STACK #250 August 2025

GAMING FEATURE

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Not only does Gears of War: Reloaded support cross-platform play, but it also supports cross platform progression as long as you have an Xbox account. Yes, even on PS5! GET CROSS!

BUG OUT! cosmetics – which will impress some, of course – there’s also a handful of new multiplayer maps. The big pull, however, is the inclusion of some 90 minutes of extra campaign. Whether you’re new to Gears or a battle hardened old hand, control-wise you have options. The classic controller layout is present and accounted for, but there’s also a “modern,

Just when you thought it was safe to step foot on the planet Sera, the Locust Horde is back! Thankfully so is Marcus Fenix with his Delta Squad crew, as Gears of War: Reloaded hits the PS5 this month, bringing the Xbox 360 original back using up-to-the minute technology. Words Amy Flower T his isn’t the first time that the OG Gears of War has been given a makeover, with the Ultimate Edition released ten years ago. It is,

Gears of War was initially planned as a horror game, heavily influenced by Resident Evil 4 . DYK?

streamlined” arrangement that echoes advancements in shooters over the past 20 or so years. Yes, it’s been that long! Ultimately, multiplayer really is where this puppy’s at, be it local or online co-op or – advisably when you’re really, really, ridiculously good - hitting those multiplayer maps in the likes of Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and Warzone. If you’ve very little idea as to what’s going on then you will be dead before you can say “...” Really, you will be SO dead. But, if your equipment supports it, one consolation is that you’ll have taken it all in at anywhere up to a glorious 120fps. Of course, the PS5 offers its own smorgasbord of top tech, and it’s all been taken advantage of in this update. The haptic feedback of the DualSense controller? Check! The DualSense speaker? Check! Adaptive triggers? Check again! Then there are the other PS5 abilities, including the benefits for lighting, shadows, and reflections brought by advanced raytracing, HDR, VRR (variable refresh rate), Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and speedy-as SSD load times for a more seamless blasting experience.

however, the first time that we’ve been able to get into Gears on a PlayStation. So, we were able to accept Marcus Fenix going the Botox route thanks to that 1080p offering back then - but wait until you see him in 4K at 60 frames per second! Yes, here the big lug is, looking pretty spectacular for the treatment. As does the rest of the original Gears of War , having also undergone a significant graphical overhaul, powered by Unreal Engine. Originally hitting the Xbox 360 back in 2006, Gears of War was quite a revolutionary shooter, especially in how it used hiding in cover as a critical component of not getting killed. Rather than blowing several shades of goop out of other humans, you were tasked with defeating hordes of icky Locusts – which are kind of bug/humanoid hybrids. You still are, of course, but this time everything, as we’ve mentioned, looks significantly better as you soldier on through the five-act campaign. But that’s not all! We also score

DYK?

Marcus Fenix is voiced by John DiMaggio, who many may recognise as the voice of the wonderfully sleazy robot Bender in Matt Groening’s Futurama .

a veritable mountain of DLC – all the game’s post-launch content from over the years - and without costing a single extra red (or other colour) cent! While some of it is just

• Gears of War: Reloaded is out Aug 27

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