The new chapter in the Gears of War saga is a fresh start with new and old faces coming together to face a new threat. It’s the start of a new trilogy, and I was skeptical at first about how they would follow up on the story after the great ending of the third game. But I have to admit, I was impressed by how the game was handled.
The new characters in Gears of War 4 are great, especially JD and Kat. I’m glad the franchise has some interesting and well-written heroes to propel it forward. Marcus will always be my favorite, and I’m glad he’s back in all his glory. In general, the game does a lot to continue the story and expand the world of Gears of War.
The writing has a more cinematic feel, with richer dialogue and more expressive characters. I am glad that developers are taking full advantage of technological advancements to give us a great experience.
The gameplay remains mostly the same with a few minor changes. I’ve always enjoyed playing Gears of War games, and I don’t think it’s necessary to reinvent the wheel when it comes to controls and combat. The new weapons are great, as are the robot enemies.
I think this game does a great job of changing up the formula a bit without leaving behind the things that made these games good in the first place. Overall, I think the story leaves a lot to explore in future chapters. This series has great potential to be one of the best in the history of the sport, and I will definitely be here to enjoy the ride.
Campaign – 5/5 This is one of the greatest campaigns ever. It’s very long (which is a good thing) and has beautiful graphics. The story is so memorable with the characters you really learn to love and appreciate. Swarm very well done takes the scary aspect which makes the game scary at times.
It has everything we want to see. It has humour, awesome graphics, terrifying enemies, great cutscenes with an amazing story. Overall this is definitely one of the best and would definitely recommend trying it out.
Verse – 4/5 It takes time to get used to this mode but once you get into it and understand how everything works, it’s a lot of fun. The maps are very simple and basic which makes for a faster pace and a more enjoyable mode. There aren’t many weapons, but all are easy to use and fun.
The movement is great with a lot of moves you can do by moving quickly from cover and stomping on the enemy’s face. Overall it is very fun and enjoyable.
Horde – 5/5 This is the “Zombies” mode for the franchise. First of all there are a variety of classes to choose from which are great for a variety of strategies and keep the game fresh. Second boss fights are downright terrifying and feel very rewarding when you kill someone.
The third is a buying station where you get money from killing swarms and you buy things to help you such as a turret, a weapon upgrade, a weapon holder, spikes, and more. The horse is never boring and always keeps you moving. Overall I love this mode and the game itself and highly recommend anyone to play it and give it a try.
Graphically it’s an improvement from the previous game, which is to be expected one on Xbox 360 and the other on Xbox One. The HUD feels almost identical to the Gear 3, with a few minor quick timing incidents and a few cleanup notable exceptions. Gameplay-wise, this is a Gear game, with a few minor changes.
There have been some minor changes to the vaulting and cover system. They cut some arms and added some new ones, though I wasn’t thrilled with many of their decisions. Gang mode is fine; This is one of the biggest reasons I put money into the Gears franchise after campaign anyway.
Using it to deploy things from a central location gives you more freedom than the Gear 3 to base on from almost anywhere, which I like the very stable style over the three. As far as online multiplayer, I don’t think there’s been a game for years that really focused too much on its multiplayer matchmaking.
Some minor balance tweaks to the mods and such were made, but there are more similarities than differences to some of the other games. I think there’s a lot of emphasis in customization, none of which really affect the gameplay much, but enough to give you a little more personal flair with your character.
I didn’t mind, especially since they added some new skins that weren’t in previous games, though it felt like Gear was trying to go down a subtle road of frustration. I was very disappointed with this campaign. The story felt hollow, especially for a Gears game, and nothing interested me about any of the characters they introduced.
The Jedi aren’t particularly interesting, with the exception of the fact that he’s Marcus’s child, and I don’t know if this was on purpose or not, but his motivation was anyone’s guess. Dale kinda just felt… there. Kat was probably the most interesting version of the main cast, but even she felt one-sided and predictable. On top of that, the level design is pretty lazy.
I remember traversing your way through what it took to finish that level on at least three occasions. I guess it makes sense to do so, but I don’t remember ever getting into gear. Not to mention, there really isn’t a sense of urgency or the threat of the end of the world behind the campaign, which I think the Gear is famous for in the first place.
It was highly predictable, to the point where I didn’t really feel anything for any of the main characters when I jumped to the conclusion. It felt like a rehash of subplots in other Gears games. Overall, almost everything except the campaign, which is the part I’ve been waiting for the most, received some changes, though whether they were good or bad, it remains to be seen and is up to the interpretation.
It’s a fun game to play and invest in a few hours, though I wouldn’t say it’s as fun or entertaining as the Gear 3. It’s a fun game, but in my view a terrifying continuation to an impressive, decidedly rare story. 4-5/10, tops.
