As much as people love the original Mass Effect,????? ?????? ?????? ??????? it's not perfect. Some of those imperfections are going to be smoothed out in the upcoming Legendary Editionremaster, and it's now official that the game's tedious elevator rides are on the menu.

Yes, the first game in the upcoming remastered trilogy, which will be out for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox on May 14, fixes the elevators. Not only are the rides shorter; they're also something you can pass on all together.

"The elevator times are now faster across all platforms," BioWare producer Crystal McCord said during a briefing ahead of the remastered trilogy's full unveiling. "In the Legendary Edition...an optional skip becomes available, so you can skip [elevator rides] and move into gameplay a lot faster."

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A comparison video shown during the call highlighted the difference, and let me tell you: It is dramatic. The PC version of the game sped through a Citadel elevator ride in just 14 seconds. Meanwhile, the original version takes almost a full minute. And the skip option appeared in the remastered version after only a few seconds.

Players can thank longtime Mass Effect fans for changes like this. During the remastering process, BioWare met regularly with "players, streamers, cosplayers, and modders," according to McCord, engaging in "honest conversations to find out what's the buzz, what are people asking for, where do you think we could possibly make some improvements?"

Left:Credit: bioware Right:Credit: bioware

Now of course some of this is typical games hype lip service that we've heard dozens of times before coming out of other, similar projects. But the elevator is emblematic of long-standing issues fans have had with the first Mass Effect game, and it's telling that EA's presentation devoted a whole chunk of the reveal justto that one thing.

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The original game, which seems to feature some of the more dramatic alterations coming in Legendary Edition, also more fully embraces the action-over-RPG focus that defined subsequent games in the series. Weapons have been rebalanced and retuned, the heads-up display is improved, the Mako driving sequences ... suck less overall (we're told).

There's a lot. More than the BioWare team on the call could even get into in detail. But a list that flashed by during the presentation hinted at the scope: Improvements to the camera, enemy and squad AI, weapon aiming, and autosave; loosened weapon restrictions; a rebalanced experience grind; better boss fights; more user-friendly minigames; and more besides.

For people who want to really invest in the story, Commander Shepard's character appearance is also now unified across all three games. That includes the female version of the character as she appeared in Mass Effect 3; that look is now available in the first two games as well.

Left:Credit: bioware Right:Credit: Bioware

The three remasters together are meant to deliver big improvements across the board without changing the original experience too much. They're built to run better of course, and they'll also look better with newly added support for 4K Ultra HD displays with or without HDR. But don't expect a remake on the level of, say, Bluepoint Studios' excellent total rebuild of Shadow of the Colossus.

The only big piece that's really missing is multiplayer. Legendary Editionunfortunately ditches Mass Effect 3's (really great!) online survival mode. Here's hoping EA and BioWare can figure out a way to bring it back in some form.

Still, what's here in the remaster package is an awful lot. You get all three games, new and improved, along with every piece of add-on content ever released across the trilogy (except for the "Pinnacle Station" DLC, unfortunately). All the story add-ons, all the pre-order bonuses and weapon packs. Everything. Cool stuff.

Look for Mass Effect: Legendary Editionwhen it hits PC (via Steam and Origin) as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles on May 14.

Topics Gaming