Gears of War: Judgment

 Xbox 360
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 966 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 365 out of 966
  2. Mixed: 297 out of 966
  3. Negative: 304 out of 966
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  1. Coletrain128
    Mar 20, 2013
    5
    When it comes to prequels, my expectations are lowered as I know I'm buying an inferior product compared to games like Gears 2 & 3 and this rains true with judgment. There is no sense of camaraderie with your squad, character like Colonel Loomis, Sofia and Paduk are underdeveloped and you don't really care about them, many of the declassified missions are recycled throughout the campaignWhen it comes to prequels, my expectations are lowered as I know I'm buying an inferior product compared to games like Gears 2 & 3 and this rains true with judgment. There is no sense of camaraderie with your squad, character like Colonel Loomis, Sofia and Paduk are underdeveloped and you don't really care about them, many of the declassified missions are recycled throughout the campaign making it a chore rather than having fun and the final boss fight is anti-climatic and lacks a sense of challenge. It's like the voice actors from the original gears games decide to spend an afternoon with People Can Fly to do some recording and that's it. It's just odd seeing less smart ass remarks from Baird and Coletrain being awfully quiet through most of the 5-6hr campaign. The whole Cog vs Cog alienates fans of gears as the only opportunity to play as the locust is in the games overrun mode and the fact that most of the game's unlocks are microtransactions is a big disappointment. I can see some buying this as a $20-$30 purchase but not full price. It doesn't feel like Gears and it's title is just slapped on the cover just to make a quick buck.… Expand
  2. MosesOfWar
    Mar 21, 2013
    4
    I decided to write this review because I'm one of the people that got Judgement on release day. Being a huge Gears of war fan I was looking forward to a new title, new weapons and Overrun Mode. And ultimately, I find myself SEVERELY disappointed. I will say the game brings to unique aspects that I did enjoy, but it's glaring flaws outnumber any advancements that game adds. As I mentioned,I decided to write this review because I'm one of the people that got Judgement on release day. Being a huge Gears of war fan I was looking forward to a new title, new weapons and Overrun Mode. And ultimately, I find myself SEVERELY disappointed. I will say the game brings to unique aspects that I did enjoy, but it's glaring flaws outnumber any advancements that game adds. As I mentioned, the game does some things right: The addition of "Declassified" missions is a pretty fun take on the general Gears formula. Some missions require the the area to completed in a certain time span, other require the use of certain weapons for example; in any case, it brings in a new level of "challenge" to the Gears formula, that's much appreciated. These declassified missions are of course optional, but unlock various multiplayer items.

    Overrun mode is a solid addition to the Gears of War formula as well. I will say playing as the Locust provides more entertainment than Cog; both Locust and Cog gain "Points" for achieving various objects, healing allies, killing enemies, etc. But ONLY Locust get to use these "Points" for purchasing upgraded Locust minions, such as a Mauler, or Corpser. Cog get nothing, just a competition for who can get the most points. I feel like perhaps the designers could've given the Cog access to upgraded weapons, grenades or powers to spend their "Points" on, but there is nothing. Overrun is is a fun game mode, but it still leaves players with the feeling that the game mode could encompass so much more and not just be a run off of the Gears version of Team Fortress or Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory.

    Now on to the bad news: This isn't you traditional Gears of War multiplayer experience. I understand that People Can Fly has made an attempt to mainstream the series, but this is definitely a multipalyer experience that will upset the Gears diehards and really feels like a couple of steps back from Gears of War 3. To begin, players are limited to four game types: Free for All, Team Deathmatch, Domination and Overrun (VIP players get 4 more game types... Just the VIP version of each of these that offer no additional maps, no additional benefits other than double experience). Players also get the aptly named "Survival" mode, which is similar to Overrun, but against computer Locust; this is like "Horde" mode, but limited to 10 waves, and you're stuck in rigid classes.

    In any case, back to the standard multiplayer it seems a little rushed and severely numbed down. To begin, you now can select one of up to seven primary weapons to start with (Shotguns are now considered "primary") and you get your Snub Pistol.. Not only that, but you only get two weapons to switch between (with the "Y" button) and your Grenade (which you also can choose between 5 grenades to start with). Being able to select such a variety of weapons and grenades before you spawn severely limits battles over the weapon drops on the maps.

    Judgement also removes from multiplayer, some key concepts brought about by the Gears saga (but oddly enough are kept in Campaign). The first is downing opponents and executions. No more human shields, no more stunning visuals of smacking the heads off your foes with the Longshot like Tiger Woods teeing off at the Masters, now you just kill (except in Overrun). No tagging walls with Grenades to step up mines. In fact, there's not even a bullet power bonus from Active Reloads any longer (just fire speed).

    Really with all the changes, many of the weapons have become underwhelming. The weakness of the Lancer, the inaccuracy of the Retro Lancer, the weakness of the Hammerburst without the bonus power of an perfect active reload, just don't seem to do enough damage. Also, Sniper Rifles and Torque Bows just don't seem to have the same effect in Judgement as they did in game past. Multiplayer in Judgement has really become a Shotgun circle, with each team sprinting at each other, Gnashering or Sawed off until no one is left. With the other weapons becoming so Underwhelming (well minus the Boomshot, Booshka and the explosives), why would a player want to pick any other weapon? The cover mechanics of Gears feel very gimped when your target is 100ft away and they rush straight at you, eat an entire Lancer clip and manage to one shot you with a Shotgun, or survive 4 shots from a Marzka, but can kill you mid range with four Shotgun shots. The multiplayer experience seems like it was rushed, or was developed by entirely different team than the campaign. Even fun additions, like being able to wield a shield with any primary weapon, are overshadowed by the flaws in game play. The sad part is, the maps are very well designed but aren't really appreciated due to the imbalances in game play.

    In summary, this game does have some great additions to the series, but takes so much out of the Gears experience, it feels like a step in the wrong direction after such a great experience with gears of War 3.    … Expand
  3. Pericles83
    Mar 19, 2013
    5
    The weakest of the series, i personally hate the more arcade feel of the game. Nothing in this game stand out. In my opinion if you are a fan maybe a buy if you are not a fan just turn around and go play Tomb raider!!
  4. Divio
    Mar 19, 2013
    3
    This game that runs under the moniker of Gears of War hardly qualifies for the title. Epic games has killed off the hardcore fan base and dropped the ball by changing what made gears of war...gears of war. The multi-player made gears it's own shooter and gave it the appeal that kept a solid fan base. This title however bring in changes that unequivocally destroy the unique nature of theThis game that runs under the moniker of Gears of War hardly qualifies for the title. Epic games has killed off the hardcore fan base and dropped the ball by changing what made gears of war...gears of war. The multi-player made gears it's own shooter and gave it the appeal that kept a solid fan base. This title however bring in changes that unequivocally destroy the unique nature of the multi-player that once was the reason people flocked to stores to buy the games. No "down but not out" ,aka no executions, has turned what used to be a game with skilled shotgun and sniper battles into a very vanilla shooter. No more can you wall bounce your way out of a head shot from a sniper. Now he can just clip you to death with poor aim. No more epic shotgun battles that caused your adrenaline to shoot up while you pop'd your opponents head off with a delightful pop.

    Epic games and people can fly have ruined what made this series.

    It's almost like Michael Jordan's return to basketball. It's a sad sad version of what once was, and what hope that had been brought with the thought of a new title to an amazing series has been... dare i say it, curb stomped.    … Expand
  5. KeepersWay
    Mar 19, 2013
    2
    Sigh, by far the worst game in the gears of war franchise I can go as far to say that it does not even deserve to be have the name gears of war in its title. the game has been totally changed the controllers have been turned into call of duty style unlike the good original gears of war controls, only 4 launch maps, around 9 characters (carmines are not included). down but not out mode isSigh, by far the worst game in the gears of war franchise I can go as far to say that it does not even deserve to be have the name gears of war in its title. the game has been totally changed the controllers have been turned into call of duty style unlike the good original gears of war controls, only 4 launch maps, around 9 characters (carmines are not included). down but not out mode is gone so you just die immediately not get downed. the story line has concept but it is badly executed half of the campaign seems like you are playing an online match just setting up defenses and waiting for the locust to come towards you it is boring and nothing but a time burn. I've been playing gears of war since the first one and I can honestly say that this is the first one in the franchise that I will return.… Expand
  6. Sinister_Taco
    Mar 19, 2013
    1
    The game that killed the series. Everything that all fans liked about Gears is taken away and turned into a more arcade COD like game. Disappointed is an understatement.
  7. Themisterchief
    Mar 19, 2013
    10
    As a "Gear Head" the game's single player heavily relied on its combat and presented me with many different ways to approach them. With smart AI you wont be fighting the same enemies if you wipe in single player. I completed the campaign in coop, with the game's matching making filling in those empty spots is a breeze. Also God of War was not the right GOW to purchase. I like PSY
  8. unicornnz
    Mar 31, 2013
    3
    I pre-ordered this because Gears. I have spent literally thousands of hours on this series and this by far is the weakest. They have a 'VIP' zone, splitting the community into 2 groups. WE ONLY GET 4 MAPS, No DBNO, no meatshields, no active reload, ONLY COMES WITH 5 CHARACTERS, the execution DLC just released includes 1 map with a seriously poor tacked on take on 'execution' The campaignI pre-ordered this because Gears. I have spent literally thousands of hours on this series and this by far is the weakest. They have a 'VIP' zone, splitting the community into 2 groups. WE ONLY GET 4 MAPS, No DBNO, no meatshields, no active reload, ONLY COMES WITH 5 CHARACTERS, the execution DLC just released includes 1 map with a seriously poor tacked on take on 'execution' The campaign should be called arcade mode as is it no way cinematic, just a start-stop point grab. Avoid this game if you want to preserve your fond memories of gears. Gears of war 3 was perfect. This looks slightly better, yet plays worse. The most disturbing thing is the microtransactions. EPIC have created more custom suits and weapons to charge you a ridiculous price for, THESE SKINS COME ON THE DISC. We are paying to unlock them, on top of the DLC and game. this review would of been expletive if It was allowed.… Expand
  9. TheQuietGamer
    Jan 8, 2016
    8
    People Can Fly have done something new with the series. The core gameplay is still in place, but the emphasis is now on more arcade-style action. Level's are smaller and more close quarters. This leads to conflicts and levels that are shorter in length, but do a better job of ensuring that you are constantly in the center of the action.

    The Gears of War series has always been a cover    People Can Fly have done something new with the series. The core gameplay is still in place, but the emphasis is now on more arcade-style action. Level's are smaller and more close quarters. This leads to conflicts and levels that are shorter in length, but do a better job of ensuring that you are constantly in the center of the action.

    The Gears of War series has always been a cover shooter. However in this entry I barely used it. With conflicts being so hectic, taking place in close quarters, and the focus on scoring stars this entry really changes how you approach Gears' combat. The new spawn system that changes up enemy types and where they pop up at each time you play through a level is novel, if not always noticeable. It does a decent job of ensuring you aren't facing the exact same challenges on repeat playthroughs.

    Another great addition is the inclusion of "Declassified" missions. These new challenges allow you to get stars faster by upping the challenges you'll face. Things like reduced visibility, time-limits, and the restriction of only certain weapon types do a great job of changing up the game and adding some extra tension and challenge.

    The reason you'll want to get these stars is so you can unlock more content. Specifically the "Aftermath" campaign. Aftermath takes place after Judgment during Gears of War 3. It serves as a way of letting us know the final fate of the game's new characters. Not only that, but the combat and level design ditches the new style in favor of the standard formula. It's basically kind of like a story DLC for Gears of War and it's inclusion is a nice touch.

    As for the story itself it's pretty solid, if a tad disappointing. It's cool to get a look at the conflict when it was just getting started. The issue is that it takes a while for the new characters to get fleshed out and once they finally start to get interesting the end of the campaign isn't far behind. Baird and Cole's personalities also aren't as colorful as they are in the main games. That all changes during the Aftermath portion however.

    As far as presentation goes this could very well be the best looking game of last gen. Bright, vivid colors replace the typical shades of brown and gray and give the world more life. It's a gorgeous sight to behold.

    The multiplayer part of the game is basically what you would expect. While People Can Fly were making the new campaign, Epic Games was working on the multiplayer. The results are familiar. A new mode called "Overrun" is quite a blast. A survival mode replaces Hoard mode, but it's basically just Overrun with bots. Despite little innovation and only a handful of modes the experience is still fun. It's biggest issue is just that there aren't many people online.

    Despite some stumbling in it's multiplayer portion, "Judgment" still manages to impress thanks to a new approach to it's single-player offerings. It's action packed, frantic, and an all around adrenaline rush. It's a much needed breath of fresh air for the series and a heck of a lot of fun. Gears of War does something truly different and it pays off in the end. There's also plenty of reasons to come back thanks to a plethora of unlockable goodies. Purist Gearheads might be turned off by the new focus of combat and the step back in scale, but overall I think it's hard to not appreciate the excellence of the series combat even in this new format.

    I give the game an 8.4/10.    … Expand
  10. ApocalypseBrown
    Mar 28, 2013
    6
    As many other veteran Gears fans have already stated, this latest addition is underwhelming. However it doesn't mean its a bad game outright, though I believe it has no place in the Gears universe. The single/co-op/four player ironically is the best after Gears 1, I do like how People can fly have changed it for the better. The problems though are with the multiplayer, which to many is theAs many other veteran Gears fans have already stated, this latest addition is underwhelming. However it doesn't mean its a bad game outright, though I believe it has no place in the Gears universe. The single/co-op/four player ironically is the best after Gears 1, I do like how People can fly have changed it for the better. The problems though are with the multiplayer, which to many is the reason why we brought it. First the day one micro transactions............ absolutely scandalous! Then the maps, discounting the vastly over-rated over-run there are four maps that I counted where the same map gets replayed over and over until it changes. Then no downs, as the boss guards in MGSPW would say 'WHAT?'! That alone makes certain maps and weapons so unbalanced it's stupid. Then free for all, initially a good premise but with experienced players camping at power weapons spots again there is little balance. Lastly the weapons, I like the Beecher a lot but the old lancer and marzker are way too over powered, plus hit detection is very erratic. All these problems new players won't know or care about, but a vet will be disgusted and frankly I feel I have wasted cash on this. BUT the old Gears of War download was a great touch, but I don't think it has aged very well with several glitches, laggy connections and cheating NOT removed ie crab walking or being invisible in brushes etc. Overall an average game but a extremely poor Gears!… Expand
  11. MCotsalas
    Mar 31, 2013
    6
    As somebody who is a very casual Gears of War fan, I thought i'd go out of my way and give this game a try, given how much I like Gears of War 3 and its predecessors. The game really doesn't do much to change things up, same gameplay and multiplayer. What did change however, is the story and survival modes. What I like about the campaign is that it's told in many different people'sAs somebody who is a very casual Gears of War fan, I thought i'd go out of my way and give this game a try, given how much I like Gears of War 3 and its predecessors. The game really doesn't do much to change things up, same gameplay and multiplayer. What did change however, is the story and survival modes. What I like about the campaign is that it's told in many different people's perspective, which is very interesting. However I don't like the changes made in survival modes. First off, they took out Horde mode. What...? This game mode has risen to huge fame since Gears of War 2 and was turned into a masterpiece in Gears of War 3, and now you take it out. Well in fact they put in a new game mode, which I can't remember the name of, but you're basically defending this cheaply made base that is easy to destroy and hard to defend, a huge letdown if you ask me. They kept the beast mode game type (Now called Overrun) which I still have mixed feelings about, due to the fact that I wasn't a big fan in the first place. In short, if you like the Gears of War series, get this game, if you're casual like me, don't.… Expand
  12. setriodev
    Jul 11, 2013
    0
    Now they have made the game even worse. They are changing the game as It goes. I just logged in after a month or so cause the game was so boring, to find out now when you pick up ammo you dont recharge your grenades! wtf! one grenade per game? completely change the game mechanics once you get used to them? change the rule of the game in the middle of game play???????????? epic games doentNow they have made the game even worse. They are changing the game as It goes. I just logged in after a month or so cause the game was so boring, to find out now when you pick up ammo you dont recharge your grenades! wtf! one grenade per game? completely change the game mechanics once you get used to them? change the rule of the game in the middle of game play???????????? epic games doent know what the _uck they are doing, they go on pulling to the right, and the a month later to the left. _uck off and get your act together, this game is a joke!!!!!!!!!! ____uck this game is the reason I switched to psp3 the last of us rock great game, no ore epic and microsoft they dont deliver… Expand
  13. drlowdon
    Apr 29, 2020
    8
    When Kilo Squad is put on trial for various crimes by Colonel Ezra Loomis, they are given the opportunity to explain their actions...

    Despite enjoying the Gears of War trilogy, particularly the original, as co-op games I never got around to playing Judgement upon it’s release due to the mixed review scores and the fact that I’d had my fill of the Gears formula. With the game free on    When Kilo Squad is put on trial for various crimes by Colonel Ezra Loomis, they are given the opportunity to explain their actions...

    Despite enjoying the Gears of War trilogy, particularly the original, as co-op games I never got around to playing Judgement upon it’s release due to the mixed review scores and the fact that I’d had my fill of the Gears formula. With the game free on Games for Gold I belatedly got round to playing it online with a mate, and I have to say it is a very good game.

    Few titles have ever matched the gunplay of Gears of War and People Can Fly, creators of the excellent and sadly over looked Bulletstorm, have taken the classic gameplay of previous titles and put it into short missions of between five and fifteen minutes in length that award players with stars based on their performance. The clever twist (one I’m surprised more games haven’t copied) is that at the start of each mission players can choose to make it unclassified. This basically increases the difficulty by doing things like adding a time limit, making the enemies more intelligent, reducing visibility as a result of poor weather etc. This really helps to keep things fresh throughout the 42 Judgement campaign missions and the short length of each, as well as being ideal for online co-op, really encourages repeat plays in order to try to earn more stars.

    Once enough stars have been earned a further campaign is unlocked which acts as an hour and a half long prelude to the Gears of War 3 storyline and is an enjoyable, if rather brief, reminder of the older Gears titles.

    The only real negative in the whole package is the competitive multiplayer which is just as uninteresting as it has always been and not something I bothered spending all that much time with. Overall though Gears of War Judgement is a great package that can now be picked up for virtually nothing. I’d highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good shoot em up, particularly fans of previous games in the series.    … Expand
  14. iKen
    Apr 12, 2020
    8
    Played on XBOX 360.
    Gameplay: GOOD.
    Story: GOOD.
    Graphic: GREAT.
    Music/Sound: GREAT.
    Dialogue/Voice Acting: GREAT.
  15. Kingpotato
    Apr 7, 2013
    1
    This from a massive Gears of War fan.

    This is the most heinous entry in the series to date. While the single player is at least mildly enjoyable (if not grossly short) if you can get over the completely gutted controls and that you can now only carry 2 weapons. The multiplayer is however where this product has become a disgrace. They have removed locusts so now its only Cog vs Cog    This from a massive Gears of War fan.

    This is the most heinous entry in the series to date. While the single player is at least mildly enjoyable (if not grossly short) if you can get over the completely gutted controls and that you can now only carry 2 weapons. The multiplayer is however where this product has become a disgrace.

    They have removed locusts so now its only Cog vs Cog only. No active reloads, horribly designed levels that play atrociously because they are COD maps not gears of war maps and there is only 4 of them unless you want to pay for more. The entire weapon system has been changed for online, shotguns are now as crap as they were back in gears 2, you die from 1 shot of a flame thrower and a micro burst from a lancer will kill you too.

    The entire game has been ruined to the point it is no longer recognizable, it has now turned into and call of duty/halo game with a gears makeover. It is in no way shape or form a gears of war game, its almost indescribable how terribly they have destroyed a beloved franchise.

    If that wasn't enough there is less than half the content of the previous game, Gears of war 3. This game should be liable for false advertising, it is NOT a Gears of War game.    … Expand
  16. Branz
    Mar 25, 2013
    2
    The campaign is fun, short and with a few random transitions which are never explained, strange seeing as it's a courtroom testimony. The kicker is that there's no feel for characters whatsoever. Everyone knows Cole Train and Baird from Gears 1, 2 & 3. And in Judgement we get no feeling of their characters, or Padak or Sofia. Apparently Sofia was a critic of the CoG, it'd be nice if theyThe campaign is fun, short and with a few random transitions which are never explained, strange seeing as it's a courtroom testimony. The kicker is that there's no feel for characters whatsoever. Everyone knows Cole Train and Baird from Gears 1, 2 & 3. And in Judgement we get no feeling of their characters, or Padak or Sofia. Apparently Sofia was a critic of the CoG, it'd be nice if they included that in the storyline but unfortunatly it's hacked into statistical chunks for how stars you earn so any sense of immersion or connection with the character is stopped when Epic comes along to tell you how well you did didn't do. Cole might make a remark about his wealth, but that doesn't expand on his character other than "he's rich", which we kinda gathered. That's as deep as characters get.
    Stars have been added for reasons I cannot fathom except for unlocking Tai and telling you what a bad job you did. Or rather how bad the AI is because you get peanalised for DBNO time, which is irritating when the AI have regressed in intelligence since Gears 3 and now ignore you for a long while as you watch your stars drain away until the decide when they want to revive you. Another banailty of Gears J is that on starting it, it asks if you're familiar with the controls. You'd think after three games of similar control you would be familiar with the controls and hit yes. Well guess what, they're brand-new controls all together, with only two weapons available and the weapon switching being changed to the Y button, quick-grenade throwing on the left bumper and tac/com being stuck on the D-Pad so have fun throwing your grenade when trying to check where your objective is and trying to remember how to swap to your Gnasher when Therons are trying to chop you into CoG paste. Declassified Missions are nice addition, a fun way to change up the action and really test your skill and it's one of the finer points of the campaign. However, if you don't choose the Declassified Mission then have fun only acheiving two stars (on Hardened at least) as though Epic's punishing you for not doing a time-trial or using only Boltoks. The big evil boss has about as much screentime as T-Dog in the Walking Dead, appearing in the most clichéd plot-twist. In all it doesn't do much for a Gears fan, you don't see any glimpses of the characters you would know from the other Gears, there's no addition to the storyline or canon of the Gears universe. In all it starts strong and quickly collapses like a deck of cards and finishes with an ending that left me stumped with no sense of acheivment or finality for completing it. Multiplayer is my biggest gripe with this game however. The only reson I bought Xbox Live was the play Gears 3, and I played it religeously. It's combat was unique and fun, requiring skills and tactics even in quick TDM. And this has all been thrown out the window. Firstly, there's no Locust vs. CoG, just CoG vs. CoG. And with only eight characters to choose, have fun trying to remember which of the four Bairds are on your team. And the idea of 'Team' goes out the window with random spawns all over the map, so you're all scattered throughout the map. No unlockable characters, no unlockable skins; you get nothing for levelling or for getting medals. If you want skins, you either have to spin the roulette wheel in hopes that it pops out of prize boxes or pay for it. Simple as. Removing all sense of acheivement that I had from running around as Prescott or a Kantus, nope I'm just Cole with stupid neon face paint. The combat as a whole had been ruined. No longer is is cover-based heated battles, now it's CoD-style running around like a headless chicken with a shotgun in the hopes that you can kill someone before inevitably being shot from behind by someone using the same tactics. No skills, no tactics, no cover-based shooting (which was the signiture mechanice of the first three games). Or just throw frags everywhere, they're common as muck; stim and becon grenades are about as useful as a pillowcase in multiplayer. The maps are so dark that it's hard to see what the hell I'm doing, it's dark even for Gears, and they're set out in a way to discourage anything except my afformentioned headless-chicken tactic. And kiss goodbye to gruesome excecutions, no more DBNO. You just keel over and respawn. It sucks. In all, I am irritated that I pre-ordered this game. I would've waited until it was cheaper, played the campaign then gone back to played Gears 3 multiplayer. Instead I forked out extra money for it to be sat there, with it's horribly broken multiplayer and water-weak campaign. If the title is anything to go by, the devs at Epic must have judged this 'adequate' in order to wring money out of its fans with skins and VIP Passes, because I cant belive they could think this as good as Gears 1, 2 and 3. I shall be playing Gears 3 multiplayer instead, because that was a well-made game. Buy that rather than this cash-in.    … Expand
  17. ronjowe
    Mar 26, 2013
    0
    Do not buy this game. It is a pretty, heartless It masquerades itself as a true Gears title, but almost every line was cringe worthy. My friend and I had ourselves saying "Wow that line wasn't that bad" when we were surprised by one that wasn't awful. The game's story is predictable and uninteresting, filled with banal and under cooked characters. Lazy level design made me feel like I wasDo not buy this game. It is a pretty, heartless It masquerades itself as a true Gears title, but almost every line was cringe worthy. My friend and I had ourselves saying "Wow that line wasn't that bad" when we were surprised by one that wasn't awful. The game's story is predictable and uninteresting, filled with banal and under cooked characters. Lazy level design made me feel like I was playing a horde mode during every level and the boss fight was painfully typical and unimaginative. I could go on for so much longer about how bad this game was....but the graphics are pretty....so that is a plus...… Expand
  18. M0RR0W1
    Mar 26, 2013
    2
    Not happy at all! What is with the annoying habit of developers making the menu and in game language set to the country that you purchased the game in? There is no language choice option either... I live in Norway but I'm from Australia, therefore the menus and in game text etc are in Norwegian which even my Norwegian friends can't fully understand and do not like... As soon as I startedNot happy at all! What is with the annoying habit of developers making the menu and in game language set to the country that you purchased the game in? There is no language choice option either... I live in Norway but I'm from Australia, therefore the menus and in game text etc are in Norwegian which even my Norwegian friends can't fully understand and do not like... As soon as I started it up I was pissed at seeing the Norwegian text, I have even changed my xbox region to the UK previously due to daft developers like Ubisoft having the same stupid language thing. Dear game developers...Just because you live in a country, doesn't mean you want your freaking games in that country's language!!!!!! STOP IT! Being a massive Gears fan the game is disappointing to say the least, graphics are substandard, the campaign is glitchy and stale to the point where I will not bother completing it, it just seems like a chore to get through the missions not much fun. The multiplayer is pants, not just because I can't understand what is what due to the stupid google translated Norwegian, but gameplay is again disappointing... Just seems like a money grab to me, the series has gone backwards. I'm trading my copy in today for Bioshock. That is all....… Expand
  19. habanero63
    Mar 30, 2013
    3
    Easily one of the year's most anticipated titles has failed to deliver as a whole. The few new and pleasing aspects of the game are overshadowed by bland and uninteresting characterisation, uninspiring multiplayer modes and a general feeling that the developers did not care about the finished product enough to craft it properly.
    GoW3 was an experience that left me with a sense of    Easily one of the year's most anticipated titles has failed to deliver as a whole. The few new and pleasing aspects of the game are overshadowed by bland and uninteresting characterisation, uninspiring multiplayer modes and a general feeling that the developers did not care about the finished product enough to craft it properly.
    GoW3 was an experience that left me with a sense of accomplishment and one that tempted me back time and time again. GoWJ, on the other hand, has left me feeling a bit hard done as not only did I pre-order my copy, but also purchased the VIP content prior to the game's release. Once bitten, twice shy... I'll not be making that mistake again.    … Expand
  20. Gibberish12345
    Apr 6, 2013
    5
    I can summarize my review with a passage from my play. "Baird, over here Bair- no over here, not there, here. Yes finally, now, wait Baird, c'mon get me up!... And now I'm dead. Thanks Baird". In short, unbelievably useless AI. In addition to more DLC skins at launch than included ones, nine characters to play as (including two re-skinned characters), FOUR multiplayer maps, and COG vs. COGI can summarize my review with a passage from my play. "Baird, over here Bair- no over here, not there, here. Yes finally, now, wait Baird, c'mon get me up!... And now I'm dead. Thanks Baird". In short, unbelievably useless AI. In addition to more DLC skins at launch than included ones, nine characters to play as (including two re-skinned characters), FOUR multiplayer maps, and COG vs. COG multiplayer, this game warrants a 5/10 in my opinion.… Expand
  21. eranger
    Mar 28, 2013
    2
    I have played Gears of War since the very first game and have spent a massive amount of time on the 3 games in the series. Gears is my MP game, I hardly play any others, I don't own a single COD or Halo game...it's all gears for me. I am a HUGE gears game. With that said, writing what follows is a bit painful.

    This game is garbage. It is easily, by far, not even close the worst game    I have played Gears of War since the very first game and have spent a massive amount of time on the 3 games in the series. Gears is my MP game, I hardly play any others, I don't own a single COD or Halo game...it's all gears for me. I am a HUGE gears game. With that said, writing what follows is a bit painful.

    This game is garbage.

    It is easily, by far, not even close the worst game in the series. It feels like something they threw together at the last minute. I honestly don't have the time to list every single thing wrong with this game, and besides I will probably run out of room. I'll try to give a very brief overview.

    Campaign: Entertaining but lacking the depth and character development in past campaigns. The action and gameplay is fun, the missions are cool but it just feels....hollow. There's really no substance there.

    Multiplayer: This is where the game completely falls apart. A massive amount of changes were made that were totally unnecessary and ruin the game. This is what happens when a developer tries to satisfy multiple fan bases of different games instead of building a game that caters to fans of the series. This is a Halo-Cod-Gears abomination. It's awful, it's terrible, I can't stand playing it for a hundred different reasons that would take an hour for me to type here. It just sucks, period. And it really hurts me to say that because I really wanted to like this game, I was excited for it before launch, bought the VIP pass and then it just....fizzled.

    Bottom line: Save your money and wait for the next game on the new console (hopefully we get another gears game and they get a chance to redeem themselves after this mess.)    … Expand
  22. Ateas_Dhavar
    Mar 28, 2013
    5
    They took way too much from Gears in judgment. The campaign and overrun were the only two modes actually Gears related. Divio, I couldn't agree more. Aside from the two aforementioned modes, judgment just feels like call of duty. To be perfectly honest most of judgment either could have or should have been DLC for Gears 3. There was no real character depth from the campaign either. In theThey took way too much from Gears in judgment. The campaign and overrun were the only two modes actually Gears related. Divio, I couldn't agree more. Aside from the two aforementioned modes, judgment just feels like call of duty. To be perfectly honest most of judgment either could have or should have been DLC for Gears 3. There was no real character depth from the campaign either. In the first 3 Gears you actually get to know Marcus and Dom. From Marcus being sprung from prison and why he was there to begin with, to Dom's wife and kids and up to the emotional peaks of Dom's and Adam Fenix's deaths. In judgment howerever, anyone who hadn't played the original trilogy wouldn't anything about Baird or Cole. Cole would just be some guy that goes "WOOO" a lot. Other than that, most of the other negative review say it better than I could. I deffinately would not recomend this game to any real gears fan.… Expand
  23. pmidnight
    Apr 14, 2013
    0
    complete waste of 60 dollars. 4 maps for multiplayer? the campaign story is garbage, hit detection like always, characters, no active reload, no downs, no executions,2 piece is back, cog vs cog? no locust, the list never ends.... its exactly what a gears fan doesnt want.. EPIC games you are anything but epic... youre an epic FAIL.....
  24. Bres1
    Apr 25, 2013
    1
    Being a huge fan of both the Aliens and Gears of War franchises, 2013 has been a terrible year for gaming for me personally. The reason people still play GoW 1 today is because of the competitive multiplayer, not because of the campaign or the well written story; the success or failure of GoW games has always been determined by the multiplayer. Which is why GoW judgement is such aBeing a huge fan of both the Aliens and Gears of War franchises, 2013 has been a terrible year for gaming for me personally. The reason people still play GoW 1 today is because of the competitive multiplayer, not because of the campaign or the well written story; the success or failure of GoW games has always been determined by the multiplayer. Which is why GoW judgement is such a disappointment to me that it actually makes me angry. It's so glaringly obvious that people can fly tried to make judgement like call of duty, for example: the shotgun doing next to zero damage, the fact that you cannot down enemies in multiplayer (if anyone mentions overrun i'm going to scream) and the introduction of the Free For All playlist which feels out of place. "Domination" is another shining example of this, why not just stick to the class annex or king of the hill which was successful in previous games? Because Call of Duty had domination so now Gears has to have it, ridiculous, so insulting as a avid Gears of War fan. Another point which I feel I should make is the crosshair. Its not permanently fixed into the middle of your screen in single player which is the way it is meant to be, but because some other successful shooter had it (wonder what it could be) now gears has to have it, because for SOME reason it must appeal to the "casual" gamer and totally rebuff the hardcore fans of the series; the fans who put the game where it is today. I know this review seems scathing and perhaps overly critical but thats only because I absolutely LOVED GoW1 and GoW3 multiplayer and playing judgement just feels like a third person CoD. In conclusion if you are a hardcore gears fan stay away from this game, if you like CoD then keep playing it because this game will offer you nothing that the newest installment of CoD cant. So very disappointed.… Expand
  25. HATEPOLICY
    May 4, 2013
    0
    lol the ppl posting 9s and 10s to "combat" the low reviews,
    I will give it a 1 then, so as to combat all you Epic fanboys, note, I am with Epic since UT2k3, but this?
    This was a money grab, no effort, greed, pure n simple, its bot city in MP, no comparing G3 to this, It is a blatant step backwards. Epic really took a big dump on its fanbase this time, (B)ad PR, (B)ad design choices,    lol the ppl posting 9s and 10s to "combat" the low reviews,
    I will give it a 1 then, so as to combat all you Epic fanboys, note, I am with Epic since UT2k3, but this?
    This was a money grab, no effort, greed, pure n simple, its bot city in MP, no comparing G3 to this,
    It is a blatant step backwards.

    Epic really took a big dump on its fanbase this time, (B)ad PR, (B)ad design choices, just (B)ad!    … Expand
  26. Fixjudgementnow
    May 4, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Where is active reloads? Why is the 2 piece back? Why do I want to smash my xbox everytime I get a grenade thrown at me and it tags me? Why are the maps not symmetrical and so big? Why is the reticle on my screen not an option?? why is it red bs blue not cog vs locust? WTF IS STIM GAS DOING IN MULTIPLAYER? a good a idea that originated from a brain would be to have STIM pickup downed team mates only, oh wait dbno is gone. Why can you start with any rifle/shotgun/grenade you wish? Why have you destroyed all competitiveness for this series? Spoiler alert WORST CAMPAIGN ENDING POSSIBLE… Expand
  27. SgtPepper93
    May 11, 2013
    6
    Gears of war: Judgment is a likely solid game, but it just fails in every way his predecessors succeeded. As someone who was been playing this saga since the Original GOW, I would say this game is for "fans only".
  28. savagejoe444
    May 26, 2013
    3
    Another case of a great franchise ending with a game that's very disappointing. The original controls from previous GoW titles were changed for Judgement, it all fell apart. The weapon selection is f***ed up, no Horde mode, and the story is just plain forgettable. Iv'e been a fan of GoW since Gears of War 1 and Gears of War 2 was my all time favorite, same with 3, but Judgement is just aAnother case of a great franchise ending with a game that's very disappointing. The original controls from previous GoW titles were changed for Judgement, it all fell apart. The weapon selection is f***ed up, no Horde mode, and the story is just plain forgettable. Iv'e been a fan of GoW since Gears of War 1 and Gears of War 2 was my all time favorite, same with 3, but Judgement is just a complete waste of time and money.
    Gears of War Judgement is guilty for ruining a great franchise and sentenced to game prison for its entire lifetime.    … Expand
  29. Jackpp1997
    Jul 23, 2013
    3
    I am not normally a person that likes to complain about games check my reviews most of my reviews are positive but this game is just terrible i have known die hard fans of the series that have given up on playing gears of war altogether after playing this so do not buy this game trust me if you want a gears of war then get gears of war but not this one
  30. An_English_Spy
    Jul 18, 2013
    3
    This Game took everything i loved about all the previous Gears of War It annoys me that this may of destroyed the franchise They made it like Call of Duty Style and it makes me Sick.
    The Games Campaign was ok but was a little cheesy id give it a 6 out of 10.
    Multi Player Was horrific and boring Call of Duty Style 2/10.
    Do not buy this game go play Gears of War 3
  31. HBTB
    Jul 30, 2014
    3
    This is by far the most disappointing entry in the Gears of War franchise. Why they decided to make this is beyond my question, but when you change nearly everything from game play to the heart and tone of the classics, that just shows that this is a cheap cash grab, for people that adore the crappy CoD games and have no idea what Gears of War is about to buy or squeeze a little bit moreThis is by far the most disappointing entry in the Gears of War franchise. Why they decided to make this is beyond my question, but when you change nearly everything from game play to the heart and tone of the classics, that just shows that this is a cheap cash grab, for people that adore the crappy CoD games and have no idea what Gears of War is about to buy or squeeze a little bit more money from it's adored predecessors. There are a few nice things in it though, like playing as Baird. Story wise, this was average at best, but multiplayer and combat was BUTCHERED! Instead of keeping the beautiful combat system like in 2, they have to dumb it down for idiots to understand. STOP IT! This game, is pointless, with a boring story, with no soul like the classics, and while the graphics might be the best in the series, graphics don't count in my opinion. This is a 3 at best, and they should have stopped at number 2.… Expand
  32. Epik_Ninnja
    May 24, 2015
    8
    Such hate because it's not quite the same Gears game. Yeah, it's inferior to Gow2 and 3 (I think it's probably a little better than the original due to how much more content it has), but it's still fun. The metacritic score of 79 is about right. The campaign is less enjoyable than ever not only because the story is mediocre but because the whole campaign is split into little segments soSuch hate because it's not quite the same Gears game. Yeah, it's inferior to Gow2 and 3 (I think it's probably a little better than the original due to how much more content it has), but it's still fun. The metacritic score of 79 is about right. The campaign is less enjoyable than ever not only because the story is mediocre but because the whole campaign is split into little segments so they can keep giving you challenges to apply to each little part. I prefer the longer, larger scale battles of 2 and 3 to this type of campaign, although it's still a pretty good campaign (7/10, I'd say). There's nothing wrong with the multiplayer or co-op but nothing is "standout", either. Why an 8? Well, I really enjoy the overrun mode, which is like a multiplayer version of horde mode. Kind of imbalanced or not, it can provide hours of fun. On top of this, there's jus a lot of content, just like GoW3. The content isn't quite to that level, but this game is at least a 7.5/10 in my opinion. Again, I understand the hate and I was kind of disappointed, too, but it still stands as a good game with plenty of content (oh, and mroe new guns).… Expand
  33. XxJoseManuelxX
    Aug 16, 2016
    5
    Gears of War: Judgment is a 2013 military science fiction third-person shooter video game, developed by Epic Games with additional work by People Can Fly and published by Microsoft.

    + Fun Gameplay
    + Coop
    - Boring Story
    - Bad Characters
    - Repetitive
    - Boring Multiplayer Modes, boring Waves and Challenge
  34. Nemui21
    Mar 6, 2017
    8
    My first impression on this game..wasn't that possitive. At first I was so in love with the graphics and details in a game, but the problem was when I needed to confront with enemies. I could not shoot that well and it was annoying, because I was killed sooner than I expected or I was blown down to the floor. But then I played more and more with my friend. I was coming closer and much moreMy first impression on this game..wasn't that possitive. At first I was so in love with the graphics and details in a game, but the problem was when I needed to confront with enemies. I could not shoot that well and it was annoying, because I was killed sooner than I expected or I was blown down to the floor. But then I played more and more with my friend. I was coming closer and much more brave to the opponents to shoot and fight them. The more and more you play the more pleasant and enjoyable the game was. Everything it this game is just amazingly beautiful, I was looking up to even a small details on the wall! Standing there with my friend and we were admired to the views! The colours are just wonderful. The equipment in a game is full to choose for your own prefer. There is a lot of weapons to kill locust or bigger opponents. You have also some kind of base when your enemies will attack (the time is count down from the time you will kill a few of the locust and then have time to reload the weapon for example and time to take a breathe or think of the strategy) and you need to protect yourself and use the heavier weapons like quick-firing gun to not let the opponents enter the stair to get closer to you. I ended full game with my friend in almost one day! I haven't play any other part of the GOW yet, but I am going to for sure. I already bought GOW 1. In my opinion it's one of the best game of Xbox 360. Noone will regret playing that awesome, joyful, beautiful and fun game. This game with graphic is on much higher level than we can expected from this console. I may say it's as good as next gen consoles graphic in this game… Expand
  35. Lokeren
    Nov 25, 2019
    9
    Most of the complaints with this game I've seen have to do with the changes to multiplayer, which makes sense, because any studio hand offs with franchises seem to have a shift in fanbase there. I really never cared for it to begin with, so for me this game is about the campaign. Really can't speak too much ill of it either.

    I will say the grenades thrown ratio on insane is really just    Most of the complaints with this game I've seen have to do with the changes to multiplayer, which makes sense, because any studio hand offs with franchises seem to have a shift in fanbase there. I really never cared for it to begin with, so for me this game is about the campaign. Really can't speak too much ill of it either.

    I will say the grenades thrown ratio on insane is really just annoying, but I guess that's to be expected. I have just as much fun on hardcore as I have with previous gears though, and I do like the new weapons, and tweaks. Taking away my pistol slot from an unused d-pad kinda annoys me, and definitely made a difference to me. Same is true of losing marcus, and dom, but all in all it plays like gears. The enemies are smarter, the mechanics are smoother if only slightly, and having insight on halvo bay is worthwhile to me. I'll take gears 2 or 3 over this one though. They somehow managed to make both of those feel epic, this one is definitely lacking in that aspect. The story is very much meh.    … Expand
  36. KlaatuHorror
    Apr 15, 2020
    8
    I don't know what happens to you against this gears. It is as good as the rest of the saga. Perhaps my problem is that I did not touch the online. I really liked the campaign.
  37. Chanfan02
    Mar 21, 2013
    6
    I went into this game with average expectations based on some of the reviews, but what i found on the multiplayer side of things was worse than I thought. First off let me state that I am a huge Gears fan, it is probably my favorite franchise this gen. When I hopped online in Judgment it didnt even feel like I was playing Gears of War. The removal of DBNO, no locust, only one main weapon,I went into this game with average expectations based on some of the reviews, but what i found on the multiplayer side of things was worse than I thought. First off let me state that I am a huge Gears fan, it is probably my favorite franchise this gen. When I hopped online in Judgment it didnt even feel like I was playing Gears of War. The removal of DBNO, no locust, only one main weapon, starting out with grenades, and all these juvenile armor skins just made me dislike this game. The multiplayer feels nothing like traditional Gears and maybe that is because they took out everything that made it unique in the first place. I have played around 40 or so matches and I havent had that much fun at all. The online right now is littered with people camping with the Markza because of the newly designed verticality, the Gnasher is very weak, and the aiming in general feels off compared to Gears 3. Also the maps in my opinion are bad. The non-symmetrical layout doesn't play well and I miss the symmetrical layouts all prior Gears games had. One other major problem I have is without locust you cannot tell if the person behind you is a teammate or an enemy. I cannot count how many times baird is yelling behind me and i think it is a teammate only to find out it wasn't and I get retro stabbed. It is too confusing at times having all these cog run around. Also ONLY 4 MAPS! How can you possibly only have 4 maps at launch and think your hardcore fans would be okay with that, its ridiculous. Also the lack of characters is inexcusable as well, and most of the gun camos you have to purchase. I personally hate all the gun and skin camos, i think they make a game feel to arcadey and childish. Overrun though, is a great addition. I have had quite a bit of fun with my friends on this but it might get stale after awhile because it only has 4 maps as well. The campaign isnt great but it isnt bad. It has some cool new additions like declassified missions but these also can ruin the flow of the narrative a little bit. Overall the campaign is solid but lacks on the story side of things, but it will keep you entertained for the 6-8 hours it takes you. Also the additional aftermath campaign is a nice addition. Overall I just feel they dropped the ball on this game. It is by no means unplayable, but in the Gears universe i feel like it strayed too far from what made it unique. It loses some of that appeal for me and I just hope they mae another Gears for next gen that will feel more like prior Gears games.… Expand
  38. DiRTY8SUPER
    Mar 25, 2013
    6
    Mmmmm. What happened here. The Gears trilogy was a fantastic experience. Meaty shooting and an excellent cover system. Something is just not right with this new Gears and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe the way the story is told. Each chapter is broken into 'mini' chapters which really break up the narrative. It turns into simply shoot for a few moments and then walk to theMmmmm. What happened here. The Gears trilogy was a fantastic experience. Meaty shooting and an excellent cover system. Something is just not right with this new Gears and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe the way the story is told. Each chapter is broken into 'mini' chapters which really break up the narrative. It turns into simply shoot for a few moments and then walk to the checkpoint and get your score. I'm really not liking this game at the moment. I'll finish it, but I'm not getting a Gears experience like it did with the previous games.… Expand
  39. Broncosdude
    Apr 2, 2013
    6
    -Campaign review-
    The rest of the review is for the multiplayer but I gave the campaign a try and here's my review.
    So far iv really been enjoying the campaign. I hated gears 3 story, didn't find it interesting at all but something is different in this one. For some reason almost everything missing from multiplayer is in the single player. You can tag walls with grenades, execute    -Campaign review-
    The rest of the review is for the multiplayer but I gave the campaign a try and here's my review.
    So far iv really been enjoying the campaign. I hated gears 3 story, didn't find it interesting at all but something is different in this one.
    For some reason almost everything missing from multiplayer is in the single player.
    You can tag walls with grenades, execute locust, damage boost from drive reload which is all great and I hope they add this stuff back online.
    So far iv played a few missions and for the most part iv liked them, but they are very very repedative. It seems they have added a horde type segment to each mission where you have to hold off the locust for a few waves which brings back good memories.
    I also very much like these declassified missions which are a extra challenge to each extra xp, for example can only use pistoles, or the map is filled with smoke and you can't see well.
    Another thing I like is the voice acting. It reminds me of max Payne 3 for some reason. How your playing and you character is taking in the background. The whole story is kind of weird and cool. Your playing memories and telling the leader of the cog what you did during your mission Ina court since your team disobeyed orders or something. It's new, and and I like how different missions you play as different characters which give a cool insight to your squad.
    Overall it's really good and I like it a lot. Took me 6-8 hours to beat(can't really remember exact time)

    -Aftermath review-
    Anyone who doesn't know aftermath is an additional mission that takes place during gears of war 3. Sounds great, but it doesn't feel like gears 3. New weapons and enemies that are in judgment campaign are in aftermath which is really stupid. But you will see some old locust though. Well after math isn't long, took me about an hour to beat,

    -Multiplayer review-
    I have been really excited for this game for a while. I loved gears 2 and 3 but this game isn't the same at all.
    I guess epic thought since it was a prequel you can take out basically everything that gears is and restart. Well that doesn't work
    First I will list what they took out or changed from gears 3.

    -active reloads no longer give your bullets more damage if you hit it at the right time-
    this was a great thing in the gears franchise. I loved active reload. It was unlike anything in any other games so why take it out?

    -no more rifle-shotgun duo-
    maybe this is for the better but I don't know. I did like having a shotgun and a rifle in the same set up. When your far away use a rifle, when your up close whip out the shotty but it was overpowered. I won't ever use a shotty anymore

    -limited character selection-
    You start off with 4 characters to use online, and can only unlock 5 others! So only 9 fricken characters to choose from?

    -no more mandatory winding up grenades-
    Why the heck would you take this out?

    -spawn with frag grenades-
    This isn't call of duty! You shouldn't spawn with frags!

    -maps are so congested and small now-
    I loved the style of gears 3 maps but these maps are not good. Way too many narrow hallways and alleys.
    Also there's a map where you fly around the map in a fricken helicopter shooting a mini gun. Who thought this was a good idea?

    -no more reviving team mates-
    Yup, you no longer fall to the ground and bleed out or get revived. You die automatically.

    -only three fricken game modes and four maps!
    Team deathmatch, domination and deathmatch and 4 multiplayer maps! That's it! What the heck!

    -no more sticking grenades to walls-
    Why take this out? I used to get tons of kills with doing this.

    -Environment weapons are overpowered-
    Can use rifles and shotguns while hiding behind boom shields? Please tell me how that's fair?

    -no more locust vs humans-
    Why? Just why? I don't want to kill humans. The whole gears of war franchise is based on gears vs locust!! -it's nothing new- Besides a few new guns, there's really nothing new at all. Heck even the fricken menu layout is exactly the same, the awards and ribbon system is exactly the same as well. To me it feels like epic doesn't care what gears fans like or wanted. It really feels like they wanted to please call of duty fans, and make it more like cod. It's sad to say but it's true. Graphics-8/10 Some people say it looks a ton better than gears3 but it really doesn't. Gameplay-7.5 They changed gears so much that it doesn't play like gears any more, Sound-7.5/10 Everything sounds exactly the same as gears 3. Multiplayer-6/19 Limited modes and reduced functions make online a lot less fun and competitive like older gears were. Campaign-8/10 Maybe the saving grace of the game. I really loved it and thought it was special. Overall-6 Its just not true to its roots. It's just plain boring and it already feels old since there's only 4 maps online, and all the features we have come to love are all missing    … Expand
  40. Jayce814
    Apr 25, 2013
    4
    Took everything that was good about Gears multiplayer and ruined it. This isn't Gears of Duty, bring back executions, actives, D-Pad switching, DBNO, no starting grenades so many things that made it a great series. Only points given in this game should go towards the campaign and overrun which are both pretty solid and enjoyable. BUT FIX MULTIPLAYER.
  41. gamjuven
    Mar 22, 2013
    4
    This game was okay, but had too many negative points to receive a good score.

    This game completely lacked a decent story and character growth. In fact if you've never played a Gears game, your opinion of the regular characters would not only be bland, but probably inaccurate, as the writing was that bad. However, it seems the makers of this game did not attempt to make a game similar to    This game was okay, but had too many negative points to receive a good score.

    This game completely lacked a decent story and character growth. In fact if you've never played a Gears game, your opinion of the regular characters would not only be bland, but probably inaccurate, as the writing was that bad. However, it seems the makers of this game did not attempt to make a game similar to the previous ones, but rather an arcade game set in the same universe.

    In this light the game does well. The game play is entertaining and trying to get all 3 stars on every stage will keep you coming back for more. I enjoyed how the Declassified missions made the various stages more difficult in different ways, although I fail to see why anyone would opt to NOT play with them on. I played this with a friend on local co op and we beat the entire game in roughly 7 hours on hardcore, doing all the Declassified missions. It had it's difficulties but it wasn't too hard. We still had an entertaining and fun time, but since it lacked an interesting story and really lacked any character development it felt rather bland. The campaign felt like a fun multiplayer variant but didn't deserve a game of it's own. The multiplayer aspect of this game is atrocious. We had no fun at all. It was very constrictive in how you have to play (heaven help you if nobody chooses a Soldier or Engineer), and the gameplay just felt boring even when we played correctly with using all the different character types. I just did the same thing over and over again and there was hardly any real strategy. Horde mode in the previous game was much better although I think that could have done with some more objectives. I was sad to see it go. The main multiplayer is nothing special anymore either. I remember when I played the 1st game's multiplayer. It was so different. You really had to have good squad tactics and use cover in order to perform well, unlike the CoD or Halo games out there at the time. This game felt like they were trying to make it more like CoD or Halo making it Red vs Blue, and it ends up just being the worst of both worlds. They messed with something good, and ended up with something worse.

    I thought this game had a lot of potential and I thought could have had a good story. Their idea was good, but awful execution. They obviously spent way more time trying make a good arcade game rather than a good story and I'm sad they didn't work harder on both. This really should have just been a series of add-ons to the previous game rather than a game of it's own.    … Expand
  42. seoslashgamer
    Mar 25, 2013
    0
    This is even gears of war anymore. Multiplayer mode is destroyed while only the campaign seems to stick to gears tradition, and it still sucked. Y to switch weapons, cant be revived anymore, terrible graphics, no active reload, the list goes on and on... If you loved gears in the past, this is not the game for you.
  43. CTHULHU_CALL
    Mar 21, 2013
    4
    this entry is indeed the weakest of the series. the constant dumbing down of our games these days is becoming tedious. numerous devs including the new epic (minus cliffy b, now i see why he left epic) and people fly, are dumbing down, and "younging-down" our games. stop it. this game is a rent, just so you can see what i mean and perhaps so you can experience the free for all multiplayerthis entry is indeed the weakest of the series. the constant dumbing down of our games these days is becoming tedious. numerous devs including the new epic (minus cliffy b, now i see why he left epic) and people fly, are dumbing down, and "younging-down" our games. stop it. this game is a rent, just so you can see what i mean and perhaps so you can experience the free for all multiplayer which is one of the only things i liked about it. dont you dare buy this game if you havnt yet.… Expand
  44. anonymousone
    Mar 30, 2013
    2
    I am a long time gears of war fan but honestly, anybody who gave this game more than a 5 is either a fanboy, doesn't know gears or games or both. this is game is an insult to gears of war ESPECIALLY multiplayer. They took out DBNO, meatshields,executions, active reloads and wall tagging frags. They also took out the ability to have a tertiary weapon. In other words you can only have oneI am a long time gears of war fan but honestly, anybody who gave this game more than a 5 is either a fanboy, doesn't know gears or games or both. this is game is an insult to gears of war ESPECIALLY multiplayer. They took out DBNO, meatshields,executions, active reloads and wall tagging frags. They also took out the ability to have a tertiary weapon. In other words you can only have one big weapon and a pistol with a grenade to start each match. there is no horde and the campaign is, quite frankly, boring; it's stale. the only half decent part of the campaign is "aftermath" and I'm pretty sure it's a lost DLC from gears of war 3. I beat the campaign because that's how much hope I had in the game, telling myself "the story will get better" but to no avail. people can fly are trash for even allowing themselves to think of this as a game. all they did was make a game, skin their character with the franchise game, slap on the gears name and told us real fans that it's gears of war it's not. I recommend this game to no one… Expand
  45. Duskspark
    Mar 25, 2013
    5
    When "Gears of War: Judgment" does what the previous games does, it does it worse. And when it does something new, it feels out of place. If feels like an in and out Gears game for most of the time, but everything feels like it's one big Gears of War 3 DLC. Nothing fresh, nothing for the better, nothing interresting.
  46. GidBix
    Apr 5, 2013
    4
    As someone who played Gears of War 3 for over 250 hours, I was excited to experience all of the changes Gears of War Judgement was gonna bring to the table. Only problem, there aren't that many! The menus, music, animations, are exactly the same! The only changes they did make, made the game worse! Just save your money and keep playing Gears of War 3.
  47. gowgearhead
    Apr 3, 2013
    4
    i don't know how you people can say such good things about this game i will admit the campaign was ok but it was sunshine and rainbows compared to the other 3 gears of war games you go in expecting something sad but epic this game has disappointed me to no end its an abomination of halo call of duty and the shadow of gears this game was a waist of money and i would gladly sell it away ifi don't know how you people can say such good things about this game i will admit the campaign was ok but it was sunshine and rainbows compared to the other 3 gears of war games you go in expecting something sad but epic this game has disappointed me to no end its an abomination of halo call of duty and the shadow of gears this game was a waist of money and i would gladly sell it away if my inner gear would allow me to give up hope on this game the challenge is gone the fun is gone sadly gears of war is dead R.I.P… Expand
  48. Bardolf
    Apr 5, 2013
    2
    This is the worst Gears so far. The campaign is ok the rest is horrible. Buy it when it goes down to $15 to $20 on the third market. I wasted my money on this pre-ordering it.
  49. WalkingDixon
    Jun 1, 2013
    8
    Gears of war judgment is a great addition to the gears franchise. The campaign is great except for the final boss which is way to easy. The new mode overrun is a great thing it offers somethings that players have wanted and we have finally received. As a huge gears fan some things were bad like how horde mode something that changed the series was removed and replaced by survival which is aGears of war judgment is a great addition to the gears franchise. The campaign is great except for the final boss which is way to easy. The new mode overrun is a great thing it offers somethings that players have wanted and we have finally received. As a huge gears fan some things were bad like how horde mode something that changed the series was removed and replaced by survival which is a huge letdown compared to the amazing horde mode.… Expand
  50. True_Reclaimer
    Mar 17, 2016
    5
    Coming from Gears 3 I felt like this was a horrible reversal of all the things that made Gears great. So then I stopped seeing this as a Gears game and pretended it was a sequel to Dark Sector, and it suddenly was much more bearable. Too much COD corruption has ruined the pvp, however the Horde Mode 2.0 was the best yet. Tower defense meets beast mode, definitely the ONLY reason to playComing from Gears 3 I felt like this was a horrible reversal of all the things that made Gears great. So then I stopped seeing this as a Gears game and pretended it was a sequel to Dark Sector, and it suddenly was much more bearable. Too much COD corruption has ruined the pvp, however the Horde Mode 2.0 was the best yet. Tower defense meets beast mode, definitely the ONLY reason to play this game. Hope to see it return in Gears 4.… Expand
  51. AusGamer_Dubs
    Mar 20, 2013
    5
    (Single Player/Co-Op Campaign review only) Very disappointing. All the gruff manly charm has been completely sucked out of this iteration of Gears. Say goodbye to the epic set piece battles of GOW 3 in place for monotonous corridor shooting and score tracking. The core mechanics play exactly the same with a boring suspense-less plot and small bite sized missions with no investment or(Single Player/Co-Op Campaign review only) Very disappointing. All the gruff manly charm has been completely sucked out of this iteration of Gears. Say goodbye to the epic set piece battles of GOW 3 in place for monotonous corridor shooting and score tracking. The core mechanics play exactly the same with a boring suspense-less plot and small bite sized missions with no investment or memorable events. Friendly banter between characters has been replaced with tired, overused dialogue from every action game ever. Even worse, every round ends with a score sheet. Why? Why turn Gears into an arcade shooter? Why break up the action every 3-5 minutes for a grading that is completely pointless to the overall story? One good thing I suppose is the new weapons that do handle well and fill in gaps to round out the already expansive existing arsenal. Still, undoubtedly the low point of the series, dumbfounded as to why reviewers are giving it such a glowing reception.… Expand
  52. Jarcon
    Mar 22, 2013
    5
    It reminds me of "when critics and gamers disagree" situation. This is the weakest Gears game, played them all. It should be dlc instead of full price game. It looks like People Can Fly got clear instruction: create few missions, do not screw up original game mechanics. It sooo the same, campaign is boooring and story is completely flat. Then you have extra campaign mission. I thought:It reminds me of "when critics and gamers disagree" situation. This is the weakest Gears game, played them all. It should be dlc instead of full price game. It looks like People Can Fly got clear instruction: create few missions, do not screw up original game mechanics. It sooo the same, campaign is boooring and story is completely flat. Then you have extra campaign mission. I thought: "yes, it could not be that bad, here is where Gears begins, its dark and feels like Gears" but then it finishes right away. Narration type is of the worst possible kind, retrospection. This means nothing bad will happen to the one who is speaking, and all squad is speaking. 3 minutes short levels do not help either. On the contrary it is very bad idea, becouse all atmosphere is immediately lost. Minor changes to multi and few new maps is much too less to grade this game as high as metacritic average. Weak and boring to me.… Expand
  53. Vandiel
    Mar 20, 2013
    5
    Same old Gears of War, in fact that is not so bad, because you know the basis of the game are enternaining, but is like to play same old Gears games only whit minor graphics improvement the story feels like its only there to have an excuse to make another game in this trilogy, there is not a single emotional moment like in previous instalments. Being a fan since the first Gears am aSame old Gears of War, in fact that is not so bad, because you know the basis of the game are enternaining, but is like to play same old Gears games only whit minor graphics improvement the story feels like its only there to have an excuse to make another game in this trilogy, there is not a single emotional moment like in previous instalments. Being a fan since the first Gears am a little disapointed whit this game..... if u ask me, Judgment is to Gears the same thing that ODST was to Halo, a sad, sad try to squeeze money from our pockets just offering a poor and mediocre game. Shame on you Epic games..... (T_T)… Expand
  54. Maxxis
    Mar 24, 2013
    3
    Imo, the game does deserve a 7/10 (it's good, not great), but to take what gears was and develop a short arcade campaign (that, personally, did not get me invested) then to take away Horde mode and add some non-gear like changes in other mp staples nets me scoring it in the red to bring it down. It's what has been lost that has me scratching my head; why remove Horde (survival is in no wayImo, the game does deserve a 7/10 (it's good, not great), but to take what gears was and develop a short arcade campaign (that, personally, did not get me invested) then to take away Horde mode and add some non-gear like changes in other mp staples nets me scoring it in the red to bring it down. It's what has been lost that has me scratching my head; why remove Horde (survival is in no way a replacement), people loved Horde mode, Horde mode received great aclaim; this omission of Horde and the other changes to multiplayer modes (some changes are good however, and it's still fun), have to me, taken away what gave the gears series it's own flavor in the multiplayer sense. Overrun is a welcome addition and would have been more appreciated by myself if it stood along side Horde mode, not the "overrun with bots" mode that survival is. Scoring this in the red because HORDE MODE!… Expand
  55. hansel4150
    Mar 19, 2013
    7
    In this review, I will be reviewing the Multiplayer side of this game only. Now, lets get down to business. We all know about the new additions to MP, such as Overrun and Free For All. I have to say, Overrun is very fun and addicting. However, I do think that Horde should have been thrown in as well. Survival Mode, which is supposed to be the sort-of equivalent of Horde, does not live upIn this review, I will be reviewing the Multiplayer side of this game only. Now, lets get down to business. We all know about the new additions to MP, such as Overrun and Free For All. I have to say, Overrun is very fun and addicting. However, I do think that Horde should have been thrown in as well. Survival Mode, which is supposed to be the sort-of equivalent of Horde, does not live up to Horde. Everyone enjoyed hopping online with their friends and going until 4 in the morning trying to reach level 50. Why screw around with that? That being said, Overrun does help make up for Horde's absence. The mechanics of Overrun are simple and fun. Moving on to the versus aspect of MP, I must get this out of the way: 4 maps is NOT ENOUGH. While I realize that Overrun has two maps to itself, 4 is not even close to enough for MP. Gears 3 had 10 maps, and that was the perfect number. Why was the number scaled back? Surely it couldn't have been for a lack of room. While this doesn't bore me right now, I can see myself getting very tired of these maps in the weeks to come. The problem is is that there just isn't enough. A couple of other things that annoy me: the removal of Down But Not Out and the revival aspect, the inability to carry a shotgun and a lancer, the new "spotter" grenades, and the Cog on Cog action makes it tough at time to single out your enemies. Now, all of that being said, Gears of War Judgment does get a lot of things right. The map design is, as always, magnificent. The maps are now layered and vertical. I think they are the perfect size. Furthermore, the addition of the moving set pieces on the maps adds an interesting layer that was absent in previous Gears maps. Also, I prefer the new respawn sytsem. There's nothing more boring than sitting at a respawn screen waiting to get back in. I came to play the game, not sit and wait. The ability to carry a grenade on your person is a welcome addition but seeing as it replaces your shotgun secondary it peeves me. Some things are tried and true in video games. Why did they feel the need to screw around with that. The action is fast paced and the graphics are pretty amazing. I think this is the current generation of console being stretched to its limits. Wrapping up, I feel that Gears of War Judgment could have very well been a great game. However, its shortcomings really do hold it back. The 4 maps thing seems like a ploy to get more people to buy their Season Pass, which REALLY irks me. For that, I give Judgment a "Good" 7 out of 10.… Expand
  56. HuppShady
    Mar 20, 2013
    3
    doesn't feel like Gears, trying to be like other games. only 3 real kinds of multiplayer games; tdm, free for all, domination.
    no Horde.
    new controls. throw grenade with LB. change weapons with Y. LB no longer shows where weapon pick-ups are and where teammates are. there is no button with this function now. only one primary type weapon and a pistol. it's still called an active    doesn't feel like Gears, trying to be like other games. only 3 real kinds of multiplayer games; tdm, free for all, domination.
    no Horde.
    new controls. throw grenade with LB. change weapons with Y.
    LB no longer shows where weapon pick-ups are and where teammates are. there is no button with this function now.
    only one primary type weapon and a pistol.
    it's still called an active reload, but it's really not. there is just a fat white line that you have to hit when reloading and that is how you reload your gun. there is no added damage (at least that I've noticed).
    everyone has a grenade now, not a pick-up weapon anymore.
    grenades are very hard impossible to plant.
    also the grenades stick to whoever they are thrown at now.
    ink grenades don't seem to stun. just walk right through them and take minimal damage.
    not enough maps for each game mode.
    have to pick up ammo. run out of ammo all the time if you don't pick some up.
    some of the maps are built kind of like a maze where there are areas that have no importance, but take forever to get through.
    i guess domination was supposed to replace KOTH, but it is a completely different game mode, not really comparable, and it is just like every other game like Call of Duty.
    instead of cogs vs locust, it's just red cogs vs blue cogs.

    this game is basically the same thing as Gears 3 just with less features. it looks the same visually. they would have been better off just making another season pass for 3 and putting these maps on there    … Expand
  57. codymiller419
    Mar 20, 2013
    7
    This is not gears 1 2 or 3, it is a completely different game and is really fun. The story mode is more geared toward an arcade feel and the declassified missions are fun. While short, story mode has a decent amount of replayability. Multiplayer is a totally new creature, turning from the cqc shotgun battles of old and focusing on a more ranged approach. That said, the gnasher is a beastThis is not gears 1 2 or 3, it is a completely different game and is really fun. The story mode is more geared toward an arcade feel and the declassified missions are fun. While short, story mode has a decent amount of replayability. Multiplayer is a totally new creature, turning from the cqc shotgun battles of old and focusing on a more ranged approach. That said, the gnasher is a beast and many players will choose to make that their primary gun. The stuff that kind of makes you scratch your head: no down but not out, no active reload, and no locust in multiplayer. These to me are just bad calls by Microsoft Game Studios and People Can Fly. I get what they were trying to be original, but removing things that make a series unique and replacing them with nothing does not make for a more unique feeling game. All in all a decent game that is a ton of fun but will never have the die hard competitors and fan base of the first three. Hardcore fans, don't forget we still have the original three and gears 3 is still a fairly young game … Expand
  58. bjoncas
    Mar 21, 2013
    4
    Let me start by saying that i'm 35. Like many of my friends, Gears is the reason i've bought an xbox in 2006 and the only reason i subscribe to xbox live. I'm not interested in COD who have dumb down FPS to a point of no return. The first Gears was dark, short quote from protagonist and action packed but still, you needed to use the cover system and apply some strategy or you would be outLet me start by saying that i'm 35. Like many of my friends, Gears is the reason i've bought an xbox in 2006 and the only reason i subscribe to xbox live. I'm not interested in COD who have dumb down FPS to a point of no return. The first Gears was dark, short quote from protagonist and action packed but still, you needed to use the cover system and apply some strategy or you would be out in no time. The whole trilogy campaign was EPIC. The complete opposite of most game at that time. Gears was not a fast game and people liked it this way. Gears 2 tried and successfully success to bring things to a new level. Yes they had major problem with connection at launch, it took almost 3-6 month to have a good patch for the game. But it was in some ways a blessing. True Gears stayed... others left. Gears 2 was near perfect. When Gears 3 released we kind of felt Epic was trying to bring new people to the franchise more guns, more power weapons, bright colors. Horde 2.0 huge success. Many complaint about the sawed-off but in the whole picture it was still Gears...

    Then Judgment: If you played the previous iteration's campaign who were Epic in scale and story you will be greatly deceived by this arcadish feel. The campaign doesn't feel dumbed down but i would say younged-down i really don't understand who they are trying to appeal. Enough said about the campaign, lets move to the multi portion. The first thing you'll notice is the very little amount of mode and maps offered here. Theay have chosed to remove the locust of multiplayer match. Only Cog vs Cog. The only locust you'll see are in the Overrun mode that is kind of a Beast 2.0 from Gears 3. Many little tweaks of previous games have disappeared. They actually tried to bring Gears to a fast paced shooter, which is actually not really Gears...

    To sum up, i don't really know where they want to go with this franchise i love so much, but the result is, with Judgment, they are going away from my xbox...    … Expand
  59. bucketheadklunk
    Mar 20, 2013
    3
    Not at all up to par with the rest of the series and a bit disappointing in the graphics and mechanics which feel ten years ago technologically. I would like to think that with the modern advances in other shooter games Epic could have made the game a bit less clunky and arcade-like. I could have lived with the forced story line as that is a standard occurence in many games (even ifNot at all up to par with the rest of the series and a bit disappointing in the graphics and mechanics which feel ten years ago technologically. I would like to think that with the modern advances in other shooter games Epic could have made the game a bit less clunky and arcade-like. I could have lived with the forced story line as that is a standard occurence in many games (even if this one is rather lame thus far) but having to follow the prescribed flow of events while using controls and viewing graphics which I could have found a decade ago is not leading to a very enjoyable experience. I will be beating the story line and returning to get something else quickly. Easily killed my love for the series.… Expand
  60. qtaz101
    Mar 19, 2013
    6
    Have played all Gears games since 1. This is by far (as the campaign goes) the least interesting of the series. Overrun is probably the best thing about Judgement. GOW 3 best in the series in my opinion and again, I will probably log more hours in its multiplayer than Judgement. Not to sure where the ball was dropped. Maybe the addition of People Can Fly.... I even thought the graphicsHave played all Gears games since 1. This is by far (as the campaign goes) the least interesting of the series. Overrun is probably the best thing about Judgement. GOW 3 best in the series in my opinion and again, I will probably log more hours in its multiplayer than Judgement. Not to sure where the ball was dropped. Maybe the addition of People Can Fly.... I even thought the graphics were worse than 3. I regret purchasing this game so early... Not worth an immediate purchase like 3 or the others. But regardless a Gears fan will see some excitement from the game. Definitely not the best, but an ok game.… Expand
  61. mrhiphop
    Mar 22, 2013
    4
    Been into gears since the first one and enjoyed gears 1,2,3 but this one is terrible, i have given it a score of 4 for the campaign but MP is a joke. Dont waste your money, this should have been dlc at half the price.
  62. chewnsp1t
    Mar 25, 2013
    7
    This game stands on the shoulders of GOW 3. I personally think GOW 3 was a wonderful game and EPIC did a good job in that game. I wasn't a fan of the new weapons in GOW 3 but I loved the game overall. GOW 3 vs GOWJ: Campaign: The campaign has slightly improved in terms of game play. The declassified missions are fun and the enemy bots act slightly more smart. Versus: This is the trulyThis game stands on the shoulders of GOW 3. I personally think GOW 3 was a wonderful game and EPIC did a good job in that game. I wasn't a fan of the new weapons in GOW 3 but I loved the game overall. GOW 3 vs GOWJ: Campaign: The campaign has slightly improved in terms of game play. The declassified missions are fun and the enemy bots act slightly more smart. Versus: This is the truly disappointing part of the game IMO. First of all, no execution. The game is super fast-paced when compared with GOW 3. The FFA and domination are a chaos. Overrun is nice, but does not meet up with my expectations from the trailer. I find GOW 3 horde mode more elaborate in terms of upgrades and devices you could use. My main issue with versus, however, is the weapons. You get one main starting weapon: semi-auto sniper, lancer, or shotgun. SOS is back, stinkier than ever. More bullets and longe range. In GOW 3 if you are a few feets away SOS does not do any damage. In GOWJ, I have died because of SOS firing at a 10s of feet away. For some reason it still does a little damage at long range. This has happened to me in domination game type. Also, there is no locus against cog. Its cog vs cog. I hate it. Survival: Nice game mode. Similar to horde expect that cog is defending some strategic points on the map. I would give judgement a 10/10 if it would come to my xbox as a dlc for GOW 3. As a standalone game selling at 60 bucks, it won't get better than 7.… Expand
  63. Iamthecell
    Mar 24, 2013
    4
    I went into Gears of War: Judgment with high hopes but after playing the multiplayer for countless hours, I just can't reccomend this game. First, there are only 4 maps to play on. Just 4! It is like they did it on purpose so that people will buy the season pass to get more maps. The weapons have been dumbed down so much. The Gnasher is nowhere near the level it was in any of the previousI went into Gears of War: Judgment with high hopes but after playing the multiplayer for countless hours, I just can't reccomend this game. First, there are only 4 maps to play on. Just 4! It is like they did it on purpose so that people will buy the season pass to get more maps. The weapons have been dumbed down so much. The Gnasher is nowhere near the level it was in any of the previous Gears games. The gameplay feels overall just not as good as Gears 3. Nothing has changed that much with this game. They took out what made Gears, Gears (DBNO, Locust vs human battles) and replaced it with elements that just don't fit. As much as I want to reccomend this game, I just can't. It is more like an expansion with the good taken out of the game. Save your cash, this game is not worth it. I will probably trade my copy in shortly.… Expand
  64. Captiosus
    Mar 23, 2013
    5
    Four bland and short multiplayer maps, the removal of Horde mode which Gears *made* popular in the industry, a complete control scheme change for more arcade like ("Call of Duty"-esque) gameplay, a forgettable linear story with characters who are subdued, removal of key unique game modes and mechanics (e.g. DBNO, active reloads, executions), and extremely shady DLC practices out of theFour bland and short multiplayer maps, the removal of Horde mode which Gears *made* popular in the industry, a complete control scheme change for more arcade like ("Call of Duty"-esque) gameplay, a forgettable linear story with characters who are subdued, removal of key unique game modes and mechanics (e.g. DBNO, active reloads, executions), and extremely shady DLC practices out of the gate. Frankly, Gears: Judgement is the culmination of the loss of several key Epic developers (CliffyB, Rod Ferguson), the loss of People Can Fly's original founder and creative designer after their acquisition by Epic, and Microsoft pushing to keep their limited number of "exclusive" franchises relevant. The lowest point in the series and it removes nearly all the elements that differentiated Gears from every other bombastic shooter. Rent, don't buy.… Expand
  65. bulkstorage
    Mar 22, 2013
    6
    BAD: Gears of War: Judgement has been a huge letdown thus far. As soon as I first perused the multi-player I immediately felt that I had been scammed into buying a quick cash grab. The changes that were made in Gears of War 3, such as the nerfed melee, so that obnoxious two-piecing was a thing of the past, and the Team Deathmatch addition where once one team is within five deaths of losingBAD: Gears of War: Judgement has been a huge letdown thus far. As soon as I first perused the multi-player I immediately felt that I had been scammed into buying a quick cash grab. The changes that were made in Gears of War 3, such as the nerfed melee, so that obnoxious two-piecing was a thing of the past, and the Team Deathmatch addition where once one team is within five deaths of losing each team member only gets that one life which led to amazing clutch 1v5 scenarios and such, have been discarded. This makes Gears: Judgment a less intense, less fun, and all around cheap experience comparatively to its predecessor. One of my biggest gripes is the game shipped with only FOUR maps for tdm, ffa, domination, and another four exclusively for the new Overrun mode. On April 2nd there is supposedly a free map pack with 2 new maps but even then only SIX maps before having to pay for more is disgusting. Oh and they removed nearly all of the fan-favorite game modes such as Gaurdian, Horde Mode, Wingman. Gears of War: Judgment is such a leap backwards from the amazing Gears 1-3 and the first game i've bought where it was so instantly apparent that it was not worth the $60 price tag plus the $20 season pass i bought before playing once. At the state it is at right now it Judgment should have be nothing more than a $15-20 dlc on Gears of War 3. Good: Despite Judgment being the worst value in the Gears franchise it is still a Gears game which i will play regardless because I'm a big fan. The new addition of a "free for all" mode is great and my favorite game mode currently. Overrun(PvP) and Survival(PvC) mode have been fun and are great additions (but are not worthy of replacing Horde Mode, which they have). The new weapons are great and I cant complain about any balance issues. The campaign scoring system is good and makes me want to go back and improve how many "stars" i can get and the "declassified objectives" you encounter on the campaign missions add some variety. All in all i'm super bummed but its still fun, just not nearly what it could/should have been and is not what the fans deserve after the standard set by the previous Gears games. Gears of War: Judgment is best described by a quote i saw on a forum recently. "[Judgment] is the Halo 3: ODST of the Gears of War franchise."-???… Expand
  66. DrDomVonDoom
    Mar 23, 2013
    6
    This is most definitely, the weakest of all of the Gears of Wars series. To be fair, I am a HUGE Gears of War fan, I have bought all of the games, and love the IP, but you can tell right away that this game is lacking any of that spark that the original Gears of War trilogy had. Pros: Its still Gears, it looks like Gears, and for the most part it feels like Gears. All the Gears weapons areThis is most definitely, the weakest of all of the Gears of Wars series. To be fair, I am a HUGE Gears of War fan, I have bought all of the games, and love the IP, but you can tell right away that this game is lacking any of that spark that the original Gears of War trilogy had. Pros: Its still Gears, it looks like Gears, and for the most part it feels like Gears. All the Gears weapons are there still, the Lancer, the Retro Lancer, theres the Gnasher and the Shotgun everyone loves to hate, The Sawed-Off. The gameplay is pretty much the same, your a muscle bound dude killing hordes and hordes of Boomers and Kantus, and thats all good and fun but thats pretty much where the game ends for the funside. Cons: Where do I start? Lets start with the characters. These are dead and soulless. Baird is supposed to be the engimatic hero of this story, but you wouldn't be able to tell if you played it. There is NOTHING about Baird that resembles the Baird from the main trilogy. He isn't funny, he isnt sarcastic, he doesn't seem to even be competent in his station as the leader. Cole Train, easily a fan favorite. What HAPPENED TO YOU!? Once again, no personality. There isn't no "WOOOO" or "GO TIME BABY!" amid the game. This goes for pretty much all the characters, they all play the sort of flat bland character, and it shows in the writing. Speaking of the writing, the story is pretty lack luster, theres no character devlopment, the story isn't personally or for that matter epic. Lets get away from the campaign and look at another fan favorite, Horde Mode. Its been replaced by a similer mode called Survival. Its much like horde mode in the way that you fight off wave after wave of monsters, but in this mode your constantly protecting some object, like a generator, or a cover to a emergence hole, or something of that nature. This could be fun, but what they have done is created tight roles that you cannot deviate from. Theres a Healer, a Engineer, a Scout and etc. You have set Weapons, and set Nades, and thats it. No switching out, you need ammo? You need someone to drop a Ammo crate. No one can do that? Your screwed. So pretty much you need one of everyone, and instead of creating a play style you want, you have to conform to pretty much a standard team who each has a job. :/

    Overall, its not the best of games. Gears fans will find it entertaining, and at times frustrating. I know their decision to knock down your ability to hold 3 weapons, two main and one handgun, now down to 2 weapons, HIGHLY infuriating. But if your not a big Gears fan don't bother, check out a earlier Gears game, or go play GoW 3. The best part of this game is the Free copy of GoW1 that came with it. 6/10    … Expand
  67. Scragggg
    Apr 7, 2013
    4
    This really is a poor excuse for a 60 dollar game. By no means are you getting the same amount of content as you did in Gears 3. I am not even talking about the changes or features of the game, just the sheer lack of content compared to Gears 3 is just absurd. For features; just imagine everything that made Gears of War unique and special from the first three games, and take it all out.This really is a poor excuse for a 60 dollar game. By no means are you getting the same amount of content as you did in Gears 3. I am not even talking about the changes or features of the game, just the sheer lack of content compared to Gears 3 is just absurd. For features; just imagine everything that made Gears of War unique and special from the first three games, and take it all out. That is what Judgment is. There are way more features taken away then added. Another thing, remember in Gears of War 2 they implimented the boomshield and meatshield and you could only use a pistol? There was a glitch which was eventually patched where you could use ANY gun with a boomshield/meatshield. Yeah, that is now a FEATURE in Judgment. You can now use any weapon with a boomshield and meatshield in Judgment. That really to me shows how little they cared for this game.… Expand
  68. SirYakalot
    Mar 26, 2013
    2
    Not only have People Can Fly demonstrated that they cannot design games to anywhere near the standard that epic can, but they have actively destroyed what made gears great. It is no longer different, they've limited you to two guns like Halo, they've moved the weapon switching the Y button like call of duty, and it just FEELS crappy. No more locust in vs, instead you're now standard red vsNot only have People Can Fly demonstrated that they cannot design games to anywhere near the standard that epic can, but they have actively destroyed what made gears great. It is no longer different, they've limited you to two guns like Halo, they've moved the weapon switching the Y button like call of duty, and it just FEELS crappy. No more locust in vs, instead you're now standard red vs blue. Why? So so disappointing. Epic was done with the series after 3, and I guess so am I. Really Irritated I bought it for full price.… Expand
  69. watithink123
    Apr 6, 2013
    6
    Loving the first three games, I had to get this and so glad that Epic Games did not end Gears. So is Gears of War: Judgment shine with the other Gears games? Sadly no! I'm sorry if you love Gears but this game is a dissapointment. Lets start with the campaign. The Judgement campaign is based on year 1 of the war with locasts. Cole and Biard are with us and with two new characters witch areLoving the first three games, I had to get this and so glad that Epic Games did not end Gears. So is Gears of War: Judgment shine with the other Gears games? Sadly no! I'm sorry if you love Gears but this game is a dissapointment. Lets start with the campaign. The Judgement campaign is based on year 1 of the war with locasts. Cole and Biard are with us and with two new characters witch are quite interresting. Really good story, like always with Gears. What ruins it is how every section is you trying to get stars witch just feels like a arcade game or a chalenge mode, witch a chalenge would be a great idea. I see they were trying a new way of gameplay, but it just ruined it for me. After you complete Judgement you unlock another campaign called Aftermath witch is more like a dlc. Its based in the middle of the events in Gears of War 3. Also with Cole, Biard and even Carmine. You meet up with one of the new charactors from the Judgement campaign. It keeps to the original style of gameplay witch I like. Sadly both campaigns are way too short and loved the campaigns in the other games, but not in this ,I don't like Judgement campaign and aftermath was decent... just dissapointing... Lets move on with multiplayer. Multiplayer is more balanced then ever, bit the same but still alot of fun. But what gets my attention survival and overun. Survival is defending objectives from relentless locasts, not a horde 3.0 but quite interresting changes. Overrun witch is players play as locasts witch try and destroy objective, while the COG players try and defend, easily best multiplayer game mode. Overall this game took too many steps back or not trying to push on foward. Just feels too much like other games. Gears of War: Judgement 6.5/10.… Expand
  70. Bagdad_Reviews
    Mar 23, 2013
    6
    First, I played all Gears since the first one, multiplayer matches and completed campaign multiples times.

    This one fell very "meh" to me. I would not recommend it for long time Gears fans. Theses are the reasons why I gave it a 6. Negative: 1 -Changes of controls (Seriously!?, you can't change gears controls!!!). 2 -Only 2 weapons at a time (They removed pistols. What?!). 3    First, I played all Gears since the first one, multiplayer matches and completed campaign multiples times.

    This one fell very "meh" to me. I would not recommend it for long time Gears fans.

    Theses are the reasons why I gave it a 6.

    Negative:
    1 -Changes of controls (Seriously!?, you can't change gears controls!!!).
    2 -Only 2 weapons at a time (They removed pistols. What?!).
    3 -Campaign feel like a bunch of "challenges missions" separated by boring splash screens.
    4 -Multiplayer does not fell like gears anymore. (Where are the locusts, teams death match became humans vs humans?!...).
    5 -Graphics are weaker than previous titles. (Mostly lighting).
    6 -Class system for multiplayer does not make sense.

    Positive:
    1 +Story has some good ideas but badly executed.
    2 +Overun mode is pretty fun.

    Overall, pretty disappointed. It reminds me when I stopped caring about Call of duty...    … Expand
  71. GearsGodofWar15
    Mar 25, 2013
    1
    the Campaign is to short...they ruined multiplayer by dumping the core of their multiplayer Horde...Horde was the best part of the Gears multiplayer...I think its awesome how Epic Games ruined Gears...Dumb they can save face and make the fans happy by bringing back the Horde in a patch or a Download content. I've never been more disappointed in a game than I am now...Epic games congratsthe Campaign is to short...they ruined multiplayer by dumping the core of their multiplayer Horde...Horde was the best part of the Gears multiplayer...I think its awesome how Epic Games ruined Gears...Dumb they can save face and make the fans happy by bringing back the Horde in a patch or a Download content. I've never been more disappointed in a game than I am now...Epic games congrats for on your loyal fans...must suck being able to overanalyze screw up the bread and butter of this franchise....this lacked the strong cinematic value and the Horde!!!!! Ruined! You guys made your money you don't give a F$%^! if anyone thinks this deserves more than a 1 PLEASE SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION!!!!!… Expand
  72. Papa_King
    Mar 27, 2013
    0
    This is not GoW worthy. What you get for 60 Euro's is a joke. A weak singleplayer storyline and a dumbed down gears unworthy multiplayer with only 4 maps. None of the classic multiplayer modes are there, they changed the controller scheme without the choice to use the old mapping. Also The multiplayer is focussed on gun & run instead of skill play. What made the GoW multiplayer big in myThis is not GoW worthy. What you get for 60 Euro's is a joke. A weak singleplayer storyline and a dumbed down gears unworthy multiplayer with only 4 maps. None of the classic multiplayer modes are there, they changed the controller scheme without the choice to use the old mapping. Also The multiplayer is focussed on gun & run instead of skill play. What made the GoW multiplayer big in my opinion:

    - Exciting clutches
    - Executions (mode and executing enemies)
    - Slower pace, forcing the players to "think" things trough.
    - Teamplay

    All these things are missing from this game.
    They clearly want to appeal to the mainstream "CoD" audience lowering the treshold to join the fight but by ding so they are not making a Gears game but just another "CoD/Halo". It's sad to see this happening. Epic has with this game proven they care more about the financial numbers than putting down a creative and solid experience catering their core fans.    … Expand
  73. andresam
    Mar 27, 2013
    0
    I give this game a zero and i know it really doesnt deserve a zero, more like a 3. but i do this to make a point. If you like the Gears of War series and are a true gears fan you will understand. The reason i give it a zero is because it truly killed the gears of war and how it used to be. The list of things i can create on how bad this game is is endless. Feels like im playing a beta ofI give this game a zero and i know it really doesnt deserve a zero, more like a 3. but i do this to make a point. If you like the Gears of War series and are a true gears fan you will understand. The reason i give it a zero is because it truly killed the gears of war and how it used to be. The list of things i can create on how bad this game is is endless. Feels like im playing a beta of some call of duty gears of way hybrid game. Please save your money and if your a real gears fan pop in gears 1, 2 or hell even 3 was better and enjoy the good gears days. If you want a dumbed down COD version of gears because you sucked at all the gears then buy judgement and enjoy a trash game.… Expand
  74. DavidEdwards
    Mar 27, 2013
    0
    Can't help feel let down. The campaign story works nicely with the whole trial theme and having the option to challenge yourself declassified. The new game modes of survival and over run are great. Good objective games. Comparing to gears of war 3, general game play is better, running getting into cover is a lot smoother. My biggest problem is multiplayer. Gears of war like the past 3 hasCan't help feel let down. The campaign story works nicely with the whole trial theme and having the option to challenge yourself declassified. The new game modes of survival and over run are great. Good objective games. Comparing to gears of war 3, general game play is better, running getting into cover is a lot smoother. My biggest problem is multiplayer. Gears of war like the past 3 has always been about fighting the locust back so I really don't like the idea of 2 cog teams "red" and "blue" this takes the shine off the game completely. Annoyed that executions are gone for the obvious reason to bring in the new stim gas grenade. To me no longer being able to execute an enemy is like taking a key feature out of the I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying that when epic games make their new DLC it will be much better… Expand
  75. PoorJudgement
    Mar 27, 2013
    0
    The score is based on the weaknesses of/weakness that is the multiplayer. Note: this doesn't imply the campaign is not weak, just that I haven't played it.

    a few observations: -The dark, gritty vibe of the graphics (which has been accentuated in every installment since the original) is so diluted that it makes Far Cry look like Sin City. Too cartoony for my taste. -Character    The score is based on the weaknesses of/weakness that is the multiplayer. Note: this doesn't imply the campaign is not weak, just that I haven't played it.

    a few observations:

    -The dark, gritty vibe of the graphics (which has been accentuated in every installment since the original) is so diluted that it makes Far Cry look like Sin City. Too cartoony for my taste.

    -Character movement feels a lot less 'heavy'; cover is less of an asset than it's ever been, you can roll off precipices and land like a gymnast with minimal damage, committing crimes against physics or prompting questions about the integrity of the material of your armour ("I knew there were Defense cuts, but polyester, really!?")

    -Only 4 Deathmatch maps, each with a gimmick or two.

    -50 shared lives on Team Deathmatch means that nobody is (understandably) too concerned about conserving theirs at any particular moment in time, removing the need to play tactically and removing the tension inherent in a cover-based corridor stand-off (not to mention there are very few corridors on any of the maps, no corridors if we discount those which you can fly up the side of).

    I won't go on as the main points which I've omitted I assume have been said (no DBNO, gimmicky grenades, no Locust versus Cog Deathmatch etc.), so I'll sum up by saying there's absolutely no possibility of tension at any point in the multiplayer experience and it's basically just Run 'n' Gun.    … Expand
  76. GameBoy95
    Mar 31, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Its time to be judged. Gears has always been famous for its non-stop, balls out action approach to gaming like many others, however gears is different, especially in judgement. Judgement introduces new features such as the easy weapon swap and grenade throw and removes others such as the three weapon slots. The game feels great to play, fluid and the way gears should be but its been done wrong. These game play features that have been introduced revolutionise the gears game play however they have not been used to their full extent and so instead feel like a little extra as opposed to a "big deal". The campaign is the weakest part of judgement. Straight out there it is the worst in the series. The characters are all well presented however the dynamic is just not there like the others. All of the characters in the original had a back story and felt real, believable and likeable. These don't. Baird is just Lieutenant Baird and Cole is just the stereotypical character we love but less funny than before. In fact, considering the game consists of the two funniest characters in the series, you would expect there to be humour. There is the odd joke that might make you smirk, but other than that it just feels bland and un-natural for the characters to behave like. The boss is almost non-existent in the game as well, he has a couple of scenes and then you don't even get to fight him. Killing him is just a cut scene instead of a bullets flying everywhere gore fest like it should be for a classic climactic gears game. The game also introduces a completely unnecessary scoring feature that interrupts the game abruptly every ten or fifteen minutes, completely ruining the drama and the story of judgement. The one thing that, in my opinion, saves judgement is Aftermath and this only lasts about 2 hours. This returns to the classic gears of war remedy however with less drama and a happy, disappointing ending. On the other hand, Judgement incorporates the same multiplayer like before except with the new fluid game play features making it feel more action packed than before and engaging. Its worth getting if you love the gears multiplayer because it is great, but if like me, you love the story then don't hold your breath, you'll die. In conclusion, judgement was a nice idea it was just done wrong. The developers attempted to try something new which is fair enough, however it seems like they attempted to fix something which was not broken and instead have just made a mess. This is fixable, all they need to do is return to before, maybe introduce some new characters like Barrick to keep it fresh but don't change THE STORY FORMULA! Positives:
    +Good multiplayer, fun and fluid
    +Good game play adjustments
    +Fun customization
    +Aftermath is fun

    Negatives:
    -Aftermath is too short
    -Dialogue is fairly bland
    -Judgement is too segmented
    - Feels more of an arcade experience than a gears game.
    -No boss fight-That SUCKS BTW!
    -Too colourful-looks too pretty    … Expand
  77. Fireplaye
    Jul 15, 2013
    4
    It's awful. It literally took out everything that made Gears of War fun. The only thing they did do good was make a versus Beast Mode. It's got only 4 maps, only a couple game-modes, no Locust, a few characters, damage is inconsistent, etc. (just bad changes overall). They focused WAY too much on skins. I thought the skins were cool in Gears of War 3, and I was happy to hear you could haveIt's awful. It literally took out everything that made Gears of War fun. The only thing they did do good was make a versus Beast Mode. It's got only 4 maps, only a couple game-modes, no Locust, a few characters, damage is inconsistent, etc. (just bad changes overall). They focused WAY too much on skins. I thought the skins were cool in Gears of War 3, and I was happy to hear you could have them on your characters in Judgement, but they handled the skins really bad. It's literally just for them to make money. The only people that can find this fun are people who have never played any of the other games, and are coming from a game like CoD. I normally hate statements like these in other games, but this literally is just CoD in third person with a cover system, better customization, and characters. that's all. Game just sucks.… Expand
  78. df4evr
    Mar 20, 2013
    1
    Gears of War lost its identity with this game. Judgement was made by People Can Fly who made Bulletstorm and is where most of the influence of Judgement's campaign comes from. Instead of just going through the campaign just to hear the story and live through moments of the character's lives, you play through an arcade shooter with a narrator. While it's not the worst campaign they couldGears of War lost its identity with this game. Judgement was made by People Can Fly who made Bulletstorm and is where most of the influence of Judgement's campaign comes from. Instead of just going through the campaign just to hear the story and live through moments of the character's lives, you play through an arcade shooter with a narrator. While it's not the worst campaign they could have done, it's lacking in originality and takes all the arcade elements from Bulletstorm and tries to call itself a Gears campaign just because it uses character from the Gears universe. The campaign has always been nice to have but was never the main reason most people buy the game and multiplayer is where Judgement falters beyond what I could have even imagined. First, you have to choose between different gun loadouts, none of which allows you to have two what I will call primary weapons (i.e. gnasher and lancer). Instead you get one primary and one secondary (i.e. snub pistol) which is odd because you could always start with two primaries and a snub pistol in every previous game that it seems destructive to take away your ability to have two primaries. Part of the reason People Can Fly may have opted to make this change is also present in the multiplayer game modes. Free for all, domination, and team deathmatch are the three traditional competitive game types that make their way into Judgement and they are all copies of Call of Duty or any other first person shooter. It seems to me that People Can Fly could care less about what made Gears unique and just wanted to sell another generic shooter with the same generic control scheme and the same generic game modes and the same generic weapon loadout system. Even overrun copies team fortress with the class system and how the cog interacts. You think that's all they copied? Nope. They even copied Mass Effect 3 with their prizebox system. Instead of copying call of duty again and unlocking things based on experience points earned and what you choose, you are forced to unlock things randomly with prizeboxes. Want a really cool gun skin? Well you better pray that you can get a prize box which hopefully unlocks it for you because that's the only way your going to get it. Unless you want one of the skins you have to pay for. Yes, microtransactions are in Judgement and each character skin is going to net you $4 more, and there a lot of skins that are download and pay for only. People Can Fly effectively ruined everything that made Gears of War unique by changing mostly everything to copy another game instead of coming up with something new and creative and Epic just sat back and did nothing because they don't care about the games they make apparently, it's all about the money.… Expand
  79. mysteryihs
    Mar 19, 2013
    0
    The problem with this game, and also Halo 4 is that they both attempted to fuse call of duty in their gameplay which makes it worse. Some things have been added and removed, such as instant respawn, no more downing (you die instantly), no more active reload (WTF?), everyone starts off with a frag grenade (again, WTF?). I feel like epic betrayed their fanbase for the COD audience, and ifThe problem with this game, and also Halo 4 is that they both attempted to fuse call of duty in their gameplay which makes it worse. Some things have been added and removed, such as instant respawn, no more downing (you die instantly), no more active reload (WTF?), everyone starts off with a frag grenade (again, WTF?). I feel like epic betrayed their fanbase for the COD audience, and if they want that then I wont stop them. I rented this game, I'd probably never buy it.… Expand
  80. MarchMyMinions
    Mar 19, 2013
    5
    The only person i recommend this game to is Call of Duty enthusiasts. It's taken what made Gears a standout shooter, in a market that's been flooded by shooters already, and pushed it into the mold of any fly by night shooter out there. Starting with the campaign, i actually enjoyed it quite much. That's only because I'm a hardcore Gears fan and smile every time a reference is made or aThe only person i recommend this game to is Call of Duty enthusiasts. It's taken what made Gears a standout shooter, in a market that's been flooded by shooters already, and pushed it into the mold of any fly by night shooter out there. Starting with the campaign, i actually enjoyed it quite much. That's only because I'm a hardcore Gears fan and smile every time a reference is made or a old characters voice came over the radio. Other than that, it's just a linear succession of rooms where you pop out and shoot whatever is attacking and move up. This game play is entertaining if only because of the "Declassified" sections of the game. These area's allow you to beef up the difficult for extra points toward your star rank by hindering circumstances like decreasing visibility, restricting you to only a certain weapon or clearing the level in a set amount of time. If offers a slight tweak that allows for some changes in game play that keep it fresh enough not to bore you into submission. Multiplayer, on the other hand, is atrocious to say the lest. The originality that made Gears a staple in online shooters is completely shot in the foot as soon as you get into a match. With an embarrassing amount of playable characters (8), maps (4), and game modes (4), this installment is hardly a Gears of War game. With game modes like Free-For-All, Domination and Team Deathmatch, Judgement could be mistaken for a 3rd Person Call of Duty. The similarities don't end there, unfortunately. With a new control scheme, weapons are no longer accessed via the DPad but instead, you switch weapons with the Y button. Also, grenades are now mapped to their own button, the LB button. While this does speed up the game play by allowing you to switch weapons while roadie running or to quick toss a grenade, it takes all originally away from the game, leaving it, again, looking like a Call of Duty clone. When the first Gears game was released, players were introduced to modes like Annex, Warzone, Execution and Guardian, something they've never experienced before. And when game modes were introduced, like Capture the Leader or Team Deathmatch (GoW3), they had their own Gears spin on things, making it fresh to play. This game feels old as hell and done 100 times over. And to top it all off, it just feels like one of those $40 games like Halo 3: ODST, that are simply fan games to hold you off until Gears 4 comes out. I'm a hardcore Gears fan, i've got all of the books, games, and even a Marcus statue, but there is no amount of fan-dom that can hold this game back from being just a shame to the series in general. Don't waste your money.… Expand
  81. Consortium
    Mar 19, 2013
    7
    I'd be lying if I said GoW Judgement was a bad game, but i'd also be lying if I said it's better than its predecessors- because it isn't. Has Gears of War finally turned its last rotation? The game is the standard you-know-and-love 3rd person visceral shooter that does and offers things right that other shooters can't. The story is beautiful and made me like Baird a little more (But hesI'd be lying if I said GoW Judgement was a bad game, but i'd also be lying if I said it's better than its predecessors- because it isn't. Has Gears of War finally turned its last rotation? The game is the standard you-know-and-love 3rd person visceral shooter that does and offers things right that other shooters can't. The story is beautiful and made me like Baird a little more (But hes still an egotistical A-hole,) the game play is fluid, and two (I think) new modes put into multiplayer that I think are a breath of fresh air, but I do see it getting boring sometime soon.

    ...But what else? That's pretty much it. Other than that, it offers nothing more than the standard a la carte which is pretty disappointing considering the fact that I am a GoW fan. Instead, they opted to take out two things that really got me into GoW in the first place: DBNO, and Locusts. DBNO was so unique in this type of game that other game could not simply do. In the first place, your not supposed to die or get shot, but DBNO gave you that unique fear of getting humiliated- that part is just gone now. Now it just feels like an arcade shoot-em-up with visceral features in it. Another is Locusts- they are gone in multiplayer...soo yeah, kinda sad. Overall, I wouldn't say its a bad game, but its not the best either. They did put thought into balancing which I feel is fine right now, (Save for the sawed off- I still hate that thing) and I think they did a good job. I wouldn't recommend it to any casual shooter- they may end up disappointed, so only hardcore gears need apply.    … Expand
  82. TheAlphaTurtle
    Mar 19, 2013
    7
    I's quite obvious that the Gears series has taken a turn with the latest installment. The new changes may not appeal to the hardcore Gears fans but Epic and People Can Fly took a new approach to avoid the same old same old that gamers constantly hate. DBNO being removed does take away from the nostalgia value of Gears but in non execution modes (which were most played in Gears 3), DBNOI's quite obvious that the Gears series has taken a turn with the latest installment. The new changes may not appeal to the hardcore Gears fans but Epic and People Can Fly took a new approach to avoid the same old same old that gamers constantly hate. DBNO being removed does take away from the nostalgia value of Gears but in non execution modes (which were most played in Gears 3), DBNO barely had any effect to true gameplay. No locust in competitive multiplayer is another change that I see fanboys often complain about. This is also another change that really has no effect on actual gameplay. This is actually improved in Judgement with the ability to customize your character with skins. The thing many will miss about Gears is the lack of shotgun against shotgun battles that Gears is known for. Only spawning with one weapon, even though having the choice helps, really changes multiplayer. It's no longer as much about closing distance with stealth and strategy but more about taking people out in the open from range. The shotgun is still a viable option in Judgement but is not the only option which adds some positives and negatives. The story of Single player is a decent one for a prequel. You get a story that you never really needed in gears but is fun due to the Baird and Cole conversations. Overall, Gears of War Judgement is a good game. It's not quite on the level of previous installments but still a quality game with fun multiplayer and a decent campaign. Just don't expect it to be another same Gears game. They had to make the change for the better of their company, even if it's not quite the game… Expand
  83. Cheerio
    Mar 21, 2013
    8
    Here is a review from a long time Gears fan.

    Campaign: Very fast and very fractured. The campaign lacks the epic feel of the third game to be honest. I know this is a new game and all but the campaign is broken up into small 5-6 minute chunks that dont seem to have very much effect on the story besides getting from point A to point B. The declassified missions are a very fun bonus to    Here is a review from a long time Gears fan.

    Campaign: Very fast and very fractured. The campaign lacks the epic feel of the third game to be honest. I know this is a new game and all but the campaign is broken up into small 5-6 minute chunks that dont seem to have very much effect on the story besides getting from point A to point B. The declassified missions are a very fun bonus to activate to change up the campaign and get you out of your comfort zone. But the way they are executed makes the campaign feel more like an arcade-like shooter. Shooting as fast as possible to get through the missions quickly. It distracts what has truly captivated me about gears, the beauty and detail. Some of my most memorable moments were in the very beginning of gears 3 when I was on the bridge as Cole. The highway was stretched out over the ocean and it was turned into a make-shift locust camp. Off in the distance was a huge statue over an ocean. It captivated me that I was in this unique universe. I could take my time to admire these things. I feel like I cannot in this installment. The campaign keeps you moving. There is never a quiet moment to just take in the beauty. Some declassified even want you to finish in a certain amount of time rushing the level even more. The way the enemies are placed is what makes it feel quick. You always have to keep moving forward as they continue spawning. Then they end the level and throw you in another one. I was a huge fan of the aftermath campaign though. Was a nice addition. Story was alright and the narration did help tell the story. The characters for the most part were not memorable. Baird lacked his charm and Cole lacked his well, Cole Train attitude. The other two didn't stand out enough to me to warrant being new additions to the gears universe. Multiplayer: The most talked about I am sure. And this is where gears has always shined bright. New additions to multiplayer include the new Overrun mode and domination. Lets start with regular versus. I have never been a fan of shotgun fights in gears. To me they lacked the tactical fighting and use of cover. They always seemed to boil down to the exact same fight every time. Gears 3 started to prove me wrong when they introduced the retro lancer and sawed-off (which surprisingly I did not hate and knew how to counter). But they were quickly dismissed and you received many hateful comments if you used anything but a gnasher. In the versus mode the maps are way more open and way more vertical. They make for a pleasant change to the usual fare of close and tight maps. At the same time this opens up a lot more options for flanking and tactics. At times the maps did seem a little too big and that I was wandering around looking for enemies on certain maps. I really enjoyed these new maps myself along with the new weapon selection. It truly felt like how gears multiplayer should be. Of course the hardcore fanbase will argue that this is not "true gears" but you cannot just remake the wallbouncing gnasher fest that the first 3 games were. Domination is a load of fun and works with this game. Team deathmatch is sadly the only returning mode, as enjoyable as it is I will miss execution and king of the hill. Free for all is a very interesting choice as opposed to wingman which has been so popular in the past. Overall versus made some very bold choices some in the right direction and others not so much. Overrun is possibly my favorite addition to this game. It is furious and tactical. Good cooperation makes or breaks a team. Doesn't matter how good of a shot you are, if you dont work together you are all dead. It is an interesting mechanic that really stresses teamwork and it really works. It was such a blast to fight as humans as your defenses were pushed back and to fight as locust destroying barricades and taking down turrets. The classes actually work for this mode. Every class has its strengths and if you all use them properly you will prosper. Survival is the Human Vs. AI overrun essentially. It is a chance to try and be the new horde mode. Sadly it is not the same good time horde mode was and it doesnt feel the same fighting against AI.
    Overall: The game is great fun. Although the continuity feels a bit off. There are certain things you can do in campaign that you cannot in versus for example; active reload, DBNO, picking up teammates by scruffing their hair. In conclusion the game is a blast to play it feels very fast paced. Sadly it feels like a relatively small package, not that many maps, few game modes and not as many characters skins as previous installments. The game feels a bit skimpy to be a full fledged title to be released for 60 bucks. I feel this new developer can do a good job with the gears universe. It just needs to be done on the standards that Epic has set.    … Expand
  84. Feinz
    Mar 20, 2013
    3
    how did i know that the people who made gears 2 would again fail at making a good gears game, if you liked part 2 go ahead with this game, but if your a purist and still think part 1 was the then don't bother with this. Just a few things, when playing online in TDM or anything besides overrun and survival, everybody is COG and just painted different colours to differentiate teams, ihow did i know that the people who made gears 2 would again fail at making a good gears game, if you liked part 2 go ahead with this game, but if your a purist and still think part 1 was the then don't bother with this. Just a few things, when playing online in TDM or anything besides overrun and survival, everybody is COG and just painted different colours to differentiate teams, i almost puked in my mouth, then there's classes, this isn't COD, then it's Y to switch weapons and LB to toss grenades, that's when i did puke in my mouth, they specifically ask you when you start the game for the first time if you know the basics, how can you ask that question if you change the basics? it gets a 3 from me because overrun is new and a bit fun but it seems like that was the main focus of this game. WASTE OF MONEY!… Expand
  85. MaliciouZ3R0
    Mar 20, 2013
    8
    I'm not going to sit here and say this is better then all Gears games because it's truly not and obviously it shouldn't be because there are some new makers in the game with newer idea's. Judgement gives a newer feeling to Gears because honestly all Game series have to come to an end eventually and after Gears of War 3 I personally don't think they should continue though a prequel justI'm not going to sit here and say this is better then all Gears games because it's truly not and obviously it shouldn't be because there are some new makers in the game with newer idea's. Judgement gives a newer feeling to Gears because honestly all Game series have to come to an end eventually and after Gears of War 3 I personally don't think they should continue though a prequel just like any other game isn't always bad. If your a hardcore Gears fan you won't like this because it's really different though I am a gamer and I give everything a chance and I love this game because I have fun playing it, it's new and it doesn't feel the same and boring all Gears constantly because it just isn't fun playing the same thing only remastered with a new campaign. If you like trying new things buy the game and give it a chance. If you wanna complain because it isn't the same then stick to your Gears of War 3. Simple. Being a gamer means you play anything to become better at it.… Expand
  86. jfrombk
    Mar 20, 2013
    10
    Multiplayer review only...

    First of all, if you’re a true gears of war fan, you will like this game. I am not sure you will love it, but you will like it. That being said, I think people fail to realize the greatness that went into the game. Now my review will be on multiplayer alone. I have not played the campaign, nor will I for a while. Ever since I've gotten an Xbox 360 and played    Multiplayer review only...

    First of all, if you’re a true gears of war fan, you will like this game. I am not sure you will love it, but you will like it. That being said, I think people fail to realize the greatness that went into the game. Now my review will be on multiplayer alone. I have not played the campaign, nor will I for a while. Ever since I've gotten an Xbox 360 and played games online, I rarely play them alone. Now let me address a few things. I think people are coming to want things to be perfect out the box. I haven't played a game that was better out the box then it was when I stopped playing it due to updates, patches, etc. Gears of war 1 was not the same game out the box. Even though it is my favorite gears and had the best game play in my opinion, that’s not how the game started off. When gears first came out, you could down people and unlimited amount of times. People would down guys for half the match to boost their points. There was also the sliding feature, something that us gears players would refer to as the "ICE MAN" slide, where you could pick up a weapon and glide around for 2 seconds before you had it in your hand. These glitches were removed and it gave us a better game overall and is the gears we all remember. Now getting back to GOW judgment, this is an excellent multiplayer offering, with a few changes that you may or may not like, but it’s not a reason to trade the game in within the first 3 hours of playing it. I really feel that people don’t know how to give things a chance. There are only 4 maps, but they are all great, and huge and more are coming in less than 2 weeks. Also too, execution is making its way back as well, so that’s something to look forward too.

    The speed of the game feels like a mix between gears 1 and 3. You pick up weapons faster than ever now, and the shotty is more reliable then gears 2,and 3.

    So here are my pros and cons:

    Pros
    -it feels like gears
    -y button makes for easy switching
    -no more down shots, (I like this because they already took the down shot from the sniper in previous gears so what’s the point of it being in the game)
    - The Shotty is a little better than 3, but still not as good as one.
    -maps feel like gears but they add more too the game like different heights and elements of surprise.
    -New weapons
    -You can throw grenades on people and stick them. [[ASIN:B002I0H2AG Gears of War: Judgment]]

    cons
    - You don’t get downed any more, you just die
    - You can't pick up your teammates any more, or pick up enemies and use them as a meat shield
    - You can’t stick grenades to things any more
    - Not sure if I like the special grenades yet.
    - Melee is faster and only takes two to kill you.

    In the end, I love the game. There are things that I have to get used to, but I got on and had a ball as if I was playing it for a few months. They might even patch these things in a little while. I just can’t see how people can hate the game because there are only 4 maps? That’s a factor that will change in the next 2 weeks. Not that big of a deal to me I guess.    … Expand
  87. RuinedGlory
    Mar 20, 2013
    8
    "GEARS OF WAR JUDGMENT is a serviceable addition to the GEARS saga while offering refreshing new ways to enjoy one of the best third person shooters around. The new additions are interesting & fresh while keeping that silky smooth GEARS feel to it that fans have come to love.

    While it does falter at times & suffers from extreme familiarity, this is a good addition to the series. It does    "GEARS OF WAR JUDGMENT is a serviceable addition to the GEARS saga while offering refreshing new ways to enjoy one of the best third person shooters around. The new additions are interesting & fresh while keeping that silky smooth GEARS feel to it that fans have come to love.

    While it does falter at times & suffers from extreme familiarity, this is a good addition to the series. It does feel a bit rushed & the storyline is pretty forgettable even for GEARS OF WAR standards. But the multiplayer is still solid & the Declassified mission structure helps keep the campaign varied throughout.

    If you’re a fan of GEARS OF WAR, this game is clearly for you. Just don’t expect the second coming of Jesus from this one & you’ll have a fun time."

    Read my full review here: http://tmblr.co/ZOA6EygjQvoq    … Expand
  88. Dale1019
    Mar 21, 2013
    9
    Ok to be blunt this is not the best story in the franchise but its not the worse. I think the combat in this game is very frantic and fun, it got more intense then maybe any of the other games. The multiplayer overtime may get to be the best, the overrun mode alone is worth the price.
  89. TheMisfit
    Mar 24, 2013
    3
    Split-screen can't host an online game, campaign is too short, frequent glitches, weapons layout change is horrible, build a character you can't use. "People Can Fly" RUINED my favorite game of all time. I was so excited. I took time off--prepared to spend hours, upon hours on my favorite game...to feeling a disappointment I hadn't felt since learning Santa wasn't real. (Tears) :-(Split-screen can't host an online game, campaign is too short, frequent glitches, weapons layout change is horrible, build a character you can't use. "People Can Fly" RUINED my favorite game of all time. I was so excited. I took time off--prepared to spend hours, upon hours on my favorite game...to feeling a disappointment I hadn't felt since learning Santa wasn't real. (Tears) :-(

    I gave it a 4 out of respect for Gears 1-3. So sad!!!    … Expand
  90. impressionman76
    Mar 23, 2013
    9
    I used to count on a mix of user reviews with critic reviews to get a good feel for a new game and rather or not it is worth buying. Now with all long running big budget games I see way too many 1s and 0s by these games. (I have played them all and none deserve those ratings!!) All reviews under 4 are clearly trolls and over 10 sound way too much like fanboys, although I can believe thatI used to count on a mix of user reviews with critic reviews to get a good feel for a new game and rather or not it is worth buying. Now with all long running big budget games I see way too many 1s and 0s by these games. (I have played them all and none deserve those ratings!!) All reviews under 4 are clearly trolls and over 10 sound way too much like fanboys, although I can believe that there are some of you who actually like the game that much. Everyone else actually has something useful to offer. Review of GOW Judgment:

    Overall I personally would give this game a 8.8, but I rounded up as giving it an 8 was a little too low. In many ways this game plays the same as the others, but the developers took a few chances and changed a few key aspects of each game mode. I would not say they are vast improvements, just an enjoyable different spin.

    Breakdown:

    Graphics: 9.2 This area got a little bit of an upgrade from 3. Nice lighting and good effects. The enemies are a bit easilier to spot.

    Gameplay: 8.8 Same as before with changing how weapons switch. You lose a weapon slot but gain a quicker weapon switch. Throwing grenades is easier too. Same flaws from previous games are still present.

    Story: 7.8 I like the new approach in story telling, but the game does seem a bit less epic. I personally would liked if emergence day more of a focus. Villain not as interesting.

    Campaign: 8.5 I know some don't like the arcade options, but I for one really like ways I can challenge myself. They are afterall options and adding different play options is rarely a bad thing. I grew up on old school arcade games so bring on the arcade modes! (they are what sold me on getting this game) Campaign is on the short side. Aftermath is a nice mini campaign to unlock.

    Multiplayer: 8.9 I love overrun. It is my new favorite multiplayer mode. Team I liked a little less then 3. I like survival for good quick arcade mode fix, but I miss horde. Had they included it, this would have been hands down the best gears multiplayer game.

    Overall 8.8    … Expand
  91. Fallenlords
    Mar 23, 2013
    9
    I though this Gears game was a lot more fluid than previous games. The mechanics to me seemed smoother and for once in multiplayer when I actually shot people they died. Which didn't happen a lot in other Gears games if you used a Lancer. Overall I was a bit shocked to see such low scores. The single player campaign narrative wasn't my style, just get on with it. But the new weaponsI though this Gears game was a lot more fluid than previous games. The mechanics to me seemed smoother and for once in multiplayer when I actually shot people they died. Which didn't happen a lot in other Gears games if you used a Lancer. Overall I was a bit shocked to see such low scores. The single player campaign narrative wasn't my style, just get on with it. But the new weapons seemed to fit, I thought they might seem out of place with it being a prequel. The Declassified missions seemed more like a gimmick than anything, but does add a bit of replay value to a mission. I think they have done a good job overall in making the game flow a lot better.… Expand
  92. piskin
    Mar 20, 2013
    0
    Developers have once again found a way to ruin an amazing franchise. Game play has nothing new to offer, story doesn't make sense, multiplayer full of the same old stuff and no improvement in graphics. If you are s fan of this franchise get ready to get screwed.
  93. AngainorG7
    Mar 20, 2013
    10
    Honestly didn't thought that i will be able to experience a better gears than gears 3 in this generation. i was wrong. the game rocks!!! better graphics especially the character models are incredible, for multiplayer the best just got better, although fewer multiplayer maps is a con, but overall is crazy. It's the most colorful gears indeed and it's a very good prologue for a next genHonestly didn't thought that i will be able to experience a better gears than gears 3 in this generation. i was wrong. the game rocks!!! better graphics especially the character models are incredible, for multiplayer the best just got better, although fewer multiplayer maps is a con, but overall is crazy. It's the most colorful gears indeed and it's a very good prologue for a next gen gears. No need to speak about gameplay. it's a kind of its own!… Expand
  94. Allanon
    Mar 21, 2013
    9
    Wtf with those bad reviews?

    I mean, I can understand there is bad review but not that much for a really good game!

    The only downfall of this episode is for the player who did all the previous episodes! If it's your first one, like me, it's an awesome game
  95. Defectionate
    Mar 20, 2013
    8
    What can I say about my enticement of Gears of War. I went into this game a little skeptical and cautious, this was the first Gears not developed by Epic which worried me, but it was headed by a studio who made a great game by the name of Bulletstorm and was also owned by Epic so it wasnt to far from the roots like Halo and 343. The game keeps a brisk pace through its campaign, that,What can I say about my enticement of Gears of War. I went into this game a little skeptical and cautious, this was the first Gears not developed by Epic which worried me, but it was headed by a studio who made a great game by the name of Bulletstorm and was also owned by Epic so it wasnt to far from the roots like Halo and 343. The game keeps a brisk pace through its campaign, that, without the massive set pieces we are accustomed to, was decent in its own right, despite the final boss being rather on the easy and anti climactic side. It holds up to the other three, not surpassing but its up there. The multiplayer is superb, I just wish original game types were there, and the new Overrun mode is enough to warrant multiple replays in that department. The departure of horde had me a little upset, and survival is good but doesnt hold a torch to Horde. The control scheme will take getting used to, but it still plays like Gears and thats all that matters, right? Its a solid addition to the already great franchise, hopefully expansion will bring other content besides the basic map pack and skin customization.… Expand
  96. SilentDogwood
    Mar 23, 2013
    8
    The campaign with its introduction of 'declassified missions' and new method of storytelling is by far the best one since 2. However, the multiplayer unit as it stands only comes with 4 versus maps and 4 overrun maps, a rather weak package. Two free maps come out in April, and six are included in the season pass, but comparatively to 3, this is still minimal. A few changes for the better,The campaign with its introduction of 'declassified missions' and new method of storytelling is by far the best one since 2. However, the multiplayer unit as it stands only comes with 4 versus maps and 4 overrun maps, a rather weak package. Two free maps come out in April, and six are included in the season pass, but comparatively to 3, this is still minimal. A few changes for the better, a few changes for the worse. Not the best Gears, but does enough different that its worth an investment.… Expand
  97. kafack
    Mar 20, 2013
    10
    El juego tiene gráficos excelentes, tiene una historia interesante y un grado de dificultad bastante bueno el modo multiplayer es interesante ya que contiene nuevas modalidades para esta franquicia
  98. kotwr424
    Mar 20, 2013
    6
    I'm a fan of GoW from the start personal favorite is 3. I was very excited for this game since GoW titles are yearly and usually well made. While the game I can tell was well made and they've taken risk's which is appreciated. The Campaign is brilliant and the 10 wave horde redux is great now I can actually play and finish (if I win) However the positives end there. MP the once greatestI'm a fan of GoW from the start personal favorite is 3. I was very excited for this game since GoW titles are yearly and usually well made. While the game I can tell was well made and they've taken risk's which is appreciated. The Campaign is brilliant and the 10 wave horde redux is great now I can actually play and finish (if I win) However the positives end there. MP the once greatest part of the game is now something I personally Loathe! It feels like epic took things from CoD (1 weapon to start) BF3/TF2 (stim grenades/classes). This might work for some but for me this is a negative I can't name how many times I tried switching my gun with the dpad yes i'll adjust eventually, or how many times ive been annoyed by the LB grenade toss from other players or the health regen. I'll end by saying this for I wanted the last gow on 360 to be great its medicore and is probably the nail in the coffin for me in and my xbox 360 which I was already consider trading in, I've kept it for GoWJ. I don't see myself keep either much longer maybe a month more and putting credit towards PS4 or maybe a few PS3 titles. This game is the official killer of my gamertag.… Expand
  99. PowZee
    Mar 25, 2013
    8
    People Can Fly did great and I can see them getting better and better at it. I am an avid Bulletstorm lover. So I've played GOW 1, 2, 3, and now Judgement. I'm mostly a campaign player, not a big MP player. I love the Gears world and have enjoyed every game including now Judgement. I won't agree that this installment has lost the GOW soul, it's just different so it's going to make aPeople Can Fly did great and I can see them getting better and better at it. I am an avid Bulletstorm lover. So I've played GOW 1, 2, 3, and now Judgement. I'm mostly a campaign player, not a big MP player. I love the Gears world and have enjoyed every game including now Judgement. I won't agree that this installment has lost the GOW soul, it's just different so it's going to make a lot of hardcore GOW fans mad. I like the control modifications they have made and if it's a little more like COD controls, so what? I for one am glad it's not as difficult as GOW1 (which was hard as hell on Casual) and possibly is a little easier than 2 and 3 too. Play on Insane if you want that ultimate challenge, but my playthroughs on Normal were really fun with some really furious shootouts, and the end boss fight against Karn was cool also! I'm going to try Hardcore mode next. OK, the locust AI should have been a little smarter, each episodic mission piece should have been a little longer (most were only 5 to 10 minutes it seemed), and they missed out on great dialogue possibilities from Baird and Cole which really surprised me so I'm knocking 2 points down for those misses but hey it's more GOW, it doesn't suck, and I personally hope they keep doing them.… Expand
  100. BasicSpace
    Mar 22, 2013
    7
    A solid/fun experience. The campaign is entertaining but shallow, placing you in short gunfights and presenting you with a score afterwords. There is a narrative being told in-between the battles, and I like the idea of what Epic is doing here, but the story too comes off lacking any real depth. The controls have been improved, updated if you will, and it makes the MP all the more exciting.
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Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2013
6
#6 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2013
9
#9 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 81 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 81
  3. Negative: 0 out of 81
  1. Hyper Magazine
    May 9, 2013
    70
    It's Gears 3, minus pacing and ambition. It's still fantastically enjoyable, but it's easily the least interesting Gears game. [June 2013, p.64]
  2. CD-Action
    May 7, 2013
    80
    Judgment shows that the People Can Fly team knows its way around triple-A titles. They managed to squeeze a lot out of Unreal Engine 3 – the game looks great even compared to Crysis 3, which set new standards in terms of visuals, also on consoles. And when the technology restrained them, they creatively found a way around limitations. [CD-Action 05/2013, p.60]
  3. GameFocus
    Apr 21, 2013
    78
    Judgment feels a bit like an excuse to provide the Xbox 360 with one last first-party game for what is likely to be its final year as Microsoft’s flagship game platform.
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