Back to the Beginning: Bringing Mass Effect to PS3

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Back to the Beginning: Bringing Mass Effect to PS3

I’m Ryan Warden, the External Producer for Mass Effect Trilogy. I’ve been with BioWare for almost nine years now – lately I’ve been working to help bring you Mass Effect Trilogy for PlayStation 3, and today I’m honored to be able to write a post for PlayStation.Blog!

We began work on Mass Effect Trilogy in earnest last April, shortly after Mass Effect 3 had shipped. The trilogy was complete, but there was a slight complication — there were people who had missed out on one (or more) titles in the series. Clearly this included PS3 owners, who had never had the chance to play the original Mass Effect. Mass Effect Trilogy was a great opportunity to rectify that!

We partnered with Edge of Reality, an external team with whom we’ve worked on many previous projects. Edge of Reality has a deep understanding of how PS3 works, under the hood, so we thought the project would be a perfect fit. We had a huge head start because of the work we had done with Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 for PS3, but we still wanted to maintain the look and feel – the classic experience – of the original Mass Effect.

“We got some huge gains in performance.”

We tinkered with the audio engine, and with the way that memory was allocated to various chunks of the game. We brought over some lighting and visual effects improvements from Mass Effect 2 and 3, and combined them with the original Mass Effect systems. In essence, we invited the Wu Tang Clan to a rap battle… and it paid off. We got some huge gains in performance – especially with regard to texture popping, which has been dramatically improved – yet we were still able to maintain the classic look and feel of the introduction to the Mass Effect universe.

At the end of my first playthrough during development, I saw a scene that had once been so familiar – the Normandy jumps to FTL, the screen fades to black, and That Song kicks in. I had sat through this scene countless times during the development of Mass Effect. Every single time, the delay-soaked guitar of Faunts’ “M4 Part II” put a grin on my face, just like the first time I saw it. I’m lucky that I got to relive the eight years of my life that I’ve spent working on the Mass Effect series. And now PS3 owners can experience the full trilogy for the first time.

You can finally create your Shepard at the beginning of Mass Effect, and bring that same character through the rest of the series. You can stand on the moon, drive the Mako across an asteroid, chase a rogue Spectre to the edges of the galaxy, and deliver right hooks to your heart’s content. Then you can pop the Mass Effect 2 disc in the tray.

I’m really proud of the work that the team has done to bring Mass Effect Trilogy to the PS3, and I can’t wait for you to play through the whole series. I hope you enjoy it!

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113 Comments

29 Author Replies

  • Is there any possible way that Pinnacle Station can come out later? I would love to experience that too. Do you think you guys need more time to fix on those technical problems?

  • @50

    One piece of DLC IS included with Mass Effect 1. It’s called “Bring Down The Sky.” The other DLC piece, “Pinnacle Station” had corrupted source files and was unable to be ported to the PS3. Besides, from what I read, we’re not missing anything.

  • very glad to see the trilogy come to the PS3. Will be buying it with my xmas money.

    Thanks.

  • I just want to say thank you to those that made this happen. A very happy ME and PlayStation fan here. Looking forward to more from the ME Universe.

  • Ahhhh….I would do that, but then I would have to replay 2 and 3…..and Dark Souls is such an alluring mistress…

  • @52

    Thanks, well my question now is how they becomed corrupted? Anyways I am enjoying my play through.

    The only thing I saw that might of been included in the 2nd and third game is the character code isn’t on ME1 so I had to compare visually between my character from ME2 to Mass Effect to get it right!

  • Very happy with one so far, going to play through the entire trilogy. Already had 2 and 3, and really enjoyed them.

  • Just wanted to say “thank you for bringing ME to the PS3”. Fan forever, loved KoTOR, Dragon Age 1 & 2, and of course ME2 and ME3 (even good ending when Shepard lives).

    ME looks, runs, and feels amazing. It is a pleasant surprise to see the detail put into enhancing the experience.

    Can’t wait for what’s next.

  • Also I would love to get some ME support on the vita….. since I lost ME Galaxy when I got a new Ipod

  • 2 Q’s for you gent,

    1. Am I stuck as a soldier class? Can’t I be one with force like in 2 and 3? I’ve only just played a very brief amount, so forgive me if picking one’s class occurs later (CURSED GRADUATE SCHOOL HAS RUINED MY GAMING REGIMEN).

    2. What’s your preferred way to play, film grain or no film grain?

    • 1) Nope, you can be any of the 6 classes. Did you just pick the default male Shepard? While that option gets you into the game faster, it defaults to Soldier class.

    • Derp. How do I type.

      2) I was one of the few who liked the film grain, but I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

  • You stayed so true to the Mass Effect experience that it has all the glitches and performance issues of the crapbox version from 5 years ago, bravo!

  • thanks a lot u guys for bringing the first to ps3 was dying to play it!! BTW femme Shep is the best!! so… the protagonist in the fourth is gonna be some sort of space dolphin ?! so if i had to guest i would say a freaking ASARI!? Dats dope!!

  • What an excellent game! It is truly awesome to see all 3 Mass Effect games available for PS3. I fell in love with Mass Effect five years ago from the moment I heard the music on the title screen and hit start and heard the chime. I just had a feeling I was in for something special at that moment. Outstanding series!

  • @61 That is hilarious! XD

  • I didn’t play Mass Effect because I didn’t want to start the series without playing the first game. Finally I can see what all this hype is about :)

    The PS Store version of Trilogy is same as the disc version, right? With the same DLCs etc. included?

  • I played ME2 about 6 times on the PS3, then I got a 360 and bought ME 1 and two and played each about 3 times. After that, I got ME 3 for PS3 and played it about 4 times.

    The announcement of the first ME on PS3 got me really excited, as this means I finally have the opportunity to play all three games in a row. There goes my winter intersession break…

  • Very happy for the trilogy to finally be fully playable on PS3! I’m drowning with my gaming backlog but will make an effort to beat ME1 again on PS3 :)

  • Also thank you for the responses in general, they are very appreciated.

  • Oooh and it’d be great if a Mass Effect game was on Vita ;)

  • Thank You for giving us PS3 gamers the chance to play the origibal Mass Effect! :)

  • RYAN! ? WILL THIS BE DISCOUNTED FOR US PS+ Mt me know me thanks !E also this be will downloadable content included ?

  • I just want to say I freakin’ love Liara T’Soni so much.
    I wish she was real and I was Shepard! lololol ^_~

  • I’ll start by saying ME shares my all-time favorite game series spot with The Elder Scrolls (Sorry, but played Arena the first week it came out and have been hooked ever since)(whoops, I think I just gave away my age). I played the first ME on PC and was completely enthralled and have been a die-hard fan ever since. I’ve played the entire series on PC and ME2 & 3 on PS3. I’m ecstatic to be able to play through the entire series now on the PS3 – thank you for doing this for us, your loyal PS3 ME fans!!!

    ME has the distinct honor of being the game(s) I’ve played through to completion the most. Just had to try different things with Shepard and take different squad-mates etc, etc, you all know – you’ve done it as well.

    Most of us have purchased ME2 and/or ME3 and because we LOVE it so much we ran out to buy the trilogy like a bunch of teenage girls going to a Bieber concert. It would have been awesome to get a distinct piece of DLC or something saying “Hey, I got the new trilogy edition!”. Perhaps an Adidas jump-suit for running around the Normandy? Or a t-shirt with a glowing heart? (oh wait, I’m pretty sure someone has done that one already….) Ok, well anyways, you get the point. In all seriousness, thank you!

  • @ Ryan Warden (Comment #1) – LoL… love it… space dolphin.

    To anyone who has not played this game yet, do it!!! I’m replaying it on PS3 because A: It’s that good and B: Trophies!!!

  • This is wonderful news. The first Mass Effect game is my favorite of the series. It’s so good that I will be able to replay it again, this time for PS3. Thank you. :)

  • If you want to “import” the face of your ME2/3 character into ME1, use this converter:

    http://masseffect2faces.com/index.php?show=tutorials&tutorial=me2tome1

  • I have to admit, when I first DL a copy of ME2 I had no idea what it was. I simply had money to blow and wanted a new game. Although after playing it, I was an immediate fan . I always dreamed ME1 would someday come to PS3. I played it on PC somewhat, but i kinda hate playing games on PC, so it wasn’t much fun. I’m gonna love this game for sure. Just wish there was some PS Plus discount for this. Not that it’s to expensive or anything but just because.

  • @73, Neopaladin, my fem Shep wore the Dragon Age suit in ME2 but I don’t know if that was a PS3 exclusive.

  • I’m absolutely ECSTATIC about Mass Effect being on PS3!!!! I have a 360 as well but I love my PS3 so much more and prefer playing any game on the PS3. Thank you guys SO much for giving us the original.

    Now if only we could all get a KOTOR 3 and some HD versions of the first two…. ;) please? :)

  • Oh my god. I want to thank everyone involved in bringing Mass Effect to the PS3.

    I loved the original on the Xbox 360, but I never imagined it could look this good. The new lighting engine is fantastic and I’m seeing details I never noticed before, like the textures in the salarians’ eyes. There are a few frame hiccups, but I haven’t seen any screen tearing at all.

  • This is great news of the original Mass Effect finally coming to PS3. I’ve never had a 360 (no reason to as I greatly prefer the exclusives on the PS3) but always wished that I could have had a chance to play through all 3 games.

    I do have question though due to I don’t have unlimited wi-fi in my house right now. I had downloaded the Arrival DLC for the 2nd game along with the single player DLC for the 3rd game. If I get the trilogy, will the discs in the trilogy set work with the already downloaded DLC for the 2nd and 3rd games that I have on my hard drive? I noticed you said that a patch was released for the 2nd game to where it will eliminate the comic to allow you to import your character in from the first. Basically, will I need to re-download the DLC for the 2nd and 3rd games when I get the trilogy tonight?

  • @TheHerbinator75

    They should be the exact same copies of the game on original release, just with different labels on the discs. There are codes that come with 2 & 3 to download the exact same online passes and dlc that came packed in (at least dlc in 2’s case). I haven’t popped in my trilogy discs 2 & 3 yet to confirm this, but from the evidence I’ve seen in the pack, and what I’ve read online, it should be the exact same discs already released, so, YES, it should all work.

  • Okay, that’s what I thought. While it would be cheaper to just download the 1st game, I am really needing to conserve hard drive space on my PS3 at the moment so having the 1st game on disc is much more preferable.

  • Ryan, I have a question. Are the save files in this collection locked? Can they be copied for backup purposes (like to a USB flash drive)?
    If they are locked, then why??? Can you do anything to patch that?

    Thanks for bringing the ME series to PS3!

    • Yeah, the save files are locked. This was due to an extreme edge case that came up at the very last minute. There were a couple risky solutions that would have ended up being a bad customer experience, but the least risky solution (though still a bad customer experience) was to save lock.

  • here is a question, is there some way you guys can release avatars for PSN users? I would like to sport a
    Garrus avatar or maybe LIara or even Captain Kirrahe or Tali or Wrex avatar?

  • ^ Ok, thanks for the reply.
    That’s a shame. Sounds like you didn’t want to lock it, that it was deemed a necessary evil; so I guess that’s a small comfort. Hopefully future Bioware games will can give us that backup option.

  • Decided to get ME1 on PSN. Heard load times were a bit long so hoping that having the game on my hdd will help.

  • So it was first announced that ME1 would be downloadable on the PSN the date of the ME Trilogy release, but that’s not the case. WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN?

  • Unfortunately I had to boycott mass effect when EA got their filthy hands on it. Sorry but its a no sale for me

  • great, unfortunately im already burnt with the series :\

  • I just hope this version doesn’t suck. I had given up all hopes of having this saga on PS# and now i have the perfect chance to do so.

    I hope Part One doesn’t have any… significant glitches.

  • i want to get ME1 on psn so badly but i’m hearing there are still texture pop-ins and framerate problems. I didn’t expect you guys to fix the annoying elevator loading, but i thought after 6 years you’d improve the other aspects for the ps3 version.

  • I am convinced. I like to see that there were improvements made to the game. I was not a fan of it on PC years ago because I didn’t enjoy the combination of my PC+mouse+keyboard. Now on PS3 I should have a much better experience, and why not play the whole trilogy again…

  • still downloading…hope it meets my expectations…love 2 and 3 tho…

  • btw, i need to ask, will the Pinnacle Station be available in ps3 as well?

  • @ sumerian101

    This has already been covered many times in this blog post.
    The short answer is: No

  • Already have 2 n 3 but will be buying the first 1. I have not played 3 yet because i wanted to replay 2 and now that I am going to have 1 I will be playing them all in a row

  • You guys who ask questions without reading the blog post and replies from the author are so annoying. I’m not sure how you manage to get through life being that dumb.

  • I want you to eventually release the Pincapple Station DLC for Mass Effect 1 on the PS3 and next summer update the trilogy set with all the DLC from Mass Efect 1 and 2 along with all of the pre leviathan Mass Effect 3 DLC and all of the Mass Effect 3 pre order and collecters edition DLC.

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