• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

RTTP: OG Gears of War trilogy

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
I wanted to try a co-op with my GF of first 3 games in GeoW series (we already played the 4th and 5th and she never played the OG trilogy). I always hold those games in high regard and suffice to say that they didn't disappoint. We sit through all those 3 games one after the other (well as much as free time allowed). First game is kind of meh, even in Ultimate edition, however 2nd and 3rd are really good games, which we enjoyed even after all those years.

I would say that even playing them today, does not feel dated, controls are tight and even for 30 FPS titles, surprisingly responsive. I was also surprised how much more involved were EPIC games in the art style of the game in comparison to The Coalition. Everything seems way more detailed and that it actually had some art vision. The stories or rather story presentation in these games cannot really be compared to new ones (4th and 5th). they are way better. Also the encounters are way more fun. Also there is more fun stuff happening in the campaign, with more set pieces and it just felt more like a journey, not random ass encounters slapped together. Especially 4th is really fucking poor in this manner. It's simply far better written and yeah it's Gears of War, but still it was entertaining to say at least.

Graphically Ultimate Edition is fine I guess, Gears 2 runs at 4k on XSX and it looks great, but it's dated, Gears 3 is also 4k enhanced and that looks and feels like an Xbox One title. That res boost and AF boost did wonders, but there are washed out colors in this game, probably because X360 could handle the framebuffer at full color depth. Just a speculation.

So like I mentioned these games are well worth to revisit, it's a great fun and just shows that The Coalition doing pretty shit job with the IP. Gears 5 was fine, but nothing more than that. Only thing on current gen close to OG trilogy is Gears 5: Hivebusters, but that's only 1 act DLC, but hopefully we see more of such Gears experience in the future and yes I want more, I really like gameplay in these games.

Why so late to play these games? Well in our household we only have PC and one Xbox, so it wasn't possible to play those games, because outside of first GeoW there hasn't been a PC version of 2 & 3. However with xCloud coming to EDGE browser, there has been a solution for that. I was kind of reluctant, but GF is more on a casual side of gaming, so meh if there is some lag, she is not going to notice as much as me and it all worked beautifully. Almost without single hitch and straight to the game without worrying about saves and shit. Only downside is that those blades are X1S, which does not bring many enhancement, which is shame because all games are BC boosted (with first it's remake). But it works well, played with controller through old notebook on 5G wi-fi connected to old 1080p TV, which I found at the garbage place, brought it back and fixed it myself. Pretty good for economic bachelor, if I say that myself.

Thanks for reading my insomnia thoughts.
 

RNG

Member
OG trilogy is the best (minus Judgment). Pure testosterone fuel from beginning to end, especially with 2's non-stop action (my personal favourite).

I wish they would let us play Marcus Fenix and Co. again because the new generation of characters suck.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
OG trilogy is the best (minus Judgment). Pure testosterone fuel from beginning to end, especially with 2's non-stop action (my personal favourite).

I wish they would let us play Marcus Fenix and Co. again because the new generation of characters suck.
Yeah I like 2 the most too. It just perfect as the story pacing goes, you don't have time to be bored.

I played the OG trilogy for the first last year.
Absolute Masterpiece, 3 of the best games ever made.
1 is my favorite, followed by 3 and 2.
My favorite is 2nd, but 3rd is still really good : )


One downside of this games is the constant "Control, this is delta", how you walking slowly and it's stop fucking calling type of situation.
 

The Skull

Member
Love the OG series with 2 being my favourite campaign. You can definitely tell that there was a different level of talent and passion put into this trilogy versus the current one.

Also obligatory:

 

Grimchest

Neo Member
Ultimate Edition was really good, but 2 and 3 are superior IMO. The Multiplayer is just icing on the cake, though.

Gears 5 has an ok multiplayer it just feels like it’s copy and paste from 4... it’s just idk, different.
 

cormack12

Gold Member
One downside of this games is the constant "Control, this is delta", how you walking slowly and it's stop fucking calling type of situation.

Fucking yes.

I'm playing through these on co-op again as they are all on gamepass. Ultimate Edition was nicely done, but there are annoying parts in it like the vehicle and spotlight. Gears 2 is my best remembered one. And Gears 3 I hadn't played before so this is my first time, but it's decent - I'm actually liking it. Agree about the care and attention in the first three as well with the world, enemies and lore etc.

It's a shame it just gets labelled as a dudebro shooter, because it's more than competent and actually really good fun.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Fucking amazing games. My fav trilogy.
I kinda dislike ultimate editon. Footsteps are too loud... and I hate the brumak level. It breaks the pacing. Original 360 version looks better (atmosphere) and have better pacing. I would hope they would 4k it like 2 and 3.
2 is my fav but all three are great.
It is criminal these are not on pc... 1st one is but original version is the brumak version (ok) and ultimate is garbage. 2 and 3 4k120... one can dream
 
Last edited:
Loved the atmosphere of the first game, stunning graphics at the time and still holds somehow. Hated the basically non existent feedback in shooting and the ridicolous animations of run and cover lol
Still, a game that together with RE4 shaped a genre (yeah, I know, Kill.Switch, but the influence of gears is enormous). Amazing experience in coop.
 

Aldynes

Member
They're pretty much classics now, hell Gears of War served as a template for nearly every third person shooter after that, the cover system with blind-fire wasn't a new concept, Namco did it with Killswitch 3 years earlier, but it was so under the radar nobody played it, they took RE4 over the shoulder view for the aim too.
It was the Killer app for the 360.
 
Last edited:

Vick

Gold Member
First one was incredible at the time, one of my favourite games of all time.
Never been the biggest fan of the second one, due to the extreme repetitivity it became legit boring around the third half and that final battle was a huge letdown. It's interesting to read in the booklet a message from Cliff saying the game intent was to be an interactive movie. It never felt that way to me, probably also because Uncharted 2 came out soon after.
The third one got rid of the depressing and monochromatic style, also due to the huge success of the Uncharted games, and i absolutely loved it. Never cared for the drama too much but it got some of the very best locations in gaming, especially in the second half. Absolutely brilliand art and great level design and pacing. I had a blast with it.

Best reload mechanic in history, super tight arcade-feel addictive gameplay.

Never played the rest.

Yeah I like 2 the most too. It just perfect as the story pacing goes, you don't have time to be bored.
MtZ9N.gif


If gameply allowed for something more than just cover-shoot, over and over and over again for some very loooong sections, i would agree, but it didn't.
I had already played Drake's Fortune at the time so i was probably spoiled by the verticality and mobility of that game, but the non-stop action completely ruined my experience with the second Gears.
 
Last edited:
Yeah I like 2 the most too. It just perfect as the story pacing goes, you don't have time to be bored.


My favorite is 2nd, but 3rd is still really good : )


One downside of this games is the constant "Control, this is delta", how you walking slowly and it's stop fucking calling type of situation.
I understand your frustrations, but you know what they replaced the elevator conversations in Mass Effect 1 with in the sequel?

Loading screens.
 

sephiroth7x

Member
Personally - love the original and after that, it all kind of went downhill.

I can appreciate 2 as a great sequel but 3 felt really poor (story wise rather than gameplay wise).

I am also not a great fan of the Ultimate Edition but all in all I feel as if, after the first game, they made every story beat way too big. I felt the original (barring the last boss) was taught and refined whereas the others all became kind blurred into the same thing. Plus the horror aspect was far better in the first.
 
I only remember deeply disliking 2 and being pleasantly surprised by 3. Dabbled in MP but gave it up in favor of better games at the time.
 

Fbh

Member
Love all 3 games, still some of my favorite local coop experiences in gaming.

I've said it in other threads but I really miss games like these. Just a really fun, well paced, high budget coop campaign you can beat in 10-15 hours and with local coop.
Now not only is local coop almost dead but coop has mostly turned into loot based grindfests.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom