Gears of War: Reloaded Review

Kai Taylor
8 hours ago
6 min read

Genre: Third-Person Shooter

Modes: Single-Player/Multiplayer

Developer: The Coalition, Sumo Digital & Disbelief

Publisher: Xbox Game Studios

Release Date: August 26, 2025

Price: $59.95

Available On: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Reviewed On: PlayStation 5

Xbox games have always felt foreign to me. I don't have an Xbox console, nor have I ever owned one. It's not because I dislike Xbox, but it's purely because I have always been a PlayStation owner. As I have gotten older, the idea of console exclusivity has loosened when it comes to Sony and Microsoft. Xbox games like Forza Horizon 5 and Hellblade II: Senua's Saga are now on PlayStation. Now, we have Gears of War: Reloaded, a 4K remaster of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, which in itself is a remaster of the original Gears of War on Xbox 360. Despite the nature of this re-release, this is my first proper foray into the Gears of War franchise. After playing through the eight-hour campaign, I understand why this franchise is one of Microsoft's biggest gaming franchises. It's a throwback to the heyday of the third-person shooter, brimming with a variety of weapons, complex scenarios and a surprisingly decent story.

THIS IS DELTA SQUAD

A genocidal army known as the Locusts has overtaken the planet Sera. You control Marcus Fenix, a former COG soldier serving a four-year prison sentence. After his fellow COG soldiers get him out, it's up to you and your soldiers to stop the Locust threat and save the planet. By today's standards, the story is quite simple in terms of its pacing and unfolding. However, as a product of its time, it's a cinematic and well-told story that had me gripped throughout. Marcus Fenix is a brilliant character, as are the rest of the gang. Each character has unique traits, and they know how to get under each other's skin, making for some great dialogue during cutscenes. This may be one of the most masculine games I've ever played, in terms of character development, and that is not at all a bad thing. During several scenes, the bromance between Marcus and Dom was terrific, and I was really rooting for them to make it through to the other side.

Gears of War Reloaded cutscene, featuring protagonist Marcus Fenix

Given that this game is nearly 20 years old, you can see where some of the visuals have dated. However, this game will stand the test of time. It may have the stereotypical brown exterior that many shooters of that time had, like Resident Evil 5, Resistance, and Call of Duty, but I loved the dank and dirty streets of Sera. The Locusts have taken over most of the planet, and you can see their effects in every city, factory and underground cavern that you explore. The streets are dilapidated, the buildings are on the verge of falling apart, and the underground caverns are intricately designed caverns where the enemies rest. Thanks to the 4K upscale and 60 fps performance on PS5, Gears of War: Reloaded is the best that the original has ever looked.

The music is also fantastic. I have no further exposure to Gears of War, so I cannot comment on the music in future games, but Gears of War: Reloaded had a great soundtrack. The music almost makes the game feel like a survival horror game in some areas, and when swarms of enemies overwhelm you, the music can feel so overwhelming. It adds so much to the atmosphere as well as the gameplay. The central theme is also great. Although it may not be as iconic as Halo: Combat Evolved, the theme is still very memorable.

DO OR DIE

In terms of gameplay, Gears of War may not be as smooth as games like Uncharted, Max Payne 3, or Spec Ops: The Line, but it's still delightful to play. You have weapons that you can drop and pick up on the go, and you find cover and eliminate all enemy threats before progressing to the next area. This type of gameplay is a standard feature for a third-person shooter, but remember that Gears of War was released in 2006, during the early days of the genre. Taking that into consideration, I praise the gameplay because it still feels great to play, for the most part. The shooting feels fantastic, especially on the PS5 with the DualSense's adaptive trigger. I also appreciate that you can employ different strategies to navigate an enemy encounter. You can go in all guns blazing and kill as many as you can, or you can be patient and wait for the enemy to make a move and pounce. I preferred the latter method, because that's the best way to experience the game. The game rewards you for being patient, and punishes you for being too rash.

Gameplay of Gears of War Reloaded featuring protagonist Marcus Fenix covering from Locust enemies

I was taken aback by the unforgiving nature of the game's second half. Suppose you do not utilise everything at your disposal, whether it's taking cover, picking up different weapons, throwing grenades, or shooting exploding projectiles. In that case, the enemies can kill you in a matter of seconds. I played through the campaign on Normal difficulty, and the game was surprisingly tricky, especially compared to some other shooters. I died numerous times, more than I would like to admit, but the game rarely felt unfair. Every death felt like my fault, and that is the best compliment I can give to a game with a high difficulty curve. I was constantly learning different enemy behaviours and where and when the best times to attack were. If you pay attention, you have a huge dopamine hit whenever you clear a horde of enemies. If you don't pay attention, frustration will kick in.

NOT QUITE THE SAME

While I have a lot of praise for the gameplay of Gears of War: Reloaded, considering the game is nearly two decades old, there are a couple of areas where the gameplay could have benefited from a rework. The first sticking point for me is the character movement and the Roadie Run. The physics of Marcus Fenix's movement is fine, but the movement is very slow. It's similar to the running speed in Splatoon 2 for me; it just feels too slow for the style of the game. However, Marcus does have a running mechanic known as the Roadie Run. The Roadie Run is fine if you are running in a straight line, but if you are trying to get to cover that is to the left or right, the turning is so heavy and restricted. I know the Roadie Run is a signature part of Gears of War, but based on my experience with Gears of War: Reloaded, I am not a fan of it.

Gameplay of Gears of War Reloaded on PS5, featuring Protagonist Marcus Fenix shooting down an enemy Locust in typical, gory fashion.

While the character movement is only a minor frustration, my main criticism of Gears of War: Reloaded is the partner AI. If you are playing through the campaign in co-op, this problem will be resolved. But, if you play through the campaign solo, like I did, the partner AI is some of the worst I have ever seen in a third-person shooter, especially near the end of the game. There were so many times when my gang would go down within the first few seconds of an encounter, and they would always run headfirst into battle. This meant that if I wanted to revive them, I would have to move forward to where most of the enemies are and bring them back. I found myself relying solely on my own shooting to beat enemies, at which point the partner AI would revive itself once all the enemies were down. Even when I tried to give commands to the partner AI to hold fire or regroup, they would still be taken down within moments. The partner AI is my biggest gripe with Gears of War: Reloaded, and it only got worse the further into the campaign I got.