Review - Gears of War: Ultimate Edition

Re-emergence Day

After almost a decade since the debut of a game that revolutionized the console shooter, Gears of War returns with a familiar, yet more polished iteration—Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.

With the disappointment that was Gears of War: Judgement, many players felt that the Gears of War franchise had lost its luster; Judgement was the first Gears since Cliff Blezinski’s departure from Epic in 2012. Following the disappointing sequel, the franchise sat in video game purgatory until Microsoft purchased the rights in 2014. With a lot to prove, Microsoft’s The Coalition debuted by bringing back the game that launched a brand new AAA franchise.

After a few sessions of playing GOW:UE, one can see why the series was such a phenomenon. This cover-based, third person shooter had some of the slickest graphics in 2006—sporting Unreal’s modestly named Unreal Engine. The sound effects are still ahead of the time—from body-shoting a Locust with a shotgun to the snappy click of a perfectly-timed reload. Extra care went into crafting the crunches, explosions, and squishes.

The Nuketown of Gear's of War.

Running at 60fps with dedicated servers, this entry features one of the most beautiful and reliable multiplayer experience to date. Some welcome additions to the formula include marking enemies—introduced in Gears of War 3, and filling dropped player slots with new players—though still absent from ranked playlists. The game also allows you to play as some of the most popular characters in Gears of War’s history—from Anya, to Dizzy, to all three Carmine brother’s (while interestingly leaving out Thai of Gears of War 2—though not a huge deal). Alternate characters coupled with weapon skins make the multiplayer feel fresh and invigorated.

Though the single player campaign hasn’t aged as well as the multiplayer.

After two 4-hour sessions of co-op on GOW:UE’s Hardcore mode, my friend and I had made quick work of the campaign. We could not recall a moment where we wiped multiple times trying to clear a section of the campaign. If you’re looking for a difficult campaign that will test your wall-bouncing merit, opt for Insane mode on the first play through (usually unlocked after first play through, now available upon launching the game).

The Brumak wrangler was slacking in Act 4.

The campaign does feature the added chapters to the Windows version of the original Gears of War, making Act 4: The Long Road Home, feel even longer. The chapters feature Marcus and Dom eluding a wondering Brumak in the downtown metropolis of Sera. This section—though enjoyable—ultimately felt unnecessary to the game’s story.

Delta Squad returns.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is definitely a welcomed edition to the Xbox One library—simply for the multiplayer experience. While campaign isn’t as great as its successors, the game overall is a nostalgia embraced blast-from-the-past fueled by fantastic multiplayer and excellent gunplay.

4 out of 5