Gears Of War 4 Review

Multiplayer:

Quite a few people won’t even be interested in the campaign – Gears has always had a dedicated competitive scene, and Gears 4 doesn’t disappoint. All of the classic modes return, but with well-designed new maps, the new weapons and gameplay tweaks, and the engine running at 60 FPS, rather than the 30 in campaign, there’s little to complain about other than the very long load times. In game, I found performance to be flawless, and matchmaking to be quick, even in the game’s pre-release and early access state. There’s also new gameplay types, the best being Dodgeball, which allows you to tag in dead team-mates by killing one of the opposing team.

Horde mode is my favourite though, and it’s here than I noticed the biggest upgrades, as you use the fabricator to also craft defences and upgrades for your team as you fend off the waves of enemies, placing these wherever you like on the map, and earning new currency (‘power’) by killing the enemies and depositing it at the fabricator. The core of it remains the same, but all the little tweaks add up to one of the best co-op modes out there. Thanks to the ‘Play Anywhere’ scheme, there’s also cross-play between Xbox and PC in Horde, another little bonus.

Presentation:

The Gears games have always been standout in terms of their visuals, and with the move to Unreal 4, the team have really delivered. The first two games in particular were criticised for being too beige, but that’s not something that could be levelled at 4. The level design is really well paced, with a mix of old and new industrial areas, underground caverns, and varying outside areas at different times of day. There’s brilliant variety and use of colour throughout, and particularly impressive are the weather effects, which even affect the gameplay at times.

Whilst the new characters aren’t quite as strong as your old COG chums, the voice acting is really well done, the score blends new and old perfectly, and the explosions and careful use of positional sound is the best I’ve heard on my Xbox One. With our new reference system for audio, I genuinely thought something had gotten into my review space on a few occasions, which was pretty creepy.

Conclusion:

The Coalition have done a fantastic job of convincing me that Gears is still a relevant gaming franchise. With a well-paced campaign, stunning graphics and sound, and meaningful improvements to almost every facet of the gameplay, Gears 4 is a stunning return to form for the series. I think there’s more that could be done to really innovate next time out. I can understand why the team played certain aspects ‘safe’, even if they have been delivered to top-notch quality. The Coalition also need to work harder to convince me that JD is a lead character, but the future looks incredibly bright for the series. And those weren’t words I was expecting to write just a few short months ago.

Bravo guys, bravo.