The Gears of War Ultimate Edition released this week and did not include a corresponding strategy guide in publication. The Ultimate Edition is simply a prettied up version of the original Xbox 360 game, right? So the original Gears of War strategy guide by Doug Walsh should work all the same. I had the same thoughts, but after seeing what happened with the Kingdom Hearts remixed HD versions, I didn’t want to take anything to chance. After playing the game last week with the original guide by my side, the verdict is both yes and no.
Yes, you can use the original Gears of War strategy guide, but only for the first four acts of the game. All of the strategies are perfectly sound for getting through the levels, and all of the COG tags are exactly where the strategy guide describes. I only missed one, and that was because I got distracted with one of the more tense scenes in the first Act.
No, you can’t use the original Gears of War strategy guide for Act 5. The Ultimate Edition added in the missions that remained on the cutting room floor but were put back in for the PC version of the original game. There are roughly five missions from Act 5 not mentioned at all in this strategy guide. If you need help, go find something online and make sure you look for the PC version until the Ultimate Edition walkthroughs are published. Three COG tags are also not mentioned in the original strategy guide either, forcing players to once again look online for assistance.
However, the last half of Act 5 is sound, and all COG tags mentioned in the guide for this portion are 100% there.
No, you can’t use the original Gears of War strategy guide for the multiplayer. The multiplayer portion of the game has completely changed since this strategy guide first release. All of the maps from the DLC and the PC version have been added, PC modes and modes from Gears 2 have been added, and the modes have been tweaked. Some of the advice for how to amp up your multiplayer prowess is still solid, but when it comes to map specifics, it’s best to ignore it all and just hurl yourself into the fray with that shotgun by your side.
If you already own the original Gears of War strategy guide, pull that baby out and use it to help find some of those sneaky COG tags. If you didn’t buy it the first time around, I’m not sure you’ll find your money’s worth in picking up a used copy as it is out of print.
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