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Marcus Fenix looks on in horror in Gears of War: Reloaded
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  1. Games

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition comparison screens go from grimy to gorgeous

News
By Connor Sheridan published 3 August 2015

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Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan
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I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.

HD remakes always have nostalgia-polished memories of their source material to compete with, and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is the latest to try to outshine our recollections. But if you've found yourself thinking "what's the big difference?" this gallery of side-by-side environmental comparisons should answer that question quite thoroughly.

If you look in the right places, you can definitely get some of that "destroyed beauty" art direction from the original Gears of War, but otherwise it's a bit heavy on the fog, mud, and rebar. Even if they're still the same basic areas, little touches like improved lighting and foliage help Gears of War: Ultimate Edition's environments feel more like parts of an ailing world than a discrete series of post-apocalyptic maps.

Aside from visual improvements, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition also makes some subtle gameplay changes to bring the game in line with later games, both in single player and multiplayer. You can even catch its new cinematic intro before it hits Xbox One on August 25.

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  • Gears of War Reloaded screenshot with Summer Preview logo Playing Gears of War: Reloaded on PS5 is exceptionally surreal, especially in online co-op with a player on Xbox Series X
  • Gears of War Reloaded screenshot Diving into Gears of War: Reloaded's chaotic multiplayer servers is like being wrapped in a warm blanket lined with sandpaper

Seen something newsworthy? Tell us!

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Read more
Marcus Fenix looks on in horror in Gears of War: Reloaded
I can finally share meat-tastic cover shooting bliss with my PS5 friends thanks to Gears of War Reloaded
Gears of War Reloaded screenshot with Summer Preview logo
Playing Gears of War: Reloaded on PS5 is exceptionally surreal, especially in online co-op with a player on Xbox Series X
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Gears of War: Reloaded key art
Gears of War: Reloaded – Everything you need to know about the Gears of War remaster
Gears of War: Reloaded screenshot
Gears of War: Reloaded hammered in Steam reviews for missing splitscreen co-op and Microsoft accounts seemingly crashing everyone's fun, including mine
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