Mass ?Effect 1
• Mass Effect 2's intro still absolutely rules
• Ma??ss Effect: LE's photo mo??de lets me see the trilogy in a new way

Overall, it means Mass Effect 1 is a pretty big draw for both newcomers and old fans alike. The former get an easier onboarding process, and the latter get a new and improved version of the old game which, aside from some lighting qualms, is probably the best representation we've had yet of what the first Mass Effect is. That isn't the core of what this is, though; it's the whole trilogy, all gathered into on??e.

Launching into Mass Effect 2 feels just like it did back in 2010, which is to say it rules. The second and third Mass Effect both look nicer, though the change is less drastic compared to the first Mass Effect game, but Mass Effect 2 re??tains a lot of its ambiance. Omega still feels like the shady haven f??or the scourge of the galaxy, Illium is an Asari-built corporate bastion with practically zero oversight, and man, do I love visiting Tuchanka.

The adjustment to Paragon and Renegade morality feels really good, so even if I was making the same choices I've always made (how else are you supposed to play Mass Effect), I wasn't hanging on the edge of my seat to see if I had enough points to settle squadmate differences. Mass Effect 2 largely stands the test of time on its own, and its incredible DLC—namely Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival—are perfect bridges to the tri?logy's grand finale.

Where Mass Effect 2 feels the least affected by Legendary Edition changes, and the first game clearly got the most direct attention, Mass Effect 3 feels the most different thanks to what isn't there: multiplayer. As the Reapers invade and the galax?y goes to war, there is only one bar to manage that ultimately determines what ending options you have and how devastating the conflict is to the united galactic forces.

I was worried it might be a little more difficult to get all the resources this time around, but importing a save, doing most of the crewmate-related side stories (and saving them when given the option), and doing some DLC like Leviathan and Omega still got me to high enough War Assets to get the a??chievement. It mostly feels like importing a save, and carrying a single Shepard through the trilogy versus starting in one place, is more rewarded.

And that's the magic of it all: the simple ability to carry a single character through three games and their myriad DLC, creating a cohesive version of this trilogy. Even playing through this on PC via Origin not too long ago, I still had to buy the DLC as separate pieces, and ?ensure my save was carried over properly between each game.

The Legendary Edition makes it easy. Every piece of content is packed in and doled out. I can literally see my Shepard moving through each game, culminating in the end of their journey at the conclusion of Mass Effect 3. There are some lingering relics of the time—the game distributes its DLC a little haphazardly, so new players might end up playing content like ME2's Arrival before they really should—but this is, quite simply, all of Mass Effect (sans Andromeda) in a single package.

It's incredible to have. Across three games, you can essentially see an entire console generation's approach to cover-shooters and RPGs, as well as a studio's internal design philosophy, evolve over time. At times, even despite the fairly lengthy adjustments made to Mass Effect 1, the Legendary Edition? feels like a time capsu?le of its era of game development.

That also means some aspects and issues of the time have lingered as well, especially its lacking romance options for queer characters until the third game, though modders are already working to implement some of that again in the Legendary Edition.

Those issues aside, it doesn't usually feel dated to its detriment. This trilogy has some great combat and gameplay, but it's always had its cast of characters as its strongest pillar, and that hasn't changed as the years have gone on. Liara, Tali, Garrus, Wrex, Thane, Mordin, Legion, Grunt, and everyone else who sets foot on the Normandy are as memorable as ever, with plenty of loving attention paid to making them look good across the series. Seriously, Wrex's Mass Effect 1 appearance ??is something else; I literally let out a vocal "woah" when I first saw him in-game.

If we're setting off to new horizons and, eventually, a new Mass Effect, then Mass Effect Legendary Edition serves as a solid collection of this trilogy. This is everything these three games were, and still are to many fans, preserved for time. Just like the capsule Liara makes during Mass Effect 3, this is what can hopefully stand the test of time and carry what this trilogy is—its character??s, its worlds, and its stories—forward ?for ages to come.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Mass Effect Legendary Edition appeared first on Destructoid.

Hold your camera high and click

There are a lot of ways a remaster can change the? way you look at a game. Bumping up the resolution, adding more dynamic lighting, and fine-tuning character models are all pretty straightforward, and m??ore and more, photo modes have become a standard as well.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's photo mode might be one of its biggest boons, at least for returning players. It's fairly standard as far as most photo modes go: a handful of fi??lters and sliders, and a surprisingly good depth-of-field slider can all result in some good images.

What's really making the photo mode stand out as I work my way back through this trilogy is what it adds in the first place: the ability to freeze and save a moment. The Mass Effect tri?logy lived on a console generation before the ubiquity of a S?hare button; game capture certainly existed, but it was a luxury rather than a standard feature included in the box.

Photo mode lets me preserve these moments when I see them. It's been surprisingly fun, through each of the games, to stage my own photo opps. As someone working in media, photo modes are already a great tool—I basically have a solid headshot for every character in Mass Effect now—but it's ?also nice to just save ??incredible sights and memorable views.

These are, after all, games about people, places, and choices that affect them. Preserving the memory of a blasted-apart Normandy, the invasion of the Reapers, or just a nice moment hanging out with pals on the Citadel isn't just a way to snap some goofy antics; they're a scrapbook for a playthrough. I can look back and remember the set pieces I blasted through and wild locales I explo??red with my cast of space outcasts.

Re-experiencing the trilogy in this remastered form has, so far, been pretty incredible.?? And commemorating it all through photo mode means that, even if I get a little burned out after blasting through the trilogy in one go, I can look back fondly on some photos to relive those moments.

If you've got some good photo mode shots, share 'em below! And if you're just starting out on the series, I wrote up some tips for newc?omer??s you can find over here.

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You can't keep a good lady down

Resident Evil Village is back in the number one spot of the UK Charts. Capcom's horror sequel clambered over Electronic Arts' Mass Effect Legendary Edition and also held off Nintendo's cartoony social title Miitopia in order to claim the premier posi??tion once again.

Elsewhere in the Top Ten, the recent restock of physical PS5 products in the UK high street saw another round of sales for Insomniac Games' Spider-Man: Miles Morales. The web-slinger sits at number four ahead of Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, both of which have remained in ?the upper echelon since t??heir respective releases.

This week sees the launch of THQ Nordic's Biomutant, Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster, as well as Deep Silver's Maneater and NIS' World's End Club. It seems that, f?or the time being at least, Lady Dimitrescu is set to retain her UK chart dominance. And who would deny her, frankly?

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: May 22, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Resident Evil Village - Capcom
2. Miitopia - Nintendo
3. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition - Electronic Arts
4. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
6. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
7. Grand Theft Auto V - Take Two Interactive
8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
9.  Minecraft - Nintendo
10. New Pokémon Snap - Nintendo

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Garrus is next, but since he's actually the best, there's an error somewhere, surely

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is sparking a new interest in many prosp?ective N7?? fans, and re-sparked the passion of millions of folks who ate, slept, and breathed this series for years before it was put on ice.

And lo and behold, we're back in the schoolyard talking about what companion is "best." Well, now we have actual stats to help prove our cases. Enter Steam stats. There's just so much to glean from this giant list, but for the most part, the achievements showcase just how many people started with the first Mass Effect; and how many dedicated fans have completed large chunks of Mass Effect 2.

But one of the most illuminating bits of data is easily the stats that deal with squadmates. According to the list, "Quarian Ally" (Tali) is the most popular achievement?, with 54.6% of players at the time of publication  having completed five missions with her. This is a direct display of popularity, as f??olks favor her above any other party member.

In second, but deservingly of first, is Garrus, with the "Turian Ally" achievement hitting 51.9%. Next is Liara (Asari Ally) at 41.5%, then Wrex (Kroga??n Ally) at 37.8%, followed by Ashley (Soldier Ally) at 33.8%, and Kaiden (Sentinel Ally) at 33.5%. 

Although Garrus is my boy, if I had to put money on this list, this is exactly how I'd frame it. Tali is one of the most consistently beloved characters throughout the series, and one of the few (along with Garrus) with an arc going through all?? three games.

Global Gameplay Stats [Steam] [Thanks John!]

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Starting off with a bang

The launch of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition has offered us a unique opportunity: t?o re-examine this trilogy in a new light, and replay these games in?? one package, to see the through-lines and how they illustrate a shift in a studio and an industry.

They're also a great reminder of how much Mass Effect's big moments still stand out, and the well-known intro to Mass Effect 2 is absolutely one of them.

Taking place not long after the conclusion of the first Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 starts off with a conversation??. Miranda Lawson, an agent of Cerberus, laments that Shepard did everything right, and yet they're being shipped out to carry out skirmishes against lingering Geth.

The Illusive Man, silhouetted against the massive sp??ace-window facing into a sun, chimes in when Miranda mentions what losing Shepard might mean: "Make sure we don't lose [them]."

We bump over to the Normandy to see the bridge bickering, but it's not long until the ship comes under fire. Shepard rushes to put out what they can, and once the player has control, they step out into the vacuum of space. They save Joker, ??but at the cost of their own life; and as the Normandy is reduced to scrap and salvage by an immense cruiser, Shepard writhes in zero-G for a few moments, and then finally, stops.

All three Mass Effect games have standout intros in their own right. The first game drops you right onto Eden Prime, facing a horrific and unknown threat in both the Geth and Sovereign. And Mass Effect 3?, obviously, shows the first moments of the Reapers' invasion. The sheer destruction and feeling of helplessness Shepard feels as they take off is something ??that haunts them throughout the entire game.

But Mass Effect 2's intro feels personal. You know Commander Shepard isn't really dead. They're on the box art. But it still hurts to see this; to see the Shepard you made and shaped get blasted into space, succumbing to certain doom. And all around them are pieces of the Normandy, the ship you called home throughout your first adventure, scattered to the vacuum of space. That ship, your ship, is gone.

I wasn't exactly expecting a Metal Gear Solid 2-level twist, but I have to admit, I was worried for a moment back in 2010. I didn't know who made?? it and who perished alongside Shepard that day. And today, 11 years later, that intro still hits hard. Stepping out into that vacuum and watching bit??s and pieces fly by, seeing the giant nearby planet looming ever-closer to the wreckage, is all hard to forget.

Sending Shepard into orbit and the awaiting arms of Cerberus' Lazarus Project is one thing, but blasting apart the Normandy still feels like a gut punch. Booting back up into the first Mass Effect, it was heartwarming to be back aboard that old ship. And as Shepard can remark later on in Mass Effect 2, t?he SR-2 may be an upgraded version, but it's not the same ship. It can't? be.

Mass Effect 2 sets some personal stakes early; even if you don't like the Illusive Man or Cerberus, you can't help but want to track down the ship that shot down the Normandy. And as Shepard awakes from their two-year slumber to find the world moving on, and having to cope with a galaxy that's moved without them, it's a heck of a way to start a video game. I've been really enjoying this chance to go back and replay these games, appreciating them in a new light thanks to the Legendary Edition. And I'm happy to say that yes, 11 years on, Mass Effect 2's intro still hooks me right in.

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A Mako ride with fewer bumps

Damn, it feels good to be back o??n the Normandy. 

Booting up the Mass Effect Legendary Edition for the first time last week, I was hit with waves of emotions. Dueling swathes of nostalgia and newfound wonder at seeing this, all this, in a single package slammed me over the head. I've play??ed through the whole trilogy a couple times, and through the first game the most; yet booting it up here, in 2021, in the Legendary Edition, I couldn't help but?? feel a little warm about jetting off in the Norman?dy once again.

I'm currently playing my way through the trilogy, and we'll be looking to do a more holistic review once I've seen the whole thing start-to-finish, as it's clear there are some changes littered throughout the saga. It's worth checking in now though, after I've seen credits roll in roughly 25 hours of the first Mass Effect, to see what the Legendary Edition is up to thus far. It's important to note that this is a remaster—so while the gameplay has been tuned and even some content adjusted, this is not a remake on the scale of Resident Evil 2 or Final Fantasy VII.

For those just learning about Mass Effect, it's the story of Commander Shepard, a trained and talented soldier in the human Alliance military. Humanity, ?as a race, is new to the galactic theater and has huge ambitions and?????????????????????????? much to prove to the other species inhabiting the Milky Way galaxy. A mission gone wrong sparks a hunt for the rogue agent Saren, and Shepard takes command of the Normandy and its multi-species crew to hunt him down and stop an even greater threat in the process.

The most obvious difference starts at the characte??r creator. Options for making your own Commander Shepard have been expanded, and the default female Shepard appearance has been ported backwards from Mass Effect 3 so it can be consistent across the trilogy. It's nice to have a much bet?ter-looking Shepard out of the gate, especially one that feels like it carries across well into future games; I was surprised by how accurate my male Shep's face was when he ported? into Mass Effect 2, even amon??g the sticking imperfections you only start to notice after spending hours upon hours with your created commander.

Aesthetically, the new Mass Effect experience? is pretty noticeably brighter, or at least has more light sources to work?? with. As folks have noted going into the Legendary Edition, this does wipe away some of the more interesting harsh-light contrasts of the original. There are parts that certainly feel flatter, less dramatic, and certain??ly overall diff?erent from their original portrayal.

Still, after a mild adjustment period, I found myself enamored with Sovereign rising over the skies of Eden Prime, or the distant storm clouds on Virmire. There's still a mood here, though it's fairly different in some places. Noveria's port is still a cold brutalist bastion of megacompanies dealing under the table, and Feros' skyway is the same perilous trip over the clouds it's been in the past. I didn't always enjoy watching the light wash away some of the creeping shadow that I felt made Mass Effect look like Mass Effect, but what's here is still graphically i??mpressiv?e, even if some uniqueness is molded away.

Faces are where it gets a little weird, t?hough. So??me characters take pretty well to the updated models—Wrex in particular struck me, as did Garrus and Liara. Ambassador Udina, meanwhile, looks oddly out of place at times, and other humans can stick out, especially if they didn't receive commensurate glow-ups. I'm interested to see how these pan? out over the trilogy, and whether it makes a character's growth over the years seem more natural and visible.

It's more than just cosmeti?c changes, too. I noticed some rooms had been altered, most notably the boss arena on Noveria, and others felt different purely by virtue of the remaster. It's a lesson in how a revision and sprucing up can make a place feel different, even when you've run through it a half-dozen times before.

The gameplay has also received some significant changes, mostly in combat and around the Mako. Most of these are fairly positive and don't? do much to disrupt what made Mass Effect's combat so different from its successors; you'll still be picking up ?loot from bins and crates, swapping out mods, and saving up for the rare stocks at the C-Sec shop. Guns are now universally accessible, though you can only put points into your class' specializations. I will say, while the gun??s feel great to use and almost a hair more accurate and consistent than they used to be, they are also cacophonous; I had to tune the volume a bit after a while, because of how loud the assault rifles are.

As a longtime Mako defender, I'm honestly a little torn on the revisions. The new controls aren't horrendous, but I still found myself going back to the old controls, whether out of familiarity or just because they felt easier to strafe-and-shoot with. The obvious pluses are the boost, which makes traversal easier across the board, and the fact that you get experience f?or kills you get while ??driving the Mako.

Combined with the ne??w levelling system, which smooths out the curve to try and get you closer to "maxed out" in a? single playthrough, a lot of combat sections that were previously much tougher felt easier to handle this time around. Abundant autosaves also meant I wasn't losing huge progress when I died to a sudden barrage of rockets or landmines either. On a whole, Mass Effect feels a l??ittle bit easier, but that's really just due to some o?f its more unforgiving moments not having such tough circumstances leading into them anymore.

There wasn't too much DLC to contend with in Mass Effect either. Pinnacle Station missed the cut due to some missing source code, so Bring Down the Sky is the one additional mission. I??t's still labeled on your map, just like other major quest planets, but its inclusion feels a little unceremonious. I'm interested to see how the Legendary Edition packages the other games' DLC, especially as it has to deal with toug??h questions a?bout where and when is the right time to make those missions available to players.

It feels a little redundant to say that yes, t?his is still Mass Effect, in a ?lot of the ways you might expect it. Getting into and out of c??over is still janky compared to the sequels, and it's overall a little slower and more methodical by comparison. The minimap can still be a little tough to discern, leaving me to reference the map fairly often. So far, it looks like some of the original game's exploits still exist in the new version. It's also got some goofy bugs and glitches in spots that will hopefully be cleaned up in the coming weeks, but yes, Mass Effect s??till has its idiosyncrasies that ??set it apart from Mass Effect 2 and 3.

Still, a smoothing-out of the rougher parts of Mass Effect makes this easier to recommend to newcomers. The first game shows its age the most, but it's? the ways in which it reaches for what the se??ries will eventually come to master that make it interesting. Its shot composition can still surprise; its branching paths and living worlds can still drag you right in. I'm serious when I say that I've played the first Mass Effect numerous times, and I still spent time chatting with the elcor amb?a?ssador when I first reached the Citadel.

Chasing Saren acros?s the stars, following leads and finding yourself in terrible situations, contending with dilemmas wrought by corporate greed and unchecked experimentation with forces the universe still doesn't understand, is still great. Saren is honestly one of the series' best antagonists, and the introduction of Sovereign is still a?n incredible moment. Mass Effect is a game of big moments like this, interspersed with tiny stories set on moons and distant planets, where intrepid researchers and colonists continue to venture forth into the unknown, even if it will likely end in their own doom. It deals with complex ??intergalactic politics, and even Shepard's status as extra-judicial executor of the Council's will comes under interrogation fairly often.

The first Mass Effect could still use some TLC, mostly in cleaning up progress-halting or just annoying bugs. (I had one where my squadmates would suddenly refuse to follow me anywhere, which is pretty rude.) And ultimately, there are probably some folks out there who will still want to simply power through. There aren't necessarily massive additions, new romances or levels, or anything so huge. This is an attempt at tuning u??p the parts of the first Mass Effect that could be closer to its other games, and it's ??solid enough to merit replaying, even if yo?u still struggle with some of Mass Effect's more granular, RPG-centric bits.

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I can live without it, but it's nice to have

I can get by without an FOV slider in a lot of games, especially if they're re-releases. But in 2021, it's a little weird to release something on PC and not have it in at launch. Fans are answering the call with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. It's just how most AAA releases go these days!

This mod, found here and created by "Jade," allows players to utilize an FOV toggle for "the entire trilogy." Now I'm using the phrase "toggle" here rather than the traditional slider, because you need to install an individual mod for each game. In short, on this page here you'l??l find files called "ME1[-3] 80, 90?, and 100 FOV."

You'll need to essentially pick one of those settings and install it for each trilogy entry. If you don't like it, follow the instructions and swap to another one until it's just right. It's not a huge leap as it only takes a few seconds, you just need to settle on a setting. The same creator has a whole suite of mods for the old PC versions of th??e trilogy if you're interested, including a minimalistic launcher and a "skip launcher video" mod for the Legendary Edition.

All that said I dealt with a lack? of an FOV slider at launch and I can deal with it now. While it would be nice to see BioWare add it in (and developers ha?ve even started implementing it on consoles now with the latest generation), I can live without it.

Better Camera (Higher FOV) [Nexus Mods]

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Fingers crossed?

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out now, and contains most of what the original trilogy had to offer. One notable absence, however, is Mass Effect 3's renowned multiplayer. And while it was known it wouldn't make the LE cut, there might still be some hope.

Speaking to CNET, Mass Effect Legendary Edition project director Mac Walters said he would "never say no" to Mass Effect 3's multiplayer mode coming back in some form. "We want to see what kind of reception the Legendary Edition gets and what the demand for the multiplayer is," said Walters. "And then we'll ask ourselves if we h??ave the resources and time to bring it up to the quality level we and fans want."

It's not much, but it's something. Previously, BioWare has cited the logistical concern of resurrecting the multiplayer mod?e for why it was absent. But now it seems tha??t if enough people are hungry for it, we could be teaming up to take on the Reapers ?after all.

Among the many changes made to improve the overall experience of these games—especially the first one—I'd certainly be excited to play some Mass Effect 3 multiplayer again. It was essentially a horde mode in the Mass Effect universe, with tons of different races and classes, and some unique playstyles to learn apart from your Shepard's loadout. Returning to Mass Effect's single-player is fun, but I can't? deny I'd like to load up a map as the Geth Juggernaut or Salarian Infiltrator too.

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Out-of-stock

As players have been tearing through all three games in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, they've been discovering the changes that have been? made throughout the trilogy. One in particular addresses a very well-known photo that can appear in Shepard's cabin.

(Spoilers for Mass Effect 3 follow)

During the course of Mass Effect 3, Shepard can carry on a romance with a number of different crewmates, including quarian squadmate?? Tali. In the course of her romance, Shepard can even end up with a photo of her in their cabin.

In the original Mass Effect 3, this photo turned out to be an edit of a stock photo that didn't sit well with some folks. Now, with the Legendary Edition, BioWare has replaced the old picture with a new one, as confirmed by Reddit user "Maxgoods" and others.

Whether it's an improvement or not is your call. It certainly looks like Tali, though the original photo stood out for showing her without the usual enviro-suit, which I liked to think of as her on the world of Rannoch. It was nice to think of her getting to finally experience the breeze on her homeworld, ?and Shepard preserving the memory. That said, this one is definitely closer to how we see Tali in the game—still wearing the suit, th?ough without any apparent face-shielding. Still, it's probably a better version for fans as opposed to an edited stock photo.

While some of the larger changes of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition were detailed in the run-up to launch, but it seems like there are still a numb?er of differences to spot in the details. It'll be interesting to see what else has been across all these games as players dig deeper into them.

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The Normandy's finest

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out today, letting first-timers and old veterans go cruising back through the Milky Way aboard the Normandy. But i?t's not just about the end destination, but the journey, and the friends you make alo??ng the way, right?

Mass Effect's squadmates became, throughout the trilogy, as integral as Shepard themselves. Garrus was a rogue C-Sec agent-??turned-sniper Batman, Wrex goes from mercenary to leader, and even the cold, guarded super-biotic Jack grows and lets people in over the course of the games.

So as folks embark on new journeys, we wanted to ask, who'??s your favorite squadmate? Who do you always bring into battle? Who's your romance, and who's your ride or die?

The post Who’s your favorite Mass Effect squadmate? appeared first on Destructoid.

Knowledge is power

The Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is finally out, bringing the whole Shepard trilogy onto new consoles with a fresh tune-up. For a lot of long-time Mass Effect fans, the build-up to release has been a rosy and nostalgic journey through all the reasons we love Mass Effect: compelling characters and tough choices, with ramifications? that can ripple through all three games.

For newcomers ??though, the thought of making the "wrong" choice might seem a little daunting. My?? first point of encouragement is don't worry so much. Your Shepard's journey is your own, and there's no wrong choices to make—well, some are fairly morally deficient, but they're still your choices to make.

That said, I've played through the original trilogy numerous times, and guided a number of newcomers over the years in terms of what's good to know going into each game. This isn't a detailed walkthrough of Mass Effect 2's suicide mission ??or anything; rather, it's ju?st a smattering of tips that should help guide you a bit.

Mass Effect 1

• Mass Effect has the infamous Paragon and Renegade system, which basically determines whether your space-commander is more of a Captain America or a Jack Bauer. Paragon choices are colored blue, while Renegade actions are red.
• There's also Charm and Intimidate, which are somewhat synergistic with Paragon and Renegade, respectively. The easy way to think of it is that the more Paragon choices you choose, the more levels of Charm you'll be able to put points into and more blue-colored dialogue choices you can make, and the same for Renegade and Intimidate. Keep this in mind if you want to see some of the special dialogues or avoid some battles with your charisma.
• Feros is an early mission where, if you want to earn Paragon or Renegade points in particular, you'll need to make certain gameplay choices. Remember that you can mod grenades, and also that melee is—at least in this context—non-lethal (and it has  its own button this time around, so no more accidental shotgun blasts).
• Wrex and Garrus have side quests if you talk to them a bunch. Do them. In fact, it's generally a good practice to establish early on that, between major story missions, you should run around the Normandy and chat with everyone. There's a lot of lore and world-building hidden in those dialogues. Also they're all great pals!
• Virmire marks a pretty big turning point in the story; it's not quite the "point of no return," but a lot about your playthrough can change there, so handle all your business prior to setting off for it.
• In terms of romance, there are only a couple options. Male Shepard players can romance either Ashley Williams or Liara, while Female Shepard players can choose Liara or Kaidan Alenko. (It's worth noting that Kaidan is a romance option for Male Shep players in Mass Effect 3 as well.)
• Fool around with ammo mods. The first Mass Effect specifically has a lot of modifiers you can put on both armor and weapons, so don't be afraid to build the explosive-round pistol of your dreams. This is also the only game to use heat rather than "clips," so mods are one way to make that assault rifle's heatsink last for longer.
• The side quests range wildly in terms of necessity to see before moving on to the next few games, but I'd definitely recommend a few alongside Garrus and Wrex's missions. Citadel: Asari Consort, UNC: Rogue VI, UNC: Strange Transmission (later Major Kyle), UNC: Missing Marines, UNC: Asari Diplomacy, Citadel: Homecoming, Citadel: Presidium Prophet, and the various side quests related to your individual Shepard's background and with each major mission hub. Also, UNC: Geth Incursions is a bit more of a time investment, but leads to a nice scene with Tali.

Mass Effect 2

• Paragon and Renegade are back, but this time it's a zero-sum game: the system works on percentages rather than total points earned, according to various fan wikis, and there are several points at which you could have Paragon or Renegade maxed out and still fall short of the requirement for some dialogue. Basically, if you want some dialogue options—and in this game especially you will—you'll need to commit to one or the other.
• Building your crew is up to you, as you're free to recruit the various additions to your motley Normandy crew in any order. Really, just chase whoever you want to bring aboard first.
• That being said, there is one mission in particular that will put you on a "timer" of sorts. Basically, if you're not ready to do any endgame stuff, hold off on the Reaper IFF mission once it becomes available. Following that excursion, you'll only have a couple missions' worth of leeway before consequences become dire—so if you want a "pristine" playthrough, be cautious.
• New to Mass Effect 2 is the idea of Loyalty missions, which are big side quests you can undertake in order to gain a crewmates' loyalty. Not only will they expand a bunch on that character's story, but they're also important for endgame reasons. It helps to have a loyal crew, right?
• Upgrade the Normandy. Seriously, don't forget that you can also beef up the ship throughout the course of the campaign. Other upgrades are great too, but consider those Normandy upgrades priority-one.
• Let's talk about romance. There were only three romance options available in the first Mass Effect—either human squadmate (though only opposite-gender pairings, disappointingly) or Liara. While those can carry forward, Mass Effect 2 ramps the count up significantly. It's worth your time to get more involved with the crewmates, though the options are slim if you're looking for queer romance. (Mass Effect 3 will thankfully somewhat rectify this, and mods have made more options available.)
• Probing for minerals! If the Mako was Mass Effect 1's most divisive element, probing is Mass Effect 2's. I find that scanning around the planets is very soothing, but if you're frustrated with it, just start at one pole, do a full circle while occasionally hitting the scan to see if anything is spiking, and work your way down like you're peeling an apple. Put on a podcast! Relax. This is the most calming thing the Normandy crew ever gets to do.

Mass Effect 3

• Galactic readiness. This is the bar that looms over everything you do in Mass Effect 3, detailing how prepared you are for a counter-assault on the Reapers. Many choices in Mass Effect 3 will result in varying degrees of readiness, and choices you made in the previous games can actually contribute to this number as well. Keep an eye on that bar.
• Play the side missions, I cannot stress this enough. Some missions in Mass Effect 3 are essentially single-player versions of multiplayer maps, but others are actual story missionsâ€?em>Mass Effect 2's Jacob, for example, has his side mission under a fairly innocuous name. It's worth jetting off to these so you don't miss out on that extra content.
• There are a few cutoff points you should be aware of. The first is Priority: Tuchanka—try to wrap up any side missions on the planet, as well as at the Citadel, before this point. The second is Priority: Horizon. Try and get to where you want to be, endgame-wise, before heading off to this one. You should play a specific planet's side missions before doing its big capstone end-mission just as a best-practice, and also explore the Citadel a bit and talk to NPCs once you get access to it.
• Carry over to help with the tough choices. Seriously, there are some resolutions to major arcs in the Milky Way galaxy throughout the course of Mass Effect 3 that can hinge on, among other things, your Paragon and/or Renegade level and previous choices in the first two Mass Effects. Luckily, carrying over a Shepard will give you a pretty sizeable boost, both in terms of charisma and combat prowess. I mean, carrying one Shepard across all three games is kind of the draw in the first place, right?
• Balance your loadout. Mass Effect 3 lets you seriously load up your commander for combat, but at a cost: cooldowns take longer the more weapons you're carrying. It's best to strike a balance between guns and any abilities you have, as both have pretty critical use cases. A word of advice: have a heavy weapon and a basic sidearm at all times. The former will be crucial for some big fights, and the latter will be a treasure when you burn through all your assault rifle or shotgun ammo.
• Play Citadel. Seriously, if there was ever a piece of DLC so crucial to a game, it's Citadel to Mass Effect 3. It's essentially two pieces of content in one: a standalone story campaign with some great moments and returning faces, and then a separate section with just mountains upon mountains of time spent hanging with all the Normandy crew you've come to love. All of Mass Effect's DLC is pretty solid, but Citadel is the absolute must-play. (But also Lair of the Shadow Broker.)
• Enjoy it. Okay, I've done a whole list of points, so this is where I dump it all down the drain and say, have some fun. If this is your first time through Mass Effect, you're in for a real journey. Plenty of games have some level of carryover between their entries, but few, if any, have the sort of trilogy-spanning stories that these games have. So take some time, chat with your squadmates, hunt a thresher maw, and feed your fish. It's a wild ride, and that's why Mass Effect fans are pretty eager for another go.
• Oh shit, I forgot, feed the fish!

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Flip it like it's 2007

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is due out next week, with a host of improve??ments specifically targeting the first game. Some of those include the lovably clunky Mako??, which could certainly use a tune-up; but if you're ea??ger to re-experience the Mako in its original glory, well, it sounds like there's a setting for that.

In an interview with PC Gamer, environment director Kevin Meek said that for "those people out there who do ?like pain, we've left the option to leave it back ki??nd of closer to the original controls as well if you want."

Project director Mac Walters told PC Gamer that while it's been made a big point in marketing, the Mako tuning is a "lighter touch" than some might think. He also notes tha?t the "optional control scheme is optional," so you can go back and forth on it.

This seems to strike the balance between the two, keeping the original archived in the Legendary Edition but allowing some modern touch-ups. That said, as one of the certified sickos who loves the clunky catastrophe? Ye?s, I'm very pleased that I can still get up to my ??usual Mako hijinks.

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is set to package the first three Mass Effect games together, with various amounts of remastering and tuning done to each. Though it seems pretty good for new players, the marketing has also definitely played up the nostalgia factor, especially with the custom box art creator BioWare launc??hed earlier this week. I still hope all the newcomers try out the old Mako though, if only to see what it's like to skid around a lava planet.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is com?ing to PC, Play??Station 4, and Xbox One on May 14.

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Alexa, how do I make them all Garrus?

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is fast ap??proaching, and its box art is adorned with the many crewmates of th??e Normandy from throughout the trilogy.

But maybe you don't like how they're arranged? Maybe you're a little more Paragon or Renegade, or you'd rather spotlight the shady station of Omega or the pristine Presidium.?? Honestly, Kasumi deserves some box art respect too, right?

Well, you can make it all happen with a new creation tool that BioWare put out today. This handy-dandy site lets you pick your morality, location, and favorite crewmates to create your own personalized version of the Legendary Edition box art.

It even comes in multiple sizes, so? you can share the image around easily between devices. Get a 4K wallpaper render, a square size for a social media icon or 9:16 for your phon?e background, and then of course, a full box art for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.

The only trick is you have to, essentially, r??ank the crew of the Normandy. You pick out various characters for slots like "Favorite Squadmates" and "Trusted Companion," though some are unavailable for some of the spots on the lineup. Then, after somehow choosing favorites, it creates your own beautiful lineu??p, personalized to your favorite crew.

Sadly, you cannot make every slot a single character either. So no Thane-only or Wrex-only lineups. That said, this is probably one of the coolest things I never knew I wanted. With the Legendary Edition not far off, I've been think?ing a lot about the trilogy, and now I can slide in a custom-made box art to re??present my ride-or-die Normandy crew.

Feel free to share your lineup below! Min??e is actually the image embedded further up this article, though who kno??ws, maybe I'll make a few alts as well?

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Seeing the Milky Way in a whole new way

Mass Effect is getting a number of tweaks, both in gameplay and graphics, with the Legendary Edition. That's not the end of the list though, as a tweet f??rom project director Mac Walters confirmed the addition of a photo mode.

On Twitter, Walters posted a screenshot of Mass Effect Legendary Edition's photo mode, replete with tabs and options like Focal Length and Tilt. Further details are scarce for now, though technical design director Brenon Holmes confirmed in the replies that this photo mode will work across all three games and is accessible through the mission computer, so it's available any time you can pause.

We were just calibrating, but #MassEffect Legendary Edition will have a photo mode. //t.co/QghTqwS4Ah pic.twitter.com/tfNKcgyplu

— Mac Walters (@macwalterslives) April 15, 2021

Tuning the gameplay of Mass Effect and refreshing textures can all help to modernize, but the photo mode has swiftly become one of my most anticipat?ed features. Getting to explore the cosmos and spend that time snapping pics with pals like Garrus, Liara, Tali, and Wrex sounds fantastic. I am absolutely going to try and get a selfie with a Reaper, strike a pose next to a flipped-over Mako, and fill ?my camera roll with cool pics of the Normandy crew.

Hopefully there are plenty of knobs and dials to turn, too. Seeing the Milky Way in a whole new light is exactly the sort of thing that gets me even more excited to play back through this trilogy again. It won't be long, either, as Mass Effect Legendary Edition will launch for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One (with forward compatibility for newer consoles) on ??May 14.

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Shine a light

The Mass Effect remasters are coming up pretty soon, and there are some changes in store for ?Commander Shepa?rd and their intrepid crew.

Last week, BioWare discussed the ??gameplay changes coming to the tr?ilogy, especially for the first Mass Effect. (Guess some? of y'all weren't fans of the Mako?) This week, it's all?? about the graphics.

The BioWare dev blog details three phases of visual reconstruction: boosting up textures and upgrading the Unreal Engine 3 under the hood; improv?ing assets to reflect the passage of time—Liara, for example—and improving particles and little details, like skin, hair, and eye shaders; r?e-rendered cutscenes at 4K where possible; and broader improvements to levels.

Some of these are clear tune-ups, like the revised portrayals of series mainstays like Liara, Garrus, and Tali?. Others are pretty significant, as locales like Feros look pretty substantially different, and Noveria's lighting has clearly been reworked.

I'm of a few minds about these changes. On the one hand, the updated character models look genuinely fantastic. Ashley and Tali stood out right away, and even though we've seen some touch-ups like Thane's they're still pretty to look a??t.

On the other hand, some of the lighting changes are taking some time to get used to. Mass Effect has a very distinct visual style, especially the first game. Whether that was intentional or a product of the time, I'm missing some of the more dramatic lighting situations (the scene with Anderson in the drop ship, around 1:27 ?in the video above, is a good example of what I'm talking about). 

We'll see soon enough how it all comes together, though. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is due out on May 14 for PC, PlayStatio?n 4, and Xbox One, with forward compatibilit??y for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

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Yes, that includes the Mako

The Mass Effect trilogy remaster is just over a month away now, bringing the story of Shepard to modern consoles. Of course, this means?? fine-tuning the games, especially the older ones.

BioWare already confirmed that the Mass Effect Legendary Edition will include some technical improvements, as well as some minor changes to camera framing. Today, in a new PlayStation blog, community manager Jay?? Ingram goes over a more detailed list of exactly what those changes entail.

One of the biggest differences in the trilogy is the leap from Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2, which eschewed heat gauges for "thermal clips" (ammo). The first Mass Effect also?? had? some more traditional RPG mechanics, and some odd quirks to its control scheme.

Minor changes, like being able to sprint outside of combat, flag items as junk and bulk sell or reduce them to Omni-gel, and having a dedicated melee attack button all seem like genuinely solid quality-of-life updates to the first Mass Effect. All classes will be able to use a??ny weapon without penalty (though classes can still only specialize into certain weapons) and weapon accuracy and handling has been "significantly improved."

Some boss fights have also been tweaked—Ingram highlights a certain fight on Noveria as one—and most importantly, squadmates can now be ordered around independent of each other in the first Mass Effect, like you can in the sequels.

Of course, the Mako is the big one. Mass Effect's infamous all-terrain vehicle has plenty of in-jokes about how it handled in the first game, even if some people (me) ended up findin??g its quirks endearing. Ingram says that physics have been tuned to feel "weightier," the camera controls have been improved, a new speed boost thruster has been added, and lava no longer results in instant death.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition will also have a unified launcher and updated character creator, including the previously confirmed canonization of Mass Effect 3's default "FemShep" across all three games as the default?? fe?male Shepard.

It sounds like the Galactic Readiness system from Mass Effect 3 has also been a bit rebalanced. The numbers aren't laid out, but Ingram says in comparison with the previous version of Mass Effect 3 with the Extended Cut (which included a rebalance of Galactic Readiness), being fully prepared for the final fight against the Reapers will be more difficult in the Legendary Edition. Also, the E?xtended Cut ending is now the default fi?nale.

Other changes, like fixes and backend improvements to the Paragon-Renegade system, abound throughout the Legendary Edition, so it sounds like a lot has been done alongside the visual update. It's a mild bummer this won't include the stellar multiplayer of Mass Effect 3, but I'm also just keen on having another way to play through these games, and another excuse to roll a new Shepard with these changes, especially in Mass Effect 1. 

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Ass Affected

Incoming remaster Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will feature a whole host of overhauled features from the admittedly aging original releases. The off-road vehicle MAKO will have tighter controls, combat will be sharpened up, the default Femshep model from Mass Effect 3 is now av??ailable in the first two games, and the trilogy's visuals as a?? whole will be given a lovely modern sheen.

Speaking in a recent interview with Metro, project director Matt Walters has newly noted that Legendary Edition will tweak a selection of cinematic camera angles, particularly ones that may present some of the characters in a gratuitous or unflattering light. Cerberus officer Miranda Lawson - who is quite the?? polarizing character among fans - will be a beneficiary of such changes, with the camera's occasional leer over her posterior adjusted.

"I do think a lot of things have evolved since? [original release] but I don't know if I would say we were ultra-concerned about it or anything like that, but there were considerations," said Walters. "Kevin [Meek, cha?racter director] actually called out some camera cuts that were just… Why was that focusing on Miranda’s butt? So in some cases we said, 'Okay, we can make a change there.'"

Another example given was how cameras had been adjusted to help hide stances or animations that felt awkward between the male and female iterations of Commander Shepard. So, ?for example, the camera has been raised on a shot that sees FemShep awkwardly "man-spreading" in a skirt. The camera adjustments not only reduce shots of a gratuitous nature, but also allow for reparations on some of the trilogy's clunkier photography. Sadly, there's no word on whether any of the characters have learned how to dance yet.

In regards to Miranda. the driven and somewhat cold officer was born as a macho idea of an attractive woman. Lawson literally had her DNA altered as such by her monster of a father in order to present her as a "perfect specimen" to the world. As such, it's a little awkward for the game to leer over her labcrafted body - a source of deep-seated trauma within the officer's psyche - while she pours out said trauma to her confidant. In the long run, Miranda will get her opportunity to face down her familial affairs, but that's a stor??y for you to experience yourself.

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Mass Effect 1's Pinnacle Station DLC is also missing

The multiplayer side of Mass Effect 3 was unexpectedly fun in a hundreds-of-hours sort of way – the people who dug it genuinely loved it – but it won't be a part of this year's Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. While the three-game remaster? bundle has a lot going for it, multiplayer feels like a major omission.

Speaking to Game Informer, project director Mac Walters said that the decision came down to time and resources; getting the main Mass Effect campaigns and story DLC? up to speed took precedence.

"I feel strongly that we've chosen the things that are what the majority of our fans were most passionate about," he told the publication. "On the topic of multiplayer, it was just really hard. Getting all of the online systems working and functionality would have been another large chunk to do but at the same time, there are a lot of other logistics involved. The economy is built completely differently. Then questions came up like, 'Do we support it post-launch? What about people who are still playing multiplayer today? Do we try to find a way to some?how do crossplay between the PS3 and PS4?'"

In an interview with The Verge, Walters said that "at least at one point in time, everything was on the table." The lack of multiplayer let BioWare "focus on those single-player moments," and in the case of Mass Effect 3's Galacti?c Readiness, which had hooks in multiplayer, things are ??being rebalanced.

I'm sure fans will delve into the minutia and pick apart Mass Effect: Legendary Edition in due time post-release, but at least for now, there's one other notable absence: the combat-heavy Pinnacle Station DLC.

As it turns out, the training facility DLC would've required a full-on new remake – Pinnacle Station was originally developed by Demiurge, and the source code isn't usable. "It would basically take us another full six month?s just to do this with most of the team we've got," Walters told ??Game Informer.

"I wish we could do it ??[...] leaving it all on the cutting-room floor, it was heartbreaking."

BioWare Explains Why It Didn't Bring Back Ma??ss Effect 3 Multiplayer In Legendary Edition, BioWare Explains Pinnacle Station ??DLC Exclusion From Mass Effect Legendary Edition [Game Informer]
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition cuts multiplayer in favor of single-player improvement??s [The Verge]

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If it's your first time through, it'll be different than it was in 2012

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was fully fleshed??? out yesterday, and so far, the changes look pretty good.

An enhanced Mako and improved elevator-masked load times sound like big upgrades, as do enhanced visuals for all of those lovely planets. But what about that ending? While BioWare avoided courting that controversy again directly in the new trailer that debuted this week, they did speak to IGN about the direction they were going.

The game's director, Mac Walters, confirms outright that the "extended cut," otherwise known as BioWare's attempts to smooth over the ending debacle, will be the default mode of the Legendary package: "For the people who had an extended cut, that became the experience for them, and so that will be the experience for everyone who is playing the Legendary Edition as well. And ultimately...you finish a game and there are things you wish you had been ?able to do or things you want to add on, and to me that Extended Cut was that opportunity to add a little bit more love and a little bit more context around the ending. So to me that is part of the canon."

Basically, rather than the classic Mass Effect 3, which has the original ending preserved on a disc copy: Legendary has the "fourth ending," ending reworks, and the epilogues ??baked in as part of the game. It's also going to tweak a few frustrating moments too, hinting at even more optimizations beyond what was already discussed.

Walters calls out the original Benezia fight from Mass Effect 1 by name: "A lot of people were very frustrated due to a number of things: there's the lack of cover in that fight so you're constantly getting flanked; her ability to almost immobilize you almost right off the bat," he said. "So tuning some of those. Not so much that the fight isn't still a hard fight -- it should be a hard fight -- but just so that you couldn't be knocked completely on your back right away." Hilariously, when Googling a video of the Benezia fight, I came across the reddit post "Any tips for fighting Benezia.. She's brutal."

The team is also adding mo?re "discrete" autosaves (good, good) that are designed to cut down on rewatching cutscenes, which sound like big wins. Now we just wait for a lot of people to slowly play through the entire trilogy again, and rush online to discuss the ending.

Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut Ending ?Is 'Part of the Canon' in Legendary Edition [IGN]

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The greatest story in the galaxy returns

Electronic Arts and developer BioWare have announced that remaster trilogy Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will launch on PS4, Xbox One, and? PC, (via Steam and Origin), on May 14. A brand new trailer has been released to help get fans' warp engines in overdrive.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will remaster BioWare's fantastic s?pace opera, which took players on a wild and emotional ride on PS3, PC, and Xbox 360 between 2007-2012. Th??????????????????????????ese three sci-fi epics tell the story of Commander Shepard and their party of beloved, rogueish, and memorable allies, thrown together in a battle for the very fate of the galaxy, held at the mercy of a generational doomsday race known as "The Reapers."

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition includes all three original Mass Effect titles complete with all previously-released DLC and pre-order bonuses. The trinity ??is remastered in 4K HDR resolution and features improved character models, textures, and depth of field - all showcased under enhanced lighting, shadow, reflection, and explosive special effects.

Under the hood, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition features a slicker performance across the board. This includes tighter combat and a re-balance for its arsenal of futuristic death-dealers. Best of all, the wonky shopping cart that is the Mako is sporting overhauled controls and a speed boost, helping you better navigate unknown planets while taking down deadly Thresher Maws. The thinly-veiled load times - hidden behind Mass Effect's plethora of elevators - have also been significantly improved.

As for Commander Shepard themselves, the character creator has been greatly expanded to allow for more customization options than ever before. Additionally, the default Femshep model introduced in Mass Effect 3 can now be selected for use in the previous two ch??apters. Bu??t I mean, y'all made your own Femshep anyway, right?

The PC experience has been fully modernized. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is DirectX 11 compatible and features support for 21:9 widescreen ratios and "ultra-high" refresh rates. Console players will have the option of favoring between resolution and frame-rate, though PS5 and Xbox Serie??s X owners will also receive an addit??ional boost in overall performance.

And I was sitting on? the fence about whet?her I wanted to play this trilogy again...

Shepard.

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Mass Effect: Legendary Edition listed for March 12 by retailers in Singapore and Indonesia

While BioWare's remastered Mass Effect trilogy is still officially aiming for a spring 2021 launch, a pair of retailers are pointing to a March 12 release date for the three-in-one Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.

The retailer GS Shop put out a promotional tweet with the March date while another, Shopitree, included the same info on its listing for the game. Retailer listings are far from the final say on video game release da?tes, but in this case, Eurogamer "understands the above date to currently be accurate."

With that said, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was previously rumored to release last October, ??so there are no guarantees that EA's release plans won't change again. This very well could slip back.

On my end, I'm planning to make time for the trilogy no matter when it ends up coming out – I've been waiting for a good reason to replay Mass Effect for years, and I think this is it. BioWare is "updating the textures, shaders, models, effects, and technical features" for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and Legendary Edition will have "forward compatibility and target??ed enhancements" on Xbox Series X and P??S5.

I wonder how jarring Mass Effect 1 will be after all this t??ime. 2007 feels like forever ago.

@IdleSloth84 [Twitter via Eurogamer]

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