In my review of Gears of War: Reloaded, one of the first things I pointed out was the fact that being a PlayStation owner since the PS3 had kept me away from playing through Marcus Fenix’s debut adventure, alongside many other Xbox exclusive titles. It’s why I was delighted to review a game that was so decidedly old-school.
It took me back to an era of gaming in which straightforward storylines and mechanics were a thing, with more focused experiences as a result. Getting to play Reloaded on my PS5 ahead of the release of Gears of War: E-Day was a treat, and not just because it’s a solid game that’s a lot of fun to play.
The Gears franchise’s PlayStation debut is quite important in the broader context of a gaming industry that’s gradually moving away from console exclusivity, a factor that used to be a pillar of the value propositions that manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft have long relied on to boost their sales.
It also highlights how the PlayStation has become a very viable vehicle for well-crafted single player experiences – a detail made all the more significant by the PlayStation 5’s advanced haptics and improved capability for great visuals on its games.
It led me to ponder why a franchise that’s had such strong roots on the Xbox felt so natural to play on the PlayStation. And that’s why we’re here. Let’s dive in!
So Surreal That It Feels Unreal
Given that Reloaded presents a remastered version of the Ultimate Edition of Gears of War, I was expecting it to be quite a visual treat already. But The Coalition, Sumo Digital, and Disbelief have done a stellar job of using the power of Unreal Engine to bring a more immersive lighting system to Reloaded.
That worked very well with the improved resolution and framerates, allowing for an experience that felt brand new and even had me wistfully thinking that this was a game that deserved a full-blown remake. Those improvements and the PS5’s innate capability for blazingly fast load times courtesy of its SSD, along with 3D audio and the Dualsense 5’s haptics, made Reloaded feel like it was made for the PS5 all along. And hearing radio conversations play out on my controller’s speaker was a really cool touch!
All of these improvements made Reloaded achieve a level of responsiveness and immersion that the original release on the Xbox 360 simply could not have imitated, thanks to the technology that made all of it possible not existing at the time. That’s a fact that showcases just how much the PlayStation has earned its reputation as a console that makes great single-player titles feel so much better than its rivals.
But I couldn’t help but wonder if it was all in my head.
The PlayStation Perception
I’ve been fortunate to witness the console wars at their peak, and even felt a pang for how the latest iterations of Xbox have failed to keep up with the PlayStation 5 despite being quite capable consoles in their own right.
Personally, I believe that part of the reason for that perception is that younger players who may not have had the chance to be a part of the Xbox’s golden age now see the PlayStation as the console of choice for those who want to enjoy single-player titles without having to worry too much about whether their console can handle them.
That’s further exacerbated by the PS5 Pro, which makes an already powerful console even more formidable. Reloaded can achieve up to 120fps on the Pro in multiplayer, for instance, which would certainly be a blessing in a title that requires careful movements and well-placed shots to get ahead.
Even at 60fps, I found the experience to be so much better than it was when I first played Gears all those years ago on my best friend’s Xbox 360, lamenting the fact that I could not join the fun on my PS3. But things have changed now, and Reloaded feels like a title that’s right up there with Sony’s greatest hits.
Gears of War may very well leave its Xbox-exclusive identity behind. And that may be a good thing if the current approach to console exclusivity from Sony and Microsoft is any indication.
A New Home
With Microsoft moving away from console exclusives and even Sony gradually testing the waters by releasing PC ports of its greatest hits, it’s clear that the gaming industry is moving away from what it was 15 years ago.
Back then, the Xbox was the console to buy if you liked shooters, and the PlayStation favored cinematic experiences that blended sheer scale with narratives that stayed with you long after you were done with them. While that has gradually changed over the years, the clearest signs of changing times are how cinematic titles that were once exclusive to the Xbox have made their way to PlayStation.
Senua’s Saga immediately comes to mind, with its Enhanced Edition making great use of the PS5 and PS5 Pro’s advanced capabilities to present an experience that pushed the boundaries of what a video game can offer its players. Reloaded is another milestone in that journey, allowing the PlayStation to cement its reputation as a console that can handle blockbuster releases with relative ease and subsequently, with style.
That focus on spectacle, and its presentation, aligns perfectly with Reloaded’s emphasis on grand set pieces and shootouts against the Locust hordes that sustain the tension right from the start until you roll the credits on its main campaign. It’s a level of narrative quality that has not only withstood the test of time, but feels almost perfect for the PlayStation, given the manner in which Sony’s console exclusives have always upped the ante when it comes to the experiences they aim to present.
There are a plethora of excellent stories that the PlayStation has brought to life, such as Kratos’ battles against both the Greek and Norse pantheons in God of War, Aloy’s attempts to bridge the past and present in the Horizon franchise, or Nathan Drake’s many hunts for valuable relics from the past in Uncharted, or even Joel and Ellie’s riveting yet melancholy adventures in The Last of Us. I could keep going, but you get the point.
Marcus Fenix now joins the illustrious ranks of these excellent protagonists, and if I’m being honest, it feels like he was just hovering in the background of that prestigious stage, just waiting for the spotlight to shine on him and his ragtag crew of battle-hardened soldiers.
I’m so joyful that the PS5 has managed to usher him into the fold and let him take his place among some of the greatest names from my many years of playing video games. But is that going to be the norm, or the exception? For my part, I’m hoping it’s the former and there are a few reasons why.
All Paths Lead to the PlayStation
That’s because it creates avenues that could be very beneficial to various facets of the gaming industry as a whole.
Let’s begin with the Gears franchise. Having a presence on a platform as popular as the PlayStation currently is could be an opportunity to expand its fanbase beyond Xbox loyalists, and perhaps even bridge the gap between them and PlayStation fans. Reloaded’s multiplayer options and its emphasis on cross-platform compatibility are a great indication of this, showcasing how the franchise’s greatest strengths are now available to a wide range of players. It could spell great news for E-Day when it makes its way into our hands.
For Sony, having franchises that were once outside of the PlayStation’s reach make their way to it is an opportunity to reinforce its dominance over the single-player blockbuster space. It’s going to be interesting to see if other developers begin to make their games available to PlayStation players in the near future.
Conversely, it could validate Sony’s decision to take its own exclusives to platforms like the PC after they have been given sufficient time to shine on the PlayStation. It’s a tactic that has worked well for franchises like Horizon and Uncharted, and for individual games like Ghost of Tsushima and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, allowing each release to earn an extended shelf life quite organically.
For players, it further blurs the lines between console-exclusive titles, effectively spelling out an end to console wars and the rise of the gaming community that enjoys the best titles together. That could lead to larger franchises down the line, as the presence of more potential players could help developers take on ambitious projects with bold new ideas.
It’s what I would call a win-win-win situation all around. To me, Gears of War: Reloaded isn’t just an impressive release that’s technically sound enough to be a great PS5 title. It’s a symbol of what Sony’s powerhouse can do outside of running visually stunning games. It presents the PlayStation as a bridge between platforms and a console that makes the debut of games from other platforms feel almost inevitable when they make their way to it.
It makes me feel like the PlayStation is just a great home for great games and franchises.. And it doesn’t matter if they were born elsewhere. Now, excuse me while I power up my PS5 and take on another adventure that I’m going to talk about incessantly for the next few weeks.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.