Nine years might as well be an eternity in video game time. Although the first Gears of War was a hugely innovative, forward-thinking take on the third-person shooter when it arrived in 2005 on the Xbox 360, two sequels and one spin-off later, today it's a respected piece of history.

Visual enhancements; Core game mostly holds up; Includes bonuses from the PC version

Only includes the first game; Some modes more improved than others; Missing innovations introduced in later games

Editor's Note: Six months after its Xbox One release, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition has come to PC for Windows 10. And although the game's core is intact, complete with controls and level design that raised the bar for third-person shooters in 2006, the technical issues are far more pervasive on...

Dark and personal campaign; Tight controls and cover mechanics

Frustrating AI; Late-game campaign is a slog; Numerous technical issues on PC

What made Gears great almost 10 years ago still makes Gears great today. It's a beautiful game with smart cover mechanics, great core combat, and commitment to an over-the-top tone.

Strong style; Fun special encounters; Satisfying combat; Great graphics

Overused "A" button

When I initially reviewed Gears of War: Ultimate Edition for the Xbox One it was a bit of a letdown. The collection for Halo, The Master Chief Collection, was so well done that it made GoW: Ultimate Edition feel like a major letdown.

Numerous gameplay modifications; absolutely gorgeous visuals; additional content is great for people who never played the previous PC version

Visuals fail in a few spots; online multiplayer still sucks; no extra modes; abuses video cards

It's been nearly a decade since the original Gears of War debuted on the Xbox 360. A masterpiece for its time, Gears of War established drop-in/drop-out co-op play as a viable option for a third-person shooter.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition adds a nice visual shine and beefs up multiplayer but neglects some noticeable issues with the campaign. The updated and jam-packed multiplayer component stands in stark contrast to the campaign, which adds five previously PC-exclusive chapters and adjusts checkpoints...

All in all, I think Gears of War: Ultimate Edition owns up to its subtitle quite well. It's not a perfect remake, but it's enough of a step up to warrant a look, dependent on how much you enjoy the series as a whole, or the original game.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition provides XBox One owners a great third person shooter experience as you attempt to save humanity from the locust hoard

The 20 maps featured in the game still feel as great as they did in the past and playing modes such as King of the Hill made me appreciate them more now than in the past. Despite the overall balance issues, the multiplayer still manages to keep its charm after all these years, resulting in some...

I'd say yes, the game's definitely worth owning if you're a fan of the original and you want to take a Lancer and sever a Locust in two with a a friend. Single player is just as frustrating at times since the AI still manages to go down frequently and forces you to break cover to rescue them, before...