The Mass Effect universe is my absolute favorite game series of all time, and I so, so love the attention and love that it's received with the Legendary Edition release. I'm a huge sucker for graphics and making games look pretty, and so my review is going to reflect that. So far I am only on ME1, but gosh it's just so great.

I have played and replayed the original games many times over the last decade plus, usually with many mods to alter and update the textures or to add QOL features, and while playing through ME1 Legendary Edition, I'm just continually astonished at how good things look. Turians (<3) are no longer stuck with low resolution face textures and just look amazing. The Hanar, Elcor, and Volus have also been given a fresh coat of paint. I sat in the Citadel tower and just watched the light rays play out over the gardens and it was just beautiful. I catch myself looking at actual reflections in windows or on water.

If you're a returning player, I don't think I've noticed any jarring differences between the original and the legendary edition in terms of gameplay. I did grab a FOV mod from the ME:L Nexus, since that is probably my only complaint - the lack of a FOV slider. I find that I prefer a FOV of 90.

If you're a new player, I'm so excited for you to experience a Mass Effect that is updated for 2021 standards and where you won't have to go and download huge mod packages to make it look nicer. There is so much universe-building and lore to explore, and I hope you get lost in awe with it like I did so many years ago. Make your Shepard your own, feel your choices and how you'd respond in the situation, and see what unfolds. And when you're done, go back for a second (third, fourth..) play through and see how changes you make in your choices affect the universe and the story.

Good hunting, Commander Shepard.

The Mass Effect universe is my absolute favorite game series of all time, and I so, so love the attention and love that it's received with the Legendary Edition release. I'm a huge sucker for graphics and making games look pretty, and so my review is going to reflect that. So far I am only on ME1, but gosh it's just so great. I have played and replayed the original games many times over the last decade plus, usually with many mods to alter and update the textures or to add QOL features, and while playing through ME1 Legendary Edition, I'm just continually astonished at how good things look. Turians (<3) are no longer stuck with low resolution face textures and just look amazing. The Hanar, Elcor, and Volus have also been given a fresh coat of paint. I sat in the Citadel tower and just watched the light rays play out over the gardens and it was just beautiful. I catch myself looking at actual reflections in windows or on water. If you're a returning player, I don't think I've noticed any jarring differences between the original and the legendary edition in terms of gameplay. I did grab a FOV mod from the ME:L Nexus, since that is probably my only complaint - the lack of a FOV slider. I find that I prefer a FOV of 90. If you're a new player, I'm so excited for you to experience a Mass Effect that is updated for 2021 standards and where you won't have to go and download huge mod packages to make it look nicer. There is so much universe-building and lore to explore, and I hope you get lost in awe with it like I did so many years ago. Make your Shepard your own, feel your choices and how you'd respond in the situation, and see what unfolds. And when you're done, go back for a second (third, fourth..) play through and see how changes you make in your choices affect the universe and the story. Good hunting, Commander Shepard.