Gears of War Ultimate Edition Suddenly Available on PC

[Steven Bogos]

Gears of War Ultimate Edition Suddenly Available on PC

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After months of silence, Gears of War Ultimate Edition is now available for purchase exclusively for Windows 10 via the Windows Store.

Microsoft wasn't kidding about its push to you can now buy the game on the Windows store [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/166666-Microsoft-to-Unify-Xbox-One-PC-Gaming] (and only on the Windows store).

The game will set you back $29.99 and is only available for Windows 10. This means that if you have any version of Windows below 10, or are using any other kind of app store (like Steam), you can't play the game.

The PC release comes a full six months after the original Xbox One release, but Microsoft promises some extra goodies for PC gamers. First and foremost: the game is much, much prettier on PC. Microsoft says that the Xbox One version of the game is only equivilant to "medium" settings on the PC, and support for 4K displays and unlocked refresh rates means those with PCs beefier than Marcus Fenix's pecs can get some glorious visuals.

PC gamers will also get the Deluxe Weapon Skin Pack and 11 bonus multiplayer character skins.

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Originally, Gears of War was released on the PC exclusively via the Games for Windows LIVE service. When the service closed down [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126910-Games-for-Windows-PC-Marketplace-Closes-This-Month] in 2013, there was no legitimate way for gamers to buy, or play the game on PC.

As a PSA: we warn you that various reports [http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2016/03/01/gears-of-war-ultimate-edition-on-pc-is-a-disaster-for-amd-radeon-gamers/#4e5909547e7e] are floating around the internet suggesting that the game runs poorly on AMD cards. Purchase at your own risk!

Source: Microsoft [https://news.xbox.com/2016/03/01/gears-of-war-ultimate-edition-now-available-windows-10/]

Permalink

 

[Zontar]

So it finally comes to PC, and Microsoft is so unaware of the state of PC gaming that they think it will move the modern iteration of the failed Games for Windows Live.

Congratulations, they won't be getting my money.

 

[Worgen]

Oh neat I kinda wouldn't mind... Oh, windows store, I don't feel like ever turning that on despite using 10.

 

[Zhukov]

Well, that's a worrying precedent.

I mean, it's a HD rerelease of a decade old game that was the worst in its series anyway so I couldn't give a crispy fried shit.

But I wonder if Microsoft has the pull to make other games Windows 10 and totally-not-GFWL exclusive.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Windows 10? Windows store exclusive? Well, that was a one-two punch to the nads of any desire to buy this.

 

[Supernova1138]

Well, that's a worrying precedent.

I mean, it's a HD rerelease of a decade old game that was the worst in its series anyway so I couldn't give a crispy fried shit.

But I wonder if Microsoft has the pull to make other games Windows 10 and totally-not-GFWL exclusive.

Microsoft is going to be pulling this shit for all the titles they publish, so stuff like Gears of War, Killer Instinct, Quantum Break and whatever other Xbone exclusives they decide to port over. I don't think any other publishers are going to make their games exclusive to the Windows Store, though we might see some publishers offer it on the Windows Store along side Steam and other stores like Squeenix is doing with Rise of the Tomb Raider.

In any case, lots of people aren't happy with games on the Windows Store right now due to restrictions placed on them, eg. forced Vsync locked to 60FPS regardless of monitor refresh rate, forced borderless window mode, meaning no SLI or Crossfire support, and the game files are all locked down removing the possibility of modding. As it stands, there is no reason to buy anything on the Windows store unless it is exclusive to that platform and you want to play it really badly despite all the current limitations of that platform.

 

[DarklordKyo]

What I want to know is if it looks pretty enough to justify the file size. According to PCGamingWiki, it's 60 GB, a little under six times the original 12 GB file size. If anyone played it, was it enough of a visual leap to justify the large space requirements?

Edit: Also, OP misspelled equivalent, just wanted to point that out.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

Microsoft isn't doing themselves any favors by trying to push a broken piece of software onto its customers.

I work at a computer repair shop, and I frequently get computers that crashed while they were upgrading to Windows 10. If that happens, it fucks the entire hard drive; it has to be wiped and re-imaged in order to make it usable again. On top of that, it's not uncommon for a Windows Update to get corrupted on installation and make the entire OS practically unusable.

I wouldn't mind playing GoW for the nostalgia factor, but if doing so requires me to use a useless piece of software, I'll pass.

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

Oh thank god, It is contained by that windows 10. Good to see Microsoft doing ethical practices against their profits.

(by mistake)

 

[chadachada123]

Well hey, that sounds pretty coo- wait, nope, nevermind. Not a chance in hell am I going to "upgrade" to 10 for this.

 

[Lillowh]

Lol, the amount of hate on this for nothing other than a free os upgrade and a new distribution platform is just plain alarming. I get it, steam is handy, I loved steam for the longest time, but it's NOT GOOD FOR THE ECOSYSTEM. Oh no it requires Windows 10? It's free just like steam was when they forced it for half life. People seem to forget steam was kinda a steaming pile of garbage when it launched, too. This whole mentality of avoiding a free operating system upgrade and with it the integrated support for Xbox live and entirely new suite of Direct3D stuff because it's not on steam, is worrying due to the state of monopoly that people seem to be supporting here. Valve did and do the same things people complain about now, just has a veil of console-level "fanboyism" around it.

Also worrying but far less scary is the lack of ANY marketing for this. Like...really? Out of nowhere?

 

[Bob_McMillan]

That's cool I guess.

I'm pretty sure if they hadn't restricted it to only Windows 10, people would be labeling this as the final nail on the supposed coffin of the Xbone.

 

[Snotnarok]

Everyone is glossing over this ...really interesting bit of news here that a console game is now on PC and like Quantom Break likely is a Cross Buy thing. So you buy it on Xbox and you can play it on PC without buying a new version- yet it's upgraded. Console, to PC, anyone else not seeing this weird Berlin Wall style thing happening?

Yes, windows=MS but never has windows=xbox or games that go cross that kinda boundaries.

Irritatingly most of the windows 10 comments I hear are from people who've never used it, just 'heard from a guy that it's shit'. WIN10 saved my ass a lot of work when I had to replace half my computer and instead of having to reinstall my OS and all my work software it just identified everything and worked.

 

[The Enquirer]

I can't be the only one concerned about the fact that it reportedly runs poorly on AMD cards meanwhile that's the same brand of GPU that their console uses, am I? I'm really hoping this isn't some precedent that's being set, poorly ported games that require windows 10.

 

[Metalrocks]

ah, i title i always had some interest and its not even that expensive......oh, win 10 only and not even available on steam? sorry, i buy nothing over win store and my gaming rig has only win 7. but just alone for getting it over win store is a no-buy for me.
MS, you never learn, do you? you could sell so much much more if you make it available for previous win verisons and purchasable over steam.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

I might take a look at it, if someones mod it so the crappy brown/grey filter is gone.

 

[Vigormortis]

Forty bucks for an HD remake of a decade-old Xbox360 game that runs poorly on the very brand of GPU the original console version ran on? AND it's only available for Win10? (even though it seemingly makes use of none of Win10's DX features)

Mmm, no thanks. While I might've been interested, if only for nostalgia's sake, there's too much sketchy nonsense attached to this. Seems I'm better off just booting up the old game on my 360.

Now I'll admit, if the price goes down to $20~$30 and they fix the issues, I may be interested again. Until then...

:/

Lol, the amount of hate on this for nothing other than a free os upgrade and a new distribution platform is just plain alarming. I get it, steam is handy, I loved steam for the longest time, but it's NOT GOOD FOR THE ECOSYSTEM. Oh no it requires Windows 10? It's free just like steam was when they forced it for half life. People seem to forget steam was kinda a steaming pile of garbage when it launched, too. This whole mentality of avoiding a free operating system upgrade and with it the integrated support for Xbox live and entirely new suite of Direct3D stuff because it's not on steam, is worrying due to the state of monopoly that people seem to be supporting here. Valve did and do the same things people complain about now, just has a veil of console-level "fanboyism" around it.

Also worrying but far less scary is the lack of ANY marketing for this. Like...really? Out of nowhere?

Couple questions, if I may...

- Other than their own games (of which also released on numerous consoles), what games have Valve made exclusive to Steam?

- Windows 10 being "free" somehow negates all criticism against it? And why should we be more forgiving just because it includes "Live support"?

- What if someone, like myself, has actually used Windows 10 and the Windows Store and has decided both are atrocious and unnecessary? Am I just a "fanboy" for not liking them?

- Steam was most assuredly a "steaming pile of garbage" when it launched...back in 2003. It's been thirteen years since then. Thirteen years of lessons learned and technological advancement. So, what excuse does Microsoft (and others like EA) have for launching their own services in such abysmal states, given the breadth of experience to draw from on how to do it properly?

- Given the existence of services like Origin, Uplay, GOG Galaxy, Desura, Humble Bundle, etc, and the definition of "monopoly" being this [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monopoly], how can anyone still argue Steam has a monopoly?

- Why conflate using a specific digital distribution platform with changing to a different OS?

There are a LOT of things to criticize Valve and Steam over. Why all this nonsense?

 

[Janichsan]

- Other than their own games (of which also released on numerous consoles), what games have Valve made exclusive to Steam?

While I generally won't disagree with you, I have to point out that there are actually quite a lot non-Valve games exclusive to Steam on PC: all Call of Duty titles from MW2 on, almost every 2K title from the last couple of years (Bioshock Infinite, Borderlands, Civilization, XCOM, NBA, etc.), the Dark Souls games, all recent SEGA games (amongst others Total War, Alien: Isolation), all recent Squeenix games (Hitman since Absolution, Tomb Raider 2013, Deus Ex since HR)... the list goes on an on.

You might be able to purchase the Steam key in other stores (e.g. the Humble Store), but you'll have to use Steam nonetheless.

 

[inmunitas]

- Other than their own games (of which also released on numerous consoles), what games have Valve made exclusive to Steam?

While I generally won't disagree with you, I have to point out that there are actually quite a lot non-Valve games exclusive to Steam on PC: all Call of Duty titles from MW2 on, almost every 2K title from the last couple of years (Bioshock Infinite, Borderlands, Civilization, XCOM, NBA, etc.), the Dark Souls games, all recent SEGA games (amongst others Total War, Alien: Isolation), all recent Squeenix games (Hitman since Absolution, Tomb Raider 2013, Deus Ex since HR)... the list goes on an on.

You might be able to purchase the Steam key in other stores (e.g. the Humble Store), but you'll have to use Steam nonetheless.

There is no exclusivity deal with any of the games as far as I know, it's just the publisher/developer that simply hasn't bothered to make those games available via other systems. Plus Steam is just a store where as Windows is a platform, tying games to Windows Store means no Mac or Linux versions.

 

[AstaresPanda]

So0o0o0o0 rebuy a game i got on my pc like 10 years ago, only yo be screwed outta Gears 2 and 3 just as i was with Halo 2 and 3 etc. No deal.