2006 feels like a very long time ago, especially as I turned 43 this year. Gears of War, however, is arguably still a teenager, and now an entirely new generation of players gets to enjoy the addictive, action-reload-filled, gib-spewing, chainsaw-revving fun in a multiplatform remaster of the very first game in the franchise. This is the XboxEra Review for Gears of War: Reloaded.
Comfort Food
Gears is a special game in the pantheon of Xbox first party published titles. Originally it was an Epic Games trilogy, exclusive to the Xbox 360. Microsoft eventually bought the IP from Epic and renamed their studio Black Tusk to The Coalition. From there we have now gotten five mainline titles and two spin-off titles in the series.
Back in the Xbox One generation Gears of War: Ultimate Edition was released on Xbox console and PC. It is a bit of a mess on PC, and Xbox decided to remaster it graphically once again. Gear of War: Reloaded takes the original campaign and full multiplayer experience and brings it to PC in far better shape alongside the series’ first ever PlayStation release.
For those wondering, Reloaded is just Gears of War, no more no less. Every bug, trick, and move you know from the past feels the same here. The big difference is the fresh coat of occasionally gorgeous paint. I played entirely on Xbox Series X for this review, while my Editor-in-Chief Jon Clark played on both his PC and an ASUS ROG Ally X. No matter where we played the game ran beautifully, with no issues and sadly, no ability to play multiplayer. Try as we might the queue to find a match with our fellow reviewers never filled up.
Stay in the Light
Xbox customers who have played Gears of War: Ultimate Edition should have been sent a code for this title. In typical Microsoft fashion they are rather generous to longtime members of the community. For those who haven’t played it, whether on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC, GoW: Reloaded retails for $40 US. While for old hats like us I think that would be a bit much, it makes sense for brand new entrants to the franchise.
Gears of War’s campaign holds up well, outside of the never-ending walk-and-talk segments. Every time Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago held up their fingers to their ears I remembered my frustrations with the earlier entries in the series. One thing that helps, you can turn off screen shake when running. Brought in from newer franchise entries it is a godsend for those of us who feel like our heads are about to explode every time you do the roadie run.
That of course, for new comers, is when you hold A and run in what has always felt to me like a ridiculous way. Shoulders hunched, ass out, like you’re trying to take a dump while charging forward akin to a silverback gorilla. Gears of War 1 & 2 offered up two player split-screen or online co-op. I played on my Xbox Series X while my EIC Jon played on his PC. Invites were easy, everything ran beautifully, and man could this game look stunning at times.
Ruined Beauty
Gears of War is set on a planet called Sera. Forteen years before this game ‘Emergence Day’ happened. A grotesque managerie of monsters called the Locust Horde emerged from the ground via complicated tunnel systems, killing everyone they came across. You are a disgraced ex-Coalition of Goverments, or COG, soldier named Marcus Fenix. Your friend Dom rescues you from your dilapidated prison as you traverse across five chapters of mayhem.
The voice acting, is still more hit than miss. Marcus and Dom are joined by the Cole Train and Baird, as well as Anya Stroud and they are all iconic. Some of the other COG soldiers, the local ‘Stranded’ settlers, and other NPCs really don’t hold up. If you haven’t played before it’ll be, as the kids say, a bit cringe at times. The music is also surprisingly muted as a longtime fan of the series. I always forget that the big, bombastic score really started in Gears of War 2.
Daytime scenes early on are drab, ruined wastelands of brown and yellow. As you progress through the campaign you’ll get a bit of color, and eventually some stunning vistas at night. Unreal Engine 5 puts in some work here, as the lighting system is massively improved over the original. The nighttime missions against the Kryll, who murder you instantly in the dark, or the short driving section look legitimately gorgeous.
How a Remaster Should be Tackled
One of the toughest things about reviewing a remaster is how do you score it. Gears of War: Reloaded is the second graphical remaster of Gears of War. It is a far better product than Ultimate Edition ended up being. Microsoft’s PC efforts were in rough shape at the time. The Coalition’s mastery of Unreal Engine continues as this game ran incredibly well on both Xbox for myself and mutliple systems for Jon, here’s what he had to say about it:
I played large sections of the game on his ROG Ally X and found the game remarkably performant, running at a locked 60 frames per second at 1080p – and that was on performance mode. This isn’t surprising of course as Gears of War Reloaded is the first ‘Ally Verified’ game from Xbox game Studios, and likely to be one of many from the team going forward. It certainly bodes well for the upcoming release of the Rog Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally x on October 16th.
Wrapping Things Up
Gears of War: Reloaded is a solid graphical update to one of Xbox’s most important games. It is nearly 20 years old now, though, and some of that age is starting to show. With no true gameplay improvements it would be tough to tell Xbox’s hardcore to spend $40 on it. Thankfully it’s both a free upgrade if you ever played GoW: UE and is of course a Day One Game Pass release. For PlayStation and PC players who have never touched the franchise, this classic is still well worth checking out.
Gears of War: Reloaded
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- This is how you 'Remaster' a game
- The original Gears still holds up - just!
- Great Performance on Consoles, PC and ROG Ally X
- Includes all 19 Multiplayer Maps
CONS
- Some animations show their age
- The slow down when talking on comms is still infuriating
