Gears of War: Reloadedis set to release on August 26 for Xbox Series X/S, PC, and, for the first time ever, on PlayStation 5.Reloadedis, essentially, a remaster ofGears of War: Ultimate Edition, which was also a remaster of the original game and brought a lot of quality-of-life, visual, and performance adjustments to the campaign and new game modes, characters, and skins to the multiplayer.The first beta test took place this past weekend for fans who pre-ordered the game or have a Xbox Game Pass subscription, and it was a pretty rough experience.
There were several reports of players not being able to play on Friday when the beta went live, as well as some general connection stability issues throughout the test. But when fans were able to play, including myself, it was discovered that we had definitely playedthis version ofGearsbefore, from odd shotgun blast angles to slower movement. After this weekend’s beta,I’m not convinced we needed another remaster of the firstGears, and I think I’ve changed my opinion ofGears 5, too.
Gears Of War: Reloaded Is Rough Around The Edges
It’s Just A Beta, But It Feels Very Familiar
Even though what we’ve played so far ofReloadedis just a beta, with the game two months away from release, it seemsvery unlikely any core mechanics will change, and as it stands, this is justGears of War: Ultimate Editionagain, but with the ability to play with PlayStation 5 players for the first time. There have been other enhancements, such as native 4K resolution, 120 FPS in multiplayer, and improved graphical settings, but the gameplay feels virtually identical toUltimate Edition.
Gears of Warwas a revolutionary game when it was released back in 2006. The cover-based mechanics, tight gunplay, gore, and immersive narrative saw immense praise, and the title would serve as inspiration for elements in theUnchartedfranchise,Mass Effectseries, and several other games that chose to adopt cover mechanics. Xbox bet a lot on the success ofGears of Warthen, and it paid off, with the series skyrocketing in popularity, and its last-second multiplayer addition beingone of the most popular online games in the mid-2000s.
Since then, though, the series has evolved quite a bit, andthe game’s outdated mechanics are still intact for this additional remaster of the classic.Ultimate Edition’s most notable addition to the game’s original multiplayer offering was the inclusion of Team Deathmatch (which debuted inGears of War 3) and characters and weapon skins that weren’t available in the original game.
Reloadedappears to be offering the same experience, which is, unfortunately,quite dated by today’s standardsand especially whencompared toGears 5, which offers a ton of maps, characters, additional weapons, faster gameplay, stopping power for players charging head-first with the Gnasher shotgun, and several other mechanical improvements over the course of the series. That is to say,Gears of War Reloadedisn’t a bad game, at least not from the beta. It’s just a rough experience going back toGears 1after the series had advanced so much.
Gears 5 Has A Ton Of Gameplay Improvements
Movement While Downed, Faster Speed, Vault Kicking, And More
While a lot of fans will appreciate the nostalgia and the few tweaks thatUltimate Editionoriginally brought that have been carried over toReloaded,the game is starting to feel its age. The series has never had any drastic changes, just slight improvements and tweaks with every entry, but those added up to a totally different feeling whenGears 5came around. Improved wall-bouncing, faster movement, animation cancels, color outlines of teammates and enemies, more accurate long-range shooting, and more makeGears 5feel good to play, even with itsother multiplayer issues.
Gears 5is still, since 2019, the latest installment in the series, so it’s also the game that has the biggest population. That, of course, is notReloaded’s fault, and whenReloadedreleases in August,it will likely take over as the “primary"Gearsgameuntil the next game,Gears of War: E-Dayreleases in 2026, which right now, still has not been announced for PS5, but givenReloaded’s release on the console, it seems likely the PS5 version will be announced the next timeE-Dayis shown.
Still, it is hard to go back to the slower, less content-filled game ofReloadedafter playingGears 5. That’snot to sayGears 5is perfect, far from it. The game was plagued with hitbox detection issues, microtransactions, and a more generic multiplayer experience overall, when compared to the original trilogy. But not having tons of executions to pick from, a retro lancer to charge opponents with, or the additional game modes ofGears 5, likeclass-based Horde Mode, Escape, and Arcade, makes going back toGears of War 1feel like a simple step back, even though many fans do prefer the simplicity of old-schoolGears.
With More Work, Gears Of War: Reloaded Could Be Great
But Is There Enough Time?
Choosing to remasterGears of War 1again isa great decision to getPS5 fans caught up on the general gameplay and storybefore prequelGears of War: E-Daynext year (assuming it also comes to PS5). However,Gears of War 2and3have been ignored for a long time, and they are arguably just as popular as the original game, and also expanded the established gameplay elements of the first title. Choosing to revisit the original game for a second remaster could be seen as a cash-grab by some fans, beforeReloadedeven gets a chance to shine.
TheReloadedbeta was rough, overall, with quite a bit of input latency, lag spikes, and connection issues.The beta is running again this coming weekendwith Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill as the game modes, and Canals, Courtyard, and War Machine as the beta maps.Reloadedis out in a little over a month, so hopefully, the network tests give developers The Coalition, Sumo Digital, and Disbelief the data they need to make the experience great.
As it stands, I wish anotherGearsgame had gotten attention instead ofGears 1again.
Even ifReloadedoffers the same gameplay experience asUltimate Editionat launch, there’s always the slight chance of additional free DLC down the line, like howGears 5got a ton of free DLC over the years. As it stands, I wish anotherGearsgame had gotten attention instead ofGears 1again, and I wish there were bigger gameplay overhauls than whatUltimate Editionpreviously brought, butGears of War: Reloadedseems to be made more for PS5 fans than anyone else, and to putGearsin everyone’s minds before the new entry next year.
