If you have been a Microsoft fan all your life, with the likes of Xbox 360 and Xbox One being your gaming companions, you shouldn't be a stranger to the Gears of Wars series. The GoW franchise has been one of the most recognised exclusives for the Xbox all these years, and it's high time the series is making a mark on the Xbox One.
The upcoming reboot of Microsoft's most beloved Xbox 360 classic, Gears of War Ultimate Edition, is expected to be welcomed with open arms by fans, who have been crying out for a port of the series on the Xbox One for so long.
As expected, the reimagined Xbox One exclusive once again follows war hero Marcus Fenix and his talented team of COG soldiers as they take on aliens on a distant planet following Emergence Day, when the ferocious creatures emerged from the ground to massacre their stunned human adversaries.
While a reimagination of the series is indeed the bigger news here, but this new package for the Xbox One offers more than meets the eye. Aside all the revamped chainsaws and Gnasher Shotguns, there is also a visual upgrade, chained together with a host of tempting features for fans to enjoy.
So, let's take a closer look at what the Gears of War Ultimate Edition offers and if it's worth the $39.99 price tag:
Gears of War Ultimate Edition – Is it Worth the Price Tag?
- Apart from maintaining the usual third-person shooter element of it, developer Coalition has also done well to give Gears of War a much needed facelift. The team may have used the original environments as inspiration for the game, but they have also made several impressive tweaks to it to compliment the power of the console.
- The game still offers the familiar locations from the previous releases on Xbox 360, apart from maintaining every last detail for the members of Marcus' COG team. However, what changes are the buildings and a buffed up screen resolution, up to 1080p.
- As far as the content of the new package is concerned, it seems like the exclusive campaign missions from the PC version of it have made it into the Ultimate Edition. What this will offer is an additional 90-minute gameplay time.
- As it seems, players looking to make the most of the Ultimate Edition's achievements factor, will be able to earn as many as 1,250 points for their Gamerscores, making it possible to access unlockable content in no time. These unlockables include a concept art gallery and Gears of War comics.
- While the addition of the aforementioned PC missions indeed adds more gameplay time, players will first require at least eight to nine hours finishing the original single player campaign missions.
- Once the single player campaign is out of the way, as expected, fans will then turn their attentions on the multiplayer aspect of it. The multiplayer side of the game, and fans will be happy to know, still maintains the intense, bloody experience of the past, but with a few tweaks here are there for the best GoW experience.
- Keeping true to the power of the Xbox One, the game's multiplayer runs at 60 frames per second. There are even dedicated servers to help improve gameplay and player performance. The game, this time, selects players based on skill, and there are 19 different maps from downloadable content and the PC version to enjoy.
- In fact, the list of maps includes GoW favourites such as Canals, Courtyard and Gridlock. Aside that, players will also unlock 17 varied characters from Gears of War 3, which will, again, include several fan favourites. Tac-com and enemy spotting also makes the cut this time.
- Speaking of in-game match types, the studio has added King of the Hill with the rules of Gears 3 for the same, aside Team Deathmatch and a new 2v2 Gnasher Execution mode.
- Keeping everything aside, players can even tweak a number of options per match – including Respawn Time, Weapon Respawn and Self-revive. For the multiplayer, Ultimate Edition will even let players adjust the controller sensitivity and select various tournament controls.
As revealed, Gears of War Ultimate Edition will cost $39.99, which is a great price tag before the holiday rush sets in. For the time being, though, a brand new Gears of War Ultimate Edition intro cinematic has been revealed. You can check it out below.
Will you be investing on the Gears of War Ultimate Edition this year, or have you had enough of Marcus Fenix's exploits on your Xbox 360? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Prima Games]
