Some may have missed out on what many consider BioWare’s magnum opus during the Xbox 360/PS3 console generation. However this week, BioWare provides the definitive opportunity to play through theMass Effectgames on a modern console, withMass Effect: Legendary Edition’s release. Other than the obvious benefit of being able to playMass Effecton a PS4/Xbox One, but BioWare has implemented numerous improvements to the game both visually and mechanically. Many are going to be able to jump into theMass Effecttrilogy for the very first time, just as much as veterans will be able to check out all of the enhancements made to the original trilogy.
As of May 14, fans and newcomers will be able to hop intoMass Effect: Legendary Editionfor $60 MSRP, but there is another way to play the game as well that could be more cost-efficient. Obviously owning the game is one thing altogether, but for those who just want to give it a try without paying full price, EA provides another option: EA Play Pro. To be fair, this is arguably more effort than just buying the game outright, but players could certainly try out an EA Play Pro subscription to marathon the trilogy for potentially less than $60. Unfortunately for those looking to take advantage of Xbox Game Pass and standard EA Play members, there’s a catch.
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Potentially a Good Deal For Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
Obviously players don’t need to gamify activating a subscription service, but if players can beat one or even twoMass Effectgames per month, it ends up being a much greater value over time. Players with enough time on their hands could easily play through the entirety ofMass Effect: Legendary Editionwithin two, or even three months, and that’s hypothetically $30 to $45 for three full games in theMass Effectcollection. That’s without even considering any other games that players may want to check out on EA Play, whether that’sany of the sports games likeFIFAorMadden, or others likeBattlefield 5orStar Wars: Battlefront 2.
Plenty of Time to Play Through the Mass Effect Trilogy
How Long to Beat has a cumulative average playtime of all theMass Effectgames of around 68-70 hours, without counting any side activities. That can extend as long as 100 hours for the whole series:Mass Effectclocks in at around 20-25 hours, whileMass Effect 2andMass Effect 3are around 30-35 hourseach. Players could easily marathon the whole series within four months for the same cost, plus access to other games in between if players want to. Even conservatively, players could beat the whole series in two months, potentially saving for half the cost ofMass Effect: Legendary Edition. That’s the entire remasteredMass Effecttrilogy for $30.
Other EA games will sweeten the pot, but even if players decide to cancel their EA Play Pro subscription a month or two after playing, that’s a solid savings. Patient players may even consider waiting untilMass Effect: Legendary Editionis added to the base subscription of EA Play, though there’s no telling when that might happen. Considering the originalMass Effectreleases are available on EA Play (and tangentially on Xbox Game Pass), it’s very likely thatLegendary Editionwill eventually be added to the subscription as well. Nearlyevery EA Play Pro gameeventually makes it to the base subscription, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate comes with EA Play too.
Longtime fans ofMass Effectare probably just going to buyMass Effect: Legendary Editionoutright, especially with the impressive special edition available. However, for those who are generally curious and/or haven’t played the original trilogy, trying out the game at bare minimum for $15 is not a terrible option either. Either way, the fact thatMass Effect: Legendary Editionis finally out on modern consoles is hype-worthy enough.
Mass Effect: Legendary Editionis available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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