I’ll Be Happy With Anything Gears of War, But Nothing Beats A 1-3 Remaster

As you’re aware, console wars have raged for decades, with each generation pitting rivals against each other. The landscape and the competitors are pretty different now than they were back then, but the battle remains the same. And presently, it’s PlayStation vs. Xbox. Personally, I do not care about the platform as much as I do about solid games. As long as I can enjoy some quality gaming time, the device doesn’t matter.

But that game quality is one of the major factors in console wars. It’s a consensus that PlayStation has the upper hand when it comes to exclusives and first-party titles, but let me tell you that this in no way means Xbox doesn’t have any good games at all. In fact, that’s my whole reason for this discussion; to shed light on an impressive Xbox series of the 360 era: Gears of War. With a 2024 entry possibly coming, I wish to discuss the quality of the original trilogy.

A New Gears Of War Game Possibly Revealing In 2024? Sign Me Up

Before discussing Gears, let me state my reason for reigniting hope first. In a tweet, Gears series level designer Benjamin Huyghe said “See you in 2024.” At first glance, this might not seem like much, but considering the rumors surrounding the series return, and the possibility this one little sliver presents, I can’t help but think that 2024 will indeed have another Gears, and that’s enough to get me excited.

https://twitter.com/StrangulateFTW/status/1739031016084574576

And we won’t have to wait too long, either. An Xbox showcase is rumored to be right around the corner, and then we’ll know for sure what sort of titles await us in 2024. Plus, I’m hopeful the showcase presents a new Gears project I’ve hyped myself for. Between the somewhat cryptic tweet and the very soon-to-happen showcase rumors, I think the chances of it appearing are pretty high. And why shouldn’t it, Gears is one of Xbox’s strongest franchises.

And since we’re going to get a new Gears project, why not go the extra mile and hope that it is a remaster of the original trilogy fans have been demanding for a long time now? I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see those brilliant adventures reinforced for modern times. Oh, and let me make this clear, I’m strictly talking about a remaster; please don’t let it be a remake, I’m honestly tired of lackluster remakes.

Gears Of War Trilogy Was The Peak Of The Series

Usually when news like this surfaces, the first thing you expect is for people to hope for a new game. Thus, my demands might seem pretty strange; asking for a remaster instead of a new entry. Well, I have my reasons. The original trilogy is where the Gears formula was at its strongest, and that is what I wish to see again. Back when Gears of War first came out for the Xbox 360, I was pleasantly surprised at its presentation of the “cover-shooter” concept.

A third-person shooter is a much more difficult concept to execute than first-person, yet Gears of War handled it with expertise. The game’s design was inspired by Resident Evil 4, and it was not in a complete-copy way, but a much more creative implementation filled with creativity. It introduced beloved characters that only got better, exceptional story mode, solid gameplay fluidity, and breathtaking environments. The best thing is that it only went higher from here.

Gears of War 2 was an improvement that learned from its predecessor and made some right decisions toward greatness. And don’t even get me started on Gears of War 3. For me, this was the height of the series and the perfect culmination of the story. Go and play its story mode, and you’ll understand. The iconic Gears formula peaked here, and the multiplayer mode was great, too. But the story and character interactions are the true Gears for me, and 3 was the best in this.

Gow 3 is the best gears of war ever existed. not only the gameplay view is much better than the ones before it, but also the lore is crazy. the plot of Marcus passing from trying to survive from locusts and lambers or even starvation, to saving sera itself with the help of his father.
byu/Anakin_03 inGearsOfWar

The Renewed Sequels Were Solid, But Not On The Originals’ Level

If things were this good, you might be wondering “So, what went wrong, then?” Well, it was a case of changed developers. Although it was already an exclusive before, after the 3rd entry, the series was completely acquired by Microsoft from Epic Games, and the development was handed over to The Coalition. This led to a change in the overall presentation of the games that followed. Some of these changes were good, but others were questionable.

Now I don’t mean to imply that 4 and 5 are bad games, but let’s just say they weren’t as exceptional as the original trilogy was. Gears of War 4 was the first game by a new developer, and naturally, the changes were a lot more pronounced. And adapting to a big change is never easy. Although it improved on certain gameplay elements and environments, the story mode was very barebones. It only served as a sort of prelude to the 5th entry.

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Similarly, the character interactions and dialogues became a lot more humor-centric. It was like the feeling of Gears was slowly fading away. Oh, and the micro-transactions were inexcusable. Next came Gears 5, and although the campaign was stronger this time around, the overall feel of the game was still not the Gears I remembered. It went a lot mellow from the dark and gritty days. The gameplay was certainly strong, but I still felt the game wasn’t what I wanted.

Gears of War 4’s “Loot Box” system shows how bad microtransactions have become
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A Return To The Series’ Roots Is All I Ask For

So, did I convince you that the original trilogy needs to return? If I gained more followers for my cause, then that’s plenty. Considering how impactful the first 3 games were, I’d want nothing more than more people wishing for their return. We just might get them eventually. And I don’t think remastering the trilogy would be a bad move, either. Hardcore fans of the series like me prefer the tone of the originals and would be happy to get a chance to play them again.

This is why Gears of War should be remastered
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Thus, I don’t think remastering the original titles would go into a loss. If you go a few years back, the Gears of War trilogy was among the strongest titles on the Xbox 360 and was always in the most-played entries of the console. With demand and popularity like this, there’s no way an authentic attempt to remaster them would go unappreciated. I’d give anything to be able to revisit the glory days of the Gears series.

Oh, and even if it’s not a remaster but a new game instead, I won’t have any problems as long as it’s more like the originals than the newer ones. If they manage to retain the gritty feeling and make the story mode and characters a lot more impactful, lovable, and believably mature, I’ll be all on for it. All I want is to revisit the feeling of what made Gears of War exquisite, and if a new game accomplishes that, I have no complaints.

Gears 6 should simply be titled “Gears Of War” and it should be a return to form
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Xbox Should Start The New Year With A Bang, And Gears Of War Is A Perfect Weapon

It goes without saying that 2023 was one of the best years for gaming. There were some pretty bad titles as well, true, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t one of the strongest years gaming had in quite a while now. And thus, the pressure on 2024 is greater than ever now. Coming from a year as great as 2023, of course, we’ll have pretty huge expectations. With this, I believe this is Xbox’s chance to swoop in and win people’s hearts.

2023 was one of the best years in gaming in terms of quantity/quality for me: pic.twitter.com/kTYzCey5Fm

— Shesez (@BoundaryBreak) July 27, 2023

As I said before too, PlayStation’s exclusive game has always been very strong, and it still is. Take a look at Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, it was a short but brilliantly-packed adventure. On the other hand, Xbox has a severe shortage of first-party titles, and it hurts its appeal when choosing a console. Thus, Xbox should seize the chance created by its new year showcase, and present something strong to start things off.

And what better way to do it than bringing back one of its best exclusives? A Gears of War remaster trilogy, or even a new game of the old era’s strengths would be the perfect announcement to start at least my 2024. There are other options as well like making use of the newly acquired Activision library, but that doesn’t mean Gears of War is not a viable option. I think it can be the highlight of the show if it is indeed going to be there.