Delta Squad have a dynamic that flits between endearing camaraderie and B-movie ham. The dialogue, to today’s standards, mostly lands flat. Dom’s repeatedly shouted “take cover!” and the likes lack the punch you’d expect in 2025, but there’s a certain charm still there. It’s war theatre, and the characters remain iconic because of it.

In an era of branching dialogue trees and sprawling RPG systems, it’s almost liberating to just be told where to go, what to shoot, and why it matters. Still, I was initially bored by the first few beats of the story; only when Delta Squad heads into the depths of the planet to recover the resonator, did I become more engaged. But make no mistake, the story and characters show their age. Where later entries deepened the cast and themes, here they’re stereotypes played straight.

Some mission gimmicks break up otherwise repetitive gameplay. The night Kryll sequences in Act II, where you stay in lit areas by shooting gas canisters, are still creative enough to keep your interest. Path-splitting sequences, where you and your co-op partner take different routes, add variety and are still sort of unique in a shooter like this today. But other sections, like the Berserker escort from Act I, remind you how clunky the 2006 design can be.

I still remember playing that fight for the first time at a friend’s house, sweating bullets as I tried to lure her outside for the Hammer of Dawn strike. Replaying it now, the encounter hasn’t aged gracefully, the AI is clunky, and I realise the tension was all in how clumsy the section was. Still, it triggered an odd rush of nostalgia that reminded me why it stuck in my head all those years ago.

The world itself, however, holds up. The destroyed beauty aesthetic is still evocative, with crumbling buildings and empty streets creating an eerie mood. Level after level barrels forward with no loading screens, and before you know it, you’re at the end credits. I found myself surprised at how easy it was to keep playing just one more chapter. While later sequels expanded the scope of the world, Gears 1 maintains a smaller and more focused approach. It leaves more to the imagination and sells the sense of being one squad lost in a much bigger, hopeless war.

The weapons remain some of the most iconic in shooter history. Chainsawing a Locust in half with the Lancer is just as gleefully grotesque as ever. The Gnasher shotgun is devastating in close quarters, the Hammer of Dawn is a powerhouse, and the Torque Bow’s glowing arrows are still one of the most satisfying projectile weapons.

The problem is that everything feels heavier than it should. Sprinting with the roadie run still locks you into an exaggerated shaky-cam animation that feels clunky by modern standards. Inputs have a slight delay, so sliding into cover or sprinting out doesn’t feel as responsive as it should. What once felt gritty and weighty now feels more like unnecessary sluggishness.

Enemy AI hasn’t aged well either. Locust often hunker down in predictable cover patterns, and while flanking still works, fights can become tiresome. Worse, your squadmates’ AI is a liability. On Hardcore difficulty, Dom constantly went down, forcing me to risk revives. Sometimes he’d even wander into Kryll-infested darkness and die instantly. Not to mention the handful of times where the game wouldn’t progress because an ally was stuck behind cover or just not moving close enough to the next door for it to trigger the sequence to move on. It’s frustrating, and it undercuts the brotherhood theme when you’re mostly babysitting them.

Beyond the core offering, Reloaded includes a few nice touches for fans who’ve been here before. Collectible COG tags once again unlock pages from the official Gears of War comics, which is a thoughtful nod for players who want to dig deeper into the lore. Concept art and multiple sets of credits (for the original, Ultimate Edition, and Reloaded) also show developers The Coalition’s commitment to acknowledging the game’s legacy.

Now, I’ve reviewed six remasters/remakes this year in different forms and with different budgets. While some have made exceptional changes and additions to bring them into the present day, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, others have lacked significant bonuses or improvements for fans, like Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles. I’ve seen it all. Gears of War: Reloaded doesn’t change the gameplay experience in a meaningful way, but as a package, it adds a great sense of celebration. It’s the kind of bonus material that rewards nostalgia more than it does new players, but it’s welcome all the same.

One of the most exciting changes is simply seeing Gears on PlayStation for the first time. Holding a DualSense while Marcus Fenix grumbles about Locust is a promising sign of more to come, but the console-specific features are what are most welcome. Adaptive triggers add resistance to firing guns, and radio chatter coming through the controller speaker is a nice touch. It doesn’t revolutionise the game, but it adds value for those wanting to play it again.

Cross-play and cross-progression are genuinely fantastic additions. Being able to play campaign co-op with a mate on Xbox or PC, or carry your progress across platforms, makes Reloaded feel much more accessible. Couch co-op is still here too, a rarity these days, and honestly, the best way to play.