Been hammering away at the legendary edition over the weekend and have just finished ME1 (got it for Xbox Series X). Impressions so far:
- Overall, it's exactly what I wanted, which is Mass Effect but better.
- The game mechanics are largely unchanged, with some subtle improvements. ME1 feels like ME1 - it's not like they've tried to force ME2/3 combat on it.
- The UI feels unchanged, or if there are changes then they're minimal. I think it might allow more inventory items on screen than it previously did.
- The graphics improvements are good, not overwhelming. I only ever played the original games on Xbox 360, so the improvements will likely be less pronounced for people coming from the old PC versions.
- HDR looks nice, but made me feel sick with the flashing it caused when talking to the VIs on Ilos. Not a graphical glitch - they were always a bit flashy, but the HDR contrast intensifies it to the point where it could cause epileptic fits in those who are susceptible.
- Performance is great. ME1 on the 360 could get down to single-figure framerates in some heavy combat scenes, so a steady 4k/60fps is a night and day improvement.
- There are a few bugs which I never encountered on the 360, mainly around getting stuck on scenery. Happened on foot and once in the mako on a flat surface, and thrusters couldn't shift me. Had to reload.
- Speaking of the mako, I'm not sure what all this talk of 'improved' handling was about. I couldn't find the option to toggle it on and off (it's supposed to be there), but it seemed exactly the same as it always was, with the addition of a forwards booster as well as the vertical thrusters. The booster does help with getting up some steep slopes.
- I hadn't realised that when it installs, it only downloads the first game and you have to manually set ME2 and ME3 to download. Guess what I'm waiting for now.