Last fall saw the release of Ultimate Edition, an updated version of the first Gears game along with backward compatible versions of the sequels. It served as a reminder to the importance the series had on the 360’s first party legitimacy. Epic Games afforded them a companion shooter to go along with the established Halo brand. Microsoft’s machine could no longer be called a one trick action pony, and reaped critical and sales benefits accordingly. Like its predecessors, Gears 4 is being built on Unreal Engine tech. UE4’s application bridges the old-to-new hardware gap by keeping things very familiar. Camera perspective, control scheme, character movement, and weapon idiosyncrasies came as second nature right from the start. The Prologue of Campaign brings us to a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) victory in the Locus War. First Minister Jinn recalls important events in COG military history at Aspho Fields, the House of Sovereigns, and Anvil Gate. Cutting back to the present, we’re introduced to our new cast of main characters: JD, Kait, Del, and Uncle Oscar. They belong to a much larger contingent that refer to themselves as Outsiders, subsistence folks that chose an alternative life to the controlled city-states of post-war Sera. Minister Jinn doesn’t approve of their perceived “recruitment” tactics and besieges a main Outsider compound with DeeBees, robotic alternatives to human soldiers. Inauspiciously, that gruelling battle was only the beginning of a tough day, as the veil of night brought with it a new threat that eradicates almost everyone in the village, including a member of our new quartet. A familiar face fills this void, and the group embark on a gore-iffic march in search of answers and Kait’s captured mother, Reyna.
The three flashbacks mentioned above serve as intuitive tutorials to Gears‘ basics. Totalling about a half hour, they are great little intro/reintroductions to getting around and shooting stuff. Epic Games’ template of movement and control from the first one has been smartly adopted again. “Over the shoulder”/2nd person perspective can be a tough nut to crack in terms of consistency. Keeping the character on-screen while adopting first person thumbstick rules can go terribly wrong. To circumvent potential pitfalls, contending against enemies is anchored by extensive use of cover. What better way to placate worries about moving and shooting than not doing both at the same time very often? “Stop and pop” mechanics have been done several times since, but for my money, its application isn’t as clean and reliable as GoW. I might have something to do with the persistent “cool” factor pervasive throughout the series. Now five deep including Judgement of 2013, some tid-bits are unmistakeably Gears. Hulking character models, nonsensical weaponry, insurmountable odds, among others, are action game platitudes that are acutely altered to fit franchise motifs. Nary is there a moment more adolescently awesome than ripping through a bad buy with the chainsaw rifle attachment while hearing the “SCRATCH ONE GRUB!” sound bite. The effect is enhanced by some innovative moves and guns. Meet your new friends Yank & Shank and Vault Kick. The former is used when backed up into low line cover with someone immediately on the other side. Hold up on the left stick and press X to grab the bro then immediately tap Y, which pulls out a Bowie knife and throws a stab party all on dude’s grill! For the second, Roadie Run towards a crouched covered enemy and hold B to force them away from the structure, opening them up for buckshot from the good ol’ Gnasher shotgun. Yes, the Gnasher is back, as is all of his friends: Lancer Rifle, Retro Lancer, Hammerburst, Snub, Boltok, Torque Bow, Boomshot, Longshot, et cetera. Joining them are two premier selections in the Dropshot and Buzzkill. Dropshot shots shoot small Javelin style grenades that are guided by holding right trigger and released when the laser reticle is at the intended location. Mr. Buzz is loaded with circular saw blades that ricochet when making contact with a hard surface, slicing flesh through their path.
In terms of pace, expect the standard five “Acts” with several chapters a piece. Gears 4 does take a little bit of time to really get going, but it hits a well conceited stride in the middle that coincides when the new fourth member of the team suits up and tags along. Some parts take on a Horde-esque format that swing a series of enemy waves at you. In such situations, you’ll be afforded another new piece of kit called the Fabricator. Running off of Power (in-game currency), you can exchange them for advanced “fortifications” of offensive and defensive varieties. There aren’t an over abundance of these stages, as the main focus is to progress to an area, clear it out, move to the next. Although, their inclusion does heighten the tension of the moment and feels like a bigger victory compared to most engagements. A good mix of open outdoor events and CQC checkpoints are on display, per usual. New enemy introductions are also done very well. The first time you run into a baddie of any elevated rank or ability, the environment and situation will be to your team’s benefit. Most likely they’ll only be one of them, they won’t be accompanied by any other mob, and you’ll have plenty of ammo. Subsequent meetings will likely not be so welcoming, so be sure to learn all you can about big ugly and keep those discoveries in mind for the second date when the deck is stacked against. Friendly and enemy AI coding is consistently swift. Despite not being the most accurate of shots, your mates will do all in their power to revive you when down and are commendable in keeping themselves alive. It won’t seem like you’re running a daycare and that is a very good thing. The forces opposed to you (of which I’m being intentionally cryptic as to not cast dispersions on any details about the faction(s) you will face) take good counter positions and segment themselves to ad hoc roles. Those with precise tools like snipers keep at distance and camp while shotgun wielders and rifle bearers rush your cover spot in an attempt to expose you to open fire. Most chapters will end with a “show piece” happening of sorts, like a boss battle or an instance of the nascent weather anomaly. Wind flares kick up at suspiciously inopportune times and show off the technical prowess of the game engine on One hardware. From a gameplay standpoint, the high, howling winds become disorienting after prolonged exposure and actually effect the round trajectory of certain weapons. And, conveniently, you’ll have to contend with violent lighting strikes that scorch the ground, insta-killing anything standing in the AoE. Looking at the presentation aspects, wow. The ambient reddish orange glow of an ominously dim sky juxtapose with overbearing audio that makes chatter from friendlies inaudible. Although the lighting can be an annoyance, especially when you’re within spitting distance of the checkpoint destination, these storms turn the game up to 11 and remind you exactly what made this series a gaming household name. The entirety of the Campaign can be played co-op online or local split screen, which is a rare bird in this console generation. I think to best masticate this portion and really enjoy the experience, it best to treat it like a four part limited series. Play the first two Acts together as they’re pretty low impact, then intake the last three separately.
Of course, playing with others isn’t restricted to just Campaign. Versus and Horde comprise the “community” portion of Gears 4, and both have some new tricks up their armor laden sleeves. Several traditional modes for the adversarial end are reporting for duty again. Kill-tuned Team Deathmatch, Execution (only executions count towards the scoreboard), and Warzone (no respawns per round) are met by objective minded King of the Hill (rotating territory with 15 second respawn loops) and Guardian (standard VIP type). Each of these adhere to usual strats from previous games as the rule sets and play elements haven’t drastically changed since their inceptions. The nice part about this group is that they proctor diverse shades of action within this handful. Selections with respawns are more aggressive affairs and tend to reward the intrepid. Participants Roadie Run right away, and within the first minute or so of the round in TDM, KotH, and Execution, they begin fragging one another with reckless abandon and the battlefield runs deep crimson. Those looking for a more “pure” expression in terms of cautious, nerve filled positioning have Warzone to whet that egg shell appetite. Along with the tried and true returners, three additional lobbies make their debut.
A trifecta banners Gears 4‘s Versus effort. First is Escalation. Three control points are up for grabs that collect time when captured by a team. It isn’t necessary for a member of the owning faction to always be present in the circle, but it doesn’t take much time at all for the opposing peeps to gain the spot, so sticking close by is key. While this is a very familiar format for most shooter fans, the GoW spice is how quickly a round can potentially end. If one team takes all three, it only takes a few seconds to steal the entire round. A seeming slight alteration has a pungent effect on movement as players scramble from point to point to ensure they hold at least one position to keep the stanza going. My advice is to work in small groups. With stock 5v5 orientation, that doesn’t leave many options for “splitting up.” However, the more ground you can cover, the more likely it is you’ll keep active time for a majority of the areas. First to seven rounds wins and the positions rotate after the sixth. Second up is Arms Race. A team based “gun game” variant, players start with the Boomshot rocket launcher and try to be the first through the thirteen steps and reach the “winning weapon” Boltok pistol. To progress to the next armament, a team must register three kills at that level, and this gets tough for some. As is the case with two new pseudo marksman rifles, the EMBAR and Markza Mk1. Both feature single shot orientation, low clip size, and moderate fire rate in exchange for higher payload per round. In less frantic engagements, these can come in handy when trying to attain and maintain map control. For the application in question, these can stall a run. A concerted effort for team shot with them helps to nab the necessary kills ASAP. I loved this mode. During a guided session with members from The Coalition, the stints of this we played wound up being the most enjoyable, as the usual rock-paper-scissor effect between the stock weapons was null and void. Last of the bunch is Dodgeball. A noted highlight from the beta earlier this spring, respawns are tethered to frags. If you die, it is up to a teammate to terminate an opposing member to “get you off the bench” and back into the action. Its rules foster a tug-o-war essence. If the leading faction gets too brazen in a push to end the round, it only takes one takedown to really swing the pendulum the other way. And with the offensive team now out of position, that one poor movement could lead to a crescendo of ill fate. The active number of participants is shown along the top middle of the screen at all times, so you won’t have to “peek” at the scoreboard to know the situation. Really smart little HUD design detail. Among the three, I think this is the most competitive and compelling. Respawns being hinged on a revolving door creates a tempo that is comparatively unique. Careful planning and procedure is needed to get all five down, but taking a risk doesn’t have the same dire consequences as, say, Warzone, as you’ll still have a chance to get back into the round. And while you wait, you can cycle through the cams of those still alive and think about your next move as you catch your breath. Pacing is just right and accedes with normal Gear’s speed.
In terms of where this carnage will take place, the game will launch with ten locales. Nine all new arenas join fan favorite Gridlock. All of them have a shared layout philosophy that aligns with gameplay rules of thumb. Plenty of low line cover and subtle elevation changes are abound. Symmetry is a major ideologue, as most of the starting spawns are affixed to set locations. This ensures one “side” doesn’t routinely have an overwhelming advantage over the other. In my impressions write up of the beta, I noted that Gnasher shotgun dodge-roll cheese was predictably back in full force. Problem is rounds of the Lancer were terribly inaccurate with less-than-satisfactory damage. Thankfully, both contentions seem to have been buffed for the full release. Bullets landed more often and the threat of being downed seem to temper those looking for the aforementioned buckshot based kills. Among all points of emphasis, the single most important is solidarity within the group. “Teamwork makes the dream work,” as it does in most all shooters. But with an abundance of modes keeping dead players sidelined for extended periods of time, staying close to one another and clear communication is vital to sustained success. And be sure to make use of that Tac/Com radar system to keep track of all your friends. If you find yourself inordinately struggling, it might be worth it to run games against AI controlled bots until you gain competitive acumen. While it may not afford the same pang of frisson as LIVE competition, queueing up games against bots is the best way to learn map layouts, power weapon spawns, and general “tempos” for each match type, which become pertinent to efficiency in progression facets. Your average Versus performance ultimately determines your Rank. Five rungs (Bronze, Sliver, Gold, Onyx, and Diamond) with subsets (numbered 1-3) are given after five initial “placement” matches in each Core and Competitive playlist. Performing above or below your rookie showing after placement may change your rank accordingly. Persistent play racks up XP, and raises your overall level. Reach 100 and you’ll have the option to Re-Up, which drops you back to 0, but comes bearing gifts. You’ll have the option to do this ten times, with more swag accorded each wipe. Continuous bites at the Versus apple also nets Credits, the currency system used to buy Packs. At five “cards” per crate, you’ll get new weapon/character skins, Bounties (“contracts” with XP payouts for certain actions like Executions), and Skills (Horde buffs like such as added damage and cheaper Fabricator costs).
Speaking of Horde, Gears 4 brings 3.0! Up to five compadres over LIVE can attempt to run through the 50 stages of impending doom that lay ahead. New this go-around is a helpful Class system. I say “helpful” because the designations do not restrict someone from being able to fulfill any role or function on the team, but the choice will give boosts in certain regards. The options are as follows: Engineer is more efficient with creating fortifications from the Fabricator, Heavy is better with power weapons, Scout has higher returns on collected Power currency, Sniper can identify targets more effectively, and Soldier plays the normal “support” assignment with a loadout of effective guns. Everyone starts off with a different weapon set that follows according to their proclivities. Heavy gets a Boomshot as a primary, Sniper is strapped with a longer range stuff, and so forth. Again, it isn’t absolutely necessary that you have to keep in your lane, so to speak. It won’t throw a wrench in the next round if a Heavy accidentally picks up some coins before a Scout gets to them. However, a team may see and adverse effect over several rounds, when it’ll be more crucial to keep accrued turrets, barricades, and other aids up and running. I will give one caveat/tip about Classes: make sure someone picks Engineer. They have a repair tool that can recommission downed equipment between rounds. As in Horde past, you’ll get a “boss” round every tenth frame. So a run at lvl. 50 will have five stops with an increased number of baddies and a few major enemies you got introduced to in Campaign. And you’ll most certainly want to meet them under those circumstances first to learn their attack patterns and weaknesses. The “in-between” rounds feature a good mix of lower tier combatants with a few of higher HP and major armament. Be sure to communicate “high value” targets and put them down first to make certain they don’t get too comfortable. Some rounds will feature a team objective for a loot bonus upon completion, like seven Lancer/Retro Executions. Horde really shows out this time and is just as fun as ever. If you and a group really pride yourself on moshing the rounds on higher difficulties, you’ll definitely want to stay fortified and come up with solid strategies on the collective’s favorite map, as any of the ten for Versus can host the event.
Good times continue with the sights and sounds. To be candid, main character and equipment models don’t seem all that more detailed from the 360 days. Really, this is less of an admonishment of Gears 4 and more admiration for the prowess of Unreal Engine 3 and how much was squeezed out of the previous Xbox’s flaky internal components. Where you really notice a difference is depth and scale. The backdrops are way more animated, way more populated, way more imaginative. Lighting effect also show more variation. Even in low exposure conditions, all aspects of the frame come in crystal clear with realistic shadowing. What did receive a healthy upgrade is audio. As much as I love cranking up my Astro a40s when playing action and shooter titles, GoW always left something to be desired. The directional mixing was fine, but when abrasive sounds would occur, a substantial amount of clipping occurred. When I would fire a Gnasher round, the screech of statc was unbearable. This was a persistent flaw throughout the series, until now. Irrespective of how many guns are firing, structures collapsing, and untimely quips being cracked by your team, it all melds harmoniously in a swirl of auditory delight. Speaking of jokes, the script is solid with great voice over work. Rote pithiness of the squad is corny fodder as it was in the days of Marcus’ bunch, but the delivery and timing is effectively funny more often than not and does much to lighten the mood after a bit of tumultuous combat.
