The newly released Mass Effect Legendary Edition takes a series that started over a decade ago and remasters it to incredible effect, and a recent video comparison takes backward compatible performance on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S to task. Unlike titles such as the recent remake of Demon’s Souls on the PlayStation 5, Mass Effect Legendary Edition instead increases the original three games’ framerates, upgrades the textures, revamps the controls, balances gameplay, and addresses some leftover bugs. However, to imply that this was a light undertaking on developer BioWare’s part would do this remaster a great disservice; when upscaled on current generation home consoles, all three games look better than ever.
This is particularly notable because Mass Effect Legendary Edition has only been optimized for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. While the game plays well on these consoles, it rises above and beyond on the Xbox Series X, Series S, and PS5. Like other backward compatible games that can be upscaled on new consoles, the games can now maintain 60 frames per second. However, since the Mass Effect series is getting on in years, this framerate can be achieved at 4K resolution as opposed to 1440p or 1080p. This native 4K is even possible on the Series S, although due to hardware constraints the framerate must be dropped down to 30.
A new Digital Foundry video dives into all the changes found in Mass Effect Legendary Edition in great detail. The clear standout in terms of performance is the Xbox Series X. Both the Series X and PS5 can run all three games at 4K/60fps, but the Series X does so nearly flawlessly while the PS5 version tends to dip slightly during intense action sequences. To combat this, the PS5 takes advantage of dynamic resolution, dipping slightly to 1944p at times to stabilize frame rate. Further, because the game featured pre-rendered cutscenes, these scenes still play at 30fps despite being upscaled to 4K. One small curiosity seen across both platforms is that water reflections only ever run at 30fps, although Digital Foundry expresses that this may be patched out in time.
Another reason Xbox Series X stands out is its unique 120hz display option. Every version of the game has a Performance Mode and Quality Mode that favor framerate and resolution, respectively, but the Xbox Series X is the only platform that allows the game to run at up to 120fps at present. In this mode, the game resolution lowers to 1440p and some textures (such as foliage) see minor changes. Additionally, areas like the Citadel can reduce this framerate to as low as 80 FPS, which can also happen during large firefights. However, Digital Foundry points out that this is generally contained to the first Mass Effect and that Mass Effect 2 and 3 tend to not have those issues. Ultimately, the video provides plenty of visual evidence that the game runs quite well at 4K/60fps on both the Xbox Series X and PS5, with former gaining an edge in consistency of performance.
Finally, the Series S version runs “pretty much flawlessly” at 4K/30fps barring one instance in Mass Effect 1’s New Eden level, which dropped the framerate down to the ~20fps. Digital Foundry also reports that performance generally improves with each game. While this means the Series S and PS5 are definitely reliable options, it seems as though hardcore Mass Effect fans will be best served revisiting the series on the Xbox Series X for the best possible results.
Source: Digital Foundry