Gears of War 4: Ultimate Edition (Digital)

Editor's Notes

'Gears of War 4: Ultimate Edition' (digital) reviewed. Review was done using a standard Xbox One with some time spent with the Windows 10 version. The digital 'Ultimate Edition' includes early access (4 days early) to 'Gears of War 4' and the Season Pass among other digital content. Being a Play Anywhere title, the digital version nets the user access to both the Xbox One and Windows 10 versions, which are cross play for multiplayer. The HDR setting was not tested. Also not reviewed is the limited time inclusion of the previous four 'Gears of War' games which come as backwards compatible digital 360 titles. Some of the screenshots in this review have been provided by the publisher.

Introduction

The 'Gears of War' series debuted in 2006 on the Xbox 360 and was a massive success, spawning two sequels, a prequel, a remaster, and numerous novels and comic books. Microsoft retained the IP after the original developer Epic went their separate way, and then handed the keys over to The Coalition. The Coalition is a Canadian company wholly owned by Microsoft. It began life in 2010 as a Kinect-focused studio, but was shuttered and then resurrected to take over 'Gears'.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

Whenever a system-selling franchise turns to new developer, there is trepidation. And with 'Gears of War,' it's been years since the glory days of the 360 saw the franchise continually make its mark. So right off, 'Gears of War 4' faces an important question, "has the franchise made a triumphant return?"

Well after tearing through the campaign, I am happy to say that new developer or no, 'Gears of War' has returned.

'Gears of War 4' is set 25 years after the events of 'Gears of War 3'. The Locust War has ended and Marcus Fenix retired to a quieter life with his sweetheart Anya. They produced a child, JD, who would grow up to follow in his parents' footsteps and become a Gear. However, at some point prior to the events of 'Gears 4', JD deserted the COG and joined up with a band of stranded (now called "Outsiders"). He made friends with Del and Kait along the way, and when Kait's village is captured by a pack of glowing, violent aliens, the three set off in search of them.

I'm pleased to report that the shooting has evolved to a near-perfect level. The incremental enhancements to the roadie run, close-quarters cover, and enemy behavior come together to make a potent cocktail of brutality. The fights are juxtaposed with non-shooting segments occasionally to keep me on my toes, like dashing through a massive electrical storm or dodging through gulleys on a motorcycle.

There are several new weapons and enemies similarly designed to subvert the mechanic of cover without displacing it, including the two stun moves showcased in the multiplayer beta earlier this year. Several Swarm enemies do not use guns but instead hop around the battlefield, shoving Gears out of cover if they stay still. It all translates into a smart level design that encouraged me to keep moving around the battlefield, using cover when necessary but also taking risks to expose and destroy the enemy.

The Coalition recently stated that they would be remiss if they excluded the characters and storylines of previous 'Gears' titles. 'Gears 4' reminds me a lot of the first game, where I had no idea what to expect going into it. Some of the characters have returned, and of course the setting of Sera is familiar, but most of the storyline is a mystery. Even after finishing it, I still have a lot of questions, but I immediately want to begin another playthrough to glean every last morsel of info. I got to know JD, Del, and Kait along the way, but there are still a lot of gaps in their motivations and origins. Unlike the cookie cutter campaigns of many shooters, 'Gears 4' doesn't feel the need to give all of the answers all at once. Exposition is doled out slowly through each act, with the first two acts in particular being nearly opaque. I wished the pace of those acts had been a bit quicker, or perhaps expanded on the backstory of the main characters, but I was never bored. Of course, the search for answers is rarely ever tidy in the 'Gears' universe, and much the same is true here.

The pace of the narrative may be unpredictable, but the combat is relentless without being exhausting or dull. The enemies in the first two acts are composed almost completely of the robotic "DeeBees." They are slow and weak, even the advanced units, and only serve as an appetizer for combat against the Swarm. The Swarm come off as typically faster and stronger on an individual level than the Locust Horde. They also benefit from the enhanced AI that governs the player's NPC teammates. They flank and rush the player whenever possible, and usually do not let downed allies crawl around on the ground for too long before reviving them (which can also be exploited to flush them out of cover). I very much enjoyed using the new cover moves and weapons to poke holes in enemy formations, and frequently swapped weapons on the battlefield to play with the new toys instead of sticking with the gnasher/lancer combo like I usually do.

That NPC AI has some facepalm moments but is by and large better than we've seen in previous outings. At least one of my squadmates would stay close to me and quickly revive me if I fell, and would crawl right up to my own cover if they were downed. They quickly move out of the way if you want their cover spot. The only consistent pathing problem is when there's no cover at all - then the ally will move right in front of my crosshairs and block my shots instead of hanging back and being conservative. Usually there is plenty of cover to go around, so it's not game-breaking. Co-op campaign is still far more fun. 'Gears 4' only permits two-player co-op, but it can be done online or local split-screen, and even LAN.

It would not be a 'Gears' without some silly campaign set pieces. These are kept to a minimum this time around, but one boss fight in particular towards the end of the game was almost controller-throwingly bad. The explosion-heavy Michael Bay moments, like the motorcycle racing and mech combat, are more cool than gimmicky. As for the Swarm enemies, some of them are carbon copies of the Locust (drones) while others are alarming (juvies) and even disturbing (snatchers). The design is the right mix of familiar and strange - even an experienced 'Gears' fan is going to get some surprises.