Microsoft continues its push to release its titles on more platforms with its latest release, Gears of War: Reloaded, a remaster of the first game in the long-running Gears of War franchise. When I loaded up Reloaded onto my PS5 for the first time, I’ll admit it hit me in a way I hadn’t expected. This is the first Microsoft release on a Sony console that really made it sink in that all bets are off, and we will be seeing all of Xbox’s flagship series eventually released on Sony consoles. After that initial wave of excitement wore off, I unfortunately realized that the idea of Gears of War on PlayStation is the most exciting aspect of this release.
Showing Its Age
Those who are familiar with the Gears of War series know exactly what to expect with Reloaded. Marcus Fenix and his ragtag squad must work their way across enemy territory against the Locust scourge to plant a weapon, called a resonator, in a Locust stronghold. You will move from encounter to encounter, from thigh-high wall to thigh-high wall, blasting Locusts and taking cover. The game is very straightforward with little deviation from this formula, except for a single vehicle segment and a couple of times when you have to turn some cranks to open up gates or have a boss encounter. Video games have come a long way since the original Gears of War, and this remaster does little to bring it up to modern standards.
Moving around the battlefield feels a little stiff, and the gunplay lacks the punch that more modern games, and even future games in the series, have improved on significantly since 2006. This makes Reloaded feel antiquated and sluggish throughout the campaign. Simple quality of life features could have ironed out some of these gripes, such as auto-picking up ammo for a weapon you have equipped or making switching from cover to cover less finicky.
The visuals are also a difficult hurdle to clear. While technically, this is definitely the best the original Gears of War has ever looked, the grey and brown colors are flat and boring to look at for a large majority of the game. There are a few set pieces and monsters that do look great still, but overall, Reloaded is just a bland-looking game. What we are left with is a faithful remaster that is still solid, but could have used a few more fresh coats of paint to really allow this title to be brought to modern audiences looking to dive into the series for the first time.
Perpetual War
Another key aspect of Gears of War is its multiplayer offerings. Besides the co-op campaign, you can face off against other players in a range of versus modes such as King of the Hill, Execution, and Team Deathmatch. Nowadays, these game modes aren’t anything to write home about, but they serve as a fun diversion after you’ve completed the campaign or want to get your PvP fix in. I do wish they had added a Horde mode to the game, however. Horde mode has become a staple of the series, and the first game is the only one that doesn’t have an official version of the classic game mode.
This just wraps us back around to the underlying issue with Gears of War: Reloaded: it plays things too safe and isn’t ambitious enough of a remaster for what the series needs and deserves. This should have been the beginning of Gears of War’s resurgence and introduction to newer players. I know we have E-Day coming out next year, and this is meant to hold us over until then, but Reloaded is essentially a decade-old remaster of a remaster of a two-decade-old game.
Still Worth a Spin
All that being said, I still think the original Gears of War is still a good game. There is a reason this series launched itself into gaming royalty back in the 360 era. My time with Reloaded was a fun, nostalgic trip back to a time when video games were truly starting to try and replicate big blockbuster Hollywood movies. Seeing General RAAM for the first time and the first time you roadie run up to a Locust and chainsaw through their bodies until they explode is just as visceral and epic as it was in 2006.
Those unfamiliar with Gears of War can look to finish the campaign in around 6-8 hours, while returning players can bash their heads against Hardcore and Insane difficulty modes for the ultimate challenge. As in typical Gears of War fashion, you can also buddy up and play through the campaign co-op with a partner. Many would argue that the co-op campaign is the definitive experience, and I would agree with them. There are few things more stressful than sprinting through a hail of gunfire while your partner is down as you try to reach them to bring them back into the fight. These games were made with the co-op experience in mind from the get-go, and it shows through in the minute-to-minute gameplay.
Worn Out Places
Gears of War makes its PlayStation debut with a lackluster remaster that is fun for a bit but loses its charm after a while. I’ll admit, there is something surreal about seeing Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago chainsawing through locusts on a Sony console. However, once the novelty of playing a Gears game on PlayStation wears off, you are quickly reminded that you are still just playing a nearly two-decade-old game with a few visual upgrades over the last time they remastered Gears of War back in 2015 with the Ultimate Edition.
I still wish more effort had been put into this remaster. Microsoft and The Coalition had a chance to take the original game and make it better than ever, but Reloaded is ultimately just a serviceable remaster. In an era where many remasters go well beyond just sprucing up visuals, a simple remaster like this leaves me a bit mixed, especially at the $40 price point. However, the reasoning behind this release is understandable. This is clearly both a holdover for longtime fans and a positioning release for the PlayStation audience.
For those who have never experienced Gears of War, or if you are a diehard fan of the series who is eagerly awaiting the release of E-Day next year, this is the best version of the original game available and is worth picking up for a fun time. Those who expect a refreshed experience of the original, though, might be disappointed with what is essentially the same exact game with minimal updates.
Disclaimer: Microsoft provided a PlayStation 5 copy of Gears of War: Reloaded for review purposes.
