Review
Played on: Xbox Series X
Released: 2025
Original release: 2015 (Ultimate), 2006 (Xbox 360)
I thought I'd make some sort of review about Gears of War: Reloaded which released recently. For those unaware; it's basically a remaster of the ten-year-old remake of Gears of War: Ultimate from 2015, which in turn was a remake of the first Gears of War from the Xbox 360 from 2006.
My review of Ultimate, read it here, still stands with the same rating for Reloaded, or the 2006 original for that matter, if you've never played any of them before. However, my new score of Reloaded is because there's minor changes made to this version and thus it's a rather underwhelming release, especially for Gears veterans. This is basically a sharper and shinier version of Ultimate.
In the Xbox Series X version of Reloaded, which I played, we see a bump up from Ultimate's 1080p@30fps, to a 60fps@1440p or 120fps@1080p. That said, you can run the original Xbox One version of Ultimate with a framerate- and HDR-boost too. But it's neat to see a more refined picture with less jaggies and overall, more stable image quality.
While the visuals are very much the same as in Ultimate we're treated to a higher resolution set of textures and, perhaps most noticeable, an overall better lighting system. The upgraded lighting with HDR helps in darkened areas and while the Ultimate version did benefit from auto-HDR, this is a proper implementation.
Shiny surfaces are upgraded with realtime reflections this time around; making a pretty upgrade to with water and puddles. Overall, Reloaded just tidies up and adds a little extra flair to the already neat Ultimate visuals.
For those unaware, Ultimate/Reloaded makes a step up in colour usage when compared to the dark and gritty 2006 original. Featuring more natural elements like foliage, proper trees, overgrown areas reminiscent of The Last of Us and increased detail in lighting.
These incremental upgrades are for the better, but just like Ultimate some scenes feel less impactful compared to the Xbox 360 original; the night chapter in pouring rain looks much more dramatic and creepier in the original, as well as the sky on the train chapter was artistically impressive. I wish these scenes had been altered between the Ultimate version and Reloaded, but sadly they remain alike.
While the visual updates added to Ultimate in Reloaded are small, it's nice to see an overall more appealing image quality, complete with the online multiplayer up and running again. It's a neat way to play this version and owners of Ultimate on Xbox were upgraded for free to Reloaded. It's the best version to play of the two.
Fundamentally, it's still the 2006 Xbox 360 gameplay at its core and it's incredible to see how forward leaning this title was and groundbreaking in its solid third person shooting. Almost unrivalled for years after.
That said, it has dated a little and the modern releases like Gears 5 does a better job newcomers getting into the franchise. Check out my review of Gears 5 here if you want a similar, but modernised feel with stunning visuals, big levels and some open areas. While if you prefer the claustrophobic, narrow style of the original; check out Gears of War 4 here.
On a side note; can we now move on from the first Gears of War and perhaps get a remake of the sequels 2 and 3? They are awesome titles and deserve a remake!
The history
For this review I thought it would be cool to do a quick run through all the versions of the first Gears of War that have been released. Explaing what the implemented and which visual style they had. Perhaps clarifying what Reloaded is all about!
First off, is the original Xbox 360 release from 2006. A groundbreaking and brilliant third person shooter, inspired by Resident Evil 4's over-the-shoulder camera angle and horror titles. Playing this at a friends house made me go out and buy the console the following week.
Combined with the experience of shooter gameplay by Epic with their Unreal Tournament titles, Cliff Bleszinski and his team perfected the gameplay and would influence a ton of titles trying to copy the cover-based gameplay. However, Gears of War would stand its test, becoming increasingly better with its sequels and proving it lay ahead of the competition. There's just something solid and powerful in the way the guns and enemies react.
With it's dark and gritty visuals, although a style trait of its time which ran out its welcome in that generation of game, it's still incredibly fun to play and looking back this visual style has its uniqueness. If you wish to check it out, after all it better conveys the darker creepy theme than Ultimate/Reloaded, it's framerate boosted on the Xbox Series X/S! Well worth a playthrough, although it retains it's rather rough 720p image.
Next there's the 2007 PC release, which I'm guessing is slightly forgotten in hindsight. Stuck in time with its "Games for Windows" branding, this release allowed players to increase framerate and resolution beyond what the Xbox 360 could handle.
Perhaps unknown to many; this is where they added five new chapters for the fifth and final act, extending the original's rather short playthrough with a few beefy levels. This addition infuriated Xbox 360 owners back in the day as these chapters where never added into the console version. Interestingly, it fills a few holes in the original plot and explains how Marcus and his team get to the train station.
It's a fantastic addition and if you prefer the visuals of the original. This is the only version where you get the full Ultimate/Reloaded length but in the original visual style. That said, it's tricky to run on modern systems; you'll have to hunt down the latest patch and put it in a Windows compatibility mode.
Then in 2015, Ultimate released. Developed by the newly established Coalition team; responsible for all Gears of War titles leading into the future. This remake kept the gameplay but added a brand-new layer of visuals and became a way for the developer to "go back to basics" to inspire work on Gears of War 4. A smart move as it inspired Gears of War 4 to go with a darker horror theme and tighter design.
I covered this remake in a review back when it released, but when it comes to the added chapters and multiplayer maps it bases itself upon the PC version of the original.
Also, Myrrah, the locust queen which voices the cutscenes in the original version, is shown in a glimpse at the very end. Her appearance was unknown in the original on Xbox 360 and PC.
Finally arriving at Reloaded, which to be fair is a great way for Xbox, PC and even PlayStation gamers to play on modern hardware and join up together in coop or multiplayer.
It's basically Ultimate running in higher resolution, modern antialiasing techniques for a more stable picture, improved lighting and reflective surfaces. As a test of time, it still stands tall. Plays great, has a lot of variation and feels satisfying to complete.
My end feelings, though; this release feels a little underwhelming. It's basically just a little visual bump of Ultimate, which in turn Xbox owners already played. However, it's the version to go for if you want updated visuals and only can play on current hardware!
