The Coalition's new Gears of War game, Gears of War E-Day, is a testosterone-fuelled, explosion-packed return for the franchise, delivering a brutal and emotional campaign that scores 4.5/5.
Set on Emergence Day, 14 years before the original 2006 title, the story focuses on the moment the Locust Horde first emerged from beneath the planet Sera, launching a devastating surprise attack on humanity. Players step into the boots of Marcus Fenix, joined by Dom Santiago, as they fight through the opening hours of a war that is both touching and anxiety-inducing.
Brutal and visceral combat
The game is gritty, bloody and violent, pacing at breakneck speed like an action film. Players face endless waves of monsters emerging from red smokey craters, with the action never letting up. The level design is excellent, with plenty of verticality to gunfights as you scour buildings and bridges, traversing the city while civilians flee in horror.
You hastily assemble a motley crew of soldiers on the streets of Sera, with Bravo Squad completed by warriors Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes. Together, you blast away with Lancers, shotguns and Hammerbursts, pumping bullets into thuggish villains bent on tearing the city apart. The squad has always been at the heart of Gears of War games, and this entry is no exception.
Emotional narrative and top graphics
The visual detail is superb, visceral, with top-tier graphics that don't hold back on the realism of war. Ripped corpses, limbs and heads torn away, and fatally wounded soldiers crying out for help are all present, despite the bombast and over-the-top classic Gears dudebro feel. Voice acting and cutscenes are top draw, driving an emotional, evocative narrative along at a hefty pace. Characterisation is great, with the ante always upped to 110%, which bleeds into the frantic gameplay.
Gameplay will feel incredibly familiar to Gears players of old. Fenix snaps between cover with the push of a button, dodging bullets while chugging out his own manic gunfire in satisfying joypad play. The baddies are bullet-sponges, and that firepower never grows old as you battle deeper into the war zone that is Sera.
Campaign modes and verdict
The full campaign is available in solo, two-player split-screen mode on console, and with up to four players in online co-op. This brings out teamwork in gamers as you join forces to take down giant Locust bosses in massive fights. It's gripping stuff with pals, but equally enjoyable as a solo player with computer-controlled teammates shooting from the periphery.
Horde Siege and Venus online multiplayer modes have not yet been tried, as servers have not struck up. But on campaign alone, Gears of War E-Day is great, familiar fun and worth the cover price.
