In 2015, The Coalition released Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, a remaster of the original Gears of War game with improved visuals and other new bells and whistles. Since then, fans have been wondering if the other games in the Gears of War series may one day get a similar treatment. A recent tweet by the official Gears of War Twitter page kicked up rumors that a Gears of War 2 remaster could be next in line, but those rumors have since been put to rest.
The Gears of War Twitter page showed an image of someone holding some loose COG tags, which are the Gears of War universe equivalent of military dog tags. The image was somewhat reminiscent of the Gears of War 2 cover art, so speculation started running rampant that it was a legitimate tease for Gears of War 2 Remastered. Instead of letting fans have false hope, the Gears of War Twitter account shut the rumors down, saying, "We LOVE the enthusiasm...but we are all Gears 5 up over here."
Fan reaction to this has been mixed. Some are relieved that The Coalition will instead be working on the inevitable Gears of War 6 and continuing its support for Gears 5, while others feel let down because they wanted to play a Gears of War 2 remaster. But now that the fans have displayed an appetite for such a game, maybe Microsoft will reconsider the possibility.
Like the first game, Gears of War 2 was critically-acclaimed and a best-seller for Xbox. It made a number of major innovations for the franchise, adding bots to the offline versus multiplayer modes and introducing the world to Horde mode. Gears of War 2's Horde mode has been hugely influential in shooter games, with countless other titles copying it and trying to replicate its success.
Gears of War 2 had a profound impact on the Gears of War franchise, and is quite easily one of the most important games in the series. It was also notable for having an even darker storyline than the first game, shining a big spotlight on Dom and his missing wife, and not shying away from killing off main characters. Considering how integral it is in the Gears of War timeline, it's not surprising that fans were excited at the possibility of a Gears of War 2 remaster.
While a proper Gears of War 2 remaster may not be in the works, the game is still playable on modern consoles. Xbox One and Xbox Series X owners can both play Gears of War 2 thanks to the backward compatibility program, and the game is available with an Xbox Game Pass subscription as well.
Gears of War 2 is available now for Xbox 360.