Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Preview - E3 2015

Although it’s been a few years since we’ve seen anything from the franchise, Gears of War is easily the biggest Xbox-exclusive series not featuring a character named Master Chief. Halo recently transitioned to a dedicated studio with 343 Industries, and Gears of War has now gotten the same treatment as the Vancouver-based developer Black Tusk was recently rebranded The Coalition and charged with all things Sera and COG related.

Also, much like the team at 343, The Coalition’s first effort is a remake, as the studio rebuilds the original Xbox 360 classic, Gears of War, from the ground up. An important task that undoubtedly helped the team in their quest to make Gears of War 4, which was teased during the Microsoft Press Conference.

While speaking to members of The Coalition at E3 this past week, we were assured that the upcoming Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is more than just a simple port. “The Goal is to bring the first Gears of War to a system in a modernized version,” the team said while showing us the game behind closed doors. “We want to look at every single feature and determine if there is anything we want to add.”

From a totally remastered soundtrack to something as simple as picking up weapons, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition has been overhauled to make it a game more at home nestled in between the blockbuster titles currently available on the Xbox One. The Coalition even thought that a new difficulty should be added, as there was in the following games, so that players could enjoy a more casual experience.

As The Coalition talked more about the added features in Gears of Wars: Ultimate Edition, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the attention to detail. Little things like the ability to revive an ally while in cover have been added. Players can now toggle weapons while running. The thumbstick sensitivity customization has been improved; there’s a lot of little things that have been tweaked to make the first Gears of War feel more like a modern game.

The Coalition also talked about how they had been inspired by many other modern titles, both from the Gears of War series and others. The influences can be seen in the enemy spotting and tac-com features which have been added into the game. All part of an effort to, as the team put it, “...sand off the rough edges of the first Gears.”

The game has been rebuilt in 1080p, a standard for today’s releases but not common back when the Xbox 360 first launched, and all the cinematics have been reconstructed to show off the better graphics with more edits and camera angles. The controls have also been modernized and the UI updated, again, all in the interest of making the game a more modern day experience on the Xbox One.

The controls and mechanics aren’t the only thing to have been updated. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition also boasts five new chapters of content which were previously only available on the PC.

This additional content also spills over to the multiplayer side with a number of maps previously only available on the PC, now coming to the Xbox One. All the original DLC has also been included giving a total of 19 maps in the game.

Much like the single-player experience, the multiplayer has also been rebuilt so that it runs at 60 frame per second in 1080p. While the numbers may not “wow” you, it is impressive to see the new tech and compare the upgrade to the old game. The Xbox 360 isn’t all that dated, but the original Gears of War hasn’t held up very well over the years. Especially in the cinematic department.

But back the multiplayer, the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition features a total of six modes with Team Deathmatch, King of the HIll, and a new 2 v. 2 mode called Gnashers added in. The team at The Coalition talked lovingly about the fans of the series and how working with them had influenced the multiplayer design.

Multiplayer also now features dedicated servers to make sure your game doesn’t drop when your host leaves - a problem with the original release. Lastly, a spectator mode has been added. Again, there seems to be a real drive at The Coalition to add all the bells and whistles they could while bringing the original Gears of War to the Xbox One.

At the end of the today, I think it’s safe to say many people are starting to tire of the re-releases and remastered versions of previous-gen video games, but Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is trying to create a new Gears of War for a new generation. It’s not hard to see the work they’ve put in during the gameplay we glimpsed, and the cutscenes shown were clearly improved. The Coalition is trying to make a game which revitalizes an Xbox 360 classic, and capture the hearts of Gears fans once more.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will be available August 25th on Xbox One for $39.99.