There are video game mechanics that originated 30+ years ago that are still in use today. For example, the act of jumping on an enemy's head in a platformer usually still kills them. This is because some gaming mechanics are timeless. Whether or not that can be said about active reload is debatable. But it's fair to say that the feature has started to appear in more games in recent years.
If you aren't aware of the mechanic, it's where you get a little mini-game while reloading your weapon. If you pass, you reload faster and possibly receive another benefit. The Gears series is most known for the mechanic, but these are all the titles that do it best.
8 Returnal
There are plenty of great weapons to use in Returnal. And as it's a sci-fi game, they're very futuristic and technologically advanced. That is shown in the fact they don't use bullets. Instead, they work on a heating system.
The more you shoot in quick succession, the more likely they are to overheat. As you'd expect, when they're overheated, you can't fire them. Thus, you must wait for the weapon to cool down. The active reload system, aka Overload, makes the process much faster as it allows you to cool the gun instantly.
7 War Of The Roses
War Of The Roses is one of the more unusual games to include active reload. After all, the now-defunct multiplayer game is based on the real War Of The Roses that occurred in the 15th century. So, there aren't guns in the game.
However, you do need to reload your crossbow. And it's one of the more realistic crossbow reloading animations in gaming history, meaning it's very slow. This is why the option to speed up the process is much appreciated, especially when you have a sword-wielding soldier charging at you.
6 Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy
In Square Enix's Guardians Of The Galaxy game, you control the leader of the titular team, Star-Lord. As such, when it comes to combat, you have to rely on your trusty blasters - while barking orders at your crew.
They're fancy sci-fi guns, so they don't use ammo. But they do overheat if you fire them too much. With the Rapid Reload perk, you can avoid the long wait for your weapons to cool down by participating in an active reload mini-game. When you succeed in it, your weapons instantly cool and you get to fire a powerful blast.
5 Rambo: The Video Game
This on-rail shooter based on the Rambo series will not go down as one of the greatest movie games ever. But it does boast a unique version of the active reload mechanic.
If you hit what the game calls a perfect reload, you not only reload instantly, but you also double the amount of ammo in the clip. For instance, if your gun usually holds 18 bullets, the next clip after a perfect reload will hold 36. Plus, every kill you get with these bullets will boost your overall points score.
4 Star Wars: Battlefront Series
While Jedis and Sith Lords don't typically use them, blasters are still an iconic part of the Star Wars universe. And they feature heavily in DICE's Battlefront games, as most of the playable characters wield them.
They don't consume ammo, but they can overheat. The active reload mechanic, aka venting, speeds up the cooldown process. Plus, if you successfully vent by hitting the smaller of the two rectangles, you get several seconds to fire your weapon indiscriminately without heating it up. It serves as a nice temporary boost.
3 Enter The Gungeon
Enter The Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon crawler that unsurprisingly includes a lot of shooting. So, the inclusion of an active reload is welcome. It's enabled through the passive item known as the Cog Of Battle.
You may notice that this name is a reference to Gears Of War, acknowledging the shooter series' part in popularizing the mechanic. Not only does a successful active reload in this game make you load your gun quicker, but it also provides other benefits. For instance, the mechanic increases the damage and accuracy of your newly inserted magazine.
2 Heroes Of The Storm
Tracer is mainly known for her exploits in Overwatch. Yet, the character also appears in the MOBA known as Heroes Of The Storm. Like in Overwatch, she uses her dual pistols to damage the enemy. And with the Locked And Loaded talent, Tracer can perform active reloads.
Interestingly, the active reload for Tracer takes up around half the reload bar. Thus, you get a good chance to hit it. If you do, not only do you load the new round quicker, your basic attack damage also increases.
1 Gears Of War Series
When people think of the active reload feature, they usually think of the Gears Of War series. After all, most people witnessed the mechanic for the first time in a Gears title. Every entry in the iconic shooter series includes the mechanic.
It has changed in looks and functions a bit over the years, but it's essentially the same in each one. Most active reloads simply allow you to reload your weapon faster. But if you time it right, you can get a perfect active reload that boosts the damage of your bullets, making the best Gears Of War weapons even deadlier.