Microsoft will be launching a bunch of Xbox One bundles later this year in North America. One of the most popular releases should be the Xbox One Gears of War: Ultimate Edition 500GB Bundle. So is the product worth buying for those who are interested in Microsoft’s current-gen console or are you better off searching for another alternative? Let’s take a look at several factors, including a breakdown of what’s included.
Pricing
Fortunately, you do not have to pay anything extra for the Xbox One Gears of War: Ultimate Edition 500GB Bundle as Microsoft is including the game at no additional costs. Out of all of the other upcoming bundles being released this year in North America (FIFA 16, Forza Motorsport 6, Halo 5: Guardians and Madden NFL 16), the Gears one is the cheapest. You can check out its current price on Amazon with this link.
500 GB Xbox One System
With that said, the Gears of War bundle only comes with a 500 GB hard drive when compared to the 1GB HDD SKU that is being released with the FIFA 16, Forza Motorsport 6, Halo 5: Guardians and Madden NFL 16 bundles.
Fortunately, Microsoft made it very easy to add more space to the Xbox One. While you can’t swap the internal HDD of the console, you will be able to use an external storage device (the only requirements are that it requires USB 3.0 in addition to having a capacity of at least 256 GB).
So, while you can run out of space pretty quickly with the 500 GB internal hard drive, you can easily add more space with an external device such as the Seagate Expansion 5TB Desktop External Hard Drive USB 3.0 (which you can check out with this page). In the long run, the difference between 500 GB and 1 TB shouldn’t be that big of a factor.
Along with the 500 GB hard drive, you will be getting a standard black console with the updated Xbox One Wireless Controller (which comes with a 3.5mm headset jack). So don’t expect any special artwork or logos on the console or gamepad.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
The original Gears of War is one of the most influential games of last-generation as it popularized cover-based third-person shooting. Even by today’s standards, the Xbox 360 version holds up very well, especially when playing cooperatively. Not to mention that a lot of Gears fans still prefer the competitive multiplayer of the first game over the sequels.
In the Ultimate Edition, The Coalition (the developer behind the upcoming Gears of War 4) is teaming up with Splash Damage in remastering the classic game. Gears of War will be running at a native 1080p resolution on the Xbox One. Furthermore, the studios also recreated many assets, including the characters, cut scenes, environments and lighting. Last but not least, it will also run at 60 frames per second.
In terms of gameplay, the Xbox One version uses a modernized control scheme and user interface based on Gears of War 3. It will also have sensitivity customization in addition to taking advantage of the haptic feedback, improved input acceleration and other features from the Xbox One Wireless Controller.
For in-game content, the development teams are adding five chapters of the campaign that were previously exclusive to the PC release in addition to all 19 multiplayer maps (including those that were formerly only found in the computer port). Exclusive to the Xbox One game are three new multiplayer modes: 2 vs. 2, King of the Kill and Team Death Match.
Last but not least, gamers who buy Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will get access to the Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta, which is expected to occur in early 2016.
As you can see above, the Xbox One version still have plenty to offer even if you play the Xbox 360 and PC releases to death.
Xbox 360 Gears of War Collection
Customers who buy and play Gears of War: Ultimate Edition early will also get another great bonus. Microsoft will give players the digital Xbox 360 versions of Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3 and Gears of War: Judgment for free.
For the uninformed, Microsoft announced at E3 2015 that Xbox One will get getting backward compatibility support with the Xbox 360 later this fall. So, you will be able to play the entire Gears collection on the Xbox One. To be eligible, you must play the Ultimate Edition at least once between 25th of August through the end of 2015.
With the added incentive, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, which already offers plenty of value, just got even better.
Digital Only
The only potential issue we see in the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Xbox One 500GB Bundle is that the videogame comes in the form of a digital download. Thus, you are out of luck if you prefer a physical disc copy.
Recap
The Xbox One Gears of War: Ultimate Edition 500GB Bundle may be the best reason to yet to buy Microsoft’ current-gen console. The product not only comes with the remastered release of Gears of War, it also includes the digital Xbox 360 versions of Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3 and Gears of War: Judgment. In terms of value, it is easily the best upcoming Xbox One bundle.
As long as you don’t mind having to download all of the aforementioned games, the product is a must-buy even if you only have the slightest of interests in the Gears series. You can preorder the bundle, which is coming out in North America on the 25th of August, with this link.