Gears 5

Gears 5 is the natural evolution of the historic TPS series and, with its solid gameplay and contents, is a step towards the future that so many fans wanted. Perhaps some of them wished for a more decisive revolution, but the developers' hard work can be seen and felt, and it can satisfy any kind of player.

Coalition comes back to reverse the reception of the rather unremarkable Gears of War 4. Saying that Gears 5 is an improvement is an understatement, offering possibly the largest campaign of the franchise, filled with diverse and beautiful environments, mature writing and the familiar cover-based gameplay that remains one of the best in the industry.

No matter which mode you approach it from, Gears 5 is an incredibly fun and polished game.

Gears is sawing in the right direction now. Gears of War 4 disappointed a bit, the new Gears studio was under a lot of (time) pressure. This time The Coalition surprised positively. Gears 5 offers more variety than previous Gears and, thanks to Jack, gives real strategic skills for the first time. I also like the longer, atmospheric story sections. Fortunately, the storyline with Kait offers suspense, as the story about the Hammer of Dawn doesn't exactly sparkle with ingenuity. Thanks to The Coalition for the three-player co-op mode as well as for the escape mode. All in all, Gears 5 convinced me.

It is incredibly well-optimized, ensuring it will look good and run smoothly on a variety of hardware. Microsoft pledged to put a focus back on its PC players and if Gears 5 is an indication of what is to come, mouse and keyboard jockeys are in for a treat.

Much like its iconic Lancer Assault Rifle, Gears 5 functions as perfectly as it was designed. The developers threw on a chainsaw of character, narrative, and content to make an over-the-top, thrilling experience from start to finish. Gears 5 is a badass game, and you'll come away feeling more badass than the legendary Marcus himself.

Gears 5 takes steps forward for the franchise, providing the bombastic, bloody violence of the series with both a greater scope and intimate story.

Impressive visuals, lengthy campaign and rich multiplayer, Gears 5 summarizes the definition of an AAA game. However, its technical issues and the restrained open-world element, somewhat diminish the experience.

As an action blockbuster Gears 5 is outstanding.

Introduction of open world led to action slowing down a little, but new lore and world-building more than make up for it. [Issue#241, p.30]

Gears 5 is excellent, albeit with a major narrative downfall. While the finale of the campaign definitely left a sour taste in my mouth, the game was so good that I want to keep playing the Horde and multiplayer modes just to get more Gears 5. The atmosphere and gameplay in the campaign were different to what I expected, in a good way, and I'm looking forward to where the series goes next and how this narrative finally finishes up in the sequel. Until then, this is the best Gears game in years, with an excellent multiplayer suite to back it up. Practically essential on Xbox One, and a great option for PC owners too.

This is an intense blockbuster which delivers its brutal action just as advertised.

The Coalition continues to pursue its goal of maturing the Gears of War series. With more lightness in the gameplay, a slightly harder tone, and a deeper expansion of the universe, Gears 5 could well be the best in the series. It's beautiful, it's fluid, and it tries to say something than just 'another war'. There's no doubt that even the most skeptical fans will be won over by this new episode, while new players to the franchise will also find what they are looking for — as long as they like a style of gameplay so particular to the series. If the story is not enough, the game can be played with friends — whether co-op or competitive, there's plenty to do in Gears 5.

Gears 5 has something for every Gears fan. The campaign plays well, even if the story is less than it could have been. Horde offers endless hours of co-op gameplay and depth, and the Versus modes are the best they have ever been. With Call of Duty still a few months away and Halo next year, Gears 5 hits at a time where this kind of great multiplayer gameplay is definitely lacking.

Gears 5 plays around with the formula a bit, but it's still at its best when it's just being a solid-ass Gears of War game.

Given the lack of subtlety Gears titles have shown so far, the way Gears 5 seeds these ideas into a knockabout action-adventure is impressive. Admittedly, few of the ideas are new, but how the Coalition brings them together under the skull-and-cog banner is surprising and refreshing, making this the most well-oiled Gears in a decade.

With Gears 5, there’s a lot to love. The campaign is solid, making bold pushes in brave directions, and continues to be a hoot with friends. The story ultimately failed to fulfil its potential, but compelling gameplay keeps things moving. Horde continues to be a brilliant binge of violent goodness, with new mechanics and rewards that help boost longevity. Escape is a worthy addition to the roster of modes, oozing potential for more creative players to realize. Versus is back in a big way, helping newcomers find their feet, while keeping loyal fans of the franchise happy with classic game types and the thank-god-it’s-not-terrible shotgun. If you’re any kind of shooter fan, this game has earned your attention.

It's just another Gears game, but a more charismatic protagonist and a few experimental mechanics at least give the series a more firm footing going forward.

Gears 5 is very much a return of those best elements of Gears of War, but with a focus on making the game feel somewhat more adaptive to your particular ways of playing. Whether you want campaign or co-op, Competitive or Quickplay, there's an option for you in Gears 5, and plenty of stuff to reward you for time spent and skill gained. Gears 5 might suffer from some of the same storytelling missteps as its predecessors, and it might not venture far out of the past, but the new ideas it brings to the series are all good reasons for fans to return.

Gears of War 5 bravely adds new mechanics to an aging series, but ends up being worse because of them.

Gears 5 feels like a desperate attempt by The Coalition at trying to carve out a new identity for the series, but the execution feels half-hearted. The pseudo open-world skiff exploration is enjoyable early on, but the uninspired objectives end up making it feel dull after a while.

Marcus Phoenix is completely old, his Lancer finally rusted. Something needs to be changed, gentlemen. Let's start with new visual effects, complemented by quality developers of all the details - creation of new weapons, completion of fascinating historical and more compelling multi-player and cooperative modes.