Upon starting the campaign of Gears of War 4, I was a little worried.  Here I was starting a new adventure in one of my favourite gaming series in somewhat unfamiliar territory.  No longer did we have the bromance duo of Marcus Phoenix and Dominic Santiago, and the enemy was no longer the Locust.  Instead Gears of War 4 takes place 25 years after the events of the COG’s victory over the Locust, thus ensuring the survival of the human race.  This is where the game kicks-off proceedings with an awesome prologue that long-standing fans will surely appreciate.  Which with a word of warning, if you’re yet to watch that 20+ minute prologue video that released recently, avoid it at all costs, as it will ruin the surprise opening moments of the campaign.

Instead of the bromance duo, we have our lead protagonist J.D Fenix, a former soldier of the COG who is of course also the son of Marcus, and he is accompanied by his close friend Del Walker, a former COG himself and Kait Diaz, the daughter of the leaders of a rebel group known as The Outsiders (sadly Scott Hall and Kevin Nash do not feature).   I won’t give too much away, but the new trio are on the wrong side of the COG and seem to be accused of a crime they did not commit and as a result, they are pursued relentlessly by the COG’s new robotic soldiers.  And just to make matters worse, a new threat emerges known as The Swarm, a threat that has not been seen since Emergence Day and just like the responsibility that fell on the shoulders of Marcus and Dom, it’s now up to J.D, Del and Kait to save the human race.  So no pressure then.

My worry upon starting Gears of War 4 stemmed from more than just its setting, as its campaign was also a slow starter.  So much so, that I was genuinely concerned that the game which was set to dawn a new era for the series, I feared that it was going to fall flat on its face.  The first Act and a half was colourful, full of wise-cracks and little suspense.  Thankfully as they say “business picked-up” when you acquire a member of your team to complete a quartet, which to be honest, has already probably been spoiled due to the many spoiler-fest trailers that graced us prior to the release of Gear’s 4.

While the cast may have had a make-over, the same sarcastic humour still remains that bats brilliantly between our new friends and each character is supported superbly by their respected voice actor.  The banter between J.D, Del and Kait has truly captured the essence originated from the great cast of characters that came before.  I was initially concerned that I’d struggle to form a bond with the new trio, but I can now safely say that I hope they feature prominently in forthcoming games as I believe they are more than capable of taking the series forward in the new era.  With the help of Marcus Fenix (who is now extra grumpy, but equally as bad ass), the developers do a fine job in “passing the torch” to our new cast of characters.

However, if you’re hoping that Gears of War 4 has some kind of gameplay revolution for the series, than sadly you’ll be disappointed.  Apart from a couple of minor subtle changes such as being able to hop over low objects while in a sprint by a press of the B button (which I hardly found myself using), this plays almost identical to all the previous game.  The movement is clunky when in a sprint and you’ll spend much of your time shooting from behind cover as you fight off hordes of enemies before moving on to the next area.  The term “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” certainly comes to mind here and if as a Gears fan, this is what you want and expect, then you’re in luck, if not, then you might want to look elsewhere.

Despite carrying a different name, the new enemy known as The Swarm is also near identical to the Locust.  For example, you’d be forgiven in thinking that an enemy called Juvies is some kind of relative to the Wretch.  The Swarm even have their own form of Emergence Holes.  However, don’t let this over familiarity put you off, because Gears of War 4 does have its fair share of surprises, in both enemy types as well as the story.  One of the most fun new additions to the game, come in the form of new weapons, with my favourite being the Buzzkill.  This awesome weapon fires saw blades that slice through almost every enemy type that it comes in contact with and it even ricochet’s off solid surfaces, offering the opportunity for strategically placed shots.

Another new weapon is called The Dropshot, which is kind of like a newer version of the Digger Launcher from Gears of War 3.  Instead of firing explosives under the ground, this weapon fires above ground and travels through almost every object.  You’ll need to hold down the trigger button to stop it from exploding before it reaches its intended target, but when you release the trigger, you’ll be treated to an over the top presentation of gory, gooey goodness that only Gears of War knows how to deliver.  Gears of War 4 also introduces a device called the Fabricator and depending on your current predicament in the campaign, whether its needing weapons or to build defences to fight off enemy hordes, the Fabricator will allow you to build weapons and tools on the fly.

Visually, Gears of War 4 is an absolute stunner, powered by the Unreal Engine 4.  It’s easily one of the best looking games on the Xbox One, well in-fact its easily one of the best looking games on the new generation console and from what I hear, it also runs and looks absolutely stunning on the PC.  Likewise, the soundtrack is sublime.  It helps capture furthermore the feeling of dread, suspense, gung-ho action and the rare moments of calm for when its required.  Much like everything else in this game, the soundtrack feels every bit a Gears of War game and to be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way in that respect.

As I’ve already touched upon, I was a little worried during the opening moments of Gears of War 4.  Would I be able to connect with its new set of characters?  Would I find myself being able to become immersed within its new world and feel just as invested in its story?  The eventual answer to that is a resounding yes, in-fact as soon as I past the mid-way part of Act 2, it’s a game that I’ve found very difficult to put down.  It’s a game that I find myself almost constantly thinking about when I’m not playing (which is always a good sign) and that’s not even taking into account it’s as addictive as always multiplayer and horde modes.  At the moment, it takes a while to get into a competitive multiplayer match, which can be annoying as they are plenty of new and classic modes to tryout.

If you can get friends together for some Horde 3.0, this mode is so much fun, more fun than I remember it to be.  To help you take on the hordes, you’ll have the Fabricator to help you out, which gives you even more options to build defences and acquire additional weaponry on the fly.  However, having the Fabricator with you adds an extra strategic element, as it can be crucial as to where you place it, because the last thing you want is enemies coming at you from all angles when you want to pick-up a new weapon or add to your defences during the heat of the battle.

It’s worth mentioning that Gears of War 4 does feature its own set of micro-transaction packs, but from what I can tell at the time of writing, it’s not too much of a grind to earn in-game credits if you’re a dedicated enough player.  This is The Coalition’s first Gears of War title since Epic Games parted ways with the series in.  While some may have hoped them to have mixed it up a little more with their first outing, the truth is, that going on past experiences with certain games; they probably would have just angered the fanboy mob if they had rustled too many feathers.

The Coalition has fully acknowledge what made the series so popular and successful in the first place and they’ve done well adding their own subtle touches, as well as introducing us to a set of new lead characters that I love.  In a nutshell, this is every bit of Gears of War game that fans know and love.  If you’re an Xbox fan waiting for the elusive console seller exclusive, especially if you found yourself let down by Halo 5: Guardians and you’ve found yourself patiently sitting on the sidelines waiting for the perfect opportunity to invest in an Xbox One, then Gears of War 4 just may be the console seller that you’ve been waiting for.  Gear Up!

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