Bioware details Mass Effect Legendary Edition’s “Calibrations”

Bioware has given Mass Effect fans a rundown on all of the enhancements that will be available as part of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, which is due to release on PC and consoles on May 14th. 

Graphically, Mass Effect Legendary Edition will support higher framerates and resolutions than their PS3/Xbox 360 era counterparts, supporting 60 FPS gameplay on PC, PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. To complement these resolution and framerate improvements, Mass Effect Legendary Edition will feature enhanced textures, new lighting features and improved assets across all three games. That said, Mass Effect 1 will receive the largest overhaul. 

One of Bioware’s latest update highlights is the studio’s improvements to Mass Effect 1’s Mako, a drivable vehicle that featured challenging controls and overly bouncy physics. With Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the Mako will be easier to control, feature new additions such as speed-boosting thrusters, and has been redesigned to improve the vehicle’s physics and aiming. The Mako will feel weightier and more tank-like, while aiming will be much more accurate. 

Other changes include alterations to Mass Effect 3’s “Galaxy at War” feature, which has been rebalanced to exclude external factors like Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mode, which is not present within Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. 

Combat-wise, Mass Effects 2 and 3 will be mostly unchanged, with Mass Effect 1 receiving large overhauls to improve the game’s gunplay while making the game’s play a lot more like its successors. Thankfully, Mass Effect 1 will retain its iconic weapon cooldown system, though many other aspects of Mass Effect 1’s combat has been rebalanced. Squadmates will receive independent controls, like Mass Effects 2 and 3, and many combat encounters have been tweaked to make the game fairer (with fewer sudden/random deaths).