To say that I was excited about Gears of War 5 is a massive understatement. This has been a game I have been looking forward to since Gears 4 ended on that cliffhanger years ago! This is arguably Xbox One’s biggest exclusive going into the holiday season and thanks to the Game Pass I was able to play through it a little earlier.
How to Download Gears 5
You can download the game from Steam of from Microsoft Store. Follow the link at the end of the review.
The Game Review
For a shooter series that at first glance looks like it is just about big meathead-style characters. Gears of War is a series that has fantastic lore to it. Seriously, as far as games go not many have engrossed me with their story the way that Gears has. Dom’s death in Gears 3 is still one of the most emotional things I have had in a game.
Gears of War 5 I am happy to say tells just as good a story as the rest of the series. The game starts you off by playing as JD Fenix much like you were in Gears 4. You along with Del, Kait, and Marcus are trying to uncover what is going on with the Locust swarm as well as the mystery behind these visions that Kait has been having.
I really do not want to spoil much of the story, but there is a section where is a big falling out and JD has a major personality change that is quite jarring actually, considering how well we got to know him. It then becomes more about Kait finding out about her past, who she is, who her father was, and so on. The game does it very well and once again all of the characters are fantastic.
I, in particular, love the relationship between Kait and Del. Also, the way Marcus is with Kait and Del and the way he is with his son JD is also very well done. In all, I have no complaints about the story and I am very excited to see where the franchise goes next. Just hope we do not have to wait as long for Gears 6.
The gameplay is classic Gears of War. I would not say that they have reinvented the wheel here. So, if you like Gears you will like this if you have not been into the cover-based shooter antics of the series before. I do not see this new one winning you over, to be honest. I, though, think it is solid and I like some of the new weapons. Especially the Lancer that now has a grenade launcher on it!
As you would expect there are some awesome set pieces in the campaign. One part switches things up and you are in an ice-covered part of the planet riding a sled and it is awesome. As a fan of the series, I have zero complaints about the way that the game plays.
Presentation-wise, this is one of the best-looking games of the year. I am amazed at how each Gears game looks better than the one before it and this one here is no different. The character models’ faces, in particular, are amazing and really display emotion very well which in turn connects you more to the story.
I will say that I am not the biggest fan of Gears multiplayer, but the little I have dabbled with seems good. I do know that it has microtransactions, but if you are like me and just jump in every now and again for a quick multiplayer game you will be happy. It is worth noting that you can also play the campaign with friends either offline in local co-op or via Xbox Live which is great.
Gears of War 5 is without a doubt going to be one of my games of the year. The campaign alone makes this an essential purchase if you have an Xbox One. I still think that Gears 3 is my favorite, but this one here comes pretty damn close!
