Lake Monster on Gears of War 2

Gears of War was the first title that welcomed me to a new generation of gaming. With the purchase of my Xbox 360, came one of the most memorable games of my younger years. I adored Gears of War. It was brutal, intense, exhilarating and its multiplayer blew my mind. Now however, the Gears of War Ultimate Edition on the XBOX One has shown me that, just like these games here, this classic has not aged well!

We're aware that Gears of War 4 is gearing up for a degree of betrayal on its release date. Rod Fergusson said that he'll have to innovate on the original formula in order to keep fans surprised. However, he also stated that he'll be returning to the roots of the series in order to reestablish the tone and atmosphere that the original still evokes. Is that a bad thing if the Ultimate Edition wasn't that impressive?

Now, I'm aware that I'm in the minority when it comes to the critical consensus on the Gears of War Ultimate Edition. However, I stand by the fact that I really don't think the game has aged very gracefully. The great shooting mechanics and multiplayer are intact, but in terms of its dialogue, level design, and general campaign - I was not impressed, things were very uneven. Everything can't age as well as Jeff Goldblum, you know!

For me, the Gears of War franchise got better with age. Gears of War 2 took everything I loved about the original at the time and created a far superior product. Even Gears of War 3 managed to raise the bar and give us one of the greatest multiplayer experiences of the last generation. But is my lack of love for the Gears of War Ultimate Edition indicative of failings with Gears of War 4?

I'd love to hear your opinion on the demonstration of Gears of War 4 at E3 earlier this year! Personally, I was none to impressed by what was on display. Granted, it was a short teaser and it was nice to see some gameplay. But the characters seemed flat, the game was creating atmosphere just by making it REALLY dark, and I wasn't getting that true Gears vibe.

It's unfair to judge this far from release date, but I'd love to hear what you think about both the Ultimate Edition and how Gears of War 4 looked! Hit us up in the comments, Gears fans.