Founded back in 1999,Gearbox Softwarehas been one of the more underrated developers of the last 24 years. Despite the company’s figurehead having a pretty controversial recent history, Gearbox is still one of the more successful video game developers and publishers, with itsBorderlandsfranchise being one of its most well-known, and well-loved. WhileBorderlandsmight be the studio’s most iconic series, it certainly isn’t its first, and there are plenty of other Gearbox games that are worth checking out.
With over two decades of experience in the gaming industry, it’s no real surprise thatGearbox Softwarehas a fairly impressive release history. Though some of these series have been dormant for years, other titles were one-off expansions, and there are some real failures in the list, Gearbox Software’s back catalog has a good few standouts that gamers should experience at least once.
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Half-Life Expansions
WhenHalf-Lifereleased in 1998, it changed PC gaming forever, and Gearbox Software was lucky enough to attach its name to the iconic game’s expansion packs. TitledHalf-Life: Opposing ForceandHalf-Life: Blue Shift, these expansion packs saw the Resonance Cascade and its aftermath experienced from two all-new perspectives. The first expansion sees players control Adrian Shephard, one of the U.S. Marines sent in to neutralize all threats inside the Black Mesa facility.Blue Shiftsees players control Barney Calhoun, a Black Mesa security guard that shows up again inHalf-Life 2.
Half-Life: Opposing Forcewas generally received extremely well by critics, with its cinematic quality and wealth of new weapons and scenarios being heavily praised. Some critics even claimed that the game set a new benchmark for expansion packs, just asHalf-Lifedid for the FPS genre as a whole.Half-Life: Blue Shift, on the other hand, wasn’t received quite as well, with critics condemning the expansion’s short length and its lack of any new content, though its new graphics pack was a highlight. Both of theseHalf-Lifeexpansionshold up surprisingly well today, and with fans being able to pick them up for loose change during a sale, there’s no excuse to not play them.
Brothers in Arms Series
After theHalf-Lifeexpansions, Gearbox spent a few years just porting popular PC games to consoles, and vice versa. But in 2005, Gearbox went back to developing its own titles, and this time it was abrand-new IP calledBrothers in Arms. Debuting withBrothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, then quickly followed byBrothers in Arms: Earned in Bloodduring the same year, this series is a fairly unique WW2 FPS that sees players command a squad of soldiers, similarly to the originalRainbow Sixgames.
These two 2005 titles performed very well, leading to PSP and Nintendo DS spinoffs, with the former titledBrothers in Arms: D-Dayand the latter simply calledBrothers in Arms: DS. The great action series would come to an end in 2008 with another two-hit combo, this time beingBrothers in Arms: Double Timefor the Wii, andBrothers in Arms: Hell’s Highwayfor consoles and PC. Despite receiving good reviews for its complex storytelling and gameplay, theBrothers in Armsfranchise has been dormant ever since, with only a handful of half-baked mobile games continuing its legacy.
Homeworld Series
Back in 2013, Gearbox acquired the rights toRelic Entertainment’sHomeworldseries. A beloved Sci-Fi strategy game,Homeworldis best known for giving players the ability to command their fleets in a 3D space, allowing ships to fly underneath or above others. Gearbox remastered the first twoHomeworldgames in 2015, and by all accounts, it’s a superb remaster, keeping the spirit and gameplay of the originals intact while updating it for the modern day. Gearbox, along with Blackbird Interactive, are currently hard at work on another mainline entry in the series, titledHomeworld 3.
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