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Mass Effect Legendary Edition remaster trilogy

Lacrymas

Arcane
Joined
Sep 23, 2015
Messages
17,948
Pathfinder: Wrath
me1.gif
Tbh, I don't remember the game being as dark as the original picture here.
 

Tytus

Arcane
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Mazovia
Tbh, I don't remember the game being as dark as the original picture here.

Did you play on PC or Xbox 360?

PC port done by Demiurge was pretty broken. Shadows too dark, bugged skyboxes, some textures not loading correctly etc.
But EA/Bioware told them to leave PC specific bugs in as they wanted to save money.
The comparisons are using the slightly broken PC version to make the LE look better - when compared to Xbox 360 version it looks even less impressive.
 

Tytus

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Messages
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Mazovia


x0rwrCP.png


Bioware started to re-upload that Cerberus News Network stunt they did back when ME2 launched. They didn't even bother to write some new ones for the occasion. And it would be pretty easy too, as they are only started re-uploading month before LE's release.

They wouldn't need to produce a lot of them.
 
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Ravielsk

Magister
Joined
Feb 20, 2021
Messages
1,514
What I keep noticing about these contemporary "remasters" is that their strategy entirely revolves around upgrading the games technology without actually checking what it does in the end. So they take an older title made with older technology and slap on some modern dynamic lightning that might be more accurate in the strictly technical sense but functions differently to the old one. So without extra parameter tweaking(a.k.a changing the position, intensity or properties of light sources) they just end up breaking the games look, worse yet they tend to expose parts that were never meant to be seen by the player so in many cases the "remaster" is worse simply by showing the least charitable parts of the OG game in stunning 4k.

Dark Souls had this exact problem where the technically more advanced lightning system washed out the whole game because the devs could not be bothered to redo light sources. So most of the game ended up lit like a studio set instead of an actual place. See what I mean:
sqqyad9.png

The worst part is that there is effectively nothing that can be done about it because without full modding access there is nothing anyone can do to introduce or remove light sources or redo their properties. So retroactively the surviving version of the game is the ugliest one available.
 

KVVRR

Learned
Joined
Apr 28, 2020
Messages
594
I don't understand why it happens so much. A quick glance and you can see it's worse than the original, surely they understand this and wouldn't release it in such a sorry state to make some cash, right?
1366_2000.jpg

:negative:
 

retinoid

Savant
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Messages
157
Dark Souls Remastered is another example of a game that looks worse than the original - the lighting and armor textures both looks worse than the OG. They did improve the spell effects by adding reflections to magic and some cool particle effects to Pyromancy, but overall it's definitely a much flatter looking product compared to the Prepare To Die Edition.

I really don't understand it, to be honest. The new studios are messing with the original graphics pipeline too much without any regard for the artistic intent of the original product. Essentially, they are just making changes for the sake of changes.
 

Malamert

Arcane
Edgy
Joined
Oct 19, 2018
Messages
2,466
I don't understand why it happens so much.
These remasters usually have some dime a dozen cheap studio working on it (in many cases a chink studio) or the original studio's B team full of newcomers with their own vision of what's good. Publishers are cool with it because it's cheap and the hordes of mindless retarded drones will eat up whatever rubbish is offered to them and then ask for more. It's a sad state of affairs.
 

retinoid

Savant
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Messages
157
The disappointing thing is these cheap remasters always sell a shit-ton - thus validating the cheap and easy approach that studios greenlight.

And I can't blame publishers for it either. It's easy revenue for something with such a low amount of risk - just slap some marketing tags on about it being a "definitive" version and the masses will gobble it up no questions asked. Shareholders are happy, normies are happy.
 

Morpheus Kitami

Liturgist
Joined
May 14, 2020
Messages
2,476
Ironically, "pirates" are doing a much better job at archiving digital content (games, movies, TV shows, discontinued software, etc.) in its original form than any of these companies.
Its funny that arguably the average consumer has it worse now when it comes to media compared to all but the absolute worst of DRM, and back then people actually cared that their music might come with a computer bricking virus.
 

Rincewind

Magister
Patron
Joined
Feb 8, 2020
Messages
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down under
Codex+ Now Streaming!
and back then people actually cared that their music might come with a computer bricking virus.

I always found the virus paranoia to be overblown. During my 30+ years of warezing, torrenting stuff, etc. on the C64, Amiga and now on PC I had a virus problem maybe like 3-4 times? And even then, nothing major happened, I just lost half a day removing the virus manually. Maybe I had to reinstall Win XP once because of that, but that's it. Just use reputable sources.

And yeah, fuck DRM. I can't just read the books my wife bought on Amazon on my computer without de-DRM-ing them first in Calibre (well, while I still can...), it's a joke. I just want to own the files and archieve them of whatever I paid for.
 

Tytus

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Here are two screens from BioWares version of the Arena DLC. Which was supposed to be citadel instead of a different station. Ultimately what they had in mind was not too different from what ended up being seen in Pinnacle.


Desktop_Screenshot_2021.04.18_-_03.20.05.29.png



Desktop_Screenshot_2021.04.18_-_03.20.22.58.png




Mass Effect had a lot of cancelled DLC. Arena was one of them but there was also a Cerberus DLC planned that was also axed.



This was supposedly the track that was going to be used in it.
From what I read over the years - the DLC would be about facing off with "The General" which was supposed to be a Cerberus leader. That character later morphed into The Illusive Man in ME2.

I wish this remastered re-added some unused stuff. Like the music.



Also this is a mod that tries to fix/recreate the original lighting from the 360 version that was fucked up during porting:



Mass Effect Restored Light & Illumination Natively (MERLIN) is a mod that aims to restore dynamic lights and post processing to Xbox 360 levels on PC. It also corrects other things broken in the PC port and some things broken in all releases of Mass Effect (bug fixes). Lastly a few fun optional goodies and requests.


And when it's done combined with texture and shading mods - PC Port will probably look better than the Legendary Edition.

One of the better texture mods is MEUITM (also from the same guy who is doing the lighting fix mod now)




I replayed ME1 a couple of years ago and this mod pretty much saves the game visually. I recommend it to everyone interested in another go at the game. Especially that it can be combined with another texture mod ALOT.

https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect/mods/83?tab=videos

https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect/mods/144


That fix even more textures and even go into redoing the prerendered videos like so:




This remaster is a hard sell when it has to contend with such good content already out there.

I
 

Nano

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
4,647
Grab the Codex by the pussy Strap Yourselves In
Also this is a mod that tries to fix/recreate the original lighting from the 360 version that was fucked up during porting:
I prefer the PC's darker lighting in a lot of the comparisons, tbh.
 

Saerain

Augur
Patron
Joined
May 27, 2011
Messages
495
Yawn. I just don't get it, remaking movies that are already great, remastering games that aren't even yet hindered by their aging.
 

Kem0sabe

Arcane
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Messages
13,076
Location
Azores Islands
Desktop_Screenshot_2021.04.18_-_03.20.05.29.png



Desktop_Screenshot_2021.04.18_-_03.20.22.58.png




Mass Effect had a lot of cancelled DLC. Arena was one of them but there was also a Cerberus DLC planned that was also axed.



This was supposedly the track that was going to be used in it.
From what I read over the years - the DLC would be about facing off with "The General" which was supposed to be a Cerberus leader. That character later morphed into The Illusive Man in ME2.

I wish this remastered re-added some unused stuff. Like the music.



Also this is a mod that tries to fix/recreate the original lighting from the 360 version that was fucked up during porting:






And when it's done combined with texture and shading mods - PC Port will probably look better than the Legendary Edition.

One of the better texture mods is MEUITM (also from the same guy who is doing the lighting fix mod now)




I replayed ME1 a couple of years ago and this mod pretty much saves the game visually. I recommend it to everyone interested in another go at the game. Especially that it can be combined with another texture mod ALOT.

https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect/mods/83?tab=videos

https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect/mods/144


That fix even more textures and even go into redoing the prerendered videos like so:




This remaster is a hard sell when it has to contend with such good content already out there.

I


But the remaster is the best way to replays series as it was intended, on consoles, sitting on a couch with a controller in hand. Mass effect was never a pc series.
 
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Tytus

Arcane
Joined
Jul 9, 2011
Messages
3,596
Location
Mazovia
One of the upcoming mods that really ticles my fancy is this:

Mass_Effect_Screenshot_2021.03.01_-_14.14.31.03.png



Mass_Effect_Screenshot_2021.02.24_-_21.15.49.66.png



Mass_Effect_Screenshot_2021.03.04_-_12.58.26.98.png



Mass_Effect_Screenshot_2021.03.03_-_01.40.30.75.png



Mass_Effect_Screenshot_2021.02.24_-_21.16.02.84.png



Mass_Effect_Screenshot_2021.03.02_-_21.27.31.88.png




Addding ME2 assets to ME1 bases to make them look less empty and more consistent with latter games (Cerberus base as an example).

This is what I wanted from Bioware in this remaster.
Add armors from future games to ME1, add guns models from future games to ME1, add assets to make the world less empty and dead. It's not like they would have to redo those assets, they already have them done.
Oh well, it seems modders are doing the heaving lifting yet again.
 

Saerain

Augur
Patron
Joined
May 27, 2011
Messages
495
Yawn. I just don't get it, remaking movies that are already great, remastering games that aren't even yet hindered by their aging.
Not everyone is named Pierre and willing to eat roots for his entire life. Some people like money.
Maybe the process is cheaper than I imagine, then, I guess. Kinda assumed it was developmental filler to appease some higher corporate or third party quota. Or just wankery.
 

Tytus

Arcane
Joined
Jul 9, 2011
Messages
3,596
Location
Mazovia
Yawn. I just don't get it, remaking movies that are already great, remastering games that aren't even yet hindered by their aging.
Not everyone is named Pierre and willing to eat roots for his entire life. Some people like money.
Maybe the process is cheaper than I imagine, then, I guess. Kinda assumed it was developmental filler to appease some higher corporate or third party quota. Or just wankery.


Most likely. Anthem failed. Andromeda DLCs and sequels were cancelled. DA4 has been rebooted 2 or 3 times already. Next ME is probably in early pre-production. They have nothing in the pipeline for years. They need to release something in the meantime. A remaster is a cheap way to do that.
Especially that Biodrones where screeching about remastered trilogy for years now, so in theory it's a lot of free good PR. (Not if they screw it up). So it was an easy decision give their customers something they want for pennies on the dollar.

unknown.png
 

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