They wreck fortifications you've built, and shatter your best laid plans. There's a handful of new mini-bosses that arrive on the scene every tenth wave to pound you with artillery or charge your position with claws raised. Whereas Gears of War 3's overextended itself, trying too hard to expound upon a solid formula, the wave-defense mode has found both confidence and creativity in its newest iteration. There are also several campaign sections that make use of Gears of War 4's new Horde mode, planting it directly in the narrative during defensive scenarios with JD and his squad.Īnd Gears of War 4's Horde mode is fantastic. Gears of War 4 introduces several mini-bosses that demand a new approach to the franchise's tried-and-true combat, and mitigate the feeling of deja vu as the chapters pass. This lack of inspiration is all the more frustrating considering the engaging scenarios that do emerge. It takes several chapters until firefights evolve past simple point-and-shoot scenarios.īut even then, the campaign seems intent on repeating situations time and time again: turret defense sequences, frantic fights against weaker, nimble enemies, and the simple act of clearing an area before a loud gong beckons you to the next skirmish. The first two hours are the most abrasive, throwing multitudes of simple enemies at JD and his gang as they chew through the waves with conventional weapons in boring situations. What's more, the actual gameplay suffers from pacing and redundancy problems throughout the campaign.

Vistas are gorgeous and character designs portray a ragged society eeking out a living in a post-Gears of War 3 world, but there's not much emotional substance among the wreckage.

Dialogue serves mainly as exposition, without the nuances that could otherwise flesh out complex relationships among the cast. The Gears franchise has always hidden a quality story beneath its macho jargon and shallow jokes, but new studio The Coalition doesn't find much depth in its storytelling: the humor is irritating, romances emerge on an insincere whim, and I never felt as if the characters actually cared about each other. Unfortunately, much of this narrative feels forced or predictable. Now Playing: Gears of War 4 - Video Review

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