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[Halo is Back]

The writing in Gears has always been trash. The more they try to make you have empathy for the cast of characters and their motivations, the worse it becomes.

The only reason that Cole Train work is that he is basically a ripoff of Terry Tate the Office Lineback who is inspired by Lawrence Taylor (greatest linebacker in American Football history but also a drugged up lunatic).

Yea, Terry Crews also reminds me of him but that guy is actually really nice and humble in person. They play up a show for entertainment but some people are naturally hyper and high on life

 

[Hoya Destroyer]

Gears 2 was the first Gears game I played and I was quite impressed with the story at the time. Later I played Gears 1, 3 and 4 and I didnt really enjoy those single player experiences. By that time though, I really just wanted to get to the multiplayer, which I thought was great in 3 and 4.

 

[luffie]

i hope i can describe how i feel about these games since english is not my native language.

so here i go.
i have been an avid gamer since i was very little, mainly focused on playstation. i have only owned an xbox console once. someone gifted me a vanilla xbox one back when it was first released, played and finished sunset and rise of tomb raider and sold it to my cousin.
i had a change of heart -and budget- at the start of the current generation. conviced by the value proposition of series console, i bought my self a series s two months ago and i am loving it so far.
so as you can imagine, having missed most of xbox console generations, i am having blast a going through gamepass.

Gears games were first on my radar. i played and finished ultimate edition through 5, and i am half way through in both judgement and hive busters.
and tbh microsoft is better off with dropping this franchise all together.

where can i start. i guess first i should start with characters and story.
these games have the most generic action story in any medium. you have your generic renegade main character that doesn't take bullshit from nobody. you have your generic emotional dude looking for his lost wife. you have the most stereotypically designed big loud black guy and whenever he talks i want to die. i am from turkey and i am away from all the systematic racism awfullnes but i have to say cole is so obnoxious that they like tone him down in the second game. only original character in the game is baird. being both scientiest and a tough soldier he is really fun. but ironically, every character in the game dislike baird and he is the butt of every joke.

story is such a cliché that i have to remind myself that the first three games were released between 2006-2011. but then again while gears was crazy popular, uncharted was defining story driven games. basically you are part of an elite soldier army, try to save the world from monster infestation. in contrast with your mission, you end up killing everone you save. all the time. this is not even a spoiler because Gears' idea of emotional impact is killing NPCs whom you already do not care. actually best part comes from this angle because every NPC you meet in the game rightfully hates you.

and the writing. oh the writing. put every steven segal movie in a blender, spread some alien invasion movie seasoning and you are done. there is this one part in the fifth game where young leads meet with paduk. Jd says something and paduk talk him down and kaith talk back to him. before Paduk answers i was like "i like this one" and suprise suprise he says "i like this one". unfortunately you can guess the writing all the time. because it is that unoriginal.

gameplay-vise, Gears of War games have one idea only which is walking some and killing some. literally this loop made me appreciate Uncharted's climbing sections eventhough i despise them because at least they offer a level design. in gears you walk through some corridors, push a button, turn a valve, push some switches, open a door, something goes wrong (as always) and the combat happens. you may think locust is the main enemy or in the fourth and fifth games the swarm but no. main antagonist is your luck. because nothing goes as it planed. all the time. for five games. there is always something wrong. in the fifth game there is this one part where you try to build a rocket ship (because why not). you pretty much kill an entire swarm army in the process. if you are playing experienced and upper you are already filling the grind since the game has been throwing enemies at you like a maniac. just when the rocket is ready, guess what happens. ding ding ding. you guessed it correctly. out of nowhere, in a facility that you just cleared a snacther jumps on to a moving rocket and ruins everything. i screamed FUCK YOU! at this. now imagine this, but for 5 x 10 hours.

sadly it is obvious that gears writers and developers are not risk takers. they don't renovate they don't reform and they don't improve. they are deeply obsessed with the idea of dont fix it if it ain't broken but it is broken.

Spoiler: gears 5 spoilers

for example, not being able to take risks makes itself clear during the mid section of gears 5. game actually suprises you with a compelling explanation on why queen myrrah looked like human and gives Kaith a relatable background. at this point i was expecting the game to take a hard turn and make kaith the new queen. with the mix feeling of seeing someone we love go to the dark side, we would end up fighting her with del. but out of nowhere writers decided to make reyna, a character that died last game the new queen because nothing matters and all they want you to do is hide in covers and shoot.

this is a shit writing.

and the way they present an emotional conflict at the end is such a crap out. choosing between del and jd was no brainer for me. of course i saved JD because del was such a white women fantasy of hunk black friend that i couldn't stand the guy. he is almost like a messiah who always tells the right thing, does the right thing in a world where everything tires to kill you that at the end he ends up being a shell of a character, more like a moral compass. JD on the other hand was more relatabe. he has done some bad things and done some good things. he -unlike del- has a redemption arc that you can empathise. and he is the main character of the last two games. i mean, who saves the sidekick?

i know this turned into a rant but i really believe microsoft need to kill this franchise. unlike mario, zelda, final fantasy etc. these games fail to offer anything exciting with new additions where other long going franchises constantly reinvent themselves. they are generic and unoriginal, gameplay is underwhelming and lackluster and controls are tank.

Kill it, before a snatcher jumps on to your rocket.

Agree with you op, the entire game has almost 0 innovation, same predictable trope all the time. Also, you forgot "get this special weapon" that will let us win the war cliche, then to get this special weapon we need this specific tool to get it working *roll eyes*.

And this is supposedly their star franchise.

 

[D3SCHA1N]

Instead of suggesting people stop making a game you don't like, why don't you just not play the game you don't like?

 

[GymWolf]

Baird was the only good character in the saga, you are right op.

 

[ikbalCO]

Instead of suggesting people stop making a game you don't like, why don't you just not play the game you don't like?

because i rather see MS spend their next 100 million dolar, 3 years and talent on something new, exciting and innovative.

 

[Warablo]

Gears 1 story was kinda a horror game, but what really stood out was the polished addictive multiplayer. Gears and Halo are multiplayer franchises, to me they don't hold much weight anymore, but were kings in 360 era.

 

[RGB'D]

Agree with you op, the entire game has almost 0 innovation, same predictable trope all the time. Also, you forgot "get this special weapon" that will let us win the war cliche, then to get this special weapon we need this specific tool to get it working *roll eyes*.

And this is supposedly their star franchise.

I mean 0 innovation except basically innovating third person cover shooters which went on to inspire many games including uncharted... but sure 0 innovation.

 

[ikbalCO]

Baird was the only good character in the saga, you are right op.

right? and they still made a adam fenix clone out of him in 4 and 5 smh )

 

[GymWolf]

right? and they still made a adam fenix clone out of him in 4 and 5 smh )

Yeah, it was heart breaking seeing him as good uncle bald baird in the 4th game...

 

[ikbalCO]

I mean 0 innovation except basically innovating third person cover shooters which went on to inspire many games including uncharted... but sure 0 innovation.

there is a thin line between inventing and innovating imo. sure the original gears created a sub genre back in 2006 but 5 games later they haven't add anything new to their very tired formula.

 

[GymWolf]

I mean 0 innovation except basically innovating third person cover shooters which went on to inspire many games including uncharted... but sure 0 innovation.

Kill switch was the first game with that type of cover, so tecnically gears didn't invented jack shit.

It was by far the more famous cover shooter sure, but not the first.

 

[Huggers]

I loved Gears but I kinda agree. Time hasn't been that kind to them. Great fun especially co-op back in the day though

 

[Trunim]

I liked the writing in Gears 4 more than in Gears 5. It was funny and "bro"-ey and didn't try to be more than what it was.

 

[RGB'D]

there is a thin line between inventing and innovating imo. sure the original gears created a sub genre back in 2006 but 5 games later they haven't add anything new to their very tired formula.

Gears isn't my favorite but these semantics are kinda crazy. I enjoy uncharted way more but it's not like they innovated either. That's a weird mantle to hold considering very little is truly innovative in today's landscape.

 

[Cutty Flam]

 

[xrnzaaas]

I've replayed Gears 1-Judgment just after Gears 4 came out and I think they aged quite good. Obviously Gears 1 is the roughest one, but it doesn't look as outdated as something like Uncharted 1 (I played U1 for the first time on the PS4). The story is cool, the characters are very cool and even though the gameplay isn't very innovative in later games from the original trilogy I still had a lot of fun playing them. Judgment was more forgettable and Gears 4 definitely lost that spark with the crappy new characters and making robots your enemies for a large portion of the game.

(bear in mind I'm commenting only on singleplayer)

 

[Shubh_C63]

No franchise is meant to be marathoned.

And killing the franchise is the wrong solution.. obviously.

 

[Huggers]

The whole dude bro aesthetic does have a certain appeal. I remember people really complaining about Killzone 2 for this reason. I played it again recently and whilst it's still terrible I dunno, I kinda dig it in all its ridiculousness

 

[EverydayBeast]

Gears is a celebration to third person shooters yes it came into the world in 2006 and is undergoing changes but I know where Gears heart is at once upon a time it was grit, coming off cover fire and killing a bunch of alien bugs. It will be a challenge for Microsoft to get fans back into the Gears series.

 

[Fbh]

I like them.
The story is dumb fun, if anything I liked the story in 4 less because it loses some of that style. And IMO the gameplay still holds up pretty well. Like yeah it's a generic cover shooter but you can't really blame them for being the blueprint of the modern generic cover shooter. The encounters are fun, it has pretty good enemy variety and the weapons are still great.

It's also one of the few high budget franchises keeping fun story based coop alive. Not wave based survival, or loot grinding, or games as a service BS but just a fun, nice looking well produced 10-15 hours campaign to play through in Coop.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Gears campaigns are meant to be a starter for main course that is its multiplayer.

I dont think i have played better multiplayer suited for casual players as well as really skilled serious players.

You will have a great time regardless of your skill level.

As for story, it feels like a justification to populate world with "meaty' dudes that pop with a gnasher or melee, two of my favourite things to do.

 

[RGB'D]

Kill switch was the first game with that type of cover, so tecnically gears didn't invented jack shit.

It was by far the more famous cover shooter sure, but not the first.

Okay fair enough. They definitely were impactful even if they weren't the first

 

[Magnific0giganticus]

If they were so good they wouldn't be on Game Pass day 1...

 

[horkrux]

how does it feel to be so wrong, OP?

but I agree with your spoiler. it was the most BORING resolution to this story arc they could have possibly come up with
I do not like 5 at all

 

[Big Baller]

So you played all the Gears campaigns but no mp. Okay

 

[Soleil rouge]

I have a feeling you'd feel differently if you experienced these games at their time of release.

Not necessarily. I played part 1 at launch, enjoyed it for the novelty of next gen graphics and the OST. That said, I felt exactly the same as he feels now about the awful characters and story.

I agree with your sentiments, OP. Gears is the most stale franchise in gaming.

 

[D3SCHA1N]

because i rather see MS spend their next 100 million dolar, 3 years and talent on something new, exciting and innovative.

I don't care for the forza games but I'm not about to suggest they stop making them even though that talent pool is clearly capable of creating something I would like, it's an incredibly selfish and entitled perspective...

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Good Lord, I don't know how you did it. I couldn't make it more than 3 hours into Gears 5. Just boring shit.

I really enjoyed the original back in 2006 on 360 and the sequel was allright, too, but I had my feel of the formula by then.

 

[ikbalCO]

I don't care for the forza games but I'm not about to suggest they stop making them even though that talent pool is clearly capable of creating something I would like, it's an incredibly selfish and entitled perspective...

well, playground games is developing the new fable game so i guess i can say MS and I think the same when it comes to utilizing talent sometimes.

 

[ikbalCO]

Good Lord, I don't know how you did it. I couldn't make it more than 3 hours into Gears 5. Just boring shit.

I really enjoyed the original back in 2006 on 360 and the sequel was allright, too, but I had my feel of the formula by then.

it wasn't easy. especially the desert part with red and yellow heavy deep warm colors and never ending fetch quests.

 

[rofif]

1 is a milestone with great atmosphere. 2 is the best with much variety and story really picks up. 3 is bombastic and super fun but story asks too many questions and answers too little. Still all great games. I wish we had more stuff like this.

 

[Starbuck2907]

I hate these “I played a shit ton of X game/series, and it sucks.” I always wonder why they played so much if it sucks.

 

[Farawayfromhell]

I really don't see anything to argue about the beauty of the first trilogy, as a fan I have some criticisms about everything that came out after, even though I still appreciated them.
Maybe playing them on release would have made everything different... for sure playing a 2006 game in 2021 may not have the same impact, IMHO.
From my point of view it is one of the best third person games of the last fifteen years.

 

[whattheduck]

I'm sure Gears 5 is fine, but every time I saw footage of it, I felt like I had already played it in 2008. I definitely didn't feel that way about God War 2018 -- so I think it's time they go for that level of redirection for the series.

 

[highrider]

Gears to this day is still the best 3rd person shooter imo and nothing has come close. Many games have nailed story and graphics but Gears nailed the gameplay. Dead Space would be a close second but completely different kind of game.

 

[ikbalCO]

Gears to this day is still the best 3rd person shooter imo and nothing has come close. Many games have nailed story and graphics but Gears nailed the gameplay. Dead Space would be a close second but completely different kind of game.

really though? is it really better than UC4 and TLOU2 where your playable character can move in and out of covers with such ease, where there are multiple ways to tackle a combat situation, where your character can jump, crawl, crouch, and grapple with a grappling hook across platforms, where you can clear an area without shooting your gun once or go completly guns blazing (gears 5 introduce an awful stealth mode but they put a scion in every area to let you know in reallity there is no stealth), where you can go in and out of stealth in a way that makes sense?

come on dude, most of you let your hatred towards Naught Dog meddle with your judgement.

gameplay wise gears is not the best. it is far from it.

 

[Camreezie]

Gears 1 is one of my favourite games of all time. 2 and 3 are also good. 4 judgement and 5 are the mistake

 

[wipeout364]

really though? is it really better than UC4 and TLOU2 where your playable character can move in and out of covers with such ease, where there are multiple ways to tackle a combat situation, where your character can jump, crawl, crouch, and grapple with a grappling hook across platforms, where you can clear an area without shooting your gun once or go completly guns blazing (gears 5 introduce an awful stealth mode but they put a scion in every area to let you know in reallity there is no stealth), where you can go in and out of stealth in a way that makes sense?

come on dude, most of you let your hatred towards Naught Dog meddle with your judgement.

gameplay wise gears is not the best. it is far from it.

I agree IMO Gears third person mechanics and shooting blow away anything naughty dog has ever done. Play some gears multiplayer to get a sense of how tight these games can be.

 

[BeardGawd]

I just want to interject that I'm Black and feel Cole Train was a fucking amazing character. My favorite character in the series.

They definitely need to reboot tho. The horror elements from the first game have yet to be replicated. And the enemies are becoming long in the tooth.

 

[OneBigPuss]

And im just sitting here and waiting for pc ports of 2 and 3...

 

[anothertech]

1-3 were legendary for their time. Not the writing so much but the technical and graphical achievements were top tier.

4 and 5 were like 343i halo. Should have just made new ip and done somthing noteworthy instead of rehashing old dead ideas.

You are not wrong op. The devs should really be allowed to make something new.

 

[ikbalCO]

I just want to interject that I'm Black and feel Cole Train was a fucking amazing character. My favorite character in the series.

They definitely need to reboot tho. The horror elements from the first game have yet to be replicated. And the enemies are becoming long in the tooth.

Hey,i wasnt trying to be offensive or anything. Hope my comments against cole didn't come out hurtful.
I just find Cole a 2d character, a bit shallow one, like he has nothing to him other than being loud.
And i do believe they had toned him down in the rest of the series. You can actually see it if you play the games back to back

 

[highrider]

really though? is it really better than UC4 and TLOU2 where your playable character can move in and out of covers with such ease, where there are multiple ways to tackle a combat situation, where your character can jump, crawl, crouch, and grapple with a grappling hook across platforms, where you can clear an area without shooting your gun once or go completly guns blazing (gears 5 introduce an awful stealth mode but they put a scion in every area to let you know in reallity there is no stealth), where you can go in and out of stealth in a way that makes sense?

come on dude, most of you let your hatred towards Naught Dog meddle with your judgement.

gameplay wise gears is not the best. it is far from it.

Completely wipes the floor with Naughty Dog in 3rd person. Play multiplayer is when it really becomes apparent.

 

[The_Mike]

When op says it has no really story and is a generic game with generic characters where Fred Durst is the main character.

Doesn't sound like you played any of them. Only few games made me to tears. One of them were TLoU1 in that damn intro, and the second was gears about Dom and his wife.

Spoiler

For real. OP has no taste
Gears is the best third person shooter out there. Nothing even comes close. Vanquish kind of does but it looks like absolute dogshit so I'll leave it out.

So you're saying one of the usual three xbox exclusive franchises (Halo, Gears, Forza) does third person better than sonys entire catalogue?

That's pretty bold to say here.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

Now imagine they release another one in 3 years, i bet you play it just to see.

THAT my friend, is how Gears keeps a-rollin.

 

[SkylineRKR]

I love Gears 5. Idk why. Perhaps because I didn't pay for it? At first I thought it was outdated, but I sticked with it. I like how it looks (its colorful, I think it has excellent visuals overall.. the snow region looks stellar), I kinda like the crew as well. Support roles from Baird and Fenix are decent. I only didn't really like the red desert. Hivebusters was fun too. I also like the MP, I fire it up now and then. Gears 5 is largely like the old games but it does have some extra stuff, like the bot you can upgrade and thus make really OP.

The shooting and impact of the bullets feel great, sniper headshots and gibs do so too. It might be a hot take but give me Gears 5 above any Uncharted game. I never enjoyed Uncharted that much. I think Gears has more fun MP, thus more replayability. I was impressed by Gears 5 while expecting to hate it.

I wouldn't say this game is 343 quality, because I think Halo 4 and 5 are trash.

 

[ikbalCO]

Now imagine they release another one in 3 years, i bet you play it just to see.

THAT my friend, is how Gears keeps a-rollin.

I shit, i would play to see how it is

That may be the secret, you are right.

 

[ikbalCO]

i've just finished playing hivebusters and i wanted to give one final update.

first thanks everyone for chiming in. i wasn't execting this level of reaction since this was my first thread ever.

about hivebusters, i am actually quite suprised how people call this game a good move on the right direction. calling this more of the same would be an understatement because it is identical to other games but in a more focused package. i guess people like it more because it doesn't overstay its welcome. seeing people praising hivebusters actually makes me relise that, yeah, gears fans are the reason why this series is dormant and will probably stay stale and lackluster. i don't know why you guys are ok with this. you are basically enabling mediocrity.

future games need an assassins creed origins level of overhaul imo. obviously MS have a very talented team at coaliton. so change everything. i also don't agree with people calling gears as a series that's prioritize MP since i litterally just finished a story mission DLC and if that's the case, cancel whatever future single player story mode and develope a free to play MP game, hell if i care.

hivebusters is a beautiful looking game though i can give you that. chapter six with its ruins and rain forest looks incredible on my oled tv. i also really like cole train's daughter coming to her father's defense, claming cole train is actually a very quite guy, proving my point in the process.

i am not planing on commenting anymore about the series until the next one is released. i believe i explained my point clearly and translated how i feel about these games well. so here is picture of a log that conveniently blocked our way through a lava river and wouldn't burn down for days if i didn't clear the swarm

 

[Dr.Morris79]

I have a feeling you'd feel differently if you experienced these games at their time of release.

I did, and no. They've always been bland as shit. I honestly dont know how they got this far.

It reminds me of an utter shite series that keeps getting renewed whilst your favourite show gets left in limbo after two seasons because 'ratings'

And you're left thinking 'fuck society'