I'm finding it really difficult to give a fuck about Gears Of War 4.

I should be the target market; I'm the guy who played the first three games extensively. I was, at one point, ranked in the top 500 players in the world at King Of The Hill in Gears 3. I very nearly S-Ranked Gears 2, completing the campaign multiple times on various difficulties. I even read all the books. Every time I mention that I read all the books I feel obligated to confirm that yes, there are actual Gears Of War books, which is ridiculous when you consider the plot of the games might as well have been written in crayon, but there you go.

So what is it about the Gears 4 gameplay that's so completely underwhelming?

The cynics among you might argue that being pried from the hands of EPIC is a pretty good place to start looking, though there are plenty of franchises that manage to stagnate without changing hands, and the success of Halo 5 with 343 at the helm sets a pretty solid precedent to counter that argument. So let's put all that political behind-the-scenes stuff aside and try to be as objective as possible when analysing the Gears 4 gameplay we've been presented with thus far.

I've thought about this a fair amount since it's announcement, since that first chunk of gameplay was shown at E3 last year. The game looks great; you'd fucking hope so, being a flagship franchise for Microsoft's current gen console. But as soon as that logo flashed up on the screen my first thought was "OK, so who are they fighting?" For those of you that don't remember, spoilers, the Locust were all wiped out. So were the Lambent, using Adam Fenix's secret kill everything infected by imulsionmachine™. So all the monsters are dead. Except they aren't? Even though the entirety of humanity on Sera numbers only a few hundred thousand, we're going to drudge up some new threat that's sweeping across the planet only 25 years after the last one. That feels so... forced. At what point does the human race collectively shout "fuck it", throw their hands in the air and accept their fate. I mean fuck, give those people a break already.

But look, let's be real here

Nobody (apart from knuckleheads like me) is playing Gears Of War for the narrative. You don't care that there's an entirely new roster that's both poorly written and lacking in charisma; You play because the lancer chugs out a super-satisfying stream of fire, because the gnasher kick is primal, and the way your Theron chuckles when you stick an enemy with a Torque Bow. The roadie run, slamming into... oh, it's more generic waist-high walls? Huh. Could we maybe think of some ways to mix thi... no? Sticking with the grey blobs of granite? OK cool. And... more dirty humanoid teeth-aliens with Hammerbursts to fight? Right.... And we're going to be running around in.... gloomy dilapidated COG architecture. Starting to see a pattern here, guys.

At this stage in the life of the franchise there's a look and a feel that you need to nail for it to stay part of the franchise. I get it, I know how this works. And the gameplay we've seen so far is distinctly Gears. So why does it feel so archaic? Could it be because, since the original release 10 years ago, we've actually moved on enough that simply rehashing exactly the same ideas and just giving them a facelift doesn't quite cut the mustard any more. That new guns is a poor substitute for new ideas? Maybe I'm being harsh, maybe it's not a Gears problem. Maybe it's that the gritty space-marine power fantasy isn't quite as empowering as it once was. Maybe, in those last 10 years, our horizons have been broadened. We live in a world of VR now, a world where people run around catching pokemon outside. There's never been a broader spectrum of virtual adventures out there to explore, and it's slightly depressing to watch Gears Of War cling to it's outdated mechanics in this context.

Or maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just old.

I feel fucking old.

But then maybe I'm wrong; Maybe this game will come out and it'll be everything we hoped for. It will revitalise the entire genre, and the masses will hail the waist-high wall as a phoenix Fenix reborn, giving life once again to a genre that has been stale for what feels like far too long.

Or maybe not. Who the fuck knows.

Thanks for reading

Love Sweep

I feel very similarly. I really enjoyed Gears at the height of it's relevance but am not excited in the slightest for this newest entry. The co-op aspect was a novelty back in the day as was their particular blend of cover based shooting. While I always thought the complete necessity to stick to every surface was a bit much, it did create a very unique type of gameplay you only got in Gears which was part of the allure. Now several years later I simply want more out of my third person action game than simply shooting aliens in the face. Gears 4 appears to offer very little if any innovation, not only in it's own stable but in the genre overall. It looks stale as if they took this musty old game off the shelf and decided to put a new expiration date on the box by stamping a big "4" after the name. Not even the reveal of old-man-Marcus was enough to get any stray synapses in my brain to start sparking with excitement. With titles like this years excellent Doom the bar has been significantly raised for how to bring back an old name on a new stage. Innovation has significantly overtaken iteration in the industry. Apart from your mainstays like Call of Duty or Battlefield, it's becoming fast apparent that gamers appreciate exciting new ideas rather than sticking to well trod ground, and Gears 4 appears to be a path beaten mercilessly into the ground by not only time but games that have come out after it and simply did things better.

They had a real chance to take Gears of War in an exciting new direction with a Pendulum Wars prequel but they decided to play it safe. A prequel would give them a clean break and level the field for introducing completely new mechanics that would bring the series into modern day just like Doom did. Instead they chose to go literally an inch forward in time, presenting us with the same ol' same ol' albeit with a few new character models thrown in along the way. Destructible cover in 2016 is hardly a worthwhile bulletpoint.

This game looks severely stuck in the past. No gameplay so far gives players a solid reason to return to this franchise.

When it comes to sitting behind cover and shooting, no game has done it as well as the old Gears of War games. Their cover shooting was and is without equal. If Gears 4 is outdated it's in its refusal to integrate cover shooting with other kinds of mechanics like platforming (e.g. Uncharted series, recent Tomb Raider games -- the single best example I know of is the part in the 2013 Tomb Raider when you're assaulted by countless soldiers in a huge area with a tall temple neighboured by a shanty town that's packed with multi-story buildings to climb, run through, hide in or jump between, as well as with ziplines and explosive barrels; it's by far the most complex and visionary third-person shooter level I've seen and makes everything else in that game and its sequel seem narrow-minded and pathetic in comparison), stealth (e.g. The Last of Us, Uncharted series, recent Tomb Raider games, recent Splinter Cell games, Metal Gear Solid V), melee fighting (e.g. Resident Evil 6, by far the most ambitious and groundbreaking game when it comes to the integration of shooting with melee, with a combat system that deserves to be picked up and refined by a better developer in a more focused game), high-speed dodging and dashing (e.g. Vanquish) etc.

The future of third-person shooting is a game that has you seamlessly and dynamically transitioning from MGSV-like stealth to Gears-like cover shooting to out-of-cover movement that combines Tomb Raider's climbing with Vanquish's dodging and boosting to melee fighting that's as integrated with the shooting as in RE6, all in a massive, complex environment in which you have to outmaneuver your enemies. In other words, the future of cover shooting is its integration into a more complete species of action game of which it will only be one small part. Those are the kinds of games we are moving towards and that's why Gears of War seems dated. The addition of a cover system to third-person shooting was a step in the direction of a more complete kind of action game back in 2006, but to take further steps in that direction you have to keep adding more systems -- which is exactly what other games have been doing for years (to varying degrees of success). Which is not to say that Gears of War 4 won't be good. I'm looking forward to playing it and won't be surprised if it's excellent. But an excellent Gears of War game that's more or less like the previous installments is inherently less impressive in 2016, not only because we've seen it before, but also because the formerly visionary concept of cover shooting has been made part of more expansive game design visions.

For me what wrecked my anticipation for Gears 4 was the release of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Not because I disliked the remaster, but because I enjoyed it very much. The original campaign for the most part still holds up, the stop and pop gameplay still feels good, and the multiplayer is delightfully tense. And then I played the Gears 4 beta, and while it was still good, it didn't play much differently from its 2006 predecessor.

I get that the beta was only a small slice of the total package, but even from that I could tell how straightforward the moment-to-moment action was. I'll probably check it out eventually, but it's definitely a game I'll be picking up at the inevitable end of year Xbox Live sale.

I pretty much felt this way when Judgment came along. I liked the first three Gears games a lot, finished the first two multiple times, but then I played through Gears 3 with my brother co-op and when we beat it, I took the disc out and said "I'm done".

I still own all three games and sometimes think about replaying them, but whenever I do put them in to try, I'm bored by the gameplay and annoyed with the laughably juvenile writing. I'd much rather play Tomb Raider 2013 or MGS V or any other game that has built, considerably, upon Gears of War's formula.

I'm not quite as tuned out as you are, but I do think that its unwillingness to at least take some chances with a different kind of setting is a big negative for me. I don't need the mechanics to be different, but they could at least make me feel like I'm shooting at different things.

Whenever Epic put out a Gears game last generation you could easily see the advancements in graphics, in gameplay modes, in the fit and finish of the overall products, and you were excited to hear Marcus Fenix shout at monsters in new and over the top ways. Now advancements in graphics are minor, the gameplay seems to be identical to the previous games, and Fenix isn't shouting anymore.
His son hasn't inherited the insane body thickness and gruff voices we loved from characters before him, he's just a dude, the success of this game seems to depend on how many good ideas the developer can put into what looks like a standard Gears campaign with standard mechanics, maybe there are surprises to be found within, but we'll have to play the game to find out.
For those not interested, or who play the game and find it wanting, i recommend maybe checking out Binary Domain :P.

Ditto. Nice post, Sweep, I think you're sentiments are exactly what a lot of us are feeling. Will be interesting to see how the game does.

I met you a couple of years back so I know you aren't old Sweep. At least not compared to me! (I'm 36.. bleurgh).

But you're old enough to have your tastes change over time and to have changed significantly at that. Its rare to like exactly the same thing indefinitely... and that's fine. If you're finding it difficult to not give a fuck about Gears 4 then I'd ask why do you feel you should in the first place? Gears is what it is. I was 100% bored of it by the end of Gears 3 and would only even remotely consider Gears 4 if it reviewed extremely well. Even then, I'm not sure I'd want to play it.

I'm old on the inside.

Right. I feel like the promotional content should highlight what they are doing bigger and better, but if this is the most exciting stuff that they have to show then that makes me even more worried about the rest of the campaign.

I'm fine with it being a Gear-ass shooter so long as it looks like they've done something to really improve the formula around it - better level designs, interesting weapons, a new setting, some sort of new thematic content or characters, or... well, something. But this one looks too attached to the previous games. You don't need "the child of X" to move a franchise forward. You don't need to have a bunch of old characters thrown in for fan service. They've created this whole universe and they're afraid to play in it. That's sad.

Anyways, good blog. Now I'm bummed. But at least God of War looks like it's doing it right?

I just want horde mode. Give me that and I'm good.

@sparky_buzzsaw: God of War looks like it took it to the other unhealthy extreme where it barely even resembles the base game anymore. Sure it looks exciting but you could slap any name on that box now and it would work just as well. They haven't shown much, but what they did show looked like it had very little to do with what made God of War the game it was - it's like if they took Bayonetta and made it into a Resident Evil 4 type of game (in terms of pacing). Hey sure man thats exciting and I want to play it, but that ain't Bayonetta anymore.

Even for dudebros, the appeal of "The adventures of JD and Del" with its current cover art is lacking in comparison to "Marcus Fenix and Dom saves the world, again".

It's not really blowing my skirt up either. When it was first revealed I was interested because it looked like it could be a fairly different game fighting enemies that were quite different. I imagined that perhaps it was a game set on another planet with a new threat. Instead you're on Sera and it looks like you're pretty much just fighting Locust again, or a locust equivalent. I'll likely pick the game up on the cheap and have fun with it, but it's a series that really needed a new direction and it doesn't look like it's getting it.

Yup, I like that they're doing something different with God of War, but it kind of bums me out that it looks like it's some kind of walking simulator with even more basic combat and what just looks like an added character that's there to force some kind of emotional attachment. But then I always kind of loved God of War for Kratos being a giant piece of shit. Nobody really would have been interested in God of War 4 if it were just another God of War Ascension but in Norse mythology, though, and I'm cool with that - I would have been bummed if it was just more of the same.

I do really think it looks like they're getting too far away from what you come to God of War for - I don't even necessarily need Kratos to be an arsehole or need the game to be super violent (I do like those elements), but I do want a fun combat system akin to other character action games like Bayonetta/DMC/DmC/Darksiders etc (that's not to say God of War's combat was on the level of a Devil May Cry) - shit, I just imagined God of War going all Darksiders with Zelda-style dungeons - not exactly original but I would have lapped that shit up :P

I've never liked gears but it's really funny how similar it is to UC4 and how different reactions have been to both games. They're both pretty stale franchises putting out "another one of those games". While Gears has always had better gameplay/multiplayer and continues to, the reactions to that game have ranged from "fuck this shit" to "meh". Meanwhile, uncharted 4 has always had subpar gameplay but puts a really really gorgeous wrapper around its generic story and subpar multiplayer and it's hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of gaming

@mems1224: first off Gears 4 isn't out yet. Second of all, you just have to take into account the people in the media don't play multiplayer. Same reason CoD comes and goes for these people and they want Battlefield 1 to not be a BF game because they don't play BF games when that's not what the actual BF fans want. That part of Gears will always be overlooked around here. Just have to take all that for a grain of salt.

Ultimately this game is not doing itself favors though. Generic main characters and all that. I really don't know what the answer is. I have enjoyed Gears quite a bit in different moments but for me it is far from some blockbuster I need to play.

I don't know. I am excited for more Gears. That said, I was going to say, they seem to have posted it so nonchalantly, and yet to me, while it excites me, because I personally like that Marcus Fenix is back, it is somewhat a TMI to me. In the most recent gameplay video they uploaded, it not only reveals that Marcus is revealed to appear in some form in the game through the E3 trailer, but now, he's actually someone that tags along. Furthermore, I only play Gears of War for the campaign, so I am interested in the story. I also have a couple of the books. I do agree that it does feel forced to throw these bad guys in, but I think they are locusts. They look like deformed versions of them, but animate the same, and sound the same (or very similar). I don't know how I feel about the new characters yet, they seem to be voiced well from what I can tell at least. The game, though it may be fun, looks like more Gears of War. The only thing that differs in terms of gameplay is new guns, a way to kill enemies through the environment, and some new ways to physically attack them (like knifing them, or jumping over cover and kicking them). I like Gears of War though, so it's probably the second game I'm most excited for this year... Mainly because other than Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, there's not much else to be excited for to me. I mean, sure, The Last Guardian maybe. What else? I'm probably not going to beat Final Fantasy XV, or not around release.

Disappointed that you missed 'a Fenix reborn' at the end

I tried playing through Gears 3 again and got bored after about an hour, so I doubt I pickup Gears 4.

I was pretty into Gears back when it was relevant, but I couldn't really shake the feeling that after 3, I was pretty much done at that point. The story ended, the gameplay mechanics ran their course and there just wasn't really anything else to bring me back to play Juggernaut, let alone pay for a Xbox One to play any potential sequels. I think what is really disappointing though, is that many people feel this way and after seeing the announcement trailer, it just kinda made me shrug which I think is horrible because I literally dumped hundreds of hours into Gears 1-3 playing co-op and multiplayer. Halo still manages to grab my attention and it's just sad that this doesnt.

I come to Gears almost solely for the multiplayer. It has the most satisfying CQC and movement I've ever played in a shooter. Using all your movement options to juke your opponent and gibbing dudes with the gnasher never gets old. I still fire up Gears 3 KOTH on a regular basis to scratch that itch. I actually liked Judgment too, especially the Overrun mode, even though the base game was obviously lacking in content.

I'm hoping Gears 4 has even better mobility, good maps, and that there's depth to the metagame since it's being tested by pro players. However, I can understand how people who come to the series for campaign feel underwhelmed by what's been shown so far.

@sweep: I'm with you. I mean, I know that I'll buy and play this game, but I can't say that I'm really looking forward to it all that much. Then again, I felt the same way about Gears 3. I sort of went into that game feeling pessimistic for whatever reason and ended up having a blast.

I had that same exact moment of disappointment almost immediately after posting but was stuck on my phone so didn't have a chance to correct. Don't worry, it's been amended.

@sweep For the record I barely touched multiplayer but I adored all three campaigns, played a lot of co-op campaign and played a ton of horde with buds.

For me I think it boils down to Gears 1, 2 and 3 being an amazing trilogy. The world, characters and gameplay felt custom-made for the scope and story of those three games.

I never tired of it but I left satisfied and it left a fantastic memory that, for me, is perfect just how it is.

I think there is a reason that the original developers aren't on these projects anymore(halo and gears) they have run their course. There is nothing interesting narratively in either title anymore IMO, especially gears as i felt it ended with 3. I know there are a lot of people who still love gears(specifically gears 2 multiplayer) but there just doesn't seem like there is anything there for me to be interested in. I think they really made a mistake tying the games to the original trilogy, i think just making an entirely new cast(not the cog kids), premise, and planet would have at least gotten my attention more. Microsoft just seems way to reluctant to do new things with their franchises, which is probably why i still don't have an Xone.

You mean, like what Resi 4 did for the Resi franchise?....Change isnt always unhealthy.

It's not that I've ever really liked Gears of War to begin with (I've only played the first one and really didn't like it.) but when they announced a brand new game and showed that (way too dark) trailer I have to admit my interest was piqued. A more horror/atmospheric kind of third person shooter seemed interesting to me. Even better if they could finally get away from the previous games and make a fresh start.

... and then they announced they clearly had no balls and announced the whole thing about being Marc Fenix' son and showed typical old Gears of War gameplay. Needless to say any renewed interest I had in Gears of War basically evaporated instantly.

I think you are in one of two parties when it comes to Gears these days. Someone who actively wants more Gears of War and those who don't. I for one certainly want to play more Gears but I want to do it co-op or in horde mode. Playing Gears of War competitively makes me want to just strangle myself with the imaginary cord of my controller and I have 0 interest in playing that.

I for one am very interested in seeing where and how the take this franchise forward and do think that it is in capable hands but I'm also cautious that I may be over that style of game.

I loved the campaigns of GoW 1-3, but I just can't get into this so far. I think the reason is two-fold: One, Judgment was complete garbage. I absolutely hated that game. Two, I thought GoW3 was a perfectly fine ending to the story. I felt satisfied. So, now to have something come out that will probably completely upend the fairly happy and victorious ending of 3 just feels like a bummer. Plus, what they have shown so far of 4 just looks dull. I don't know, I could be wrong. It certainly looks better than freakin' Judgment, if nothing else.

@sasnake: It's not, but then again that was a great change for the industry, but maybe not the best change for Resident Evil. A lot of core fans were pretty unhappy with the more action heavy approach the series took from that point on, even though it did bring about a watershed moment for all third person action games going forward. It doesn't look like God of War is bringing about a similar genre defining change, it's just switching directions within it's own confined wheelhouse which, sure, could be great but it can also completely sever ties with what defined that series in the first place - twitchy, frenetic, visceral combat.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to be excited for more gears of war. I still have the collectors edition statuette of Marcus Fenix sitting on my desk. The issue here is that they haven't changed enough to keep this style of game relevant - either in multiplayer or in the campaign (Both of which I value equally in a Gears Game). This feels more like an expansion than a standalone product, and there doesn't seem to be enough in there to keep me interested.

Gears 4 beta was easily the best gaming experience I've had in ages. The movement was the best yet IMO. I'm super pumped for Gears 4!! Have had my preorder in since before the Gears Ultimate beta!

But yeah I get what you're saying. In many respects it's the same old same old. But to me, that's a good thing. There's so many amazing games and franchises out there that I don't want Gears to change too much and turn into something else. If Gears turned into something else then it would just be one other different thing amongst a million other different things out there on the market. It would make an insignificant difference to the number of other titles already out there and which I'm already playing for variety's sake. And for that tiny payoff I would be robbed of the Gears mechanics, characters and lore (yes I do actually follow the crayola-level Gears lore) that me and my friends know and love.

To me, the difference in mechanics between Gears Ultimate and Gears 4 is variety enough. It's funny...Gears 3 fans on the official Gears forums are always complaining when all Gears games aren't like Gears 3. Vice versa with Gears 1 fans wanting everything to be Gears 1. To me, I like all Gears games (even Judgment!) for pretty much the reasons you've touched on in your topic...variety. There's many people who just want to play Gears 3 over and over and any time anything strays away from the Gears 3 formula they complain. Loudly! Not me. I have appreciated the small nuances between titles with each new release. There definitely is variety between all the titles and I feel it when I jump between them. (My friends and I jump between all of them at any given time).

I do appreciate that it's very possible to get burnt out on Gears. My friends and I are somewhat at that stage ourselves. But that's what other franchises are for!!' We all fire up Rocket League or Titanfall or COD or Halo or GTA or Dead Rising or any one of dozens of other franchises we all own. But when the mood strikes, we are always thankful that we can go back to Gears, and Gears will always welcome us back like an old friend. Gears remains Gears and I would be deeply saddened if it ever stopped being so.

A bunch of my friends didn't really like Gears Ultimate so they've stuck with Gears 3. A bunch of my other friends (myself included) got somewhat burnt out on Gears so have been waiting and playing other things. But the chatter amongst everyone is that we're ALL gonna be back for Gears 4. And Gears with friends is to me what Gears is all about. Having the whole crew back together with more game modes, better lobbies and match-making, current-gen graphics, and that beautiful Gears 4 movement via an Elite controller...man it's gonna be a magic time. I can't wait!!

I also am underwhelmed by Gears 4. I look forward to playing it at some point, but don't really care how soon.

@sweep: Played 1 and 2 but by the time 3 came out I already got rid of my 360 and my interest in the franchise dropped.

I checked out the 20 minute gameplay video and nothing about it made me even consider buying and xbox one for it. Gameplay seems to be stuck in the past and it just seemed like Gear 1 with better textures.

I hope I am proven wrong. I do have very favorable memories from my time with that game.

The game looks fine but its Gears of War and I couldn't be less interested in the series these days.

It seems like just another Gears game and that isn't enough to get people interested.

Everything related to the campaign looks below average.

All aboard the negativity train.