Meanwhile, some of the best moments in the campaign are spent on the back of a motorcycle during one of the game’s vehicle sections.
It doesn’t hold a large amount of ammunition, so it feels like a treat when you get the opportunity to use the military wonder. The best of the bunch – well above all of the other weapons – is the EMBAR, a versatile chargeable gun that’s a blast to dominate with. New guns include The Overkill, a double-pump shotgun, and The Buzzkill, a sawblade projectile, and the list is well-rounded to combat the unique enemy types. The intense shootouts are suffocating, but it’s worth it for the eventual exhale.īigger and badder creatures are introduced as the game progresses – the new DeeBee robots have the ability to hop over cover – but the same is true of your weapons. Even on the highest setting, you’ll never want to throw your controller at your screen, though there are times when you’ll wonder how you stayed alive against a massive onslaught. Thankfully, individual battles aren’t particularly challenging and the system doesn’t have a steep learning curve. Sometimes you need to develop an actual strategy (especially on higher difficulty settings). Sometimes it’s more fun to run into battle guns a-blazing. Jumping between tombstones and various concrete ledges for shelter is both necessary and mentally stimulating, while mapping out a plan of action and then implementing it is a rewarding feat.
#GEARS OF WAR 4 SERIES#
On that front, the cover system the series is known for is more fluid and intuitive than it’s ever been. The game’s familiar third-person shooter formula feels warm and comfortable rather than tired. However, that doesn’t make the ostentatious battle sequences any less exhilarating. As a new installment, Gears of War 4 isn’t revolutionary.
It helps that the script has a sense of self-awareness that allows the game to balance the brooding visuals with a light-hearted tone. The ass-kicking confidence produces some serious belly-laughs. The group is battling an entire enemy horde and attempting to rescue the kidnapped Fenix elder, yet they talk like there isn’t a doubt in their minds about their ability to accomplish that task. The characters toe the line between stock tropes and lazy stereotypes, but it’s unlikely to bother most players because the banter and dialogue is as fantastically cheesy as the bravado-heavy action scenes. The game then introduces a new generation of monster hunters: Del Walker, Kait Diaz, and Marcus’s son J.D. Though the game retains its core combat mechanics and exaggerated art style, the story kicks off when Marcus Fenix, the protagonist of the previous numbered installments, is taken captive by enemy forces.
Gears of War 4 is also a reboot of sorts. Gears of War 4 has a ridiculous tone that is in line with what the series has always brought to the table. The human-on-monster-and-robot violence never crosses into horrific or realistic territory, which makes the blood and guts seem irreverent in the most sophisticated way possible. The latest installment in the third-person shooter series is unapologetically gory, and it’s better for it. The new game features tongue-in-cheek humour, ridiculous battle sequences, and solid co-op play, making Gears of War 4 a high-octane bro-fest that is accessible for both new and veteran players.Īt its core, Gears of War 4 recognizes the appeal of blasting enemies’ faces off with overpowered weapons. Yet just when the series appeared to be bleeding out, The Coalition (and Microsoft) breathed new life into it with Gears of War 4.
The unnecessary fourth installment received a poorer-than-usual commercial response and Epic Games soon moved onto other projects. The Gears of War franchise could have easily died after Gears of War: Judgment.