Mass Effect is one of my favorite game franchises. I have completed the original trilogy three times, and I believe there are few other games that can forge such a profound emotional connection with your squadmates as Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Playing the "suicide mission" in Mass Effect 2 for the first is the most memorable moment in my gaming experience.

The Legendary Edition does not alter the story, but it primarily provides graphical enhancements and various quality-of-life improvements (such as improved Mako controls and a weapon overhaul). Additionally, it offers a convenient way for exporting your character and choices from one game to another. The experience system has also been revamped, though you have the option to revert to the old system if you prefer.

The first game received the most attention from the developers, and I was glad to see that many things that annoyed me in the original game were addressed. I would even say that, in some ways, the first game is better than the other two. It feels more consistent and balanced, and... "pure" (if it makes sense}. By "pure" I mean that the story is straightforward and simple, whereas in the other two games the devs couldn't decide whether they want a shooter or an RPG, and too much effort was spent on fan service — an effort that could have been put into ironing out the logical inconsistencies. I also prefer the weapon overheating system of the first game over the mag system of the other two. Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I genuinely enjoyed exploring planets with the Mako, while the planet scanning in the second game feels tedious. Additionally, the armor design is too plain for my taste, and I wish they had included the cut equipment (though it can still be added with mods and console commands).
It should also be noted that Pinnacle Station is not included in ME1LE. However, you can add it as a mod from NexusMods. That said, it’s hardly worth the effort, as the original DLC was completely unbalanced and offers little more than a few combat arena missions and an apartment. The mod is essentially an identical recreation of the original content.

The second game has the weakest story in the trilogy. Some key elements feel unnecessary and illogical, and overall, ME2 comes across more as a spin-off than a proper link between the first and second games. However, the game offers the largest roster of squadmates, and their loyalty missions are highly satisfying. Even after several playthroughs of the original trilogy, the magic was still present. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the effort went into developing the companions, leaving little time and energy for the rest of the game. Resource gathering becomes a chore, and the side missions are the most boring in the trilogy. I also found the pacing and timing lacking, with missions being thrown at the player rather randomly. It’s disapointing that some companions can only be recruited close to the end of the game. Overall, ME2 has a strong console-game vibe characteristic of that era — you can feel it in the combat, interface, equipment, and environment design. For these reasons, I believe that ME2 has aged the worst of the three games.

The third game is the most fleshed out. There's tons of great DLC content. The combat is fun and dynamic, with a wide variety of weapons that all feel distinct. You can execute impressive elemental combos, and the enemy variety far surpasses that of the first game. However, the "sticky" cover system can be frustrating at times, and some enemy encounters are quite unbalanced on "Insanity." Overall, there’s no doubt that ME3 has the best gameplay. It's noticeable that the developers tried to turn ME3 into a popular multiplayer shooter. Although, I remember the original MP as decent, ultimately, it didn't become popular, and the multiplayer mode is not even included in the Legendary Edition. I wish the devs had focused more on the role-playing aspect instead.
However, the war asset gathering and the effort to unite the entire galaxy for the final stand felt truly epic. I have no complaints about the endings. To me, the final battle of ME3 is as a heroic and grand culmination of the exciting choices (or, at least, the illusion of such choices) that you get to make throughout this trilogy.

Overall, I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience this entire space opera again. There are plenty of mods available that can enhance your experience even further. I would recommend only the community patches and some quality-of-life mods, though. The texture mods do improve the visual quality, however, the downloading and installation times are so long and they take so much space on your disk that, I think, the added benefit is not even worth it. Some of these mods can even disrupt lighting and particle effects in certain areas. Use them only if you truly care about the finer details. The difference is noticeable, especially in the cutscenes, but the vanilla quality is quite good as well. The vanilla game is about 100 GB, while the community patches and texture mods add an additional 60 GB. So, think carefully about whether you really care about scratches on your armor that much.

My overall rating: 9/10. It's a fantastic game, but not without its flaws. I would give it a 10/10, but, unfortunately, logical inconsistencies are quite apparent, and after several playthroughs, it did bother me a bit that there aren't many choices that truly matter. The entire Paragon/Renegade system feels more like a flavour element, much like in all Bioware games.

Is it worth buying the Legendary Edition if you already own the original trilogy? I believe it is, especially if you can get it at a discount. It’s worth another playthrough, particularly after a long break. I also highly recommend it to newcomers. Mass Effect is one of the best games in the history of video games, and you would be doing yourself a disservice by not giving it a try.

p.s. If you want a decent-looking Sheppard as a template, here are my vanilla codes:

7L1.11H.P61.18G.GGG.1HW.1NG.711.G66.41B.345.11G.1 (fem)

5J1.GDG.GGB.615.EGW.15W.GWK.671.111.1F2.A4B.AC (male)

5J1.GDG.GG1.115.EGW.1GW.GWK.671.111.1FN.847.6C (male)