Gears of War Judgement Review

I’ll be honest – I’m somewhat of a sucker for game franchises that I’ve become loyal to. A lot of gamers in the last few years are more drawn to the multiplayer aspect of just about any game that’s offering it, and at times leaving the campaign behind in hopes of shooting some player across the way in the face and getting the “last kill cam”. Is it wrong? Not at all. I just think that we shouldn’t overlook ALL the time those awesome guys and gals put into making a great story. Now I haven’t finished the campaign yet because I have been trying to savor  all the Lancer deliciousness BUT I can say that so far what I’ve seen……….I’m loving.

When I loaded up the game and went through the opening cinematics, I immediately fell back into the world of Sera. Even though this is a prequel to the main trilogy and there are hardly any old faces, what People Can Fly and Microsoft have given us is comforting. Good ‘ol sarcastic Baird and Big Cole Train! Once the opening scene is over and the action begins, you can see the that they really left no stone unturned. The environment is really slick and highly detailed. Flames flicker in and out and the occasional empty bottle lets out a >clink< when knocked over.

PCF was wise to not stray far from the coveted run-cover-shoot gameplay us COGs have grown accustomed to. The ever popular “roadie run” is back as well and even feels smoother. Weapons available have been increased. Among the new bullet-spittin’ toys in Judgment is the MARKZA. This medium to long range rifle has an excellent scope for taking the head off a fat Locust grunt!

As for the enemy AI? Well, I started the campaign on Hardcore (Insane has been replaced with Onyx and isn’t available right off the bat) and it’s been a really pleasant challenge thus far! The Locust show a little forethought when racing to meet you and your fellow COGs. Going back through the story mode on Onyx should be interesting for sure.

Like I said earlier, I haven’t beaten the game yet nor have I spent much time in the multiplayer arena (looking forward to it) but what I do know is that Gears of War: Judgment has not let me down. I’m all for a studio doing revamps here and some tweaking there. For the loyal fan, I assume you have this already and been revving that chainsaw like there’s no tomorrow. For the newbie (or skeptic) I highly recommend you buy or rent this and kick some Ticker butt!