I'm only in my Mass Effect (1) play-through of this remaster collection but I have to say that, OVERALL, I'm glad I bought this. This is a review of ME1's changes only - not of the game itself which we all know is just brilliant but old (let's face it, the only reason to buy this package is for ME1 because ME2 and 3 didn't really need a remaster).

I'm a huge fan of the series and have played it through many times, but ME1 was definitely excessively dated compared to the later games. So booting up this new version of ME1 has been a pleasure! First, Shepard's customisations are vastly improved, and all the textures are much higher resolution without all the jagged lines. Secondly, the atmospheric visuals of planets are much more immersive with more visible dust storm effects etc (the planets are still as barren as they always were but they feel hostile, stormy, alien). In short, it's very easy to forget this is a 2008 game - which actually makes the accomplishment astonishing.

I don't want to overstate this too much though. The graphics aren't cutting edge (this is no Cyberpunk for sure), but just pause a minute and remember that this is a 2008 game you're looking at. That's when you can really appreciate what a transformation has been made. I find it super-impressive and feel like new life has been injected into a much loved old friend.

However...

The much-advertised improvements to the Mako aren't huge. The boost is great, but you're still gonna be wedged in craters and not able to scale steeper rocks. It's harder to get in and out of it for some reason - plus they've cleverly removed the ability to 'glitch' the Mako through those rocks on Therum to rescue Liara - dammit! The biotic powers are as slow, sluggish, underpowered and underwhelming as they always were for most of the game (borderline useless in ME1 original - still are - WHY???).

Most disappointing of all for me is that there was a real opportunity here to unlock some of the relationship choices for alien races especially. They haven't. Only male Shepard can romance Tali and Ashley, and only female Shephard can romance Garrus and Kaiden. This wouldn't be so bad if there were a slew of other choices but the LGBT+ choices in ME1 are kinda crud. For example: female Shepard's only viable option is Liara and you'll lose access to that relationship for the entirety of ME2. DISAPPOINTING!

Another huge disappointment is that the advertised 21:9 screen support isn't actually accurate and this borders on false advertising. There is only partial support. Every cut-scene and conversation is centred in your wide screen with thick black borders either side, which breaks immersion - and as most of ME1 is cut-scene and conversation, it would be more accurate to say that most of the game does NOT support 21:9. Perhaps re-rendering these animated scenes was too much work, which implies that all that has been done in reality was replacement of textures with a couple of code and camera tweaks.

So, final verdict! As a super-fan, the texture overhaul sold it to me and I don't regret buying it because who wouldn't want to play a visually improved version of one of their favourite games? If you temper your expectations to improved textures without the jaggies and you'll get the game you expect.

[h1]Mass Effect 1 - first impressions[/h1] I'm only in my Mass Effect (1) play-through of this remaster collection but I have to say that, OVERALL, I'm glad I bought this. This is a review of ME1's changes only - not of the game itself which we all know is just brilliant but old (let's face it, the only reason to buy this package is for ME1 because ME2 and 3 didn't really need a remaster). I'm a huge fan of the series and have played it through many times, but ME1 was definitely excessively dated compared to the later games. So booting up this new version of ME1 has been a pleasure! First, Shepard's customisations are vastly improved, and all the textures are much higher resolution without all the jagged lines. Secondly, the atmospheric visuals of planets are much more immersive with more visible dust storm effects etc (the planets are still as barren as they always were but they feel hostile, stormy, alien). In short, it's very easy to forget this is a 2008 game - which actually makes the accomplishment astonishing. I don't want to overstate this too much though. The graphics aren't cutting edge (this is no Cyberpunk for sure), but just pause a minute and remember that this is a 2008 game you're looking at. That's when you can really appreciate what a transformation has been made. I find it super-impressive and feel like new life has been injected into a much loved old friend. However... The much-advertised improvements to the Mako aren't huge. The boost is great, but you're still gonna be wedged in craters and not able to scale steeper rocks. It's harder to get in and out of it for some reason - plus they've cleverly removed the ability to 'glitch' the Mako through those rocks on [spoiler]Therum to rescue Liara [/spoiler] - dammit! The biotic powers are as slow, sluggish, underpowered and underwhelming as they always were for most of the game (borderline useless in ME1 original - still are - WHY???). Most disappointing of all for me is that there was a real opportunity here to unlock some of the relationship choices for alien races especially. They haven't. Only male Shepard can romance Tali and Ashley, and only female Shephard can romance Garrus and Kaiden. This wouldn't be so bad if there were a slew of other choices but the LGBT+ choices in ME1 are kinda crud. For example: [spoiler]female Shepard's only viable option is Liara and you'll lose access to that relationship for the entirety of ME2.[/spoiler] DISAPPOINTING! Another huge disappointment is that the advertised 21:9 screen support isn't actually accurate and this borders on false advertising. There is only partial support. Every cut-scene and conversation is centred in your wide screen with thick black borders either side, which breaks immersion - and as most of ME1 is cut-scene and conversation, it would be more accurate to say that most of the game does NOT support 21:9. Perhaps re-rendering these animated scenes was too much work, which implies that all that has been done in reality was replacement of textures with a couple of code and camera tweaks. So, final verdict! As a super-fan, the texture overhaul sold it to me and I don't regret buying it because who wouldn't want to play a visually improved version of one of their favourite games? If you temper your expectations to improved textures without the jaggies and you'll get the game you expect.