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Finishing the Original Gears of War Trilogy

Celcius

°Temp. member
I owned the original Xbox and really enjoyed it's amazing library back in the day. Later I had an Xbox 360 and one of my favorite franchises on the new console was Gears of War. I played and owned the original GoW on both PC and Xbox 360, and then I also owned Gears of War 2 and spent a lot of time on that. At the same time I also owned a PlayStation 3 and preferred it over the x360, so eventually I bought the ps3 version of the x360 multiplatform games that I owned and sold the x360. Gears of War 3 came out but I no longer owned an Xbox 360 so I never got a chance to play it and finish the trilogy.

I know Gears 4 and 5 are also out now but I'm not really interested in those at the moment, as I hear the newer games aren't as great as the originals. I just want to finish the original trilogy to see how things end, enjoy the game, etc...
At this point the Xbox 360 is two generations old and both newer generation of Xbox consoles are backwards compatible. I plan to buy and download the game digitally once I have Xbox hardware. I'm evaluating my options at this point and here's what I'm thinking:

1. I could try to track down a used Xbox 360. I see that Gamestop still lists them on their website but none seem to be in stock anywhere near me. Used x360's on amazon seem to be like $200+ from what I see and I'm not paying that much for ancient hardware. I don't want to use Craigslist during a pandemic. Maybe I can try a smaller local gaming store somewhere to see what the prices are like, or maybe create an Ebay account and give that a try. Can the Xbox 360 still connect to Xbox live and the online store to download games? When buying a used console, I'd also hope that I don't get a super worn out crappy controller. I'm guessing I can't use modern Xbox controllers on the x360, correct?

2. The Xbox one X is discontinued, the Xbox one S digital edition is discontinued, and looks like the normal Xbox series S may now be discontinued as well (and the price is still listed as $300, which I wouldn't pay at this point anyway). Used prices for these don't seem much better than the retail prices, according to Amazon or Gamestop.

3. I've been waiting on a PC port of GoW 3 for years but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen at this point.

4. The Xbox series X and series S are out now, but sold out everywhere. I already have a PS5 and gaming PC, so if I did get one of these then it would just be to play GoW3 and then also if there happens to be an Xbox exclusive that interests me in the future (unlikely). Therefore I'd probably go for the cheaper series S over the series X if given the choice. I wish the series S could run x360 games in 4K like the one X and series X, but oh well. (I have a 4K screen and a 1080p screen)

Between these options, it seems like the best choice is to either try to track down a cheap used x360 online from somewhere or otherwise keep trying to get my hands on an Xbox series S (I saw it in stock at BestBuy at one point but passed on it as I wasn't thinking about this at the time).
Which Xbox console would you guys try to acquire? Is Gears of War Judgement on x360 also worth playing?
 
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Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
I think I'm one of the few people that enjoyed Gears of War Judgment over Gears of War 3. I also think Gears 5 is a good game but I didn't do any side missions just the main campaign

With that said, if you aren't interested in any other Xbox exclusives maybe try to find a used Xbox One S
 
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HE1NZ

Banned
Judgment is definitely worth playing.

I'd get one of the new consoles if I'd want to replay these games. They look pretty good in high res from what I've seen. Not sure if they removed input lag and frame drops too, but they are present on 360 version. Get 360 for retro gaming purposes but not for GoW.
 
Damn, you missed a great ending to the trilogy, I recommend playing it on either a one X or series X since it got enhanced for those consoles and the game now runs at 4k and just looks absolutely stunning, I played it on my 360 when it came out and I couldn't believe how good it looked, and a couple of months ago I replayed the trilogy on my 1x and Gears 2 and 3 still hold up incredibly well with the 4k enhancements. I don't know why you would be afraid to use craigslist during the pandemic, it's not like you're going to french kiss the person you buy off from, and I'm pretty sure that you could find a cheap One X on craigslist, people are offloading those for super cheap. Or just go the cheapest route and get a $60 Xbox 360 and play it in its original release form.
 
I see no point in getting anything else but a Series X/S. The old hardware might be cheaper, but i will loose value even faster, and become more and more useless when we abandone the gen. Also you say you're not interested in Xbox exclusives, but maybe you would get surprised how many hidden gems it can have, not to mention Bethesda games.
You can play Gears of War Ultimate edition instead of the x360 version, with improved graphics and stuff.
Both Gears 2 and 3 have enhanced graphics if I'm not mistaken, I tried 3 on my OneX and looked pretty good.
Judgement actually had a nice campaign, however everything else was fucked in that game, still would recommend a playtrough.
Gears 4 is okay. It felt nice to return to our long forgotten friends, but there were sure issues with the narrative. (tough I really liked the cliffhanger at the end)
Gears 5 has the best campaign imo from a technical standpoint. The semi open map sections were fresh and fun for the series, the unique versions of the already known weapons were super cool. Again the ending was a good cliffhanger.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
Its not a popular opinion but I think 5 is the best one. I liked the characters and narrative the most, as well as the varied settings. The frozen region looked really stellar. The multiplayer is also quite fun, I play a few matches now and then.
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Judgment is very much underrated. I had a lot of fun playing that game. I enjoyed the story telling aspect and how you could use a classified option to increase the difficulty.

I was disappointed that Gears 4 and 5 discarded the control changes from Judgment which IMO were superior to Gears 1-5.
 

rofif

Banned
Judgment is definitely worth playing.

I'd get one of the new consoles if I'd want to replay these games. They look pretty good in high res from what I've seen. Not sure if they removed input lag and frame drops too, but they are present on 360 version. Get 360 for retro gaming purposes but not for GoW.
It's not. It's shit.
And I am the biggest fan of the trilogy.
Op go play all 3 games whatever way possible. I would probably avoid gears ultimate... The remaster made some bad choices and the brumak level added from pc version sucks the pacing out... And the footsteps are super loud.
Shame original gears did not got 4k treatment like 2 or 3. These still look fantastic.
I don't have new xbox so I always play them on 360
 
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AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
As someone who never owned a 360, I went through the trilogy on X1X with no rose tinted goggles or nostalgic attachment to the franchise.

It's still good, holds up well enough today - but I really wouldn't go out of your way to buy hardware exclusively to play the third for the sake of seeing what happens in the story, it's nothing special at all. Wait until you can get an XSS or XSX so that you can play it alongside other stuff that isn't on PC like the Rare collection, some Forza games, Fable 2, Crackdown, Panzer Dragoon etc.
 

GamingKaiju

Member
Judgement ain’t bad, it’s a standard gears romp and stomp even though I did enjoy it been centred around E-day

Gears 3 looked fantastic on 360 at its time and still looks good on newer hardware I personally wouldn’t bother seeking out another 360 for it.

I actually don’t mind gears 4/5 🤷‍♂️ Gears 5 played so good, sliky smooth (pc here) and looked great. Another standard gears romp but definitely worth checking out.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
I wish I gave Judgement a chance when it was still really relevant. At the time I was like, "Fuck that game, they're just milking the series now."

But years later I heard it was actually pretty decent. I never gave 4/5 a chance either, though I know people said they were pretty good. It just doesn't look or feel the same anymore to me. I mean, it DOES of course, but then it also doesn't. I remember seeing a comparison between Gears 2 and Gears 5 just showing random mechanics and it looked like 2 had so much more, which put me off even more so.

I honestly miss the Gears series, and lately I haven't had new things to play. Maybe I'll give them a shot. :pie_thinking:

I'd say hold out for an XSX or XSS.
 

Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
I wish I gave Judgement a chance when it was still really relevant. At the time I was like, "Fuck that game, they're just milking the series now."

But years later I heard it was actually pretty decent. I never gave 4/5 a chance either, though I know people said they were pretty good. It just doesn't look or feel the same anymore to me. I mean, it DOES of course, but then it also doesn't. I remember seeing a comparison between Gears 2 and Gears 5 just showing random mechanics and it looked like 2 had so much more, which put me off even more so.

I honestly miss the Gears series, and lately I haven't had new things to play. Maybe I'll give them a shot. :pie_thinking:

I'd say hold out for an XSX or XSS.
The Multi of Judgement was very...very...good. (overrun mode)

It was different for sure but after they had done such a stellar job on 3 it was nice to have something different. Played a ton of overrun and always enjoyed it. Nothing beatings throwing a stim gernade hundred yards away to get a clutch revive.
 

GamingKaiju

Member
I wish I gave Judgement a chance when it was still really relevant. At the time I was like, "Fuck that game, they're just milking the series now."

But years later I heard it was actually pretty decent. I never gave 4/5 a chance either, though I know people said they were pretty good. It just doesn't look or feel the same anymore to me. I mean, it DOES of course, but then it also doesn't. I remember seeing a comparison between Gears 2 and Gears 5 just showing random mechanics and it looked like 2 had so much more, which put me off even more so.

I honestly miss the Gears series, and lately I haven't had new things to play. Maybe I'll give them a shot. :pie_thinking:

I'd say hold out for an XSX or XSS.

That clunky feeling that was present in Gears 1 then slowly disappeared is what I miss the most from gears. If you enjoyed Gears for what it is then 4/5 are good fun even though it only lasts 16hrs on insane.
 
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Kataploom

Gold Member
I'm about to do this as soon as me and a friend get our hands ona Series S each... We played a few on local co-op and we enjoyed it so we want to repeat it... Also, GOW was the first game I saw on an HDTV and it blew mi mind playing with another friend on local co-op too some time ago.

This franchise, even if I haven't played it much, brings me some good memories.
 

GametimeUK

Member
I really want to play Gears 2 and 3 at 60fps. I hope this happens one day. I loved 1, but never appreciated 2. I never even played 3.

That being said I rate Gears 4 and 5 highly (not the most popular opinion round here). Hivebusters was fantastic.

Man, I just need 2 and 3 to be free from their 30fps shackles. PC release!!!!
 
I was in a similar boat as OP but was able to preorder a series x. Playing with quick resume is even more of a game changer than the graphical enhancements for me. I played through the Ultimate Edition and about half of Gears 2 and it’s awesome to turn on the system and be back in the game almost instantly. Can’t imagine going back to a 360 after that.
 

wipeout364

Member
I think they all have been decent games including 4 and 5. One and Two are the originals so none have the same impact, but the quality of games in the series has always been high and the Coalition is doing an excellent job managing the series especially when compared to the disaster that is 343 industries who released the mediocre Halo 4 then followed that up with the garbage tier Halo 5.
 

Self

Member
Haven't played Judgment and 4 as well. May give it a chance after reading some comments here. 5 was a very decent game as far as I'm concerned.
 
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