Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

Words cannot begin to describe the attachment that I have to this fantastic trilogy. This series was my entire teenage years and it continued to impact me even as an adult. My introduction to the series was Mass Effect 2, way back in 2010. My first "Suicide Mission" run was blind and rather pathetic, but it was very memorable! Then, I played it again, with more knowledge and perfecting a playthrough. Then I picked up the first game from Xbox Live and completed it. Imported my save into ME2, completed ME2 again, then patiently waited for the epic ME3 release. Fast forward to the ME3 release, I pre-ordered the "N7 Digital Deluxe Edition". Was it worth it? Till this day, I still say yes even though I disliked the ending at the time. Enough with the intro, how is the Legendary Edition, though? It is quite phenomenal, if I do say so. I was very hesitant to actually buy it at first due to Miranda's "assets" being removed from certain shots when compared to the original ME2, but this was simply making a mountain out of a molehill. The graphics were completely overhauled, lighting looks even more cinematic and the overhaul of the first game's combat system and UI are simply chef's kiss. It also doesn't hurt that the game is on sale for less than a Taco Bell meal a few times a year! Mass Effect 1: Pros: - Fantastic Voice cast - Intriguing Story - Memorable and Iconic Characters - Impactful and Reactive decisions that set story and narrative beats - Offers the most exploration of the series with hub worlds/ light sandbox planets with vehicle mechanics - Romance options are believable and engaging - Character Customization and 6 Classes offering tons of replay value Cons: - Combat system can be a bit of a learning curve for new players, even with LE overhauls - Inventory System is monotonous (Much like the Star Wars: KOTOR inventory system, which clutters quickly) - Exploration can feel "empty" if one finds the sandbox worlds to be too empty or bland Mass Effect 2: Pros: - Save Import continuation of your major decision, romance, class, etc. from the first game - Fantastic Lighting and cinematic moments - Updated combat system when compared to the first game, lowering the learning curve - More Iconic and unforgettable characters - Epic and cinematic opening/ Epic and cinematic ending - Even larger and more camp-like Normandy SR2 that becomes your home - Lair of the Shadow Broker being one of the best pieces of DLC that I had the pleasure to engage with in my history of gaming - OST and music score are simply top-notch Cons: - Character builds are rather simplistic and dumbed down compared to the first game - Depending on your views of narrative structure, this could feel like a side-plot to ME1 - Less exploration and vehicle combat and sandbox elements when compared to ME1 (even with "Firewalker" DLC pack) - More linearity in terms of story progression and some railroading, which can feel a bit obnoxious to new players Mass Effect 3: Pros: - Greatly improved and even smoother shooting and movement mechanics - More variety of weapons when compared to ME2 - Epic and tone setting opening - Lighting and cinematics are great - Citadel DLC is a great piece of fans service and adds closure to the series - Feels like a reunion of previously met iconic and memorable characters - OST and composed music are incredible Cons: - The side quest system where you scan things across the galaxy like a Normandy Uber Eats driver is atrocious and unfun - They rebalanced the "War Assets" system, forcing players to engage with the aforementioned unfun elements or you will be punished with an even more unsatisfying ending to your playthrough - The big one... THE ENDING! They did improve it to when it first released, but it's a strange band-aid solution. I still have a "What the hell is even that?" voice in the back of my head whenever I complete a ME3 playthrough. Well, at least BioWare tried to patch the original endings, I guess? ¯\(ツ)/¯ - No exploration at all - Increased linearity in terms of story progression Overall, if you are able to catch this absolute gem on sale, you are doing yourself a disservice every time you skip out on the sale. I learned that the hard way and I'm glad that I was able to catch it on sale at some point. I ultimately give this Legendary Edition 9 "Emergency Induction Ports" out of 10. Thank you for reading my review if you stuck around this long! I should go...

Pretty fun Quarian Dating sim a bit of shooting 10/10 would bang autistic Quarian GF again