Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is the Only Remaster Worth Owning This Console Generation

Morgan Lewis, Managing Editor of Gamer Professionals Writes:

"When Gears of War came out in 2006 for the Xbox 360, it was the pinnacle of third-person shooters. Its unique cover system, over-the-shoulder aiming, and over-the-top action, packaged with a summer blockbuster-esque story made the game an instant classic. Nine years later, Microsoft Studios and The Coalition decided to release a remaster of the original game in the Xbox 360 trilogy. They spent 18 months developing the title and, in the words of Rob Fergusson, who was previously the Director of Development at Epic Games until 2012, took great care in re-creating the title for the Xbox One."

[GamerProfessionals]

Would be kind of neat to see this happen to the other games in the series. I've only heard great things from the franchise. Game looked really good at E3's Microsoft presser last year, hoping it lives up to the expectations people have set.

[t-hall785]

Well I for one haven't set mines too high. Better graphics. New maps. And to please not stray too far from the core gameplay. Also keep at least a 2 player coop (which it looks like they're doing) and I'm good. Keep Gears Gears(minus judgement) that's all I need.

[FlipSwitch]

This article is obviously wrong. If there is one remaster to own this generation it's the Uncharted collection. One of the best game series ever and the gold standard of remasters according to Digital Foundry.

@T-hall.

Your opinion on Last of us remaster means nothing because you are such an obvious troll. Your comment history is nothing but calling PS4 users "ponies" and saying that Xbox games "Sh*t" on PS4 games.

Nice try with the stealth trolling in this article though

@Trekster

You clearly haven't played it and are just making assumptions. They replaced most of the textures on UCC. Again digital foundry call it the gold standard

[Rayven]

@t-hall
That's really all that we should expect from a remaster. Why, you say? Because remasters honestly are not for those who already had it previously, it's for those that weren't able to play it before.

The article is way too blind to not mention this fact. I doubt anyone who played TLOU on their PS3 would buy the PS4 version unless they really want to. It's not a cash grab, it's simply providing what people want.

The only game I know that encouraged you to buy multiple versions of the game is GTA V, I liked the game but the multi-platform bonuses were really just bait for a cash grab, plus the ridiculous amount of grinding you have to do to be able to afford a nice car on GTA Online is cash grabbing too.

[donthate]

In terms of package, Halo:MCC packed the most value, but in terms of quality of remaster, Gears of War:UE has it done right. Gears isn't simply a resolution upgrade, but a complete remaster from all assets, down to cinematics and even sounds. Even the controls have been modernized.

Rock solid 60fps at 1080p multiplayer on Azure dedicated server. The game is buttery smooth and awesome!

[Trekster_Gamer]

Uncharted collection looks dated compared to the GOW remaster. The UCC just looks crisper in higher definition. Gears remaster remastered everything!

Would love to see GOW 2&3 get the same treatment!

[t-hall785]

@flip so i throw my opinion out the window because digital foundry told me to? Gears is hands down the better remaster. And to ME its a better game. As far as trolling...yeah its fun to stoke the flames a bit but i own both consoles. The war means nothing to me. I play all the good shit.

@rayven. I misread his post i thought he was talking gears 4.

@donthate thank you.

[nottfadeaway]

Unfortunately they said it would be too much of a comittment. I would love to see Gears 2, as I view that as the pinnacle of the series.

[otherZinc]

Halo Master Chief Collection is the other one and the largest package in videogame history!

[FoxyGotGame]

I agree....

Halo 2 Anniversary could easily have been a single game release like the excellent Gears Ultimate, but was additional to MCC, making the overall package incredible value for money.

The Last Of Us is a fantastic remaster, and Uncharted Collection is also an awesome package even without the much lauded U2 MP. 343i,The Coalition, Naughty Dog, and Bluepoint all did an exceptional job updating those games for the current generation.

[Back-to-Back]

"Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is the Only Remaster
NOT Worth Owning This Console Generation"

FTFY

[cutthroatslim]

players who play Ultimate Edition will have access to the Gears 4 beta. The ⏩⏩Nation⏪⏪⏪ Drake Collection is following a similar marketing strategy, although it didn’t go through the same rigorous development process that the Gears of War remaster went through, and those were three games in one, not a singular title.

[guywazeldatatt]

Gears is my favorite Microsoft franchise and honestly this remaster was so well done. It's a shame that more care isn't put into other remasters/time and effort, instead of being a cheap cash-in. I would love Gears 2 Ultimate, but knowing how much time and effort they put into this it's just not feasible. Props to them though for doing this the right way..

[miyamoto]

Still can't beat TLOU Remastered quality though.
It's the highest rated quality remaster that sold millions of PS4s during its first few months since launch.

[t-hall785]

I have both games and it truly did outclass TLOU Remastered. I'm sorry but that game is just too overhyped. But besides that opinion, you can tell a lot more work was put into Gears than TLOU

[Ben Dover]

"But besides that opinion, you can tell a lot more work was put into Gears than TLOU"

lol... what? Wait... what? That's definitely enough internet for me for today. Holy damn..

[Immorals]

That game rated highly based on the merits of the original game, rather than the remaster. The remaster was rather basic when compared with others!

[Wallstreet37]

T-hall majority of us disagree and factually based off reviews alot of others do too :)

We all have opinions though.

[t-hall785]

Yep we all have our own opinions and we are all entitled to them. Didn't have a ps3 so i didn't play this when it initially dropped. But when i finally got my ps4 it was one of the first on my list due to the OPINIONS of editors and players alike. Meh. It was like Metal Gear Solid: Zombie Edition. I mean it was ok but nothing mind blowing.

[BLAKHOODe]

TLOU came out not too far before the new console generation, so I think a lot of people held off on buying it for that reason. When they released the remastered edition, all those people that skipped it before bought into it.

[Xb1ps4]

OH bs.... After I got ultimate edition a while later I got codes to get the other gears games for free... Tlou does not come close to the amount of content you get in gears even if ppl didn't get the other free games..

I have tlof on PS3 and remastered the game is great one of my faves but is pure bs if you love both games but feel tlou comes on top for the best remastered game..

I'm ready to lose a bubble for this comment

[Xb1ps4]

I don't get this comment at all... What did it for you? The 60fps option?

Blackhoode

That was my very thought of the situation when it was announced, why so soon? But I still got it.. And still loved it especially with the 60fps but it just doesn't come close to the gears remaster, he'll Imo it doesn't even come close to the master chief collection..

Guess I just look at games differently... I look for a great game and tons of content to go with it, not just a great game.. And again I love tlou and hope they are working on another...

[Rayven]

I liked TLOU on the PS4 but if other people say they don't like it, then it's fine with me.

But people stating their opinion as facts and dissenters as opinions are just trolling.

Don't forget to use your bubble vote people. Let's clean up n4g. Remember to use your head, not your gaming preference.

And to be clear, TLOU Remastered is not for those who already had it on their PS3, it was for those who haven't played it yet. If you bought it expecting it to look completely different with only a couple of years gap from the original, then you're not a smart consumer.

[lifeistranger]

@t-hall

it was a rip off of TWD to be honest. which was just really lame. I mean I guess the story was okay but gameplay? meh.

[Ben Dover]

@lifeistranger

And I guess The Walking Dead is a rip-off of Dawn of the Dead then. See what I did? Does that make the show any bad? Just because a certain game use the same setting or elements, doesn't make it a "lame rip off".

Sheez.. fanboys these days try to use any non-constructive fact to support their claims.

[spicelicka]

I think you're confusing the game with a remaster. TLOU is a brilliant game no doubt, you can argue it's one of the best games last gen.

BUT this is a discussion on remastering. TLOU was a simple upscale in resolution and 60 fps, also it was released just a year prior to the remaster, while Gears UE is 10 year old game remade from the ground up.

They literally remade the assets, that's what a remaster is. On top of that they remade the multiplayer, converted it to 60 fps, and have been supporting it since.

This is a difference akin to cleaning and polishing your car (TLOU) versus taking apart the frame and replacing it with a brand new modern one (Gears).

I personally think Halo MCC is the greatest remake, but Gears UE is right there under it.

[parentoftheyear]

TLOU, UNCHARTED, BEYOND SOULS, HEAVY RAIN, DISHONORED, MCC. There are hella good remasters. Expecially if people missed out on those. I didnt get to play B2S or Heavy Rain. Im super excited for the double pack.

[miyamoto]

The Last of Us is a simple remaster?????

In March 2014, information concerning a release of The Last of Us on PlayStation 4 was leaked.[6] This was followed by the appearance of the game, titled The Last of Us Remastered on the PlayStation Store on April 9, 2014;[7] Naughty Dog announced the game on the same day.[8] This enhanced version of the game features an increased draw distance, character models of higher resolution,[9] improved lighting and shadows, and an upgraded combat mechanic.[10] It runs a native 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second, with the option to lock the game at 30 frames per second.[11] At E3 2014, Sony announced that the game would be released on July 29, 2014.[12] Some of the downloadable content from The Last of Us is bundled with Remastered, including Left Behind and some multiplayer maps, while others require a separate purchase.[8]
I wish we had a button that was like 'Turn on PS4 Mode', but no. We expected it to be Hell, and it was Hell. ... These engineers ... optimized the game so much for the PS3's SPUs specifically. It was optimized on a binary level, but after shifting those things over [to PS4] you have to go back to the high level, make sure the systems are intact, and optimize it again.
“”
Neil Druckmann, Naughty Dog creative director, Edge, May 16, 2014[13]
In Remastered, character textures were increased by a factor of four, shadows were doubled and a new lighting process was implemented. The motion blur when turning the camera, used to hide slower loading textures, was reduced, and the game's environments look "crisper".[3] In addition, new settings were introduced to allow players to customize the game's audio channels, and the loading times were reduced, due to the game streaming from the hard drive as opposed to the disc.[3] One of the biggest developmental challenges was fitting all content onto one Blu-ray Disc. The changing of the in-game textures, and the inclusion of Left Behind, were the cause for this difficulty.[11] According to lead developer Christian Gyrling, Remastered "looked broken up until a week before shipping".[14]
Development on Remastered began shortly following the release of The Last of Us in June 2013. Though initially under light development, the team began working harder on Remastered when they saw the demand for it;[9] work on the game's code did not begin until a larger team was introduced to Remastered in February 2014. As development on the original game ended, the programmers expected that the game would be ported to the PlayStation 4, but planning and preparation did not begin until The Last of Us had launched.[14] The team aimed at creating a "true" remaster, maintaining the "same core experience"[11] and not changing any large story or gameplay elements.[15] For the game's frame rate, the team was initially split, with some preferring 30 frames per second rather than 60; when the game was running at the latter, the whole team became convinced.[11] The team that worked on Remastered was significantly smaller than the team for The Last of Us; in particular, the team did not include any designers, which led to various design issues remaining from the original game. Druckmann attributed this to the fact that Remastered was developed as a recreation of the original, altering only technical and graphical aspects.[13]

[Azzanation]

TLOU offered 1080 and an option for 60 frames or better shadows. Its a cheap remaster just like GoW3. Gears was improved all around the board. There is no comparison. TLOU ps3 and ps4 are basically the same game. Compare Gears 1 to Gears UE.

[Dark_Crow]

Concerning @t-hall785 comment.

For everybody else he wasnt saying The Last of Us game development put forth less effort. He was speaking of the REMASTER for ps4 compared to REMASTER of Gears for xbox one.

Clearly more effort was put in improving gears then in improving the last of us which already looked great.
There is not much effort involved in resolution jump and 60fps on a much more powerful device.

Seriously, reading comprehension guys.

[spicelicka]

Ok you just copy pasted a log with excessive detail about all the additions. None of that stuff is extraordinary really and many remasters add these things.

[ageofmythology]

Huge fan of quality remasters. Keep 'em coming.

[lifeistranger]

yeah but which ones are quality?

[xTheMercenary_]

So far have to say, Gears of war, TLOU and the nathan drake collection. Their might be a few more but cant remember. Although the nathan drake collection didn't have multiplayer, it was still an excellent remaster of the trilogy.

[Dark_Crow]

Halo MCC and yes I dont care about the multiplayer. I played it for the co op campaign therefore an awesome collection.

[Hoffmann]

Someone didnt play Gravity Rush: Remastered and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection.

[guywazeldatatt]

Actually I did and wasn't all that impressed. It's referenced in the article. Do you know what they went through to make GOW: UE? There's a reason why they aren't doing any more of them...

[Hoffmann]

I doubt the developer team could even say No if Microsoft would ask/order them to do a 2nd remaster. They are ownwed by MS after all.

Borderlands Handome Collection was another good remaster btw, alone already because the giant content bundled in that package + the better frame rates were a big improvement above the lastgen console versions.

Am just saying that your headline there about gow ue as the only title worth owning this gen is a bit..err...well. Its easy to disagree there. I myself would write something like "Gears of War UE is one of the best remasters seen on this console generation"

With a headline and article topic like that you are not indirectly baiting gamers that would disagree.

[Wallstreet37]

Regardless what they went through all those remasters mentioned are top quality and scored great. As a matter of fact lets add TLOU remastered, yeah that remaster sitting in mid 90s and is one of the highest rated exclusives this new generation :)

Not saying it isnt good but giant bomb even gave it a 40 saying graphical updates in sp werent that serious or fleshed out.

Sounds like a good remaster lets just not get ahead of ourselves with click bait titles like " the only remaster" wirth owning lol this gen.

[objdadon]

Well i never was impressed with gow anyway so opinions are just that......opinions.

[jb227]

So I assume you put more importance on graphics over gameplay then. Those titles cleaned up everything w/o wholesale changes (a good choice to me, when technicians clean up classic works of art, they don't add new colors entirely so as not to change the artists' original intent) & they got the fps up to a stable & smooth 60 fps whereas Gears opted for 30 in their campaign and even that had some significant frame drops.

There's a reason why most of the reviews for Gears:UE said that it felt dated, because The Coalition only worked to make it prettier graphically & not superior in the gameplay department.

[Sonyslave3]

The Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection didn't even have the multiplayer.

[guywazeldatatt]

also they remade 19 maps for Gears. and included some different modes. pretty damn impressive honestly.

[Hoffmann]

Must admit I never played Uncharted for the multiplayer modes.

[Master-H]

And The collection has 3 games. Gears Ultimate only has one game. You conveniently left that out to fit your argument.

[Tobsesan]

@master
Well gears ue has 4 games, because you get the others through bc

[moegooner88]

Playing Gravity Rush Remastered now and wow, it is almost impossible to guess it was a vita game at some points. Very well done

[nitus10]

Considering the Vita has a screen resolution of 960x544 pixels or "quarter HD" the transition to 1080p is impressive.

I have not played Gravity Rush yet although what may turn me off is it's supposed to be fairly short. I do have three huge RPG's to get through first so I will most likely keep an eye out for it in April/May.

[BossBattle]

I did play The Last Of US for PS4 and wasn't impressed like with the PS3. It didn't seem as captivating and that made me realize that there was little action in that game. I'm actually tired of remasters and think that this gen has become too dependent on them along with indies to fill in for their weak games lineup.

[Hoffmann]

Yeah, I agree. Am more a fan of real remakes of games that were released like 15 or 20 years ago and a remake can add stuff to these games that were just not possible at the time.

[t-hall785]

No multiplayer homie (Uncharted). No bueno.

Never played GR.

[Dark_Crow]

Yes youre right. In fact very few played gravity rush. How much did that sell?

[FoxyGotGame]

What hell do you care how much Gravity Rush sold? ..you were never going to play it anyway.

Some here are trolling die hards ....like a regular Beatrice Willis /

[Dark_Crow]

@PSguy
Not even gonna bother explaining why it matters.
You assume too much little fanboy.

[Resoula]

I'll have to try it when it comes to PC.

[Eonjay]

Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

[SCW1982]

Someone doesn't know the difference between a Remake and a Remaster.

[guywazeldatatt]

well it's kinda both. but still more a remaster and not a pure remake. multiplayer is totally revamped though.

[deafdani]

A lot of people don't know, actually.

[Kalebninja]

Considering Uncharted 2 and 3 and The Last of Us were some of last gens greatest game the remasters are worth owning just as much if not more than the gears remaster even if you've already played the games.

[guywazeldatatt]

Why? TLOU is fine on PS3, and Uncharted doesn't even have the multiplayer so it's not the full package. Gears was remastered and rebuilt and multiplayer revamped. How are those games more valid to own?

And Gears, though it came out in 2006, was one of last gens best games as well; you're selling it a bit short. But then again they're sony so I guess that counts for something.

[OB1Biker]

'they're sony so I guess that counts for something.'
what does that even mean? :/
I certainly find it weird to argue 30fps is that much better remastered than the ones he quoted. All of them are worth owning with their own qualities as a remaster I d say.
Im just genuinely surprised here

[sactownlawyer916]

"But then again they're Sony so I guess that's counts for something." Good job solidifying the opinion that you are just a biased fanboy. Another website to put on the blacklist to never visit. It amazes me when blatant click-bait articles like this get approved.

[Gorilla_Killa_X]

And I think you're selling Sony's remasters short but then again it's a Microsoft game so I guess that counts for something.

[DarXyde]

"But then again they're sony so I guess that counts for something."

That's not at all cynical of you to say. Kalebninja praises Naughty Dog games particularly and you jump to the conclusion that he feels they count simply because they're PlayStation titles? He could've also mentioned Gravity Rush, Final Fantasy X|X-2, Tearaway, and God of War III, but was clearly focused on one studio.

You say he is selling Gears of War short. How? He said those games are worth owning "just as much, if not more". Even if it ends at worth owning just as much, that is a huge compliment to Gears. It's a genuinely awesome game, as are Uncharted and The Last of Us.

I notice that, when you share articles written by yourself, you become very defensive as if you're unwilling to be challenged or disagreed with. I also see that many of your articles have a certain...baiting property to them. Okay, fine, you want hits. Whatever. Just don't expect people to be as agreeable as you'd like them to be.

And a piece of constructive advice: when someone offers a counterargument that happens to be collectively on a PlayStation platform, it's simply bad ethic to assume it's because it's Sony and they're infallible, etc. I don't think he said anything outlandish. Uncharted 2 and 3 were great games last gen. Among the best, I'd say. The Last of Us is a bloody masterpiece with far more game of the year accolades than I've ever seen for any game, period. Somehow, you would challenge that, particularly in your piece regarding The Last of Us not being a great game. I don't think that many outlets would be ignorant to its gameplay in favor of story. Likewise, here, you're very much selling the other "remasters" short. There's plenty of great work that went into Gears, but it's not the only one. worth talking about.

In short, I think you enjoy being antithetical.

[moegooner88]

Gravity Rush Remastered is absolutely brilliantly done. So much effort put into it.

[GameBoyColor]

Gravity rushed had a lot of work done on it. It looks amazing. Don't know why you wouldn't include it.

[jznrpg]

I have no interest in Gears remasters , I enjoyed the first one and 2nd was decent (mostly more of the same )and third was bleh. No need for me to go back and play them again. There are a few remaster I plan on playing but havent got to yet but I am sure those will be better for my tastes

[NorthernFrost]

I don't know if it's fair to say it's the only one worth owning. It might have the most effort put into it, but that doesn't mean HD remasters with less new content are worthless.

I personally value the HD remasters and "remakes" of games. It gives me a chance to play something old on a new console. This is huge for me and a lot of other people in the gaming community. The fact of the matter is, even if I own the physical copy of an old game, I'm going to be far more inclined to play it on Xbox One or PS4. It's just convenient and it will also have achievement/trophy support.

[ThePresentIsAgift]

Metro Redux stands head and shoulders above most and in line with the very best.

The Halo MCC gave the games a huge boost in visual fidelity and campaigns performance and eventually multiplayer performance too. It is really nice as they also added ODST for everyone's purchase cheaply to be able to dip in and out of the Halo's.

Uncharted collection is equally essential for any fan of the series. The worst redux of all, although it never claimed to be one either, Saints Row-literally the last generation code, bugs and all running on current generation hardware.

[Masterchief_thegoat]

Nah I got bored real quick back in 2006 was fun

[Wallstreet37]

Gravity Rush and Tlou remasters are top of the food chain, havent put Gravity down either im loving it.

[Allsystemgamer]

Halo, last of us, uncharted and gravity rush isn't worth buying?

Wow...

[magiciandude]

This and the Halo MCC are two amazing remasters. Microsoft delivers the very best goodies all generation long!

[Rookie_Monster]

MS makes the best Remasters that provide the best value to its fans from Gears 4 with remake textures from the grounds up and all 4 X360 BC titles included to Halo MCC with 4 games, all the maps, Halo 5 beta....both with MP and on dedicated servers. The standard of how remasters are to be done.

[Wallstreet37]

Halo mcc 😂 performed atrocious, especially the online for more than a year. It took them way longer than Drive Club to fix the online, it was basically unplayable.

You cant be serious with your fanboy nonsense. I mean we know you already but stop it lol

[Rookie_Monster]

Hey, at least MS didn't take away the Online and continue fixing it and got it fixed unlike another Remaster collection. ;)

I also got a free Halo ODST and 1 month free XBLIVE for the slight inconvenience, so no complaints from me. LOL

[ThePresentIsAgift]

The entirety of all the games campaigns were perfectly playable. The multiplayer was dire, not "it" the products scope and breadth wholesale. There was still plenty on offer and it was a huge undertaking involving multiple studios.

No remaster like that has ever been created before or after, funny how with the uncharted collection they just carved out the multiplayer entirely. There won't be any patches to update it's multiplayer performance EVER. Is that better?

I used to love uncharted 2's Co operative multiplayer and considered buying a PlayStation 3 again to play it as recently as last week.

[Tobsesan]

Mcc mp worked day 1, the Problem was matchmaking which took a long time. They fixed it a month later for the most part. You could still play custom games with your friends day 1 without problems. Dont talk shit about a game you never even tried. They made playlists across 4 games with 5 different engines with over 100 mp maps possible and you compare it to a racing game with Low playercount that got delayed 1,5 years....

[Subaruwrx]

@Rookie - in your opinion. Bluepoint did a great job with Uncharted and Gravity Rush. The lack of MP in the Uncharted collection is, in my opinion, no big deal since Uncharted games have always primarily been single player focused games. The same can't be said about Gears and Halo because MP was an important part of the experience they provided. TLOU did include MP and the remaster was widely praised and included the DLC.

[ninsigma]

Gears ultimate edition was a great remaster but I'd have loved if they'd fixed the awful A.I. I disagree that it's the only one worth owning. Tlou, uncharted collection and the MCC were all great remastered games that are worth owning. They're just the ones I've played, seems gravity rush remastered is very good too from the comments above me. Which is great new because the vita version was a great game.

[OpieWinston]

They did say they didn't want to mess with the code. And AI would be a big mess around.
Got to have that Authentic Co-op feel of "Oh my god the AI is going to get us killed" when you're doing Insane run with your buddy.(The parts you split up)

They did mess around with balancing in MP though but that's an entity in it's own right.

[ninsigma]

Ah yeah I don't blame them, it just would have been great if they could have. really there was only about 2 moments in the game that it was an issue.

[Kamikaze135]

Wind Waker and Uncharted were really amazing remasters. I know Uncharted is just 1 gen old, but it's a very early PS3 game and it got some great visual upgrades. If we're counting handhelds, I'd say Ocarina of Time should also be on that list. I also really enjoyed Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and wouls say it's one of the better remasters this gen, but it's rather silly to say it's the only remaster worth buying.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

The Gears of War ultimate had the most work put into it. The game looks like an 8 th gen title, unlike many other 'remasters ' which were simple HD ports. Plus it also launched at 40 bucks instead of $60.

[Mkai28]

Exactly, the game has texture /sound upgrades. 1080p @30fps single player co-op.. 1080p @60fps multiplayer. They redid the whole single player stages, cutscenes.. They redid all the multiplayer stages and added different stages from other sequels.

That's what the guy is talking about, everyone is mentioning uncharted and The Last Of Us? Maybe uncharted if it had multiplayer but last of us had a resolution upgrade and framerate.. I remember the walls looking like HD mud. ( muddy textures) which isn't a bad upgrade, just the coalition put forth more of an effort for $40..

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

I own the Nathan Drake collection and like that they touched up the games. Uncharted 1 while enchanced still didn't look as good as two or three and had some weird animations( magnum& shotgun kills )

[WeAreLegion]

That is some BS. It looks fine, but come on. Uncharted, The Last of Us, Windwaker HD, and Gravity Rush are much better remasterings. I don't care how much "work" went into the game. It's the end product I should be impressed with.

[AnubisG]

Someone is a huge Xbox fanboy.

[Night99]

I think the Halo Master Chief Collectionand, Gears of War and Wind Waker HD are the only Remasters who are worth to buying. This games are almost Remakes not only simple upscale Ports like all the Games Sony Remasters plus Gears and Halo include other upscale Sequels of the IPs and the Multiplayer in the package!

The effort Microsoft puts into Remasters is almost insane if you compare it with the lazy effort Sony puts in theirs.

I own the last of us remastered, ico/shadow of the colossus remastered, ratchet and clank and jak and daxter Remasterd Collections and all of them are just lazy upscale Ports, I not even need to mention the lazyest and shittiest of all the fullprice God of War 3 upscale Port.

But thanks god at least I don't wasted money on the last one.

[OpieWinston]

Yep I loved replaying Fable Anniversary.

The anniversary treatment is how remasters should be done.

[ageofmythology]

What about Dark Souls 2? The remaster had all the functions of the original game, plus all the DLC, and it ran at a beautiful 60FPS. Did everything I had ever hoped a DS2 remaster would do and became the absolute definitive way to play DS2 on consoles.

[guywazeldatatt]

The whole point of the article is they rebuilt the game, spent 18 months on it, rebuilt the multiplayer maps from the ground up, etc., which other remasters this console generation did not. That is why, in my mind, it is the one remaster worth owning. Just my opinion but you don't see this kind of care in any of the other remasters.

[Revolt13]

I'm 100% in the same mindset as you. My dude.

[Immorals]

People are more focused on the quality of the original game than the point of the article,THE REMASTER. Nothing comes close to Gears on that level.

[shabz666]

I love gears. Its possibly one of my top 5 game series of all time. But this remaster doesn't deliver on the single player front. There are performance hitches. And frame rate issues. On the multi player front it seems to go above and beyond with 60fps. But that is if you're interested in multiplayer. I feel they didn't give enough time for single player Polish. Gears has always been about campaign and horde for me.

[MrBeatdown]

"At the end of the day, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is the one remaster of this console generation that does not feel like a cheap cash-in and had a certain amount of care put into it beyond simply improving the graphical prowess of the title."

Because Grand Theft Auto V was definitely a cheap cash in with only some graphical improvements.

It's not like you could play from an entirely new perspective, had nearly double the players in multiplayer, additional content, the Rockstar editor, and regular free updates that PS3 and 360 can't support.

[Youngindy21]

He's right though. They did a pretty good job on Gears Ultimate. It is one of the only remasters this gen that looks significantly better than the original. All the other remasters only have small improvements.

[DarXyde]

Totally disagree with this article. First of all, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is a remake, not a remaster. Right away, that's the first mistake. Second, I would argue that The Wind Waker remake is a great buy as well. Heck, while we're at it, The Master Chief Collection is also well done, even if the multiplayer was wacky for a while.

Oh, and, if we're using remake and remaster interchangeably, just about every PlayStation 3 remaster is worth it. Reason? Many people from the U.S. are switching from Xbox 360 to PlayStation 4 this generation. It's pretty much a "here's what you missed". Now we've got everyone up to speed on Uncharted for Uncharted 4, Gravity Rush for Gravity Rush 2, a chance to play The Last of Us which is perhaps the most lauded game of the last generation. Valkyria Chronicles which may tie in to Valkyria: Azure Revolution.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is NOT the only remaster worth owning.

Edit: Let's not forget Ratchet once it drops.

[Hroach616]

Sssuuuuuurrree bud! I have it and it's a good remaster. But what about The Last of Us? The uncharted collection. These 3 are the top remasters in my opinion.

[nottfadeaway]

TLOU was not a great game. a solid game but not great. uncharted didn't even come with the multiplayer aspect. if it did then I would say it is up there. the only thing that TLOU did different really was come with the DLC which was kinda lame.

[Ilovetheps5]

Did you even play The Last of Us? That game is just an amazing game. It definitely fits in the "great" category.

[Immorals]

The Last of Us was just a bump in response and framerate, no matter how good the game,thats all it is.

[Lennoxb63]

TLOU is more of a great story. Its a decent game. It has the production quality of a top tier Hollywood movie. That's what made it so good.

But if you want talk about gameplay. That goes to most exclusives on Xbox. This isn't to say that the gameplay on PS exclusives are bad. They just don't focus on it as much as Xbox exclusives do.

[Doabarrelroll]

Yeah you forgot IMO at the end of that sentence.

[SCW1982]

Dumbest thing I have read in a while. Saying gameplay goes to Xbox makes no sense.

[OldGuyStillGaming]

B/C on X1=money saver
Gears ultimate was at$40-$60
X360 used $4.50

Guess which one I bought

[ThePresentIsAgift]

The one that looked ten years old?

[Mkai28]

He didn't buy non one of them, look @ his name..

[nottfadeaway]

The article backs its stuff up at least so I give it credit for that and some of the research that went into it, but honestly if we were to get a remake of Mass Effect 1 and then remasters of ME2 and ME3 with a fixed ending I think everyone would easily take that over GOW: UE.

[lifeistranger]

I just had to laugh at the bit about FFX/X-2. I still cannot believe they did a remaster, and then a remaster of the remaster. How lazy is square? And a lot of companies. there are some good remasters but a lot of lazy ones.

[Germany7]

The Last of Us
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Uncharted Collection
Gravity Rush Remastered
Grand Theft Auto V

All of them say hi.

[MasterCornholio]

I forgot the Windwaker one. But is that a remaster or a remake?

[Ilovetheps5]

Is Wind Waker HD considered a remaster? Because that game was done incredibly on the Wii U. The game looks phenomenal and the way the touch screen was incorporated made the game even more enjoyable.

[RedDeadLB]

Speaking of which, where is the PC version?

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I would've bought a One for the Gears Collection but after seeing Twitch Gameplay I'm glad I didn't. Weapon skins that make you stand out more than ever and the guns don't do damage like I remember back on 360. I totally hated that. Also wasn't Gears 1 the only game that truely was a full Remake out of the 3 remastered games?

And any Xbox fans trying to discredit TLOU... TLOU made you care more about Joel losing his daughter and captured that emotion wayyyyy better than Maria/Dom... And TLOU did it at the beginning of the game! Better writing in 1 game than a whole Gears franchise! I played them on 360, only loved Gears 1, and the Gears games story is awfully written.

I'm also tired of hearing Gears has horror elements... Not even once did that game do anything horror. Maybe in Gears 1 when the locusts are flanking in the rain and you see them off in the woods when the lighting strikes. But that wasn't horror and it didn't create tension...

[ffan4life]

Gears is a totally different kind of game. It's more of that summer blockbuster flick with over the top action. Yeah there's drama and story, but, to compare the two, that's just dumb. And only one had SOME horror elements, it's not a horror series by any standards.

[TeamLeaptrade]

I haven't played it yet, but it's on my list of games to pick up eventually. I hear it's a good remaster. I like when they release remasters of games that are nearly 10 years old, it makes more sense to me this way.

[randomguy35]

Although I really like gears I'd take The Master Chief Collection as best remake/remaster this gen. Four games(five if you got it around release) even tho it was broken for a couple months the value there is just insane. Gears Ultimate is buggy as hell in some areas but it's not game breaking just annoying. If the Uncharted collection had online mp it would be my top overall tho.

[FN4GM]

Well you're wrong Morgan but you have a platform from which to spout your BS and hyperbole so please carry on. Still say these opinion pieces should be subtitled as such, as that's all they are.

[Tobsesan]

My opinion;
Best remasters with best value this gen:
- Handsom Jack collection, epic amount of playtime with great coop
- MCC, 5 games with one of them completely remade, the halo 5 beta, TV series and over 100 mp maps.
- Rare replay, 30 games for 30 $ with great challenges

I think gears ue is good, but it still has alot of Bugs and the Sound is a little off sometimes. Mp was great but the sp campaign showed its age.

[ffan4life]

I don't mind the campaign showing some of it's age...it's a 9 year old game. They did an amazing job rebuilding it though and making it fresh and familiar at the same time and i love that.

[PX54]

Given that it's only available on the XBOne (which I don't currently own), and having played the originals, I would say it's not worth owning as it's not a console seller. I'm not going to buy a console I don't currently have just to play a remaster.
That being said I didn't buy a PS4 for any remaster either, though I did buy GTA V again - and I also have the Nathan Drake Collection after having owned all the PS3 versions.

[MasterCornholio]

I'm just happy the general public doesn't believe that. Not that the Gears Remastered is bad or anything (its not) but there are other remasters that deserve to be bought.

Remasters like The MCC, Nathan Drake Collection, GTAV, Tomb Raider Definitive edition, DarkSouls 2 Scholar of the First Sin, Heavy Rain Remastered, The Last of Us Remastered etc.

Gears is great but it isn't the only remaster worth buying.

There are some remasters that are not worth buying like the Saints Row 3 Remastered among others.

[masseffectfan4e]

I want my Mass Effect remake/remaster.

Gears is okay but there are some games that need it more. I would love a Skyward Sword HD too since that game was really made for HD but looks meh because the water color effect didn't really come out as it should have in 480.