The first Mass Effect is fourteen years old. That’s right, it’s been fourteen years since we first waited for the camera to swing around Shepard’s shoulders on the bridge of the Normandy, revealing the glorious monstrosity of a face we somehow botched after spending hours in the character creator.

It’s safe to say that the Mass Effect series – at least the first two games – are widely beloved, and that they provide some of the finest space opera roleplaying available in any game before or since. But when you create something so special, it’s really hard to go anywhere near it again without taking a thorough beating from people’s sky-high expectations (see: Andromeda). Which is fair enough. That’s the burden of creating something that beds so deep inside so many hearts.

Considering the obsolescence of Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer and accessory apps, which are handy for accessing the best endings, and that all the games had a slew of DLC that you’d have to fork out for in order to get the full experience, the original trilogy was practically crying out for a fresh coat of paint and a repackage.