Gears of War: Reloaded Review

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Initially launched as far back as November 2006, the game known as “Gears of War” marked a significant milestone in the gaming world. It innovated cover-shooter mechanics and served as a visual powerhouse for the sixth console generation. Gears of War was the commencement of an expansive multimedia franchise, comprising seven entries, which remains popular today. Before the upcoming prequel “Gears of War: E-Day” hits the shelves next year, enthusiasts are offered a chance to revisit that very first 2006 version once more.

Starting off by enhancing upon the remastered version of “Gears of War: Ultimate Edition” (2015), “Gears of War: Reloaded” introduces additional technical upgrades to the original “Gears” gameplay, and notably marks the first time that the franchise is available on PlayStation systems. Although these enhancements are evident and it’s exciting for PlayStation users to now explore the Sci-Fi shooter series, the initial reception might be somewhat mild.

A Fresh Coat of Paint on an Aging Gears Campaign

Reloaded significantly updates the original campaign. For newcomers to Gears of War, you’ll find yourself in the boots of Marcus Fenix (and Dom Santiago during co-op play), a soldier fighting for the Coalition of Ordered Governments in a war against the Locust – an enormous army of mutants living underground who appear to have a mission to wipe out humanity entirely.

The eight-hour campaign in Gears of War: Reloaded is divided into five acts, each filled with engaging action sequences and shooting areas, although they may seem somewhat dated compared to the high standards of contemporary AAA action-adventure games. While world-building is a notable aspect of the initial campaign’s storytelling, it can be described as minimalistic, essentially revolving around the main team of COG soldiers either destroying something or preventing something from being destroyed until the end credits. This initial release also concludes rather suddenly.

Re-experiencing the campaign of Gears of War in 2025 offers a somewhat disheartening perspective on the show’s once renowned characters. In the initial installment, Marcus, Dom, Cole, and Baird appear as one-dimensional figures with a common tough, unyielding demeanor. These characters lack individual characteristics or driving forces, which makes them seem more like interchangeable hard-edged heroes rather than fully fleshed out personalities.

Indeed, the characters in the Gears of War series are developed more thoroughly in the sequels. In the original game, their one-dimensional quality contributes to the grim atmosphere effectively. However, when compared to modern games like The Last of Us, God of War, or even Halo on Xbox, the lack of individuality in this first entry seems somewhat jarring by today’s standards.

The standout feature of this remaster isn’t just the campaign itself, but rather its refreshed presentation with a modern touch. In comparison to the 2015 edition of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition that offered 1080p resolution, 30FPS, SDR, and 7.1 audio, Gears of War: Reloaded significantly upgrades this with 4K resolution and textures, a smoother 60fps campaign, HDR, enhanced lighting, shadows, and reflections, and 7.1 immersive 3D spatial audio.

The enhancements in the campaign of Gears of War: Reloaded are apparent and appreciated, but it’s important to understand that this is a remaster, not a remake. As a result, some parts of the nearly 20-year-old campaign may seem outdated. One major concern is the pacing, with the middle sections often feeling monotonous due to limited enemy diversity. Moreover, the campaign’s flow frequently slows down significantly because of prolonged conversations over earpieces, which make the player move at a snail’s pace and halt their progression in a level.

In the game “Gears of War: Reloaded,” the COG Tags scattered across the campaign serve as an enjoyable item to discover. Gather enough of these tags and you’ll unlock entire comics within the game for players to read at their leisure.

Gears of War: Reloaded Wants to Party Like It’s 2006

In essence, the remastered version of “Gears of War: Reloaded” offers fans the opportunity to experience the entire campaign together in a two-player cooperative mode, either through split screen or online play. It’s generally agreed that this co-op mode is the ideal way to savor the campaign, as many of its spectacular scenes were originally designed for two players. However, it’s worth mentioning that certain combat situations in co-op can be over too quickly, with a limited number of enemies typically engaged during most encounters.

As a gamer diving into the world of Gears, I’ve noticed that some optional routes in the first campaign don’t seem evenly balanced for co-op play. It’s especially apparent when a glitch occurs where enemies fail to appear on one player’s route – a frustrating issue I’ve encountered multiple times. Another annoying bug we encountered a few times during our journey involved our AI companions shooting at the ground, with the game refusing to spawn the necessary enemies for us to progress through a stage. This glitch forced us to restart from checkpoints at least thrice in order to continue our campaign.

Multiplayer Isn’t Quite ‘Definitive’

In the long run, it’s the multiplayer aspect of Gears of War: Reloaded that could significantly influence its lasting impact. At present, it offers a mixed experience in this department. The core gameplay mechanics of the multiplayer mode in Gears of War: Reloaded are well-executed, much like in the remastered campaign. The iconic cover-shooter mechanics of Gears, which include active reloads and unique movement, continue to feel fresh and engaging even after all these years. Additionally, the game’s camera angles, animations, and controller feedback work together to create characters that feel solid and immersive.

The game named “Gears of War: Reloaded” not only delivers an extensive collection of multiplayer content, but it skillfully combines all 19 maps from the initial game and its additional content, as well as seven diverse multiplayer modes, which are categorized under Social and Ranked sections. One of the game’s key assets is its rapid progression in multiplayer, allowing players to advance through levels swiftly and acquire new skins frequently.

In the remastered version of Gears of War: Reloaded, the enhanced technical features are carried over to the multiplayer mode as well. The game’s maps display the same high-definition 4K resolution and textures. Moreover, the frame rate on PS5 has been boosted up to 120 frames per second. Also, the Ultimate Edition’s servers running at 30hz have been swapped with ones operating at 60hz. The audio quality is notably improved, especially for weapon sounds and character noises, but the alarm that blares when a team is about to win a round might be too loud for some players’ comfort.

The enhanced multiplayer aspects of Gears of War: Reloaded are indeed apparent, yet there are two noteworthy concerns. Firstly, Gears of War: Reloaded lacks a ‘Quick Play’ option, which means every player must select a particular mode to play. This, along with the contentious crossplay feature, might potentially shrink the game’s active user base in the coming days.

A (Frustrating) Tale as Old As Time

As a diehard fan of the “Gears of War” series, there’s no denying that the problem I’ve been facing for more than a decade now is an overpowering one: The Gnasher Shotgun in “Gears of War: Reloaded” is just too strong. Up close, it can take down opponents with a single shot even if they’re fully stocked on health, and when you land a perfect reload, it can wipe out targets that are just meters away in an instant.

In the game Gears of War: Reloaded, an array of distinctive power weapons are available, but players tend to disregard them in favor of the starting shotgun, known as the Gnasher. This weapon’s significant prevalence in multiplayer can result in a monotonous gameplay experience, as players frequently race around the battlefield, their Gnashers always at the ready and pointed directly at their opponents’ faces, irrespective of the game mode.

As a dedicated fan of the Gears of War series, I must admit that long-time players like myself are accustomed to certain elements in the game. However, for newcomers joining our ranks, they might find themselves feeling quite frustrated with the decades-old meta, especially when it comes to the shotgun in Gears of War: Reloaded. In fact, this version of the shotgun stands out as one of the most overpowered in the entire series history.

Gears of War: Reloaded Offers A Flawed First Impression

To put it another way, playing Gears of War: Reloaded might be a bit overwhelming as an introduction to the franchise for newcomers on PlayStation. Despite its polished and smooth performance on PS5, and exceptional DualSense integration that enhances immersion in the Sci-Fi military shooter, some aspects may not present the series in the best possible way for first-time players. Specifically, the game’s multiplayer, which is heavily Gnasher-focused, and certain campaign elements that are somewhat outdated might not appeal to newcomers as much.

Revisiting Gears of War: Reloaded, one might find it a tad repetitive compared to the original, despite enhanced graphics and audio quality. Despite offering all the content from the 2006 classic, the gameplay often feels remarkably similar, hinting at its age. After two decades, signs of wear are expected, yet Gears of War: Reloaded could’ve done more to mask these imperfections, even though the visual upgrades are pleasingly attractive.

The re-made version of Gears of War, titled Gears of War: Reloaded, is based on a 2006 game. If you approach this game understanding it as a remaster, you are likely to find satisfaction with its offerings. However, if your expectation was for a thoroughly modernized rendition of the legendary Xbox game, you might feel let down, particularly if you’re new to PlayStation and have been led to believe for two decades that you’ve been missing out on one of gaming’s top-tier experiences.

As of now, the game ‘Gears of War: Reloaded’ can be played on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. For this review, we received a PS5 code courtesy of Game Rant.

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2025-09-02 07:36