In a few days away, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition releases, and players will once more take control of the iconic Commander Shepard as he battles against the threat of the Reapers. However, despite the excitement, some Xbox players are venting their frustrations at one small, but no less frustrating, issue with the game's achievements.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is a remastered collection of Bioware's critically acclaimed RPG series, and apart from some quality of life improvements to all three original Mass Effect games, the games will be mostly unchanged. The same cannot be said for the game's achievements and trophies, which will be changed, and Xbox players will be getting the short straw.
A few days ago, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's trophy list was revealed, and PlayStation trophy collectors were thrilled to learn that the game would include three Platinum trophies. Now, the achievement list for the game is out, and Xbox fans are shocked to learn that the total Gamerscore available is 2,915.
Considering that most AAA games on Xbox have 1,000 Gamerscore and there is a Platinum trophy for each game in the collection on PlayStation, it is strange that Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's achievements total less than 3,000. While this difference is only a small difference, uneven Gamerscores are a pet peeve to many Xbox players.
While achievements and trophies may not matter to some gamers, large communities are built around hunting and collecting them. On Xbox, one's total Gamerscore is prominently displayed, and having an odd number can frustrate some gamers. As the total number is a multiple of 5, the odd score will not be too hard to fix, but it's still frustrating to see Mass Effect: Legendary Edition offering a less than average amount of Gamerscore.
Though Xbox players may miss out on some Gamerscore points, they could stand to benefit in another area. If a recent email is to be believed, then Mass Effect: Legendary Edition could release earlier on Xbox. Nothing has been confirmed as of right now, as both EA and Bioware remain silent, but given Microsoft and EA have an ongoing partnership with Game Pass and EA Play, it is not out of the question that players on Xbox could get the game a day earlier.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's total Gamerscore being under 3,000 is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. If Xbox players do get the game a day earlier than expected, it will likely be easily forgiven. Still, it does seem a strange decision, and makes it look like an achievement or two were cut from the games.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition releases on May 14th, 2021, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: TrueAchievements