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BioWare details the gameplay changes coming to 'Mass Effect: Legendary Edition'

The studio focused its efforts on the first game in the trilogy.

BioWare / EA

When BioWare announced Mass Effect: Legendary Edition earlier this year, it promised gameplay refinements for all three games in the original trilogy. In a blog post published on Tuesday, the studio has now detailed most of those enhancements. And as you might have guessed, the original Mass Effect, now almost 15 years old, got the most attention.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition screenshot
Mass Effect Legendary Edition screenshot (BioWare / EA)

Among the changes the studio introduced to combat in the first game, it says it made accuracy between all the different weapons more consistent. BioWare also tightened the camera for aiming down sights, and the game now includes a dedicated melee button. The studio says those changes make combat feel "snappier" in Mass Effect. To go along with those refinements, BioWare added more cover for you and your squad to hide behind in some combat encounters and tweaked select boss fights and enemies "to be fairer for players but still challenging."

Of course, combat is only part of the Mass Effect experience. The game's infamous Mako vehicle has also gotten its fair share of tweaks. BioWare says it changed handling to make the Mako feel "weightier," so it shouldn't slide around as much. It also has a new set of boosters, separate from its jump jets, to allow you to go faster. Additionally, it now features improved camera controls.

Mass Effect Mako
Mass Effect Mako (BioWare / Engadget)

There are also several changes coming to all three games. One of which is that the trilogy now features a unified character creator, so your Commander Shepard will look consistent throughout their entire mission against the Reapers. BioWare has also integrated DLC weapons and armor so that you earn them as you play through the story instead of them being unlocked as soon you start one of the games. We should note, one thing the remasters won't add is same-sex romances.

Lastly, the studio has reworked the "Galaxy at War" system from Mass Effect 3. That was the mechanic that played a significant role in the ending of the final game. It used to be that you had to download a companion app and take part in multiplayer to get the best possible conclusion to the trilogy. However, with neither of those features making the jump to the remaster, BioWare has changed the system to instead take into account the actions you take across all three games. In short, the more content you complete, the more likely you'll get the 'best' ending.

BioWare plans to share more details on the visual enhancements it made to the trilogy next week. In the meantime, IGN uploaded an 11-minute preview of those to its YouTube channel. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition comes out on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on May 14th.

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