Microsoft scored a huge win when they released Gears of War. It was a different take on a shooter game. Weapons such as the “Hammer of Dawn”, “Gnasher Shotgun” and the “Torque Bow” along with the characters and play style is what caught people’s attention. Once players got to meet Marcus Fenix and the rest of the crew they knew this was going to be a kick ass game. Gears of War has gone on to become a successful franchise and has also found success when it came to tournaments, where it was featured in MLG and even had its very own tournament called, Hypefestation.
When Microsoft announced the remake of the original Gears of War, calling it Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, many die-hard fans were ecstatic, but some became worried that they might go “too far” and change too much. Could the company make changes to the game that will allow for a better experience? Or will they change too much and turn away some die-hard fans? We will find out, as I take a deeper look into it Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.
Gameplay
Gears has one of the best team fights I’ve ever played. You can team-up with friends, which actually make the team battles hype and enjoyable, but when I was playing with the AI, I became a little frustrated. Once the battles started getting intense, I had to worry about reviving my teammates, for some reason they would run out and stand there in the middle of the crossfire – shoot then end up on the floor. I would then have to revive him (sometimes two at a time). They would also block me from trying to enter a doorway. I had to move away from the doorway in order for them to go through. Now this happened during act one, in act two I had no problems with the AI and everything ran smoothly.
The Campaign gameplay does feel better than it did back nine years ago. I remember when too many enemies hit the screen, me and my teammates noticed that the game would run slower and then the lag would come in. This is a big change, everything seemed faster and I had no issues when tons of enemies came on the screen.
Controls
Gear of War: Ultimate Edition has revamped their controls. Players will see that they have now been modernized, this includes an improved input speed and aim assist. You will now be able to switch weapons while running and alternate controls. You will also have a new feature; tournament controls. When it comes to multiplayer you will see some features players had in “Gear of War 3” such as taccom. When it comes to the split screen co-op option in the game, players will be able to have individual difficulty setting, so players don’t have to worry playing with a friend who plays on a harder level, if one play is not ready to play on difficult they don’t have to and can continue playing on their own level.
Graphics
Let’s travel back in time to 2006 when the game first dropped, you can tell the differences between two. For instance, each characters face is extremely detailed, when Marcus is talking you can see every facial expression, something you really didn’t see back in 2006. The cut-scenes were all re-worked as well, the dark and dreary background is now bright and fully detailed, the landscapes make you want to take a minute and just stare. Now I know most of us have played this game a million times but playing it in 1080p makes you feel like it’s a whole new experience.
Multiplayer
Fans will also be happy to know that the company made some great improvements when it came multiplayer mode. If you didn’t know already, the frame rate has stepped-up to 60fps. This makes a big difference since this is a big and heavy game, let’s face it – when the game first came out and we all gathered up to play, getting hyped ready to take down another team, but a few minutes into the game you noticed lag to the point where we are screaming at each other – and yes, throwing our controllers. I can now tell you guys that this is no longer a problem, I played some online matches and yes, everything ran smoothly.
Multiplayer also offers a couple of bonuses such as; all original DLC maps and three new multiplayer maps from the original “Gears of War” PC version giving player’s 19 multiplayer maps. It also features newly added multiplayer modes, including Team Death Match, King of the Kill and a special 2v2 mode which was designed by the “Gears of War” community. Players will also see some old favorites including Warzone, Assassination, Execution and Annex, and 17 unlockable “Gears of War 3” characters in multiplayer. The upgrades allow for players to have a more competitive arena, which is perfect for playing in tournaments.
Conclusion
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is an amazing upgrade from the original that we played nine years ago. All that worrying – if the company will go too far and change too much, to the point where die-hard fans wouldn’t want to even touch the game can now be put to rest. The game is amazing, the upgrades were much needed and makes the gameplay much smoother and faster. Playing Gears of War: Ultimate Edition brought me back to when I played the game for the very first time, and how I met some amazing people from the community that I’m still friends with till this day. Playing Gears of War: Ultimate Edition made me fall in love with the series all over again.
