Gears of War: Reloaded review

With Gears of War: E-Day set for release next year, presumably on PS5 as well as Xbox Series X/S and PC given Microsoft’s recent shift to a multi-platform strategy, we’re being treated to yet another remaster of the very first game in the series. Gears of War: Reloaded takes Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, enhances the visuals even further and makes various other tweaks to improve the overall experience. It’s just a shame that a little more work hasn’t been done to modernise it.

I love the Gears of War series; I dread to think how many hours I’ve put into it over the years. And the campaign of the first game will always hold a space in my heart thanks to it being more horror-tinged than its successors. Putting players in control of beefcake Marcus Fenix, it throws them into a world ravaged by a war against aggressors known as Locust, who emerged on what is known as E-Day 14 years before. Marcus is in prison at the start of the game, for crimes you won’t be familiar with if you’re new to the series, but his friend Dom is there to free him, and enlist his help in fighting back against the locust.

While there were cover-shooters before Gears of War, it’s safe to say that it made the mechanic popular and provided the template for others to copy. If you’re not using cover in Gears of War you’re playing it wrong, even if it’s only to quickly move from one wall to another so you can get close to an enemy to turn them into a bloody pile of flesh with your shotgun. Staying out in the open or going gung-ho is a sure-fire way to get your head popped off by a sniper, or your limbs separated from your torso by an explosion.

Back in 2006, the cover-shooting action of Gears of War was exciting and enthralling, and thankfully it mostly remains so nearly two decades later. It is starting to show its age in some ways, though. While the textures and effects have been improved here, making Gears of War: Reloaded look rather nice for the most part, some of its animations now leave a lot to be desired. And when you engage an enemy manning a gun emplacement, you’ll be dismayed when they instantly change position to target in different directions.

There’s one area in which Gears of War: Reloaded seems worse than the original, too: AI. While enemy AI is decent for the most part, and can sometimes surprise you by effectively flanking, on more than one occasion I’ve encountered an enemy simply standing still, as if they’ve simply given up. The AI of your squad members is even worse, especially Dom. He often just gets in cover and stays there, leaving you to do all the work even during sections where you need to rely on him somewhat. Sometimes he just finds a corner of a room and stares at the wall, Blair Witch-style. What I’m saying is, while you can issue commands to your team, you may as well not bother, because they won’t listen to them.

Thanks to the AI, which honestly feels broken at times, playing the campaign alone can be a little frustrating. In co-op, however, things are much better. To get the most out of Gears of War: Reloaded, you’ll want to spend time with its competitive modes, too. You can take part in a typical Team Deathmatch if you wish, but it’s modes such as Warzone and Execution that are the highlights here, pitting two teams of four against each other with no respawns. It’s just a shame that, like the original game, there’s no Horde mode here. Introduced in Gears of War 2, it quickly became one of the series’ most popular modes and its absence is felt.

Ultimately, Gears of War: Reloaded leaves me conflicted. It still provides a fun experience, with a memorable campaign and a solid multiplayer offering, but it feels like more could have been done to bring it up to date. With its disappointing animations and sometimes shocking AI, this isn’t the greatest introduction to the series for those playing it for the first time on PS5. Still, you can finally play a Gears of War game on a PlayStation console – what a time to be alive.