This Mass Effect Content Didn't Age Well, So They Removed It

Mass Effect fans are getting spoiled right now. Not only is there a new installment of the Mass Effect series in development, but this May brings the release of the overhauled Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. This collection contains all three games in the original trilogy and over 40 DLC, complete with a graphical facelift tailor-made for next-gen consoles. What it won't have, however, are a few questionable shots of a certain female character's derriere.

In an interview with Metro, members of the team behind Legendary Edition discussed the project at length, including the very few things that had been cut. The subject of these alterations came up when the interviewer asked if the team had considered removing material that hadn't aged all that well.

At first, it seemed as though no such cuts had been made. Project director Mac Walters explained, "I do think a lot of things have evolved since [the original games] but I don't know if I would say we were ultra-concerned about it or anything like that, but there were considerations." 

However, it turns out that there were a few shots here and there that were trimmed when prepping the final version of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. In this case, there were some camera shots that prominently (and awkwardly) featured Cerebus officer Miranda Lawson's rear end. 

According to Walters, environment director Kevin Meek is the one who brought these odd camera angles to the rest of the team's attention. "Kevin actually called out some camera cuts that were just... why was that focusing on Miranda's butt?" Walters said. "So in some cases we said, 'Okay, we can make a change there.'" It would seem that these unnecessary shots, and perhaps a few others, were the only scenes in the game to be excised or altered.

Of course, Metro would have been remiss not to ask about the most controversial aspect of the original Mass Effect trilogy: the ending of the third game. In one of the most insulting game endings of all time, hundreds of hours of player decision ended up feeling pointless. The fan backlash against this ending was so intense that BioWare released a free DLC containing a new ending. Unfortunately for anyone who was hoping for a new conclusion to Shepard's story, Metro learned that BioWare chose not to change any of the major story beats for the Legendary Edition. 

So for any potential buyers of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, be ready for a few less butt shots and the same old feeling of regret when Mass Effect 3 rolls around. At least now, parts of this new version will age better than the original.