While the news of Mass Effect Legendary Edition coming this May is exciting, it seems the next-gen enhancements will be restricted to backwards compatibility improvements for the most part, despite the Microsoft Store highlighting that the game will be optimised for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
Speaking to IGN, the game's director, Mac Walters, spoke about the possibility of a full-on Xbox Series X|S launch for the game, and how the prospect is "just a bridge too far".
"To me if I'm buying a game on this next-generation of hardware, I expect a lot from it, and I think it's more than what we could have pushed [Unreal Engine 3] to do, and again more than we could've done with a true remaster. To me it would have felt a little disingenuous. I think it's better suited for the next Mass Effect."
He did however outline some of the perks Xbox Series X|S owners should see when playing the game via back compat, and how players will not feel entirely lucked out from some enhancements.
"We have some targeted unleashing of the game so that it will leverage a little bit more power of the next-gen series beyond just the faster load times you'd expect from SSD. There are some things that'll let you get to higher framerates, keep resolution higher, and stuff like that. So it should be a more optimized experience, but at this point nothing in the future."
Basically then, despite the lack of a next-gen version in the future, Mass Effect Legendary Edition will still be sporting some improvements over the Xbox One edition that will benefit early adopters of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Regardless, it's going to be a great time revisiting this iconic trilogy again.
How do you feel about a lack of a next gen upgrade with Mass Effect Legendary Edition? Let us know in the comments below.
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[source ign.com]
Comments 17
"Suited for the next Mass Effect."
Is that a thing? I liked Andromeda but they pretty much dropped it and went radio silent. Am I missing something?
I fine with that, as long as I don't find out there's a Playstation 5 version.
@RedShirtRod Yep, there's another on the way:
https://www.purexbox.com/news/2020/12/video_heres_our_first_sneak_peek_at_the_next_mass_effect
@RedShirtRod It is. Bioware did announce the next ME game at TGA2020.
I'm fine with that..
To be expected.
It's literally a remaster, not a remake, so what major benefits would a next gen console offer a set of games running on Unreal Engine 3? Next to none really.
@endlessleep @FraserG very cool. Must have missed that reveal.
I'm not sure I'm tracking EA's logic then. Why release a remaster right when the next gens come out and years before the new one is released? It doesn't bother me that it won't be optimized for ps5/series s&x, but they had to know that people would want the game to be maximized for the console they bought it for.
The fact that they're still using Unreal Engine 3 is a bit weird. Couldn't they have updated that?
If it just cuts down the horrendous loading screens - being stuck in a lift for ridiculous amount of time, for example - then works for me. Genuinely looking forward to this!
Gonna be honest, I have them all for 360 and still haven't had the chance to beat them. I'll just stick with the 360 ones for now, assuming I eventually get to them.
@AJDarkstar PS5 has actually been a touch better in the backwards compatibility department - at least in terms of performance. Image quality will usually favor Series X.
This can be attributed to a couple things.
First, games targeted at PS4 Pro generally run lower resolutions (usually ~1440p). Games on Xbox One X ran at higher resolutions (unfortunately at the cost of performance) and sometimes even the Series X can't get those games locked. Sekiro is a good example: it runs pretty much locked 60fps on PS5 because it ran at a checkerboarded 1800p on PS4 Pro where the Series X is mostly 60fps, but dips when there is up-close foliage on screen because the Xbox One X version ran at a native 1800p. Both are a HUGE improvement over the 40's sometimes in the 50's on the PS4 Pro/XBX, but Sony's machine is the better performer by a slight margin. Image quality, however, favors Series X.
Secondly, Sony chose to stick with the same number of computer units as the PS4 at 36, only clocked up to 2.2Ghz. The Series X has 56 (52 available) at 1.8Ghz. Now you would think that because the Series X has more (albeit slightly slower), that would be just as good, right? Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case and has lead to a slight lead for Sony in performance in some areas. I am going to guess it's because PS4 games can properly utilize the 36 computer units already available on PS5, only now have more power to use. Not sure if Xbox backward compatibility uses all of the compute units, either.
Unfortunately, this is also leading to a slight advantage on multi-platform games that target PS5/Xbox Series X titles, as well.
I didn't mention the Series S because there isn't a like-for-like comparison between it and the PS5.
@AJDarkstar Oh, yes, as I said, Series X tends to fare better in the visuals themselves rather than performance.
But, I guess, pound for pound, the Series X is faring better given the visual profile being run - it's resolving running higher visual settings at only a slight fps dip.
I guess "perform better" is relative. To me, I would rather framerates be higher at the cost of lower resolution and I wish there were more games on Xbox One X that chose to lock at desired performance (even if that's only 30fps) over higher resolution.
Then, again, that's easier to say this on a 1080p TV as anything over 1080p is cleaner due to super-sampling. If I were use a 4K TV, I might think differently as image quality actually will look noticeably worse the lower the resolution.
End of the day, everything looks and runs wonderfully on Series X. I love it!
@AJDarkstar The Medium was pretty good. It had a couple of blemishes, but definitely captured that old-school horror game feel. I know reviews were mixed, but I enjoyed it! If you haven't given it a shot, give it a shot.
The dual-reality gameplay is awkward, but I feel like it was the developer's goal to mess with the player in order to translate the main character's own disorientation with existing in two planes of existence at the same time.
@AJDarkstar I can get 2 years of Gold for $50, but I get Game Pass Ultimate for free.
But before I started getting Ultimate for free, I did take advantage of Game Pass deal when I had 2 years of Gold. Ended up with 2 years of Game Pass Ultimate for $51 ($50 for Game Pass and $1 of Game Pass Ultimate)
I think my Game Pass Ultimate expires in May 2022, but I will be getting another year in April, so it will be good until 2023.
Honestly, if I had a safe way to get e-mail addresses here, I would gladly (and 100% legally) help up to 5 people take advantage of some of the perks I have.
Thats a tad disappointing but hopefully won't be a big one.
@AJDarkstar No, it's not through MS Rewards. Though it is nice to be able to use rewards for doing every day things that can eventually be used for real things.
Sure, it takes a while, but I think getting around 10K points gets you a $10 Xbox card. If you aren't hardcore about it, $10 is a nice perk a couple times per year.
@AJDarkstar Something I can't discuss. Again, not illegal, just can't discuss.
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