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The iconic alien horror shooter best known for its over-the-top gore, its unironic use of macho bravado, and its high-adrenaline action is back (once again). That’s right this is a review of Gears of War: Reloaded. The Coalition, the Xbox Studios developers behind this gory chainsaw party, could have delivered just another lazy, half-hearted remastered game like we have unfortunately grown used to in recent years, looking at you The Last of Us. Instead, they have delivered a significant visual upgrade compared to its 2015 remastered Xbox version.
Welcome to the War (again)!
Nearly 20 years since its exclusive release on the Xbox 360, Gears of War has arrived on the PlayStation 5. The remastered game, rebranded as Gears of War: Reloaded, signifies the end of an era known as the console wars. It is the first Xbox exclusive to be playable on a PlayStation. In addition to the enhanced graphics, the third-person sci-fi horror shooter also delivers fun multiplayer options.
So grab your blue Gatorade and hot Dorito chips, download the game from the PlayStation store, we’re going to chainsaw evil aliens like it’s 2006!
Gameplay
The Coalition did not mess with the gameplay mechanics that gave the game its undisputed place among Xbox’s all-time greats. Perfectly timing your reloads, locating cover, and finding advantageous vantage positions are still as crucial today as they ever were. The firefights feel intense with the occasional close-quarters chainsaw action.
Doing the classic roadie run at 60 frames per second, on a large flat-screen TV while dodging enemy fire and looking for cover like your life depends on it, gives an extremely immersive feel. In addition to the smooth frame rate, the load time has been drastically reduced, and the lighting gives it a crisp new look, all adding up to a much improved combat experience whilst maintaining the old formula.
Unfortunately, not everything is worthy of praise. Contrary to modern AI advancements, PVE mission companions like Dom are surprisingly bad at fighting brutes. Sadly, Dom has suicidal tendencies and throws himself into harm’s way, more often than not needing resuscitation. Side effects from combating the Locust Horde for too many years, I guess. On Hardcore mode, his constant need for medical assistance drags the action down instead of pushing it forward.
Graphics & Audio
The old colour palette of Gears of War was full of greys, browns, and blacks. Reloaded gives planet Sera a fresh new makeover with much sharper textures and dynamic lighting. Small details like rotting corpses, cluttered chunk, and vehicles on fire greatly add to the environment in every battlefield.
The sound adds another layer of immersion with the rumble of explosions and gunfire and the guttural roars of the Locust Horde invading. Personally, I did not care for the radio chatter through the PS5 DualSense speaker. In fact, I would say it distracted me from the action. Fortunately, a quick fix in the audio options did the trick for me.
The voice acting of Marcus Fenix, for those who don’t know, is done by none other than the superb John DiMaggio. Yup, the legend himself. John has voiced Bender Rodriguez in Futurama, Jake the Dog in Adventure Time, and the Joker in a couple of Batman animated movies. I have to admit, hearing him as Marcus Fenix once again doing his deep, gruff, and unapologetically 80s-action-movie-tough-guy voice is one of the main reasons I wanted to replay Gears of War. Nobody can shout “Eat shit, and die!” quite like him.
Longevity
New players to the franchise have an incredibly action-packed and fun campaign mode to look forward to. The PVE missions can be completed in about nine to twelve hours, depending on difficulty mode and the player’s shooting skill, of course. I highly recommend playing Gears in co-op mode. Honestly, half the fun lies in hacking your way through an alien apocalypse with a buddy alongside you.
The multiplayer content remains largely unchanged. Which, to me, felt like a letdown, given that Gears of War has been around for nearly 20 years. It gives the impression that the game developers were mostly concerned about adding cosmetics, rather than fresh new content. Nonetheless, the 120fps support on the PS5 and the noticeable visual polish across its classic maps make the multiplayer worth it. Playing these maps reminds me of a time when we would hang out at internet cafes, sipping 7Up and eating entire bags of Oreos, while playing against our friends. For those too young to know what an internet café is, look it up. The 90s and 2000s were strange but fun times.
Final Thoughts
Gears of War: Reloaded walks a fine line between simply honouring an old-school horror shooter and making a video game worthy of modern gaming. The game aims high and could quite possibly be one of the best remasters I’ve ever played. Sure, nostalgia hits hard, and this review is slightly biased, but game developers The Coalition created something special here. They have left the classic duck-cover-shoot combat system intact, while greatly improving the game’s graphics. Sharper visuals, smoother controls, and a higher frame rate all make it feel like a modern game without losing its brutal, rugged, gory, dystopian, old-school soul.
Gears of War: Reloaded is worthy of Thumb Culture’s Gold Award!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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