Mass Effect is back, baby!

 Time to back to the Milky Way, when these games were still good!

After all these years finally, my favourite Bioware franchise is ba- okay maybe not my favourite, but their best space ser- okay not that either. Best modern seri- Nah, 'Dragon Age' has really outstripped them there. Why is it that we want Mass Effect back again? Okay, I'm being a little facetious, Mass Effect has been as much a beloved part of my past as it has been for a great many others, actually going some way to solidify my definition for what makes a solid Science Fantasy world. It's a setting with just enough science in it to seem kind of believable if you tilt your head and squint your eyes, an undeniably epic narrative that set's it's scope so ridiculously high that we're literally talking about the fate of the sentient galaxy and, most importantly, a whole cornucopia of really well-designed and interesting aliens to make the whole affair more interesting. (are you paying attention Starfield?) Even as I heard news of this series and tried to act all aloof and uninterested, all it literally took was that glorified teaser trailer in which new character models were shown off to win me over whole heartedly. I want me some old school Mass Effect.

But what new trailer am I talking about? Well that would be the trailer which was released on N7 day to finally reveal that which the wider gaming audience have theorised to be true for an obscenely long time now, that Bioware have been working on an all-in-one remaster pack for the Mass Effect trilogy. (Talk about the worst kept secret) Following the trend of profiting on your already released content so late that this game is going to come out solidly rooted in the next generation of consoles, 'Mass Effect Legendary Edition' proposes to do the impossible and smoosh together these three humungous games into one affordable package with all the DLC intact. (Would you believe that I still haven't played the Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC? I actually have some reason to buy this!) Of course, there are still some finer details that we don't know regarding this pack which we can only hope the coming months will elucidate us on, like if the final game has been retrofitted in order to make it so that the multiplayer isn't heavily necessary to get the best possible ending, but I just wanna bask in the glory of the announcement right now, thank you very much.

Rather confusingly, these remasters are said to be headed our way by Spring of 2021, yet the only consoles listed currently for release are of the current Gen. (Which I think can now be considered officially 'Last Gen', no?) The team have promised there will be some targeted upgrades made for the 'next gen' consoles, but it does seem like a trick has been slightly missed in not letting newer consoles have their very own copies. It's just sort of weird for such an anticipated release to come out and then immediate expect it's audience to get on the backwards compatibility train in order to play it. (I mean, I would totally be down for it, it's just a little odd is all.) But even with that sleight blemish I have to admit that the prospect of diving into this adventure once again is more than a little tempting.

The original Mass Effect trilogy is perhaps Bioware's greatest achievement to this day, in that there's a three act epic resplendent with memorable set-piece moments, unforgettable characters, emotional highs and Aliens. Mustn't forget the Aliens. Personally I consider it the watershed moment for Western RPGs where they learnt the ways in which they could define themselves distinctly from their Japanese counterparts. There was choice and consequence, events that would bleed into multiple games and multiple endings realised through slideshows. (Oh those multiple ending slideshows, how I don't really miss you but a lot of other people out there seem to think they're really important so I'll pretend I care too.) I genuinely do believe that every significant Western RPG that has launched since Bioware's first renaissance owes something in it's inception to Mass Effect and Dragon Age; they're an immutable part of gaming history now.

Personally I've always held these games very close to my old ticker. I was first introduced to the franchise through an article in a gaming magazine which remarked in the complexity of the lore, and that was enough to get me interested. (Games back then were almost insultingly straightforward, I wanted something with a bit more substance) Then I found myself lucky when a friend straight-up offered me the first game from their recently acquired collection after remarking that it was a game they probably wouldn't enjoy. And in stark contrast I enjoyed the game tremendously, too much, one might say. I completed the first game in a week. (For those who haven't tried it, that's pretty darn fast considering the amount of side content alone.) Since then I have completed Mass Effect 1 almost as many times as I would a Bethesda game, I'm that helplessly hooked!

Of course, being this familiar with the franchise does mean that I understand a lot of people's concerns when they remark that it's a little strange to include the first Mass Effect in a pack along with the next two. Whilst Mass Effect 2 and 3 are logical escalations from one another, both in story and gameplay, Mass Effect one feels like a messy and like a slightly too-experimental jump into the world of third person action by Bioware. The gameplay is clunky at times and the difficulty levels clearly haven't been balanced, the characters in animation and ability are incredibly stiff during action moments and the talents are either pitiful weak or so essential that your entire gameplay experience will revolve around spamming them. Essentially, Mass Effect 1 had huge gameplay issues that were almost entirely rectified for Mass Effect 2, and many hoped that ME 1 would therefore be granted a slight remake for such a collection pack. If that is the case, however, Bioware certainly aren't telling anyone about it. (Almost definitively indicating that it most certainly is not the case.)

However, Mass Effect Legendary Edition isn't the only 'surprise' that Bioware had up their sleeve for N7 day, because the team also took the time to reveal (once again) that they are working on yet another Bioware game and they haven't abandoned the franchise the same way that they abandoned both the DLC and plain patching plans for Andromeda. (Good thing we've all forgotten about that betrayal.) To celebrate this momentous re-announcement, Bioware greeted us all with a single picture representing the new game and yep... that sure is some concept art... I don't know what we're really supposed to say about the picture, there's nothing identifiably Mass Effect about it whatsoever and, in fact, with the 'whole wide-open tundra' and 'twin celestial bodies' vibe going on this sort of looks like Tatooine from Star Wars. You guys are going to have to pull a little more out of your hat if you wanna charm this old lug.

But that's all in the future and this event was all about unashamedly cementing ourselves in the past like the nostalgic windbags we all are deep down. (I guess not so deep for me, eh.) For now we have opportunity to entwine ourselves in the war against the Reapers whilst feigning complete ignorance to the mediocre sequel series that is desperate to start budding itself despite literally showcasing nothing thematically unique about itself. (Deep breaths, focus.) In many ways I see this as an impending reunion with old, beloved, friends; the likes of which makes me smile to think about. To see Liara, Rex, Mordin and, most importantly, Garrus, again, is a late Christmas gift I could have never anticipated, and am already thankful for. Good move Bioware, if severely delayed.