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After putting some serious hours intoΒ Gears 5Β early access this weekend, hereβs our verdict following Mondayβs commercial release.
Xbox buffs rejoice, the fifth instalment of Mirosoftβs chef dβoeuvre is finally here.Β GearsΒ β formerly known asΒ Gears of WarΒ β was the sole influence for my switch from PlayStation to Xbox back in the mid noughties, and sat here over ten years later I can wholeheartedly say I havenβt made a better decision in my life, tragic as that may sound.
That revelation will probably upset a lot of close family members and friends, but thatβs how it be. Weβre talking about GearsΒ people.
~ Iβll try my best to be impartial here, promise ~
Multiplayer
With any game review youβd typically start with the campaign first, but letβs be honest, no oneβs bought aΒ GearsΒ game for the single player sinceΒ Judgement.
GearsΒ just offers a multiplayer experience like no other. Its unrelenting pace, close quarter combat, and gorgeously visceral executions have kept gamers returning to the franchise for over a decade, and the fundamentals of the original are still very much in play two console gens later.
If youβre familiar with the franchise, you wonβt find many radical differences with the mechanics. What you will find is that theyβve been refined and polished enough to eradicate long spanning issues, opening the game up to a whole new audience.
If you were an avid player of previous games, you’ll recall you could pretty much walk through enemies at will. There were nuances and patterns to win gnasher battles 99 percent of the time, and while several of them still work in the new game, previous blind spots in damage output and bullet registration have been largely cleared up.
Now even novice players have a good chance of defeating the lobbyβs table toppers, provided they land their shots. Movement and shooting just flow better in general – itβs less clunky and feels next gen. As an avid βwallbouncerβ (yuck, apologies) no oneβs more chuffed than I with Coalitionβs emphasis on movement.
As expected, we have a new assortment of OP power weapons to spoil our adversariesβ killstreaks, and though there arenβt too many maps at launch, theyβre fun and entertaining enough to keep us coming back. My personal favourite is Icebound, which features a melee weapon similar to Haloβs gravity hammer, and destructive ice, which damages those who run over the cracks.
Campaign
~ This is entirely spoiler free ~
The single player inΒ Gears of War 4Β served as a decent change of pace from the multiplayer, but for most of us it was somewhat of a chore – something to do when our pals werenβt online, or to grind out achievements we needed to max the game. I confess Iβve yet to finish this new campaign, but so far it already feels like an improvement on its predecessor.
The Coalition tries to dig further into the βhumanβ element this time around: the politics behind the carnage, the controversial decisions of the COG, and their impact on the world around them. The only drawback is that we havenβt formed affinities with the new bunch like we did with the flawed heroes of Delta-Squad.
Thereβs still time for them to build meaningful stories and flesh out the current crop, but it doesnβt feel like theyβre on the right track. Thereβs a little too much levity in place of the morbid and affecting stories that endeared us to Marcus & Co in the past.Β Gears 5Β churns out comic moments aplenty, but for me it just feels a little ill-placed in this universe; the vision of the original stories have been skewed.
That being said a super strong narrative isnβtΒ Gearsβ selling point. The series has never tried to be something it isnβt, and it knows where its strengths lie: backs to the wall combat, huge bosses, and littering battlefields with hundreds of thousands of bullet casings. Thankfully, these have returned in abundance. Oh yeh, and thereβs COG tags againβ¦ shock!
Structurally, the game bears similarities toΒ Metro Exodus, using open-ended maps to enhance the sense of adventure rather than offering true freedom.
Each map has a handful of side-activities, all of which revolve around combat. Whether youβre plundering an abandoned mine or helping a group of desert nomads get their water pumps, the missions are fun and provide some stand out moments. Itβs a refreshing addition to the old formula.
