We geeks just love to give otherwise mundane days new meanings by turning them into celebrations of of our favorite franchises. May 4th has been transformed into a celebration of everything Star Wars (because May 4th kinda sounds like May the Force …), and November 7th is now a reason for gamers to celebrate Mass Effect. And what better way to commemorate the day than with a video?
Now, the video, for the most part, isn’t much more than people proclaiming what N7 means to them. From relationships they’ve forged with the franchise’s characters to knowing they are ready to face the world (whatever that means), N7 means different things to different people. To the developers at BioWare, though, N7 is an excuse to release an update for the Xbox One version of Mass Effect Andromeda on November 7th.
I know what you’re thinking. Why would BioWare want to update Mass Effect Andromeda for the Xbox One and not the PlayStation 4 or PC? Well, the answer is quite simple: to provide some needed Xbox One X support. The patch is designed to improve game resolution and HDR lighting. If you ever wanted to talk to a Krogan in 4K resolution, you can do that thanks to the patch.
Now, Mass Effect Andromeda had a very rocky launch, which raises the other question of why BioWare would bother creating this patch. The game was so poorly received BioWare had to scramble to transform the game into a playable state, and then the studio cancelled all upcoming DLC and shelved the franchise until it could get its bearings. However, all of BioWare’s post-release efforts has paid off since Mass Effect Andromeda is actually a decent game. A far cry from the first three Mass Effect titles, to be sure, but at least it isn’t a bad game like the original release version. So, now that Mass Effect Andromeda is actually worth playing, I honestly can’t think of a better excuse to give it an Xbox One X patch.
More importantly, BioWare’s General Manager Casey Hudson closes out the video with a statement of what N7 means to him:
“It means coming into the studio every day, dreaming about what the next great Mass Effect game will be.”
This is by no means an official announcement, but I think I speak for most people when I say we don’t want the series to end on the low note that was Mass Effect Andromeda. Here’s hoping BioWare gets to make another Mass Effect game.
