With the official reveal of the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition release date comes more information about the project, and the controversial decision to remove Mass Effect 3 multiplayer entirely has re-ignited a long-running debate among fans about the quality of that gameplay mode experience. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition collects all three entries into the original trilogy under one umbrella and will enhance graphics, improve gameplay elements, and re-balance or fix other issues in an attempt to make the new collection the best way to experience the series.
While Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was a poorly kept secret in the buildup to its announcement, it's still been an exciting topic of discussion for fans of the Shepard saga. Following what many consider to be the most disappointing entry into the franchise in Mass Effect: Andromeda, a return to what first sparked interest in the RPG space drama with Shepard's legendary exploits could be a nice refresher prior to any discussion of the next new Mass Effect game. While consumers certainly expected upgrades to the gameplay experiences in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, however, they may not have been as prepared for cuts.
That's what makes the revelation that Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is cutting Mass Effect 3 multiplayer altogether so divisive - fans were ill-prepared for the collection to actively remove parts of the trilogy's gameplay. In a report from PC Gamer, BioWare's Mac Walters elaborated on how the collection will remove Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, stating that problems in cross-play, bridging generational gaps, and the amount of effort required to institute the multiplayer all factored into the decision to cut the gameplay mode from the title.
While gutting a gameplay mode from a collection like Mass Effect: Legendary Edition sounds confusing on paper, in practice it's at least a little more complicated. Mass Effect 3 multiplayer was divisive at launch and remains that way today, with players often occupying one of two extreme stances on it: it's either one of the most underrated multiplayer modes of the last decade or it's a terrible, tacked-on experience that offers little to anyone engaged with it.
Given the frequency with which those stances are expressed by fans on the internet, perhaps that's why Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was so comfortable with the decision to cut Mass Effect 3 multiplayer from its offerings. The fact is Mass Effect as a series is, first and foremost, a single-player experience, and as long as the work from BioWare on Mass Effect: Legendary Edition results in the trilogy's best solo experience ever, that will likely be enough to remove any ill-will regarding Mass Effect 3 multiplayer cuts. It's also worth noting that the original multiplayer service is still ed, which means those looking to hop into Mass Effect 3 multiplayer still have the option - though some may have preferred to do so via the upgraded versions.
Source: PC Gamer