Gears of War: Reloaded: The Case for and Against Fixing the…

Gears of War: Reloaded is finally here, bringing the beloved 2006 cover-shooter to PlayStation for the first time. This could be viewed as an historic moment in the game industry, but even those on Xbox are having fun traipsing back through Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago's inaugural adventure. And of course, multiplayer is as sweaty and hectic as it's ever been, so that's a plus.

But Gears of War: Reloaded's launch hasn't been entirely smooth. There have been a number of problems reported with matchmaking and latency, though such rough edges continue to be smoothed down. However, there's another category of complaint that is decidedly specific to Gears Reloaded: the strength of the Gnasher shotgun. This iconic, regularly favored weapon has always packed a punch, but now players are wondering if it's a bit overpowered, claiming that Gears of War: Reloaded increases the range of the shotgun to make it wildly unbalanced. This sort of complaint isn't entirely uncommon—it echoes the 725 debacle from the 2019 Modern Warfare remake, for instance—though the highly competitive nature of Gears multiplayer means that the Gnasher's range and DPS combo have drawn a great deal of ire. Even so, there's a case to be made for leaving it as-is.

Some players have actually argued that the Gnasher is inconsistent in Gears of War: Reloaded, not overpowered, though this may be the result of poor hit registration.

The Gnasher Might Be Overpowered in Gears of War: Reloaded, but That's Part of the Fun

An Overpowered Gnasher Is Good for Gears of Wars' Hectic, Intense Gameplay

Naturally, most gamers would prefer a perfectly balanced game over an unbalanced one, but that's not always possible. Indeed, it's unrealistic to expect every single weapon to be of equal power in a game, and some will inevitably rise above others in terms of efficacy. Maybe it's not ideal for a weapon to be as powerful as Gears of War: Reloaded's Gnasher, but such immense strength and range also means that the Gnasher is undeniably fun to use.

It's hard to say for certain whether the Gnasher was, for whatever reason, buffed for Reloaded, but the fact of the matter is that it is indeed extremely powerful. It's not a sniper, as some have hyperbolically argued, but it's remarkably effective at mid-range, often capable of downing another player in a single shot. This makes it the ideal weapon of choice for those interested in filling the role of mid-range shooter, and it allows this playstyle to flourish greatly. At the same time, it requires a decidedly aggressive approach, and can easily be trumped by a player of equal skill with a sniper or assault rifle. If anything, it encourages a very specific sort of Gears of War playstyle, but it hardly breaks the game entirely.

Chainsawing a locust in Gears of War Reloaded

As It Stands, the Gnasher Might Lead to a Tilted Gears of War: Reloaded Meta

As previously mentioned, Gears of War: Reloaded's launch on PlayStation is one of its most important elements, but Sony fans aren't the only ones getting their hands on the influential shooter for the first time. It's likely that a non-negligible chunk of Gears of War: Reloaded's playerbase is composed of those with little to no experience with the series, and such players could be intimidated or turned off by the ubiquitous power of the Gnasher in its current state.

So, while an overpowered Gnasher might make for moments of wild and reckless gameplay, it also runs the risk of alienating much of Gears of War: Reloaded's target audience. If the goal is to make Gears Reloaded accessible, then something like a Gnasher nerf may be in order down the road.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image