E3 is in the air, and we can expect a steady stream of leaks and teases as all the major companies prepare to show off their latest in greatest next month in LA. One game that we’ve been almost positive we’re going to see at Microsoft’s MSFT +2.27% press conference on Monday is Gears of War, and it looks like some footage from an Xbox One remastered edition of the 2006 original has leaked online. The footage originally appeared on XboxDVR before being yanked, but soon started popping up around the Internet. A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment.
Footage and screenshots appear to show a version of Gears of War with improved textures, lighting, framerate and particle effects: at this point, it seems almost certain that we’ll be getting some version of a re-release, whether it’s called “The Marcus Fenix Collection,” “Gears of War Remastered,” “Gears of War Ultimate Edition,” or something else. As with all remasters, the new footage looks more or less like I remember the game looking all those years ago, but comparison shots remind us the degree to which we view past graphics with rose-colored glasses…
Microsoft has promised a huge focus on exclusive IP at this year’s press conference, and so I’d expect to hear about this just before the first reveal of the next chapter in the Gears of War series: something like what the company did with Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Halo 5 last year. Let’s hope this goes a little more smoothly than that did.
Microsoft acquired Gears of War from Epic Games in 2014, handing the franchise off to Black Tusk studios and promising, if not a reboot, a stronger embrace about what made the original so engaging. We’ve had four Gears of Wars so far, with 1 and 2 ranking among my favorite games on the Xbox 360 and 3 proving a massive, overwrought disappointment. Judgement still managed a respectable Metacritic score, but low sales made sure that Microsoft will be bringing some kind of change to the franchise as we move into the Xbox One generation.
Via: Forbes.com
