Developed By: The Coalition
Published By: Microsoft Game Studios
Date of Release: September 6, 2019
Price: $59.99
Back in November of 2006 (wow, has it truly been 13 years already?) veteran developer Epic Games released their first game for Microsoft's Xbox 360, titled Gears of War. Powered by the impressive Unreal Engine 3, it was a third-person cover-based shooter and single-handedly cemented the distinctive gameplay style that would be used in the series from then on. Highlighting humanities struggle against an underground-dwelling race of creatures known as the Locust, the original trilogy followed a rather erm.. Epic storyline indeed. Having wrapped up the main plot in the finale of the third game, the fourth entry (developed by The Coalition) introduced a new plot starring the son of the main character, JD Fenix. And now here we are with the latest title in the series, which drops the "of War" moniker, Gears 5.
Gears 5 picks up right where the fourth installment left off, following JD and co as they continue to fight the new antagonists introduced in Gears of War 4, The Swarm. To give too much away about the story would spoil the previous game for anyone who hasn't played it, so I won't go that far. The writing and pacing are FAR better than the previous game, which suffered from feeling a bit rushed which may have been due to the development changing hands from Epic Games to The Coalition partway. Story aside the gameplay is the same tried and true gears formula that we all know and love, and as usual it brings a wealth of upgrades to graphical fidelity and just better production values all around. The graphics are great, the sound is fantastic, and the controls are tight and responsive. It just feels like slipping on a familiar pair of comfy shorts before kicking back and kicking ass.
And then there's the multiplayer. The Gears series has always been known for it's amazing multiplayer modes, and as amazing as the campaign is, the multiplayer is just a little bit better. Featuring most of the modes from previous games that you would expect it also throws in some new goodies like a Left 4 Dead style "Escape" mode. Also making its debut is an Overwatch-tinged Arcade mode, which just makes things feel really fleshed out. With the lag-free smoothness of the server connections I never felt like things were getting choppy, despite using a wireless connection for the whole time I played. Add to the mix constant promotional tie-ins such as cameos from Terminator Dark Fate and pro wrestling, and it's hard not to feel satisfied by the meaty offerings in this package. So all in all if you have an Xbox One or Windows 10 PC, you seriously need to pick up Gears 5. There's just way too much good stuff to miss out on here.
