Gears of War 4 Review – A Welcome Back to The Series

Gears of war 4 was released October 6th for early access and went worldwide on October 11th 2016.

For returning veterans of the series it is a familiar reintroduction as for newcomers it is a delightful introduction. Gears of War 4 was developed by a different studio The Coalition instead of Epic Games. The Gears franchise is under good management when compared to other games who have had a studio change. Today we are going to review four topics in Gears of War 4 its campaign, then the versus multiplayer mode, the revised Horde 3.0 mode, and top things off we’ll discuss the new customization menu.

Twenty years have passed since the end of the Locust War and the era of Delta Squad is over. Now the next generation of soldiers is tasked dealing with the aftermath. Thought it was over back in Gears of War 3 with the locust and lambent threats decimated? Good one war never changes especially when it involves tough grublike genocidal humanoids and a parasitic lifeform that was being used as a type of Bio-fuel to supply the world of Sera’s energy demand. Sera is a mad world indeed.

GOW4 Campaign Analysis.

Campaigns have always been a part of the Gears of War series retaining much of the same format over the years. Gears of War 4 is no different making use of the Unreal Engine software bringing every little detail to HDR and 4K.

The prologue to Gears of War 4 focuses on flashbacks narrated by showcasing some struggles the COG faced in the Pendulum Wars, the Locust War and the Lambent invasion. The quick experience we get at Aspho Point is hectic and welcomed as it offers further background of what the old guard went through before the Locust invaded. Next we get a glimpse at what happened in Ephyra during the start of Emergence Day or E-Day. The prologue finishes by exposing what was going on at Anvil Gate seconds prior to the end of the Locust War and the Lambent Invasion. Most of what we see is hectic and demonstrates how dirty and desperate these wars got. If you have yet to understand the sacrifices of the Old Guard COG then you will. Keep in mind this is just the prologue there are still more acts and parts to complete in the campaign.

The next couple of acts and their respective parts all encompass the horrific adventure had by JD Fenix, Delmont Walker and Kait Diaz. If you were expecting The Coalition to deviate from the punishing third person cover based shooter style then reconsider maybe playing another game because Gears of War has remained much the same in the format since the first game launched. A new title for this series never provided anything groundbreaking for the campaign. Keep in mind that playing video games is all about personal preference and I for one was just excited to even see a continuation of the Gears series.

Act 1 begins with JD,Del, and Kait accompanied by Kait’s uncle Oscar and his trusty steed Ugly scouting a new COG settlement under construction. After destroying a spy bot they notice a Wind Flare incoming and rush to take shelter within the COG settlement. The rest kicks off from there and they continue the search for a COG fabricator to haul back to their Outsider encampment which happens to in dire need for basic resources. By the end of the act you are left with a lot of questions what has happened to the COG, why is First Minister Jinn accusing the Outsiders of kidnapping, is Gary Carmine really dead and more.

Some questions are answered in the parts and acts that follow yet you are ultimately left wondering. By the end of the campaign you realize that the Locust or Swarm hold true to Dizzy’s words when he says “man these grubs are tough”.

Every campaign ends on an important milestone or significant event that occurs within a game’s universe. Gears of War 4 is no different and though I never expected much to change in the style of campaign the HDR and plot twist with Reyna Diaz Kait’s mom was an interesting experience to play through. Turns out Reyna was in possession of a Heirloom passed on by her Mother. The Heirloom in question is a Locust symbol and looks strickingly similar to a necklace worn by Queen Myrrah of the Locust army. Prior to being handed defeat in Gears of War 3 one can see she donned the necklace in the last battle of the Locust war. Some myself included speculate that Reyna is the daughter of Queen Myrrah hopefully we will find out in Gears of War 5.

Overall I’d say the Campaign is lackluster for most gamers but as I stated before it’s all a matter of personal preference. I was delighted at the fact that a continuation to the series was even made in the first place. I am certainly interested to see how Kait’s story unravel in the upcoming Gears of War 5.

Versus Menu Same But Refined.

The Versus playlist includes a multitude of content to keep you occupied if you have a competitive side.

With four different playlist social, core, competitive, and private. Social is a mix of all eight game types without the ranking system (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Onyx. and Diamond) but still includes Experience Point gain for the level system or Re-Up system. Core and Competitive are ranked playlists. Private is meant for practice being able to scrimmage an other team filled with players or bots set on one of four difficulties. All four have a level system consisting of Re-Ups, you can Re-Up once you have reached level hundred. A player can Re-Up ten times until they reach max Re-Up or max level. Per Re-Up the player is granted a new emblem and title based on the level of your re-up.

There are two new game modes added to Gears of War 4 Escalation and Dodgeball. In Escalation there are three rings that your team needs to get control over to win the game instantly or your team can capture two rings and win by points. In Dodgeball you have one spawn each and you are tasked with eliminating the other team the difference from other game types is if you get killed your teammates can revive you by killing an enemy player and vice versa.

The Versus menu in Gears of War 4 will look familiar to returning gamers with minor changes depending if your playing on Console or PC. On PC you get to conduct a benchmark testing Gears of War on your current settings.

Gears of War 4 does not deviate much from other Gears of War games in the series and personally I love it. To be quiet honest I could not imagine how Gears of War 4 could be developed differently. Developed differently how what do you mean by this? What I mean is could not picture Gears of War 4 being developed as a first person shooter (FPS), real-time strategy game (RTS), massively multiplayer game (MMO) or battle-royale game. Note I have no problem with any types of these games I just honestly have no idea how they could be incorporated into a Gears of War game because I have yet to see it. Who knows if any future Gears of War game will ever deviate from the covered based third person shooter style that has shaped Gears of War into what is known for today.

Horde 3.0 Breakdown.

Horde 3.0 has a lot to offer involving 5 different class specializations, a variety of skills, and even a separate level system capped at 10 for every class.

Horde has come a long way originating from Gears of War 2. The Horde playlist has certainly benefited from all the new features adding to the experience pf playing. Due to how Horde 3.0 has been structured teamwork is essential for survival. The Engineer and Scout classes are vital for any Horde team and without these two classes Horde becomes a lot more difficult. I personally do not mind this as it was annoying in GOW2 and GOW3 when teammates would take the Master Chief approach and lone wolf everything only to be the downfall of the team. I am appreciative to see that players have to work together to optimize a team. If a team is willing to work with you and optimize classes its a good indicator that you may have been paired with decent people willing to work with you and finish till the end.

Customization What is New.

Gears of War 3 and Judgement aside this is the most customization Gears of War in the franchise.

Containing more characters for both the Cog and Swarm teams there are a lot more options for emblems and weapon skins as well. I love the customization overall because they grant the player more options over customization and give the ability to keep your skins separate between the Cog Swarm and Horde loadouts. The Coalition did not hesitate including all kinds of skins for weapons and characters.

As of 2018 some weapon skin sets and legendary characters originally limited to special gear boxes were added to characters who can be crafted from scrap.

Gears of War 4 is it Worth?

Gears of War 4 is a refined welcome back to the series boasting new HDR and 4K graphics. It is familiar for returning Gears and a clean slate for newcomers to the series. The mechanics seem intricate and complex but like all other games it takes some getting used too.

The Campaign is lackluster straying little from what we have seen in previous Gears of War 4 titles. Perfectionists will make quick work collecting all of the collectibles.  You can play with three more friends on Co-Op and enjoy the HDR and 4K graphics that The Coalition developed for your pleasure.

Gears of War 4 is a game that can appeal to a variety of people. If competitive Player Vs. Player is preferred then the Versus menu has you covered. Keep in mind that Gears of War 4 is a third-person shooter.

The Horde Menu is great for perfectionists and anyone into Player Vs. Environment. Horde has come a long way from its Gears of War 2 origins and now includes a number of new features such as the new Fabrication system. Players have to work together and build defenses as they progress through the waves.

For a majority of gamers I would not recommend Gears of War 4. It has remained much the same over the years with a decline in interest made obvious by the sells of Gears of War 4 compared to other Gears of War titles.

I only recommend Gears of War 4 to gamers who prefer a player vs player style and have a competitive nature. Gears of War’s mechanics certainly put any gamer’s patience and intuition to the test.

Personally I have always been a fan of the Gears of War series. I am perfectly aware of the fact that it never really deviates from the usual third-person cover based formula. I am open minded to a reboot and the only reason I say I could not imagine Gears of War reinvented is because I have yet to see it.

Best wishes and hopefully you learned a little bit more about Gears of War 4.