Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is more than just a prettier skin on a nearly-ten-year-old video game. The Xbox One version brings some new tweaks to the third-person cover shooter, including refined mechanics and smoother gameplay.
For the uninitiated, Gears of War takes place on the planet Sera where humans are at war with a subterranean race of monstrous creatures known as the locust. You’re thrust into the role of Marcus Fenix, a soldier charged with a crucial mission that could turn the tide of the war.
The remake, dubbed Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, promises to be the same third-person shooter as before, with some modern day trappings to make it palatable to newcomers and fans alike. Considering how poor some current generation remasters have been – Saints Row 4 and Prototype come to mind – we half-expected this to be a phoned-in attempt at cashing in on the franchise’s popularity before Gears of War 4 hits the shelves. However we were pleasantly mistaken.
Here’s why this remake is more that just a remake!
1. Pretty, oh so pretty!!
The Ultimate Edition’s developer, The Coalition, has remade every cut-scene and they really do look great. There have been some comparisons between both versions that made the difference seem less stark, and sometimes favor the 360 version, but I found the entire game really polished looking—a big improvement over the 2006 version. So it is a prettier skin on a nearly-ten-year-old game, but it’s more than that, too.
2. Improved and Balanced Gameplay
All the gameplay elements from the later games in the Gears series have been incorporated in this remake. This includes better aiming, snappier cover mechanism and overall balanced gun-play.
There’s a new easy mode for the casual player which is nice if you’re just looking to go on an alien-killing spree and don’t care for more challenge. Toss in more checkpoints and better aim-assist, and the game gets that much more accessible. It also feels rather nice playing with the Xbox One controller, which is better in every way than the 360′s.
3. Two Is Better Than One
Better still, co-op is still possible in split-screen (unlike a certain other upcoming Xbox One exclusive) so if you’ve got a friend or a sibling to play along with you’re all set—and really, this is becoming something of a rarity in console shooters these days. Better still, co-op is now drop-in/drop-out with individual difficulty levels. This is great because you can play with a friend or girlfriend who may not be very good at the game, while you ratchet up your own difficulty.
4. Fleshed Out Story
The addition of five new campaign chapters to the game (new to console, these were all on the PC version already) extends the campaign, and while the chapters are nothing particularly special they are tense in a fun way—or fun in a tense way. Regardless, more content is great.
The game has some problems with AI still. There are no shortage of bugs, especially in later levels, that will hopefully be patched out soon.
5. Smoother Online Mutiplayer
In multiplayer, The Coalition’s move to 60 frames-per-second really pays off. It’s a far smoother experience than I expected, and really shines even though I’m rather lousy when it comes to online play. It’ll be more fun to play with a bigger player population.
Mostly, it’s just really fun to play Gears of War game on the Xbox One in 1080p and 60 fps. Microsoft desperately needs this kind of content, and Xbox One owners will certainly benefit from having another top-notch exclusive—even if it is a remaster.
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