7 April 2013
By Aaron Sanders, Diversions Editor
Only two years after the epic conclusion to the Delta Squad trilogy, Gears of War is back with the first non-Marcus Fenix game, Gears of War Judgment.
Gears of War Judgment, or Judgment for short, tells the story of Delta Squad member Damon Baird during the early days of the human-locust war when he commanded Kilo Squad: Augustus Cole (from the first three games), Sofia Hendrik and Garron Paduk. Unlike that of the previous trilogy, Judgment’s campaign is much less character-driven and much more combat-driven, which in a way both helps and hurts it.
Taking after Call of Duty: Black Ops and Battlefield 3, Judgment’s story mode is a flashback to the prior exploits of Kilo Squad, which has been marshaled after detonating a weapon of mass destruction in the heart of a major city. The player recounts the events through the eyes of each of the four protagonists. As mentioned earlier, the campaign takes a less cinematic turn in favor of intense firefights. Gone are the long stretches of walking and frustrating boss battles, and in their place are fast and brutal firefights with few breathers in between. The real downside is that the reduced respite doesn’t allow for the time necessary to fully develop the new characters Sofia, Garron and Colonel Loomis. Sure, you get some backstory to the latest additions to the gears universe—for example, Sofia is a reporter turned Onyx Guard candidate and Garron once fought the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) during the Pendulum—but they never truly feel part of the gang like the members of Delta Squad did in the previous games.
After beating the surprisingly short-for-a-Gears of War-game campaign, players will have unlocked a deleted scene from Gears of War 3 that shows the reunion of Baird and Garron just before the final act of that game.
Despite the effort that goes into its extensive campaigns, Gears of War has always been recognized for its unique multiplayer experience and Judgment continues the tradition of changing the multiplayer gameplay for the better (and in some areas, the worse). If you didn’t find Gears of War 3’s multiplayer up to par, then you may consider passing on this entry since Judgment pretty much shares the same interface in terms of avatar mobility, graphics and weaponry. Once you begin to really sink into the gameplay, the changes become apparent very quickly. The first thing that is likely to catch the gamer’s eye is the new load-out system. Unlike in the previous games, the player is given the option of one primary weapon (Lancer, Retro Lancer, Hammerburst, Gnasher Shotgun, Sawed-Off Shotgun and Marzka) and a snub-nose pistol. No longer can you tote a Lancer and Gnasher combo from the start of a match. You must pick up a second primary weapon from fallen soldiers or weapon pickup spots.
Another big change is the ejection of Locust characters from multiplayer (save for the new Overrun, which I will address shortly). Like Halo, Team Deathmatch pits players (red versus blue), which wouldn’t be that big of a deal if the red and blue tints weren’t so darn dull. I found myself attacking my own teammates because I thought they were on the other team, and vice versa. Having COG teams and Locust teams always made it easy to distinguish between friend or foe. Implementing a new armor camouflage feature also didn’t help with weeding out who’s on what team.
Finally, and most notably, Judgment oversees a new button layout different from that of the other three games and one reminiscent of Call of Duty and Halo. Instead of using the directional pad to rotate between two primaries, a pistol and a grenade, the player presses the Y button to switch between his or her two carried weapons with the Left Bumper used to quick throw a grenade (holding down the LB button lets the player aim the grenade). To normal people this may not seem like a big deal, but it really is. Judgment forces Gears of War veterans to resist seven years of muscle memory, which can prove detrimental in the middle of an online Gnasher battle.
Despite claims that “sponging” and inconsistent damage output were rectified in the multiplayer, I still found the problem apparent. I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve fought someone only for him or her to splatter me after inflicting a seemingly endless barrage of bullets. Since Epic/People Can Fly Studios removed active reloads from multiplayer, there is no reason one player should deal any more damage to another player and vice versa.
Judgment features the removal of the signature Horde mode and Gears of War 3 Beast mode, instead replacing both with a new player versus player Horde/Beast mode hybrid called Overrun. In Overrun, two teams of four, one COG and one Locust, battle while the Locust team tries to destroy an objective and the COG team tries to protect it. Like GOW3’s Beast mode, players on the Locust team accumulate cash to spend on the various Locust warriors. On the other hand, players on the COG team have a limitless pool of lives as the four members of Kilo Squad, each with their own specialties. Sofia is the medic class, equipped with a Lancer, Sawed-Off Shotgun and a Stem grenade, a new grenade that heals and revives teammates within its vicinity. Garron is the marksman class, armed with a Marzka rifle, a snub nose pistol, a beacon grenade that shows the enemy’s location and the ability the climb into sniper nests. Cole is the support class, carrying a new weapon called the Booshka, a grenade launcher type gun, a Lancer and an ammo crate to replenish ammunition for his teammates. And Baird is the technical class, outfitted with a Gnasher Shotgun, a snub nose pistol, a repair tool for barriers and deployable turrets. In a nutshell, Overrun turns out to not be worth the effort that went into making it, which by the feel of it, wasn’t that much. Players would have been content with separate Horde and Beast modes.
Gears of War Judgment is yet another satisfying entry in the Gears franchise. A less set-piece driven, more straight-forward story mode and smooth multiplayer experience make this a must buy for Gears of War fans and a must rent for Gears of War virgins.