After bringing to a successful end one of the finest trilogies in the history of Xbox, accompanied by killing of thousands of Locust along the way, now nearly 10 years later, the team at Coalition has decided to bring back the original Gears of War, the game that started it all, to the Xbox One.
Story
For starters, Gears of War takes place in the post apocalyptic world of Sera, which more or less looks like a futuristic Earth. Players follow the story of Marcus Fenix and his Rage Delta squad who have been set to kill the Locust horde to save humanity
For fans of the franchise this remaster gives them the opportunity to recollect and experience those memories once again, but this time they are better than ever, thanks to the graphical upgrades and revamped cutscenes that give the players a chance to establish a better connection with the characters.
“Re-Geared” For Xbox One
Keeping in mind the issues that the recently released remasters and ports have received (looks at Halo Master Chief Collection with annoyance), I was skeptical about Gears as well, however all my worries were put to rest as I ventured into the game.
A correctly done remaster can make the experience feel fresh and new, even though the foundation of it remains the same. This simply holds true for Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. With improved textures, character models, environment details, better resolution and other eye candy effects, the game simply looks brilliant. If you were wondering whether these graphical improvements might take away the dark, horror-inducing and intense feel of the original game, you are totally mistaken. The graphical improvements not only preserve that feel, but also add to the terror, making the experience better than ever. Cutscenes have been re-constructed from scratch and play a great role in rejuvenating the experience, the improved details on the characters’ faces add a lot of emotional depth to the scenes, something which was missing from the original. The campaign of the game is locked at 30fps to give players a more cinematic feel, however the multiplayer receives a 60fps jump making it more intense and fluid than earlier.
While the graphics have been improved, the sound effects and music of the game remain untouched and even after so many years, they still hold good and Gears fans like me would still be spending time in the menus and title screen just for the nostalgia
The original Gears was designed around tight mechanics and making smart use of the environment as cover. Levels have been adroitly designed with each level having its own unique approach to follow and advancing gameplay. Originality of the gameplay is preserved making it feel and play the way it played back in 2006. The multiplayer part of the game thus receives improvements such as being able to spot enemies for your teammates, a feature which was available in the sequels released down the line. For the most par,t you will be doing the same things you did back in those days, like rolling and shooting the opponent’s head with the Gnasher. Other elements such as active reloading and ripping your enemies apart with a chainsaw (a personal favourite) is still unmatched till date.
Added Value
Aside from 1080p resolution upgrade and 60fps multiplayer experience, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition comes with added value. All 19 maps have been remastered and three brand new modes have been added, namely Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill and a new 2 versus 2 mode which was hand picked by the Gears community. Besides these five new chapters, which were earlier only available on the PC version of Gears of War have also been added. However, they do a little to add to the story, except for the battle against the Brumark, which just feels right. The list does not end here, gamers who buy Gears of War Ultimate Edition before the end of 2015 will also get access to all four Gears titles for Xbox 360 and they will be able to access those games on their Xbox One through Xbox One backward compatibility launching this November. You are even rewarded with Early Access to the Gears of War 4 beta which launches early 2016.
Verdict
The amount of value Gears of War Ultimate Edition brings to the table is unmatched, so for all Gears fans who have been waiting to get their Gears fix on the Xbox One, it’s finally here and for those waiting to jump in, this is the right time. Aside from minor bugs and performance slowdowns during multiplayer sessions, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition does one hell of a good job in filling the void and providing the Gears fix for the fans and newcomers alike.
