It's 2007, I'm at home playing this new Sci-Fi RPG my dad got for the Xbox 360. I get lost on uncharted worlds, flip the mako, and blast some aliens.

It's 2017, I've finally bought Mass Effect 2 & 3 and sit down to do a full trilogy playthrough. It's an absolute blast, and I see what everyone was talking about with the Garrus romance.

It's 2026, I've installed countless mods onto the Legendary Edition collection, excited to throw myself back into this universe once again.

To say Mass Effect is ambitious would be an understatement. It doesn't take much for the average player to see the series buckling under the weight of publisher & fan expectations as the games go on. But people love the series for how much it gets right. How the world keeps opening up in new and exciting ways, how small choices can ripple through subsequent games, how the wonder & horror of space is captured at remarkable scale. With the Legendary Edition making EA's scummy DLC practices more or less a thing of the past, it's the best way to experience one of the best Sci-Fi RPGs out there.

For this playthrough, I decided to go all-in with mods. Here are some highlights:

• ME 1 & 3 Diversification Project - I didn't even install this mod til a couple hours into Mass Effect 1 because I was skeptical the new additions would stick out. But honestly, this project is amazing. Female turians are present before ME 3's Omega DLC, all of the species feel more present and feel like a natural part of the experience. I didn't even realize Tali was the only Quarian in ME1 until I installed this.
• MELLO - If you're like me and played ME1 on the 360 you might notice some drastic lighting changes in the remaster. This mod tries to bring back the old lighting and atmosphere from the first game, and largely succeeds.
• Paragade Persuasion - No more arbitrary paragon or renegade playthroughs! Play your Shepard how you'd like in every moment. This mod allows you to choose either Paragon or Renegade persuasion options as long as you have the choice for one of them.
• ME 2 No Paraphrase Mod - Want to actually roleplay dialogue instead of guessing what Commander Shepard will say with a 4-word prompt? This is the mod for you!
• ME 2 Early Recruitment - This mod completely changes the structure of Mass Effect 2 for the better. Many probably already know that the game was split into two discs for consoles, but was originally intended to allow players to recruit any companions in any order. This mod goes above & beyond, allowing you to recruit Legion first if you so choose (like me).
• ME 2 Risky Suicide Mission - Despite some issues I had with the randomness of this mod, it makes the Suicide Mission fun & unpredictable again. I actually had to use strategy when selecting who to bring on main quest missions, along with choosing team leaders during the Suicide Mission.
• ME 3 Expanded Galaxy Mod (EGM) - One of the most popular mods for Mass Effect 3, this one greatly expands the Normandy and Exploration to reflect the state of the galaxy and growing galactic conflict.
• Dreams Remade - Makes some much-needed changes to the dream sequences from Mass Effect 3. Instead of focusing on a random child, the dreams reflect your choices throughout the series, reminding you of what you've lost and have yet to lose.
• Kai Leng Reworked - While I wanted to try Altered Assassin (swaps Kai Leng for either Miranda or Jacob), mod conflicts caused me to use this one. It's pretty good! Kai Leng goes from being an annoying quippy character with infinite plot armor to a menacing figure with mysterious motivations.

Lastly I want to highlight 3 mods that worked together to greatly improve the ending experience of the trilogy for me:

• Take Earth Back - This mod overhauls Priority: Earth to reflect all the allies you've spent the entire game recruiting. It also expands final dialogue with important characters into full conversations, giving a better feeling of closure with Wrex & others.

• Audemus' Happy Ending Mod (AHEM) - While I know many people might be skeptical about a mod that takes away the ending choices from 3, I believe this mod significantly improves the pacing and tone of the final hours of 3. Instead of

  Tap for spoiler

  having a meaningful conversation with Anderson then being thrust into a conversation with a child who gives a last-minute motivation for the Reapers before being forced to choose 3 options ripped straight out of Deus Ex, this mod instead ends Shepard's story with Anderson, as they watch the rest of the galaxy dock the crucible and fire it - destroying the reapers. It shifts Shepard back into being an exceptional soldier, rather than the one person who gets to play God over the galaxy.

• Citadel Epilogue Mod (CEM) - Allows you to play either the entire Citadel DLC or just the party after rolling credits on the main game. Ending with the party & Commander Shepard walking with their companions back to the Normandy was a wonderful way to wrap up this iconic trilogy.

Played Mass Effect recently & want to share your thoughts? Or have any other mods to recommend to folks looking to play the trilogy again? I'd love to hear about it!