The Mass Effect series of games has been around for a while (since 2007, if Wikipedia has it right). I like RPGs, I like sci-fi shooty bits, and I've heard over and over that it has an amazing story. So, why haven't I played the main series yet?
Well, for starters, I did try, once long ago. At some point (it's been long enough that I don't remember exactly when), the original Mass Effect dropped below my threshold of cheapness, and I snagged it on Steam. I didn't even make it past the first intro mission, whether due to the then-janky gunplay or the need to micromanage your teammates in the middle of combat. I bounced off the first one hard, and the next two were continuations of the first, so I saw no need to jump into the middle of a series I had disliked from the start.
Eventually, Mass Effect: Andromeda came to be, and I eventually gave that a go, hopeful that the intervening years had improved the experience. Mechanically, it was a vast improvement over what I remembered from before. Story-wise... eh, it's fine, nothing earth-shattering, but certainly not the modern marvel I had been primed to expect from glowing reviews of the previous games.
Now, the original trilogy of games has gotten the remaster treatment that's all the rage these days, coming out as the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. This remaster got decent reviews, and I caught it on sale, so I figured it was worth one last try. So far, I'm pleasantly surprised. I started with the first game (naturally), and, while there are some bits that definitely show their age (primitive terrain and over-reuse of level maps especially), the gunplay and teammate AI is greatly improved. Not only did I manage to get past that first level, I've only rarely had to revive a teammate after they've gotten overzealous in their pursuit of the enemy.
The story, though? I can't say much about that yet. Basically, I've taken to doing too many side-quests "while I'm in the area" to properly focus on the main storyline. The bits I have seen have some potential, but mostly seem to cover some well-traveled ground (corrupt officials, corporations pursuing profit over safety, legality, or common sense, deciding whether your loyalties lie with yourself, your species, or the greater good of the galaxy, that sort of thing). The overarching setup of "the ancient scourge is going to destroy us all, unless YOU put a stop to it" isn't exactly fresh either, but there could be some wiggle-room in there for a good story overall.
In short, if, like me, you bounced off of the original Mass Effect series because of its mechanics, the new Legendary Edition could be worth a go, if you find it on sale (or want to try it out as part of Game Pass Ultimate on the XBox ecosystem, of course). Now, will it hold my attention past the launch of the Witch Queen expansion for Destiny 2? That, we will see.
