We’re streaming again. Today we’re playing Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. In one word, yes. It nearly looks like they made an entirely different game.
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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. But outside of that, everything about this Ultimate Edition looks sharper and prettier than before.
Outside of the 1080P resolution, all of the game’s assets, environments and lighting have been completely remade. With the remastered visuals put in place, every part of the game’s post-apocalyptic world looks phenomenal. But if I was a normal shopper and I saw Gears of War Ultimate Edition on a store shelf, I would think it would be a remaster of the complete series as well. The stunning visuals immerse players on a level that few titles can brag about.
Five new chapters isn’t the only thing coming with the game… Overhauled facial animations also result in more authentic characters exchanges during cinematics.
In terms of gameplay, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is still as fun as ever. Reliving my first encounters with the Locust was a fantastic burst of nostalgia, and likewise, returning fans shall be appeased by the same frenzied combat and challenging enemies. These include the ability to revive teammates while in cover and toggling weapons while dodging gun fire or running. Dan will be playing for a couple of hours, checking out the spangly Xbox One upgrade. This is still a nice trip down memory lane, but at the end of the day, the Gears of War franchise deserves something more comprehensive. The graphic novels help round out the Gears of War story a bit more than what the player experiences within the game, so it’s an addition that Gears fans would certainly appreciate. For players who have never experienced Gears of War, the remake is the ideal entry point into the series. If this is what the developer can do with a seven-year old game, I can’t wait to see what it does with Gears of War 4. Whereas the campaign only reaches 30 frames, multiplayer runs a smooth 60 frames per second. Either way you can check out a comparison of the original game and the Ultimate Edition here. The one-life team modes are certainly where veterans of the series will be lurking, but for those that prefer multiple spawns, there are a whole host of modes to choose from including the new fast-paced Blitz mode – an adaptation of King of the Hill. The multiplayer runs on dedicated servers and also features LAN support. However, I did suffer some minor texture pop that I caught out of the corner of my eye. We’ll do our best to give you a shoutout.
The beauty of Gears’ multiplayer though is the intense shotgun battles, which also have their own 2v2 mode that was created in conjunction with the Gears of War community.
It goes without saying that Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is one of the best remasters ever made.
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With every game – from 1983 classic such as Jetpac to the likes of Halo 3 – seeing a release on the Xbox One, it was just a matter of time before 2006’s monster hit Gears of War found its way onto Microsoft’s new console. Gears of War Ultimate Edition is ultimately a ideal package for both veteran and new Gears of War players alike.
