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123-517: Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a compilation of the video games in the Mass Effect trilogy: Mass Effect (2007), Mass Effect 2 (2010), and Mass Effect 3 (2012). Developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts , the compilation was released on May 14, 2021, for PlayStation 4 , Windows , and Xbox One . All three games were remastered , with visual enhancements, technical improvements, and gameplay adjustments. Mass Effect ,

246-425: A loading screen while the game loaded level information from storage. With more advanced computing hardware with faster input/output data transfer rates, such as optical drives, hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), and larger amounts of memory, game developers have been able to take advantage of continuously loading new level assets – models, textures, and audio – into

369-495: A skill tree that the player can advance through as their character gains experience levels through completing missions. Each game generally follows a main story pathway with points of branching narratives and multiple side missions, allowing the player to proceed through the game as they desire. Both story and optional missions most often involve using their ship to travel via the mass relay to remote star systems and explore planets to find target objectives. When exploring planets,

492-435: A video game . An individual involved with the development of game levels is a level designer or mapper. In some cases, the developer of a video game includes built-in level editing tools; for example, a track editor for a racing game. Other times they may release an official level editor for the game as a separate application. Sometimes players of the game develop fan-made level editors. Developing level editors will allow

615-475: A Pathfinder – an operative tasked with discovering new planets in the Andromeda Galaxy on behalf of their species. Unlike previous installments, Andromeda did not receive single player expansions, though the multiplayer component did receive new content in various updates in 2017 which added new weapons, abilities, maps, and playable characters. As part of the 2020 "N7 Day," BioWare affirmed that

738-465: A character would typically lead to scenes leading up to a sexual encounter though otherwise not showing anything inappropriate for the game's rating. These options had created some controversy for the first game on release with mainstream reporters critical of the sexual content of the game. Mass Effect (2007), the first game in the series, was originally created as an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 but

861-492: A consensus among critics that it was not up to par with its predecessors in terms of overall quality, although the improved combat received praise. The Mass Effect franchise has been successful commercially. The first game in the franchise sold over one million units worldwide in less than three weeks after launch. Sales rose to 1.6 million copies after six weeks of availability by January 2008. Its sequel, Mass Effect 2 shipped two million copies to retailers two weeks after

984-415: A different environment. Level designers sometimes make hidden rooms and areas that usually require more effort for the player to reach or to notice. These usually give some additional rewards, such as ammo or powerups. They serve to induce players to explore. Sometimes, they serve as easter eggs , containing messages such as the level designers' names or pictures, or political or humorous messages. One of

1107-404: A different level each time, until he finally confronts Kong. 1983's Lode Runner was one of the first titles to ship with a level editor. Its designer, Doug Smith , reputedly paid neighborhood children to design levels for the game. The same year, the multiplayer dungeon crawl Dandy was released, and it also shipped with a level editor which was documented in the manual. ZZT (1991)

1230-440: A distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the galaxy using technology left behind by advanced precursor civilizations . The franchise originated in a series of video games developed by BioWare and originally published by Microsoft Game Studios on the first two games and its expansions. Later on, the series was taken over by Electronic Arts through its acquisition of BioWare. Each installment

1353-517: A far greater threat in the form of the Reapers. Saren has been mentally enslaved by the Reaper vanguard Sovereign, and sent into Citadel Space to initiate the purge of all advanced organic life in the galaxy, a cycle repeated by the Reapers every 50,000 years. Two downloadable content packs, Bring Down The Sky and Pinnacle Station , were released in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Mass Effect 2 ,

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1476-469: A first-person perspective was briefly explored in 2008. The project was to be developed in tandem with the original video game trilogy, although the developers ultimately abandoned the project due to the prohibitive cost of Nintendo DS cartridges as well as the publisher's unoptimistic estimation of the projected sales data for the project, with the team and its resources reassigned to work on Mass Effect 2 . Former BioWare employee Dorian Kieken noted that

1599-419: A form of energy proposed to be the source of the universe’s expansion, and a hypothetical instrument for faster-than-light (FTL) travel. By applying a strong electric current via dark energy to the fictional Element Zero or "eezo", "mass effect" fields could be created and manipulated: a positive current raises the mass of any object currently occupying that spot and help to create artificial gravity effects, while

1722-505: A game than simply adding new levels, a software development kit (SDK) is sometimes needed. In the early years of video gaming, some games came with a utility called a "construction set". This was similar in many ways to a level editor. Some games used them to make extra levels, whereas others (like the Shoot-'Em-Up Construction Kit ) used them as a means to develop a game rather than be a game in itself. Maps' design can significantly impact

1845-400: A larger world, such as Green Hill Zone . Games may also feature interconnected levels, representing locations. Although the challenge in a game is often to defeat some sort of character, levels are sometimes designed with a movement challenge, such as a jumping puzzle, a form of obstacle course . Players must judge the distance between platforms or ledges and safely jump between them to reach

1968-407: A level. Sometimes, professional 3D editing software , such as 3D Studio Max , Blender , AutoCAD , Lightwave , Maya , Softimage XSI or Grome is used, usually customized with a special plugin developed for the specific game. A level editor (also known as a map , campaign or scenario editor ) is a game development tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns and virtual worlds for

2091-487: A major improvement over the original and an easy Game of the Year contender despite its January release. At Gamescom 2010, it was announced that a PlayStation 3 version would become available, which was released on January 18, 2011. Seven episodic expansions were released as downloadable content , with Normandy Crash Site , Zaeed – The Price of Revenge , Firewalker , Kasumi – Stolen Memory , Overlord , and Lair of

2214-490: A mood appropriate for the oscillating wonder and terror of unknown space. According to Jack Wall, who served as the composer for the first two Mass Effect games, he combined the electronic instrument palette from the late 1970s to early 1980s with organic elements to create the first game's soundscape . Subsequent games have adopted a more cinematic, orchestral style with the involvement of composers like Clint Mansell , while retaining certain elements of Wall's earlier work for

2337-582: A more nuanced continuation of the morality system surrounding the light and dark side of the Force BioWare developed for their previous work, the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic . A spin-off for the Nintendo DS titled Mass Effect: Corsair , patterned after the gameplay of Star Control and centered around a Han Solo -inspired space pirate character played from

2460-411: A negative current does the inverse by reducing mass and improves the cost-effective expenditure of fuel for starships that move at FTL speeds. The stronger the current, the greater the magnitude of the dark energy mass effect. Other real world advanced scientific concepts explored in the series include 3D printing for the omni-tool concept, hard light technology, and hypervelocity weaponry. Based on

2583-560: A new Mass Effect was in development at the studio. An announcement trailer was released on 11 December 2020, hinting at a sequel to the original trilogy and featuring original trilogy character Liara T'Soni . The new entry is also confirmed to be run on the Epic Games Unreal Engine , which was used in each game of the original trilogy, instead of EA internal Frostbite engine which was used for Andromeda . In November 2022 Bioware announced several lead developers of

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2706-439: A player's Galactic Readiness rating directly through the 'Galaxy at War' system in Mass Effect 3 ." It has since been removed from all mobile app storefronts. Mass Effect: Datapad was a free app for iOS devices. Datapad allows players to check the status of the galaxy map in Mass Effect 3 and receive messages from characters. Datapad contains information about the characters, races, vehicles, weapons, and storyline of

2829-456: A pre-rendered map of the level (or entire game world) for the player. Level design is necessary for two primary purposes: providing players with a goal and providing players with enjoyable play experience. Good level design strives to produce quality gameplay, provide an immersive experience, and sometimes, especially in story-based games, to advance the storyline. Levels are generally constructed with flow control in mind; that is, directing

2952-479: A remaster as opposed to a remake in order to preserve the original trilogy experience. Legendary Edition received very positive reviews from video game publications, who praised the enhanced experience of the first game in addition to the convenience and scope of the overall package. Minor criticism was aimed at the extent of the gameplay and visual changes in certain regards. Mass Effect Legendary Edition contains single-player base content from all three titles in

3075-574: A remaster of the Mass Effect trilogy in 2014, but did not begin work on the project until 2019. Multiple support studios were contracted to assist with development, including Abstraction Games and Blind Squirrel Games . The former aided with the adaptation of each game for newer consoles, and helped with optimizations and improvements, mostly with regard to graphics . The overall project was directed by Mac Walters , who previously served as lead writer for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 . Early in

3198-540: A specific spot where they do not have to move to gain experience , because monsters are constantly spawned but can be easily and immediately killed. In multiplayer maps, a player may be able to reach areas of the map designed to be inaccessible; for example, reaching an advantageous rooftop position and camping other players. A player might be able to fall out-of-bounds of a map where other players cannot reach them. Invisible walls are cited to be level design bugs, and might be "left-over geometry" from an earlier version of

3321-448: A starting base, but will have resource distribution and terrain features designed to draw players out of their base and engage each other. Teamplay maps can provide noticeable advantages to one team over another, when designed poorly. Commonly on older hardware, most games would load a single level and all of its assets at one time, and when the player completed the level, the next level would be loaded. The player would be presented with

3444-469: A third-person shooter, with the player and their allies using a combination of their weapons and combat, tech, and biotic powers along with tactic use of the environment to defeat opponents. There are six different types of weapons: assault rifles, grenades, sniper rifles, shotguns, pistols, and in later games, heavy weapons (i.e. grenade launchers, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, or heavy machine guns). Due to these weapons being collapsible for easy storage, it

3567-458: A total high data throughput can eliminate the need for any loading tunnels in a seamless world game. A level designer is a game designer who makes environments and scenarios using a level editor and other tools. Level designers will usually work on a level from pre-production to completion – working with both incomplete and complete versions of the game. Video game programmers usually produce level editors and design tools for

3690-595: Is a third-person shooter with role-playing elements. The first three games form a trilogy in which the player character , Commander Shepard , attempts to save the Milky Way galaxy from a race of ancient, hibernating machines known as the Reapers . The inaugural video game in the series, Mass Effect (2007), follows Shepard's investigation of Saren Arterius , one of the Reapers' agents. Mass Effect 2 (2010) begins two years later and sees Shepard's forces battling

3813-503: Is a later game with user-accessible mapping and scripting. A game genre that required significant amounts of time to design areas were text-based games, such as MUDs . Often, promoted users were assigned to make new paths, new rooms, new equipment, and new actions, often using the game interface itself. 3D first-person shooters Doom (1993) and Doom II (1994) were two of the first games to attract focused game modding activity, and many WAD level files were made for them. One of

Mass Effect Legendary Edition - Misplaced Pages Continue

3936-476: Is an all-terrain vehicle that is primarily used by the player for traversal, has received a speed increase and updated physics. Exploration around the world has also been tweaked, such as reduced time spent in elevators that are utilized as a way to hide loading screens , which was a commonly criticized aspect of the original game. Mass Effect Legendary Edition was developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts . BioWare had previously discussed developing

4059-541: Is attacked by batarian raiders with Jacob on it, he takes on the task of defending the ship. After safely arriving at their destination on the Citadel, Jacob's former CO contacts him about an undercover Alliance operation in the Nemean Abyss to investigate the batarians' increasingly aggressive activities. It has since been removed from the iOS App Store. Mass Effect Infiltrator is a third-person shooter released on

4182-609: Is being manipulated by numerous forces, including a human-centrist terrorist organization known as Cerberus led by the Illusive Man who believe they can control the Reapers and use them for humanity's benefit. Shepard and their allies discover the Citadel is key to ending the Reapers' cycle and determining the fate of the galaxy. The fourth game takes place in the Heleus Cluster of the Andromeda galaxy , 634 years after

4305-478: Is commonly done using a level editor, a game development software designed for building levels; however, some games feature built-in level editing tools. In the early days of video games (1970s–2000s), a single programmer would develop the maps and layouts for a game, and a discipline or profession dedicated solely to level design did not exist. Early games often featured a level system of ascending difficulty as opposed to progression of storyline. An example of

4428-479: Is exclusive and different for each character. Mass Effect began as a 2003 pitch for a project codenamed SFX by BioWare project director Casey Hudson to the company's co-founders, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk . Hudson wanted the company to set a goal on developing its own science fiction intellectual property that is on the same scale and scope as the Star Wars setting. On 11 October 2007, shortly before

4551-445: Is possible for a player to carry all five weapons at once and alternate between them depending on their position, enemy type, and situation. Melee weapons include fists, the butt of a gun, or in later games, a condensed transparent silicon-carbide dagger called an Omni-blade. Through story encounters and missions, the player meets a number of non-player characters and engages in dialogue trees with them to learn information and progress

4674-487: Is the most critically acclaimed game in the series and garnered numerous game of the year awards following its release. It received over 70 perfect review scores. In 2013 IGN rated the Mass Effect Trilogy the best Xbox 360 game(s) out of a list of 25, and the 7th best PS3 game(s) out of a list of 25. The fourth installment, Mass Effect: Andromeda , received a less enthusiastic critical reception, with

4797-662: The Kasumi – Stolen Memory , Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC's. The Xbox 360 version includes all DLC that came with the original games, with Cerberus Network for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 remaining unchanged. The PC version is the same as Xbox 360, except both Bring Down the Sky and Pinnacle Station are available for free as per the standalone purchase of the PC version. Mass Effect Legendary Edition

4920-542: The Android , BlackBerry 10 , iOS and Windows Phone 8 platforms. The story for Infiltrator involves Randall Ezno, a Cerberus agent, who discovers Cerberus's cruelty and goes rogue, killing Cerberus troopers and freeing prisoners from a hostile base. Players will "receive rewards" for collecting evidence of Cerberus' crimes. According to EA, "Every completed rescue and intelligence discovery in Infiltrator will increase

5043-771: The Mass Effect franchise for Amazon Prime Video . In November 2024, Amazon officially announced the series was in development with Karim Zreik producing under his Cedar Tree Productions banner alongside Ari Arad and Michael Gamble of Electronic Arts . Daniel Casey is slated to write and produce the work. Two series of action figures were released by DC Direct and Big Fish Toys for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 . Series one included action figures of Commander Shepard, Grunt, Tali, and Thane. Series two included Garrus, Legion, Miranda, and Mordin. Each figure features game-accurate accessories and can be found in game and hobby shops and various online retailers. The figures tied to Mass Effect 3 include bonus downloadable content, which

Mass Effect Legendary Edition - Misplaced Pages Continue

5166-474: The Mass Effect trilogy as a whole, and expressed gratitude towards the remaster for keeping attention on the series and giving players an opportunity to easily play through the story in its most complete form, with all DLC included. In the United Kingdom, Legendary Edition was the best selling game during its week of release, which was mostly due to digital sales. Also during the week of its release,

5289-433: The Mass Effect trilogy: Mass Effect (2007), Mass Effect 2 (2010), and Mass Effect 3 (2012). The compilation also includes almost all single-player downloadable content (DLC) that was originally released for each game, such as promotional weapons, armors, and packs. The trilogy consists of action role-playing games in which the player assumes the role of Commander Shepard , an elite human soldier who must unite

5412-831: The Mass Effect universe, as well as mini-games that interact with the Mass Effect 3 'Galaxy at War' system. It was removed from the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store on June 5, 2013. APEX HQ is the official companion app for the Mass Effect: Andromeda multiplayer. Supported by iOS and Android devices, APEX HQ was released on March 15 in Canada , Ireland , Romania and Singapore , and worldwide on March 20, 2017. Through APEX HQ , players can view their progress in multiplayer, equip characters, assign skill points, manage Strike Teams, and access their friend list. The app cannot be used while signed into

5535-517: The Milky Way towards the end of the 22nd century. In 2148, humanity discovered an alien outpost on Mars , and learned that Charon is actually an alien artifact known as a "mass relay" that enables faster-than-light travel to other mass relays located across the galaxy. These discoveries drastically increased the enhancement rate of humanity's technology. Humanity comes into contact with numerous other space-faring alien species, some far more advanced than humans. Humanity's first encounter resulted in

5658-428: The "underlying idea that real-life scientific discoveries consistently create imagery and concepts that blow away previous notions of what is possible," Hudson opined that "reality will continue to be stranger than fiction" which in his view justifies the developers' creative license with their work. Morality is measured by "Paragon" and "Renegade" points for the first three main series games, which has been described as

5781-581: The Citadel Security (C-Sec) forces, a highly regarded position that other species had been long waiting for and take resentment over. Numerous other inter-species conflicts remain active at the time of the first game, results of past wars and conflicts. The first three games center on the character of Commander Shepard (whose gender and personality are determined by the player), a leading Special Forces soldier in Earth's Systems Alliance space force ,

5904-514: The Collectors, an alien race abducting human colonies to facilitate the Reapers' return. The original trilogy's final installment, Mass Effect 3 (2012), depicts a war between the Reapers and the rest of the galaxy. A fourth game, Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017), featured a new setting and cast of characters, and a fifth is in active development. The original trilogy was met with commercial success as well as universal acclaim. Critics praised

6027-602: The First Contact War, but the Council, a ruling body for the galaxy, intervened to achieve peace and welcomed humanity. The main species encountered by humanity include the asari , a species of mono-gendered beings closely resembling human women; the salarians , an amphibious species with considerable technological and intellectual prowess and an extremely high metabolism; and the turians , a heavily militaristic race of raptor-like avian humanoids who fought humanity in

6150-472: The First Contact War. The center of the Council's governing power is the Citadel, another artifact and a massive space station that, like the mass relays, were made by a race known as the Protheans believed to be the progenitor race for all species but long since disappeared. Over the next few decades, humanity is given access to new technology, allowing them to colonize new planets, and they are made part of

6273-474: The Heleus Cluster, which was otherwise extremely hazardous and naturally unsustainable for life. They later fled from the Heleus Cluster three centuries before the arrival of the Milky Way races, when a protracted battle against an unknown enemy faction resulted in the usage of a weapon of mass destruction aboard a Jardaan space station. The weapon's activation unleashed a cataclysmic energy phenomenon known as

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6396-633: The Kett, a barbaric race obsessed with assimilating the traits of other sentient species through a process known as "exaltation"; and the Angara, an emotionally charged humanoid species whose civilization has recently been targeted and nearly decimated by the Kett. The Heleus Cluster is also the location of a series of ruins predating an advanced, spacefaring race known as the Jardaan. The Jardaan made use of powerful terraforming technologies to colonize worlds in

6519-466: The Scourge, which spread across the cluster and greatly damaged the Jardaan's terraforming systems. After the Jardaan left, the Angara, genetically engineered creations of the elder race, began to develop their own civilization before falling under attack by the encroaching Kett. With the Milky Way species' arrival, it becomes the responsibly of Pathfinder Ryder (who, like Shepard, is also customizable by

6642-500: The Shadow Broker coming in 2010, followed by Arrival in 2011. Mass Effect 3 , the third installment in the original trilogy, was released on March 6, 2012. Casey Hudson commented that Mass Effect 3 "will be easier [to develop] because we don't have to worry about continuity into the next one." However, decisions are routinely imported from the two previous titles to Mass Effect 3 in order to maintain continuity within

6765-642: The Shepard character, to a new system based on four ideals of emotional, logical, casual, and professional attitudes. Among notable side missions in the series include the various romancing options with the main character's crewmates: these included both hetero- and homosexual relationships since the player-character's gender was selectable, as well as inter-species options. Players could work to improve their relationship with these characters through dialogue options, providing them gifts, or completing various side missions specific to each character. Successfully romancing

6888-522: The Systems Alliance Navy . After an Earth colony discovers a new Prothean artifact, it is attacked by an unknown vessel, and the Council names Shepard its first human SPECTRE ( Spec ial T actics and Re connaissance), an elite agent with associated authority and impunity, to investigate the incident. Shepard comes in contact with the artifact and has a vision of war and death across the galaxy. Following their vision, Shepard discovers that

7011-668: The Windows version of the game had over 59,000 concurrent players on Steam , which was the highest concurrent player count to date for a BioWare title. On the PlayStation Store , Legendary Edition was the third-highest selling game in the United States and the sixth-highest selling game in Europe for May 2021. During an investor call on August 4, 2021, Electronic Arts Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson revealed that

7134-548: The Xbox 360 version, outselling the PlayStation 3 version 4 to 1 and bringing in over $ 200 million in revenue. By April 2012 it sold over twice as many copies as Mass Effect 2 in their respective launch months and generated lifetime sales of over six million copies. The Mass Effect series had sold a total of 14 million units by July 5, 2014. Level (video games) In games with linear progression, levels are areas of

7257-500: The addition of smoke effects and volumetric lighting to certain levels and modified skyboxes . Combat has been updated in an attempt to feel more consistent with the sequels, including improved aim assist with a stickier lock-on, a dedicated melee button, rebalanced weapons, and smarter enemy and squad artificial intelligence . Certain boss encounters have received adjustments in order to feel less frustrating, such as expanded levels and more frequent auto- saving . The Mako , which

7380-439: The adjustments made to the morality system of Mass Effect 2 , which he felt made the game feel less unforgiving. Dan Stapleton of IGN opined that the graphical improvements made to Mass Effect 2 made it look comparable to a modern release, with the main exception being its facial animations . In his evaluation of Mass Effect 3 , Robert Ramsey of Push Square noted that the inclusion of expansions that were not available with

7503-491: The art department began manual work on assets, character models, and environments. After reviewing each game for potential changes, the team concluded that certain camera angles of female characters were either gratuitous or in need of improvement, so they moved ahead with alterations to some original shots. By the spring of 2020, Legendary Edition entered a "baseline" state where the games were fully playable and BioWare's first round of improvements had been implemented. However,

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7626-423: The base version of the game resulted in a meaningfully enhanced experience. By contrast, Jordan Ramée of GameSpot criticized the compilation for not integrating DLC well into the overall narrative of the individual games. As an overall product, Legendary Edition received praise for its convenience, scope, and preservation of the Mass Effect trilogy. Writing for The Washington Post , Jhaan Elker recommended

7749-514: The central concept of Corsair as a narrative adventure which follows a morally ambiguous protagonist would have been an ideal vehicle to explore as an expansion of the Mass Effect universe. For 2017's Mass Effect: Andromeda , the binary Paragon and Renegade morality system was removed entirely. In 2007 BioWare filed a patent for the Dialogue Wheel, described in official documents as a "graphical interface for interactive dialog," which

7872-505: The compilation to Nintendo Switch , that console was outside the project's scope. According to the review aggregator Metacritic , the Windows and PlayStation 4 versions of Mass Effect Legendary Edition received "generally favorable reviews" whereas the Xbox One version received "universal acclaim" from video game publications . Critics generally felt that the first Mass Effect , which received more extensive upgrades than its sequels,

7995-407: The compilation to fans and newcomers alike, with the qualification that some players may still prefer the original version of the games with mods . In a performance review for Eurogamer , Thomas Morgan highlighted the ambition and effort of the collection, and concluded that the final result was a "perfect jumping on point for the series". In her review for Game Informer , Kimberly Wallace lauded

8118-518: The computer hardware sufficient time to load the assets for the next area. The player's speed may be reduced, while story cues are presented to draw the player's attention. The player may be required to enter areas in which their view of the world is plausibly restricted, sometimes referred to as "loading tunnels". With newer consoles, such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S , special SSD arrays alongside software libraries that have

8241-428: The computer or console's memory as the player approaches the edge of one level and the start of a new one. This can effectively make the transition from one level to another level appear to be seamless and avoid the use of loading screens. This is known as level streaming or in-game streaming, and is often used for open world games to give the perception of a fully-interconnected space. There are often tricks used to give

8364-440: The designers to use. This eliminates the need for designers to access or modify game code . As opposed to the level editing tools sometimes available to the community, level designers often work with placeholders and prototypes aiming for level consistency and clear layout before required artwork is produced by game artists. Many level designers have skills as both a visual artist and game designer , although in recent years

8487-471: The development process, BioWare consulted with Epic Games to determine the feasibility of porting the games from their original engine, Unreal Engine 3 , to Unreal Engine 4 . BioWare eventually determined that the amount of work required to do so was significant, and would involve remaking large aspects of the games, such as redoing all cinematic scenes . They were also concerned that an overhaul of that magnitude would fundamentally change and take away from

8610-407: The dialogue wheel, a mechanic similar to dialogue trees , enabling players to dynamically steer conversations by selecting from a number of preset choices; the feature has since seen widespread use in other role-playing video games. The success of the video game series spawned adaptations in other media, including novels, comics, and an animated film. The Mass Effect original trilogy takes place in

8733-476: The events of its predecessor. In the midst of events of the first three games, the combined races of the Milky Way sent a number of ships to Andromeda to establish the Nexus, a space-borne operations base and a number of colonies to accept future colonists once contact is established. After over 600 years of travel in cryogenic stasis , they arrive to find the Heleus Cluster in brutal conflict between two native races:

8856-550: The extensive work done to assets, environments, lighting, and character models. By contrast, some critics felt that the visual changes went too far and ultimately overshadowed the original's mood and tone, while other critics felt that the gameplay updates did not go far enough. Reviewers responded positively to Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 in Legendary Edition despite those games receiving relatively minor updates. Writing for Destructoid , Eric Van Allen praised

8979-416: The final expansion, Citadel , in 2013. There were also five free DLC packs released for the multiplayer component, Resurgence , Rebellion , Earth , and Retaliation in 2012 and Reckoning in 2013, collectively adding thirty playable characters, dozens of new weapons and abilities, seven new maps, and a new enemy faction to complement the base game's three, among other content. Mass Effect: Andromeda ,

9102-441: The first game in a new series, and the fourth major installment overall in the franchise, was revealed at E3 2015 . It was released on March 21, 2017. The title utilizes DICE 's Frostbite 3 engine and was released for PlayStation 4 , Windows and Xbox One . Andromeda is the first game in the series to feature an open world environment. Set during the 29th century, the player's character is either Sara or Scott Ryder, designated as

9225-401: The first game of the trilogy, received more extensive upgrades than its counterparts, specifically with regard to graphics , combat mechanics, vehicle handling, and loading times. Development on the Legendary Edition commenced in 2019 under the direction of Mac Walters , who previously served as lead writer for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 . BioWare decided to approach the project as

9348-483: The first games with a 3D engine to feature hidden features was Wolfenstein 3D , where certain walls could be pushed to reveal hidden passages. Sometimes, a whole level may be designed as a secret level. A bonus stage (also known as a bonus level or bonus round) is a special level within a video game designed to reward the player or players, and typically allows the player to collect extra points or power-ups . Bonus stage either have no enemies or hazards, or replace

9471-467: The first three games, these choices influenced the player-character's morality, putting them on the path of a Paragon or Renegade, indicated by color and positioning on the Dialogue Wheel. With the second and third game, it became possible to select these choices during the non-player's character dialog, resulting in an interruption of the action that could have even larger ramifications. The player's choices of Paragon or Renegade could change how some parts of

9594-491: The former approach is the arcade shoot 'em up game Space Invaders (1978), where each level looks the same, repeating endlessly until the player loses all their lives . An example of the latter approach is the arcade platform game Donkey Kong (1981), which uses multiple distinct levels to progress a storyline; as Mario (originally called Jumpman) tries to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong , each level ends with Kong fleeing with Pauline and then Mario having to complete

9717-452: The franchise. The original Mass Effect trilogy has received near-universal critical acclaim across all release platforms, according to review aggregator Metacritic . All three games have received numerous nominations as well as number of year-end awards from video game publications and major award ceremonies. The first two Mass Effect titles are widely considered to be among the greatest games of all time . Mass Effect 2 in particular

9840-402: The galactic community against a highly advanced machine race of synthetic-organic starships known as Reapers . Shepard is a customizable character whose gender, appearance, military background, combat training, and first name are determined by the player. During each game, the player makes choices that can impact the story in various ways, including consequences that can be carried forward through

9963-415: The game because of their limited replay value. A minigame (also spelled mini-game or mini game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short video game often contained within another video game, and sometimes in application software or on a display of any form of hardware. A minigame contains different gameplay elements than the main game, may be optional, and is often smaller or more simplistic than

10086-407: The game creator to use the same load- and rendering routines as the game itself, and may make it easier and more pleasant to create levels. Developers of FOSS -games may argue that a game is not complete until other users easily can add new levels. One of the first 3D games which became popular partially due to level editors and fan-made maps, other game addons, and other works related to the game,

10209-428: The game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game. Some minigames can also be bonus stages or secret levels. They are distinguishable from levels in that a level is an environment bound to a set of mechanics and rules that all defines all other normal levels in a game, whereas a minigame can use different rules and playstyles but may not necessarily be set in

10332-494: The game is usually designed to get players to explore the mechanics of the game, notably in World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros. Cut scenes may be triggered by events in a level, but require distinctly different skills, and may be produced by a different person or team. The level design process may be iterated several times before achieving the desired outcome. Level designers and concept artists may also be required to provide

10455-487: The game performed "well above" expectations, although exact sales figures were not disclosed. Legendary Edition finished 2021 as one of the 12-highest selling new releases of the year on Steam. According to The NPD Group , Legendary Edition was the 19th-best selling game on PlayStation and the 12th-best selling game on Xbox of 2021 overall. Mass Effect Mass Effect is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson . The franchise depicts

10578-457: The game was released. The game sold over 500,000 copies in the month of release, despite being released at the end of the month. Before the release of the third game, the series sold a combined total of 7 million copies worldwide. Mass Effect 3 was the most commercially successful game of the series: it sold over 800,000 copies in its first 24 hours, and its opening month sales were twice that of its predecessor's, selling over 900,000 copies on

10701-603: The game's narrative, characters, voice acting, world building, and emphasis on player choice. The ending of Mass Effect 3 drew widespread criticism for being an unsatisfying conclusion to the trilogy, prompting Electronic Arts to release an expanded cut with additional cutscenes . Mass Effect: Andromeda received mixed reviews. Praise was directed at the game's visuals and combat, but the game drew criticism for technical issues and its plot. The series has generated attention and discussion about its representation of same-sex relationships and sexual minorities . It also originated

10824-471: The game, including some that had worked on the original trilogy. Also released were pieces of concept art for the game, accompanied by an encrypted audio file, again featuring Liara T'Soni, this time speaking to an unknown individual. In November 2023, a short teaser trailer and poster depicting a new character from the game were revealed after an online ARG for N7 Day. Project Director Mike Gamble reiterated via Twitter that several veteran developers from

10947-407: The game. Mass Effect Trilogy is a compilation featuring the first three games of the series, released on November 6, 2012 for Windows and Xbox 360 and December 4, 2012 for PlayStation 3. For the PlayStation 3 version, Trilogy also includes the downloadable content for the first two games: Bring Down the Sky for Mass Effect , and Cerberus Network content for Mass Effect 2 along with

11070-597: The gameplay. For example, the gameplay may be shifted towards a platformer (by careful placement of platforms) or a puzzle game (by extensive use of buttons, keys, and doors). Some FPS maps may be designed to prevent sniping by not including any long hallways, while other maps may allow for a mix of sniping and closer combat. Gimmick maps are sometimes developed to explore selected features of gameplay, such as sniping or fist fighting. While they are briefly useful to level designers and interesting to experienced players, they are usually not included in final list of levels of

11193-707: The involvement of one of the game's original level designers. The compilation was released to manufacturing on April 9, 2021. Mass Effect Legendary Edition was officially announced on November 7, 2020, which is also known as "N7 Day", a date declared by BioWare as an annual celebration of the Mass Effect franchise. The compilation was released for PlayStation 4 , Windows , and Xbox One on May 14, 2021. Although it runs and features targeted enhancements on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S through backward compatibility , BioWare has no plans to release versions of Legendary Edition specifically for those consoles. In an interview, Walters stated that while he would like to port

11316-706: The most extensive work for the Legendary Edition , which BioWare compared it to the quality of a remake, while stating that the other two games were still remasters. The 4K remaster was released on May 14, 2021 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows, in addition to the ninth generation of video game consoles —the Xbox Series X/S and the PlayStation 5 . Original trilogy tie-in novels published by Del Rey Books : Mass Effect: Andromeda tie-in novels published by Titan Books : All published by Dark Horse Comics : On November 23, 2021, Deadline Hollywood reported that negotiations were underway to adapt

11439-422: The next area. These puzzles can slow the momentum down for players of fast action games ; the first Half-Life 's penultimate chapter, "Interloper", featured multiple moving platforms high in the air with enemies firing at the player from all sides. Level design or environment design , is a discipline of game development involving the making of video game levels—locales, stages or missions. This

11562-534: The normal penalties for being struck by enemies or hazards with simply being thrown out of the bonus stage. Many bonus stages need to be activated or discovered in some manner, or certain conditions must be satisfied to access them. Otherwise, they appear after the player has completed a certain number of regular stages. There are many map bugs that level designers try to avoid, but sometimes go unnoticed for some time. A player might get stuck in map geometry with no way to escape or to die. A player might be able to find

11685-410: The original trilogy experience. Based on these findings, BioWare decided to keep the games on their original engine, and also to approach the project as a remaster as opposed to a remake . Due to its complicated nature and potential impact on the project's timeline, BioWare also decided that the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer mode would not be included. The team intended to include all single-player DLC in

11808-418: The original trilogy had returned to work on the new game, including art directors and level designers. Mass Effect Galaxy is set between the events of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 and exclusively on the iOS platform. The story is focused around a backstory featuring two characters who appear as squad members in Mass Effect 2 : Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson . When the passenger liner Arcturian Jade

11931-500: The package but was unable to include the Pinnacle Station pack from Mass Effect because its source code was corrupted, which Walters described as "heartbreaking". As part of the remastering process, BioWare increased resolutions for all textures throughout the trilogy, which was accomplished by utilizing an artificial intelligence upscaling program and other custom tools. Once those initial visual upgrades were complete,

12054-417: The placing of game specific entities (actors), usually with the aid of a level editor. A level editor may be distributed as a complete stand-alone package, at times, rivaling commercial 3D modelling software. There are various steps involved in laying out a map and these steps may vary dramatically across the many different game genres that exist as of the 2020s. General steps include: The first level of

12177-427: The player has the option to bring up to two of their crew members with them, who generally act autonomously but can be given specific orders by the player. In missions, the player can explore an area to find information, discover lootable objects with new gear or in-game currency, non-playable characters to talk to, and key mission items that are to be recovered. Frequently, the player will enter combat, which plays out as

12300-418: The player towards the correct path. Similarly, clearly marked choke-points can be introduced. Another method is strategic placement of obstacles and aesthetic environment props that direct the player's attention to "clear" paths instead. This is often used in closed, "stuffed" environments. Levels may be designed to force the players to explore the map and advance. Most Real-Time Strategy maps give each player

12423-469: The player towards the goal of the level and preventing confusion and idling. This can be accomplished by various means. Often the level layouts feature power-ups and items positioned so that collecting them inevitably makes the player move in the correct direction. This is one of the basic player direction techniques and is most often seen in platformers. Lighting and illumination, as well as distinctly-coloured objects, are often used to unambiguously guide

12546-632: The player) and their allies to shut down the malfunctioning terraforming systems, deal with the Kett and Angara attacks, and make planets habitable for colonization. While various features of gameplay varied across the series, the Mass Effect games are action role-playing games . The player customizes their version of the game's main character (Shepard for the first three games, and Ryder for Mass Effect: Andromeda ) based on physical appearance, background, and one of six character classes , each class centered around one or two specializations in combat, technology, or "biotic" (magic-like) skills. This establishes

12669-450: The reasons was a clear separation between the level files and game engine itself. Half-Life , Quake 3 , and many other games have notable mapping tools and communities focusing on user-generated content . Level design for each individual level in a modern game typically starts with concept art, sketches, renderings, and physical models. Once completed, these concepts transform into extensive documentation, environment modeling, and

12792-523: The release of the original Mass Effect video game for the Xbox 360 in November 2007, it was announced that EA bought out VG Holding Corp. , a partnership between BioWare and Pandemic Studios formed in November 2005. The Mass Effect IP was acquired by EA in the process and BioWare continued their role as the IP's developers. The technological outline of the series is based on the theory of dark energy ,

12915-505: The responsibility for visual-, structural- and gameplay-related tasks has been increasingly divided among several specialists. A wide variety of tools may be used by someone designing and making a level. Although it is faster to design models and textures with general-purpose multimedia development tools, games usually require the data to be in a unique format suited for that game's engine . For this, specific compilers and converters of models, textures, and audio data may be required to lay out

13038-507: The second main game in the series, was released on January 26, 2010, in North America and January 29 in Europe for Windows and Xbox 360. A great deal of secrecy surrounded the game prior to launch, with few details emerging other than Casey Hudson , Project Director for BioWare, stating that "players should keep their save files, because decisions made by the player in the first game will continue to have influences on their character in

13161-441: The sequel." The game takes place two years after the events of Mass Effect . Human colonies are being attacked, their colonists disappearing without a trace. The game's protagonist, Commander Shepard, is forced into an uneasy alliance with the pro-Human paramilitary organization, Cerberus, in an effort to discover the cause. Evidence emerges pointing to the "Collectors," an advanced, enigmatic race of insect-like humanoids. Adding to

13284-593: The series' atmosphere and artistic qualities included Alien , Starship Troopers , Dune and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within . Several video games fed into Hudson's vision for the gameplay experience of the series: these include Deus Ex ’s choice-based branching storylines, the gunplay mechanics of the Halo franchise, and the open-ended galaxy exploration of the MS-DOS game Starflight . Aspects of Greek mythology have been consistently invoked throughout

13407-497: The series, from the names of in-universe objects and organizations like the planet Elysium or the anthropocentric paramilitary group Cerberus, to the narrative themes of certain story arcs like the Prothean's connection to the contemporary civilizations of the galaxy through the technology they left behind. The music of the series is noted for its similarity in style to the vintage synthesizer score for Blade Runner , which creates

13530-454: The series. In the final chapter of the trilogy, the Reapers have returned in force, and have begun their purge of the galaxy, attacking Earth . During this attack Commander Shepard is on Earth and forced to flee. After fleeing Earth, Commander Shepard must hurry and rally the advanced races of the galaxy to make one final stand, not only to save Earth, but also to break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. The first official trailer

13653-580: The story progressed and could limit choices of allies they could gain later in the game or the ability to access powerful gear. Cinematic designer John Ebenger stated in 2020 that only about 8% of the players chose the Renegade route across the first three games, and jokingly lamented about the amount of effort they had put into some of the Renegade cinematics. In Andromeda , BioWare replaced the Paragon/Renegade distinctions, which were tied more to

13776-422: The story. This is presented through what BioWare called a Dialogue Wheel, with the player-character reply options shown as choices extending radially outward from a circle at the bottom of the screen. Most of these choices are simple questions and responses, but in some dialogues, they offer additional choices that either influence how the game plays out from there, or are as a result from those previous choices. In

13899-417: The strange craft is one of thousands of artificial lifeforms called Reapers, and learns that every fifty-thousand years, the Reapers scour the Milky Way and eliminate all higher forms of life, leaving the younger species to advance and thrive until the next cycle as to prevent constant war and chaos, part of what the Protheans had left behind along with their artifacts. The appearance of the Reapers in this cycle

14022-499: The team felt that the original Mass Effect was still lagging behind the other games in terms of visuals, so they brought in the game's original art director, Derek Watts, to add new details and effects. The original game also received a significant amount of gameplay updates, which was done in order to modernize the experience and to remove inconsistencies with its sequels. These updates included adjustments to boss encounters that were originally deemed "painful" for players, which required

14145-423: The threat is the revelation that the Collectors are working for the Reapers. Shepard sets out on a "suicide mission" to stop the Collectors, accompanied by a hand-picked team of soldiers, assassins, mercenaries, and specialists. Mass Effect 2 has received overwhelming critical and public praise since its release, for its characters, storyline, voice acting, and refined combat and gameplay with many critics calling it

14268-513: The trilogy. All three titles were remastered for Legendary Edition , which includes updated textures , shaders , models, effects, and technical features. The games also run in sharper resolutions and at higher frames per second than their original counterparts. The compilation allows players to start all three titles from a single menu and a universal character creator that includes customization options for all three games. The default female Commander Shepard model from Mass Effect 3 , which

14391-508: Was Doom . The development of various third-party editors led to the formation of an online community trading fan-made maps. A level editor is often limited to designing levels for only a certain game engine . Developing a level editor takes a lot of time; it is more time- and cost-efficient to release multiple games using the same engine instead of developing a new engine and level editor for each game. As level editors generally allow for limited game-development work, to make larger changes to

14514-505: Was later ported to Windows by Demiurge Studios in 2008, and to the PlayStation 3 by Edge of Reality in 2012. The game focuses on the protagonist, Commander Shepard, and their quest to stop the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius from leading an army of sentient machines, called the Geth, to conquer the galaxy. During pursuit of Saren, Shepard develops key relationships with other characters, primarily their squad team members, all while learning of

14637-483: Was officially announced on November 7, 2020 or "N7 Day." The goal of the remaster was "not to remake or reimagine the original games, but to modernize the experience so that fans and new players can experience the original work in its best possible form." The remaster also features almost all previously released downloadable content, enhanced "textures, shaders, models, effects, and technical features of three enormous games." Due to Mass Effect 1 's age, it received

14760-512: Was officially granted to its parent company EA International Studio and Publishing Ltd by the United States Patent & Trademark Office in 2011. Besides Star Wars , the Mass Effect universe is also inspired by several established conventions and tropes found in other science fiction franchises, such as Star Trek , Blade Runner , Firefly , and Battlestar Galactica . Other intellectual properties which influenced

14883-524: Was previously unavailable in prior installments, is now usable across the trilogy. The second and third entries feature similar gameplay to their original versions but have received some adjustments, such as the rebalancing of the "Galactic Readiness" system from Mass Effect 3 . Also new to each game is a photo mode , which allows players to take adjustable in-game screenshots . The first Mass Effect has received more extensive upgrades than its counterparts. The game includes additional visual updates, such as

15006-414: Was significantly improved in Legendary Edition . Alyssa Mercante of GamesRadar+ opined that the changes to the game resulted in a more modern experience, and that BioWare successfully brought the game more in line with its sequels without detracting from its original charm. Shubhankar Parijat of GamingBolt asserted that the remaster was one of the most impressive that he had seen, which he attributed to

15129-482: Was unveiled on December 11, 2010, during the Spike TV Video Game Awards. It was the first title in the main series without involvement from Microsoft Game Studios and released on the same date for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Four story-focused episodic expansions were released as downloadable content , with From Ashes , Leviathan , and Omega being released in 2012, followed by

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