Gears Reloaded doesn’t just remaster the game — it preserves the people behind it

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One subject generating a lot of buzz within the gaming world is the issue of credits, specifically ensuring that game developers and contributors are duly acknowledged for their work. Given this, I was keen to play Gears of War: Reloaded, curiosity piqued about how Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox Game Studios remaster would handle crediting the teams involved in its production.

While it’s regrettable that such news is necessary, a troubling truth persists: Many large corporations still fail to give proper credit for work.

What caught my attention about Gears of War: Reloaded was that it’s actually the second remaster of the original game, following the work done by The Coalition with the 2015 release of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. As soon as I started playing Gears of War: Reloaded, I wanted to know how they handled the credits for this game. Upon going to the Extras section, I was pleased to find that each and every layer of credit for Gears of War: Reloaded is individually accessible and viewable.

This method is quite appealing, and I hope more video game remakes and remasters will adopt it in the future. It’s easy to find, not overly complex, and each individual credit can be viewed separately without needing to watch the entire credits if you’re only interested in a specific part.

After completing the campaign, the credits are presented sequentially, starting with Gears of War: Reloaded, followed by Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and ending with the original credits for Gears of War. The credits transition seamlessly across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and even Xbox 360, ensuring that every generation is represented, which I find commendable.

Video game crediting isn’t always done right, especially with remasters

It’s regrettable that instances of inappropriate credit recognition continue to be prevalent, particularly in the gaming industry. This issue is especially noticeable when it comes to remasters and remakes, where oversights and even deliberate exclusions are distressingly common.

For instance, the Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for Nintendo Switch failed to acknowledge the team responsible for the original Wii game, merely stating that the game was based on their work without providing specific credit.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a new issue with Nintendo. As far back as 2023, former Retro Studios staff spoke out against Nintendo regarding the crediting setup in Metroid Prime Remastered for Nintendo Switch.

In other words, previous work should not be eliminated, as it can either inspire a new version or serve as the base for an updated one.

In a less prominent manner, the game credits the original team responsible for creating Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (Mars remaster) as “Dedicated to the original production team and content.” This approach is not as inclusive or informative as providing individual credit for each member of the team.

Hopefully Gears of War: Reloaded can serve as an example

In the future, we anticipate seeing more video games undergo remastering akin to Gears of War: Reloaded. It’s essential to preserve previous work, whether it acts as a catalyst for remakes or forms the basis for remasters.

In my assessment of Gears of War: Reloaded, I stated that “The visuals are enhanced upon the foundation of an earlier remaster, resulting in a more visually striking experience than I initially anticipated after playing it. Nostalgia can be deceiving, but the overall improved visual quality surpasses my expectations.”

Gears of War: Reloaded is now playable on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam and Xbox PC), and PlayStation 5. The game is also accessible through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

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2025-08-26 18:09