The Mass Effect trilogy is an as-of-yet unsurpassed cinematic RPG trilogy. The branching threads that the series manages to weave across its 90 hour duration are brilliant, and lead you to feel like you, as Commander Shepard, exist in this galaxy. I played each of these games originally back when they each first launched, but playing them back-to-back as I have now done so with the Legendary Edition has given me a different appreciation for them that wasn't quite as apparent.

It's not just the big decisions that are remembered, it's the little ones. These small encounters that in the moment feel inconsequential until you realise that they all mean everything. Small meetings with characters in ME1, remembered in ME2 or even in ME3 gives a sense of narrative persistence not just for you but for everyone in the game. It helps everything feel that much more alive.

This was my first time playing ME3 with the revised ending sequence, and I do think it does a lot to make the ending land better. I never disliked the original ending, but I could see where the criticism came from and I do think that what they changed softens it some.

If you haven't played Mass Effect, and a 3rd-person shooter RPG sounds like your thing, then I think you owe it to yourself to play it. The Legendary Edition is just about the best way to do that now.