Well, there we have it – Gears of War: Reloaded is real, and it’s coming to Xbox, PS5 and PC this summer. After all the rumours we’ve heard about a Gears re-release of some sort, this news is hardly surprising, but the exact nature of this remaster is certainly a little different to what we were expecting. Gears: Reloaded makes perfect sense for where Microsoft is at right now – but this re-release doesn’t work quite so well for long-time Xbox fans. Here’s why:
1. This Is Effectively The Same Game As 2015’s Gears Of War: Ultimate Edition
Let’s just start with this one, shall we? Xbox players (and PC users, for that matter) have been able to enjoy a brilliant remake of the first Gears of War for almost a decade at this point. Sure, Microsoft never really marketed it as a remake (much like Oblivion Remastered), and sure, the team was targeting Xbox One specs at 1080p back then, but Gears Ultimate is a proper, full-on overhaul that already looked and played markedly different to the original 360 title.
The fact that Gears: Reloaded simply takes what was built with the 2015 title and brings its resolution and frame rate specs in-line with modern consoles tells you exactly what you need to know about the upcoming re-release. It’s all great news for PS5 players who’ve never been able to enjoy Gears of War at all, but Xbox fans? Well, you’re effectively playing a decade-old game with a spec bump – even if owners do get a free upgrade.
2. Xbox & PC Players Are Still Missing Modern Versions Of Gears 2 & 3
Another disappointing element of today’s news is the fact that some sort of ‘Marcus Fenix Collection’ still doesn’t exist – and the prospect of that is looking even less likely now. Yes, Xbox fans specifically have pretty good backwards compatible versions of Gears of War 2 and Gears of War 3 – but compared to the original game, those are the two Gears titles that could have done with being remade on modern hardware. PC (and now PS5) players still don’t have access to those two Gears games at all!
Sure, we get it, the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel to the original game – so it certainly makes sense to focus on that for now. And sure, the first point on this list means that Gears: Reloaded will have been much easier to throw together than a hypothetical ‘Gears Collection’, but neither of these reasons make the reality of it any less disappointing. We’ll have to see what the future holds, but for now, it looks like we might as well forget about Gears 2 and 3 remakes for the time being.
3. Gears Of War: Reloaded Feels Like It Exists Purely To Get The Series On PS5
This is more of big picture point, but if you look at today’s announcement and the content within this Gears re-release, you get the feeling that the product would not have existed without Microsoft’s recent pivot to multiplatform gaming. Gears of War: Reloaded offers up some nice technical boosts over the Xbox One release, sure, but this is the sort of stuff that Microsoft has been dropping in free updates and programs like FPS Boost in recent years. It’s hardly a groundbreaking product for Xbox players.
As we mentioned earlier, we’re grateful for that free upgrade so that Gears: Reloaded doesn’t feel like a ripoff or anything – but it still doesn’t really need to exist for Xbox players, and it wouldn’t exist without these new PS5 releases that Microsoft has committed to.
4. Gears Of War: E-Day Is Another Lost Xbox Exclusive
Today’s news about Gears of War: Reloaded is practically nailed-on confirmation that Gears of War: E-Day is launching on PS5… right? Okay, we’re exaggerating a little bit — Microsoft hasn’t made that announcement just yet — but you might as well start taking bets on it. Oh, and we’d be confident enough to say that Gears: E-Day will be on PlayStation day one too, whenever that is.
We’re not silly, the writing has been on the wall with this for ages, but it still feels odd to see Gears of War move over to PlayStation. This is one of Xbox’s tentpole franchises, this is a big reason we used to tell our mates to buy an Xbox console and hop online – and now not only is an old remake moving over to PS5, but so will a brand-new entry in the franchise very, very soon. Mark our words.
5. Bonus Positive: Gears Of War Multiplayer Gets A Massive Player Base Boost
Despite moaning a whole lot so far, there is one huge positive that comes from the release of Gears of War: Reloaded – a massive shot in the arm for Gears multiplayer. The online portion of 2015’s Gears of War: Ultimate Edition has been quiet for years now, and while some of the later games in the franchise are more active, it does feel like Gears has been on a bit of a downswing in the last few years. Remember, Gears 5 is almost six years old at this point – it’s bound to have lost some players in that time!
And, well, with Gears 1 making its grand return once again — and this time including PS5 users — we’re going to have thousands and thousands of new players joining the fray, and that’s a very good thing indeed. The first Gears of War is an absolute classic — even its barebones multiplayer mode — and truth be told, we’re excited to jump back in and Gnasher some chainsaw noobs this August. There’ll be fresh meat playing multiplayer again, and this Gears fanatic can’t wait to tear them to shreds.
How do you feel about this new version of Gears of War? Talk to us about it all down below.