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As I watch the Normandy ship appear among the stars in the opening of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition reveal trailer, a familiar sensation takes root. Flashes of Omega and the Citadel follow, and as the music starts to build to an epic crescendo, scenes from the trilogy play out like a fast-paced highlight reel. The adversaries I overcame, the companions who stole my heart, the locations I got swept up in, the choices I faced; it's all there. Watching the trailer and its one minute and 46 seconds distillation of the sci-fi RPG series feels like coming home – a bite-sized reminder of one of the most memorable gaming experiences I've ever had.
Truth be told, I've lost count of the number of times I've rewatched the trailer. Now, it's on my mind more than ever. Today (Feb 2) marks five years since BioWare announced the Legendary Edition with said trailer. Back in 2021, the remastered return of one of my favorite series filled a BioWare-shaped hole that only grew in Dragon Age's long absence. While that's been somewhat filled by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the presence of Mass Effect Legendary Edition feels more significant than it ever did.
"You were born to do this"
When Mass Effect Legendary Edition first released, longtime fans like myself had the perfect excuse to revisit the trilogy all over again, and by Joker did I. Over the years since, I've stepped back on board the Normandy multiple times – but as elated as I personally was (and still am) to be able to easily return to Mass Effect on current consoles, I was way more excited about what it meant for future players. It heralded a gateway for new generations to enjoy the same RPG magic that I first experienced almost two decades ago, magic that still holds true today.
By re-releasing the trilogy under one edition with all of the DLC and some welcome upgrades and enhancements, BioWare made it easier than ever to tuck into the trilogy for newcomers. It's the same reason I yearn to see the Dragon Age series get the exact same treatment, because as Legendary Edition proved, it not only means new fans can discover Shepard's adventure, it also means it keeps living on without getting lost to time. If Dragon Age: Origins got the same treatment as Mass Effect 1? Making it more palatable for modern audiences without taking away from the original experience overly much? That's the dream, right there.
Game preservation aside, it's also been an undeniably difficult time in the games industry of late, and some major changes have made for an uncertain future at BioWare. With layoffs resulting in the loss of so much veteran talent, and publisher EA's reported buyout ongoing, it's hard not to think that BioWare as we once knew it during the early Mass Effect and Dragon Age era is over. While Mass Effect 5 is currently in development, we're likely going to be in for a very long wait yet, and with Dragon Age: The Veilguard out in the wild, I already sense another BioWare-shaped hole starting to form. But I take comfort in knowing that the Legendary Edition is always there for me, just as my Dragon Age saves are there for me to return to Thedas whenever I need to – albeit through backwards compatibility in some instances.
I'm so thankful Legendary exists for future generations, and revisiting the reveal trailer on its fifth anniversary just reinforces that feeling tenfold. It may only be a short little promotional trailer, but it's become a monument to a series that had such a big impact on my life. Through its characters, themes, and stories, I found myself. I found a community of like-minded fans and fell in love with the way games can connect us and bring us together. And I look at Dragon Age in much the same way.
"You were born to do this", says everybody's favorite alien boyfriend, Garrus Vakarian, at the end of the trailer. Sure, the words are directed at Shepard and their ongoing resilience through so much adversity throughout the trilogy. But as the person who embodied Shepard through it all, it feels like Garrus is talking to me. I wouldn't be the same person I am now without Mass Effect. At times, it feels like I was born to play it. It was destined, written in the stars. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to rewatch the trailer again.
Mass Effect 2 had strength in storytelling by not being afraid to kill off its heroes.
