The Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is an incredible package for both fans of the original games, and newcomers to the series. Updated visuals, slight gameplay tweaks, and significant performance upgrades make it a worthwhile bundle, being the best versions of these games currently available. While all three games will take players a good while to finish, Mass Effect's eventual ending is inevitable, and players will have to move on to the next game.
Thankfully, there's a lot of RPGs out there, and a lot of excellent ones at that. From sci-fi epics that still hold up over a decade later, to fantasy games that put world-building at the forefront, there are plenty of RPGs out there to satiate a player's desire for more Mass Effect.
Updated April 9 2022 by Cameron Swan: Though Mass Effect: Legendary Edition has been out for quite some time, it's still the definitive way to play the series. But all good things must come to an end, and while fans of the sci-fi series will need to wait quite a while longer for the next mainline entry, there are some other excellent RPGs that capture the same feel as Mass Effect. Here are just a handful of must-play RPGs, some of which are still considered to be some of the greatest games ever made.
8 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
One of the original games to put Mass Effect developer Bioware on the map, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is widely considered to be not just the best Star Wars game, but also one of the best RPGs. KOTOR takes the incredibly rich and detailed Star Wars universe and expands upon it with an impressive level of care and attention, creating a game-world that feels both familiar and new.
Many of Mass Effect's iconic gameplay attributes can be found here, with KOTOR putting a large focus on character and dialogue options, as well as a branching narrative that adapts to player choice. Knights of the Old Republic is an absolute must-play for any fan of Mass Effect, Star Wars, or RPGs in general, and the degree at which it still holds up nearly two decades later is astounding.
7 Fallout: New Vegas
While Fallout 3 is undeniably iconic, Fallout: New Vegas is often considered by fans to be the best in terms of its role-playing elements. New Vegas took the groundwork of Fallout 3 and honed in on what has always made Fallout such a memorable and beloved series: Its humorous dialogue, and its zany characters.
Over the course of New Vegas players will come across Roman Empire-inspired gangs, Ghouls that believe that flying to the Moon is part of their religious journey, and so much more, each with their own fully fleshed out stories and character interactions.
6 The Outer Worlds
Another great sci-fi game, The Outer Worlds takes the general gameplay and feel of Fallout: New Vegas, and translates it to a sci-fi setting. Helmed by New Vegas' Obsidian Entertainment, The Outer Worlds isn't the prettiest modern-day game, but it dishes out the charm in droves.
With witty writing dominating the game's story and side objectives, The Outer Worlds becomes a joy to explore. And with a heavy emphasis on gathering a crew, Mass Effect fans should feel right at home with The Outer Worlds' main quest.
5 Deus Ex
An oldie, but certainly a goodie, Deus Ex stormed onto the PC scene in 2000, quickly becoming lauded as one of the most influential RPGs of all time. Embracing a cyberpunk, dystopian New York setting, Deus Ex puts players in the stylish leather boots of JC Denton, a anti-terrorist agent who becomes entangled with a sinister Illuminati-fueled conspiracy.
Though the game has first-person shooting and melee mechanics, Deus Ex encourages players to experiment with their objectives, with multiple routes to success being openly available. For instance, if the player is going for a stealth build, then they can sneak into a building via the ventilation system, or if they're a gun-focused build, they can run in there guns blazing, using their cybernetic upgrades to wreak havoc. Every mission has multiple ways to complete it, each with their own set of dialogue choices and branching consequences, giving the game a great deal of replayability. For those in love with Mass Effect's world-building and sci-fi setting, Deus Ex is certainly a great alternative.
4 Dark Souls
With the release of Elden Ring, FromSoftware has firmly cemented itself as one of the best developers in the industry right now. But as Elden Ring's open-world can be a little intimidating for new players, it may be better to start with one of the developer's most beloved titles, Dark Souls.
The first Dark Souls may be difficult, but its interconnected level design, challenging but fair boss fights, and obtuse but rewarding narrative leads it to being one of the most revered games of all time. It may take a while to get used to the game's mechanics, and how they influence the game's difficulty, but when it all finally clicks into place, Dark Souls becomes an extremely rewarding RPG, with an immense amount of replayability.
3 Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Final Fantasy 7 has always been heralded as one of the best RPGs of all time, with a compelling narrative, complex characters, and some excellent world-building to boot. Now, Final Fantasy 7 has gotten even better, with its recent remake switching up the gameplay and giving the older title a total makeover.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake uses fluid real-time action combat as opposed to the original's turn-based combat. Fans of Mass Effect's more action-focused gameplay are sure to enjoy FF7 Remake's new gameplay mechanics.
2 Disco Elysium
A game that's been talked about often since its release, but still flies under most players' radar, Disco Elysium is one unique RPG. Using an isometric perspective and boasting a beautiful water-color art style, Disco Elysium is cold, cynical, charming, and heart-warming all at the same time.
A simple murder-mystery plot quickly leads way to a staggering amount of player-choice and branching narratives, creating an RPG that genuinely puts the player and their actions first.
1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
One of the most discussed, played, and adored RPGs of the last decade, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the perfect culmination of everything a player could want from an RPG. There's intricate characters, excellent voice acting, varied side quests, an engrossing main narrative, solid action-based gameplay mechanics, and world that is oozing with grim fantasy atmosphere.
If players enjoyed their time with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, and are looking to spend another 100+ hours engrossed in a detailed world, then they should definitely check out The Witcher 3.