I active reloaded on a PS5 while playing Gears of War: Reloaded, and now I feel like a pervert

Gears of War is one of the definitive games for the Xbox 360, and is a flagship brand for the console maker. It was one of the first games I got for my 360, and was a significant step up in on-screen violence from what I was used to in my conservative home. I have a vivid memory of walking up to grab the strategy guide for Gears at my local Best Buy, along with my copy of the game (turns out I’ve always been a guides guy at heart), on Dec. 26 the year I got my Xbox 360.

The first Gears of War was also the first game I ever set up an Xbox Live account for, and I spent many hours grinding online lobbies on an uncomfortable futon after rolling my TV from my room into my parents' office so I could hook into the LAN. When my first Xbox 360 Red Ringed, it was after a long night of playing Gears of War and Resident Evil 5 in that hot office. And when my dad saved me by helping me pay for a new 360 (and running a LAN cable through the attic to my room, because he’s the best), it was one of the first games I booted up.

Why am I making you suffer through my midwestern tween gaming anecdotes? Because, in my mind, Gears of War and Xbox are, and have always been, an inseparable pair. So it’s difficult to express how strange it was to pick up and play Gears of War: Reloaded on my PlayStation 5 this past week.