Gears 5

[Dog-amoto]

Doesn’t seem to have the “of War” in the title anymore. Trailer seemed a bit spoilery. Just hope they’ve got rid of those awful loot boxes from 4. 

[Hero-of-Time]

Loved the trailer. I'm glad to see that the cliffhanger from the 4th game looks to be getting resolved in this one.

I wonder if JD was dropped from the main team because of the fan backlash? Most disliked him and people just wanted Marcus back.

I agree I hope the loot crates get dropped and Horde gets an overhaul. Gears 3 Horde mode was perfect. More of that, please!

[Dog-amoto]

I thought the guy with the shaven head and beard was JD. It said Fenix on his armour anyway. 

[Hero-of-Time]

4 minutes ago, Dog-amoto said:

I thought the guy with the shaven head and beard was JD. It said Fenix on his armour anyway. 

It was but it looks like he doesn't go with you but rather Marcus does.

[Dog-amoto]

So the Tech Test is this weekend. I’m not bad at Gears online but I was really struggling to get kills in this. It doesn’t help that I didn’t spawn with a shotgun either. I really hope that’s not going to be the case in the full game. 

I think your loadout is different depending on what character you pick, but that’s really poor in my opinion. 

[S.C.G]

I'll probably pick this up cheap at a later date, Gears just doesn't have the same draw for me that it used to.

I most get it for the single player campaign so... it's not really worth full price to me and now that Microsoft have gone all out with Game Pass, I think that's going to devalue things further.

I mean, with this offer and assuming a lot of people have gone for it, renewed their subscriptions and are subbed up to Game Pass for years then is there any point to anyone buying physical games on the platform any more?

It just made me think is all... I don't have that many boxed games for the platform, I still have Gears 4 which I need to complete whereas Gears used to be games I would play day one.

There's part of me which is still looking forward to Gears 5 but it's not really top of the list, I don't know if that will change nearer release day but I have to really ask the question at this point... is the single player campaign really going to feel like it's worth £40?

[Dcubed]

1 hour ago, S.C.G said:

I'll probably pick this up cheap at a later date, Gears just doesn't have the same draw for me that it used to.

I most get it for the single player campaign so... it's not really worth full price to me and now that Microsoft have gone all out with Game Pass, I think that's going to devalue things further.

I mean, with this offer and assuming a lot of people have gone for it, renewed their subscriptions and are subbed up to Game Pass for years then is there any point to anyone buying physical games on the platform any more?

It just made me think is all... I don't have that many boxed games for the platform, I still have Gears 4 which I need to complete whereas Gears used to be games I would play day one.

There's part of me which is still looking forward to Gears 5 but it's not really top of the list, I don't know if that will change nearer release day but I have to really ask the question at this point... is the single player campaign really going to feel like it's worth £40?

Why not just sub to Game Pass for 1 month, beat the single player and then cancel?

 

If you then want to play it again at a later date, pick up the retail version when it's cheap?

 

I reckon a lot of people will do that when it launches...

Edited July 21, 2019 by Dcubed

[S.C.G]

17 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Why not just sub to Game Pass for 1 month, beat the single player and then cancel?

If you then want to play it again at a later date, pick up the retail version when it's cheap?

I reckon a lot of people will do that when it launches...

It is tempting but I just can't do it, to me Game Pass is Microsofts first step towards becoming totally digital so I can't support it.

If I did that, then played the campaign then I almost certainly wouldn't have any need to pick up the retail version cheap at a later date.

I know a lot of other people will go for the Game Pass around when Gears 5 comes out and I wouldn't try to fault anyone for doing so either because it is a fantastic deal.

I'm in the minority over this one and it's fine but it will certainly be interesting to see the long-term impact Game Pass has over a big game like Gears 5.

I think the price of the retail version will plummet within weeks and will be sub £15 by the end of the year.

In the meantime though, I could do a lot worse than actually play Gears 4 to completion I suppose, I may do that soon.

Edited July 21, 2019 by S.C.G

[Dog-amoto]

Yeah, Game Pass is great and all but I reckon it harms sales of other games. Example, I want Resident Evil 2 remake but I have a suspicion it’ll be on Game Pass before the year is out. 

[Hero-of-Time]

I hate the direction they've taken with the trailers for this game. Gears 1-3 trailers are some of my favourite ever games trailers due to their sombre tones, with The Last Day being my favourite.

Spoiler

 

 

 

Still, i'm looking forward to the game and I can't wait to see how the story plays out. I need to pick up and read the book before the game lands so I can get caught up as to what happens between Gears 4 and 5.

I was hoping Microsoft would have had a sale on their consoles during Gamescom but sadly that wasn't the case. Looks like i'll just have to buy one at full price.

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

On 21/08/2019 at 8:29 AM, Hero-of-Time said:

I hate the direction they've taken with the trailers for this game. Gears 1-3 trailers are some of my favourite ever games trailers due to their sombre tones, with The Last Day being my favourite.

  Gears 1-3 trailers (Reveal hidden contents)

 

 

 

Still, i'm looking forward to the game and I can't wait to see how the story plays out. I need to pick up and read the book before the game lands so I can get caught up as to what happens between Gears 4 and 5.

I was hoping Microsoft would have had a sale on their consoles during Gamescom but sadly that wasn't the case. Looks like i'll just have to buy one at full price.

Yeah I agree, I think if it wasn't on Game Pass I'd have some doubts about getting it at launch as I'm not completely sold on it (in fact Gears 4 was a bit of a disappointment) however like you I do love Gears so I'm sure I'll be excited to actually dive back into it and make myself a promise that I'll spend ages on multiplayer this time too and get really good at it...only to barely touch it 🙈 saying that some of the new modes sound like they could be fun!

[Hero-of-Time]

38 minutes ago, Kaepora_Gaebora said:

 I'm sure I'll be excited to actually dive back into it and make myself a promise that I'll spend ages on multiplayer this time too and get really good at it...only to barely touch it 🙈 saying that some of the new modes sound like they could be fun!

I just love the co-op modes in the Gears games. Even though I wasn't keen on the changes they made with Horde in Gears 4, I still loved playing it with mates and random people. It's great sitting for a two hour session, building your defenses up and then slowly getting pushed back as the waves get more difficult. I also enjoy just playing competitive multiplayer against the bots. That seemed to be a really popular mode in Gears 4 and a nice alternative if you didn't want to face off against the really dedicated players. 

[Hero-of-Time]

 

[Hero-of-Time]

Campaign previews have started to be published and they are sounding REALLY positive. While i'm still not sure about the game having more open areas ( I was quite happy with Gears being a linear shooter ) it seems those who have played the game are loving these changes.

 

 

 

 

Quote

Exploration and discovery is a huge part of how Gears 5 moves the series forward, with numerous points and items to find across the map. From main and side missions, to points of interest (where I found anything from collectibles, ammo and weapons), as well as components to upgrade Jack and Relic weapons. These relics weapons are specifically customised with certain attributes, skins and attachments to add to the gun fight chaos like sniper rifles that shoot two bullets at a time. Some relic weapons are also “easter eggs weapons” which returning players to the series will enjoy uncovering. The greatest and most enjoyable part of the open world nature of Gears 5 was sledding and sledging the terrain in The Skiff.

 

Quote

"After a six-hour gameplay event at Microsoft's Coalition studio—and hours more spent testing its online versus options in a July beta test—I've come to a conclusion that I can't shake off. The Xbox Game Pass subscription service now has its official, signature game: the something-for-everyone blockbuster that lands less as a "must-buy" product and more as a no-brainer action game to sample. "

 

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

I watched the last trailer that was released for this, but I've kept a distance apart from that as I want to be fairly fresh going into it after getting hyped for 4 and feeling abit disappointed by it; encouraging reading some of those snippets though and as much as I love the Gears style gameplay, I'm glad to hear they are mixing it up abit! 

Roll on Friday, still can't believe I'm getting it launch day for nothing 😎

[Hero-of-Time]

My Gears of War marathon is nearly over. I've now been through Gears 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as reading Aspho Fields and Jacinto's Remnant. Sadly, I had to skip Anvil's Gate and Coalition's End due to time constraints. Unless I took some time off work there was simply no way I could have got through them both and then finished off the games before Gears 5 is released.

It was funny jumping straight from 2 to 3 because it just highlighted how much of the story is missing unless you've read the books. You end Gears 2 with the sinking of Jacinto and then start Gears 3 on a ship where Hoffman has gone to Anvil Gate, Prescott has sodded off, Stalks are popping up all over the place and new Gears are part of your squad. I remember what happens in the books so it wasn't an issue but anyone just playing the games probably was wondering just what the hell was going on.  The newer Halo games also suffers from this problem. 

I started reading Gears of War: Ascendance which bridges the gap between 4 and 5, yesterday evening. It's been okay so far but nothing special. Karen Traviss didn't write this one and you can tell. I loved all of the other Gears books because they would always jump between what was happening in the present and an event that took place in Sera's past. They done a fantastic job of building up the world and story of the Gears universe but this one just seems to be a straight forward story.

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

I think there was always a long enough gap in between playing the Gears games for me to slightly forget/just accept what was happening at the start of each new entry in the series, never realised the books were so intertwined with the games! 

Before 4 was released they were fan faring about a movie tie in being released, no sign of that yet, either... 

[Hero-of-Time]

8 hours ago, Kaepora_Gaebora said:

Before 4 was released they were fan faring about a movie tie in being released, no sign of that yet, either... 

The movie tie in has been on the cards for YEARS. The latest incarnation of it sounded horrible though, so i'd be happy for them to let it die. I dunno why movie companies have so much trouble getting video game adaptions off the ground. The source material is right there for them to use but they always have to try and alter it somehow. The Marvel movies have shown that you can be faithful to the source material, tweak it a little and still keep the masses happy. 

[Hero-of-Time]

 

The reviews seem to be a bit all over the place, with some saying that it still feels a bit stale and that the story is pretty meh and others saying it's a return to form and maybe the best in the series.

[Hero-of-Time]

I finished Gears of War: Ascendance book during my lunch break today and it was a very meh read. Most of the book just felt like filler, with only a couple of points being noteworthy. It will be interesting to see if any of these points play a part in the story for Gears 5 but the book as a whole was such a massive drop in quality when compared to the older books.   

[Hero-of-Time]

I've just finished a marathon session on the game and the credits have rolled. I got in from work at half 3 this afternoon, changed my Xbox region to New Zealand (this unlocked the game early) and have just finished it now.

I dunno where these reviewers were getting their 15-20 hours completion times from. Granted, I missed a few side quests but that would probably only add an hour or two on to the final time.

There were lots of nods to the books, both old and new one and these were certainly welcomed by me.

The banter between the crew is fantastic, with Del and Fahz being my two favourites. Fahz reminds me of Baird, what with his cocky attitude, and he and Marcus have an interaction late in the game that had me howling.  

As expected I didn't really care for the open world sections of the game. They felt like padding and when playing these parts it did drag the story down a bit. I much prefer it to be a linear game rather than them trying to copy the trends of the industry.

This was very surprising...

Spoiler

I had to choose who lived and who died out of Del and JD. It was a toughie but I went with keeping Del alive due to him helping Kait out and JD being a bit of a tosser early on. It was heartbreaking seeing Marcus getting his son's dog tags handed to him.  

There were certainly some interesting story beats in the game and it will be very interesting to see how they handle what I posted in the spoilers box.

Its a great addition to the series and the new characters are certainly start to grow on me. Well, except for Kait. I just find her rather bland.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got 5 hours sleep to get before I'm back up for work. 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Hero-of-Time

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

I got home from work last night around 10 to see if the game had downloaded and wondered if you may have started it, @Hero-of-Time... Of course you've finished it already! 😂

Looking forward to starting this, had thought I would do this morning but those SNES games are tempting me...

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

An hour and half later, SNES games haven't had a look in: 

Good to be back in the Gears universe, glad they had a recap at the start as well as I'd forgotten half of what happened in 4! Classic gameplay, good patter between all the characters and Act 1 chapter 1 completed, looking forward to seeing how it all pans out and what new game play is brought to the table too!

[Ganepark32]

Finished up 4 yesterday and managed to get through the first Act on this last night and so far, it's definitely been a far better start to the game than 4 gave. I might not be the biggest Gears fan but having played the original trilogy and then going to 4, it felt like that game was in a way a step back towards what 1 felt like. It just felt like it was plodding along, story beats seemed to fall flat (as did that last boss battle which was a shame given how awesome that lead up to it was) and I really didn't feel anything for the new characters. To me, Gears 4 is kind of like Halo 5 in that it never quite gets to where it needs to (and they're both clearly pushing co-op play because the AI for your squad mates when playing single player was shocking at times).

So was a bit sceptical as to where the fifth entry would go but that first Act was great. The gunplay still feels amazing with a good weight behind shots and the action was a definite step up over the last game. Even standing off against the boss at the end of the act, which could've been a slog ended up fun because there seemed to be more back and forth with the characters and such.

Still not keen on the characters, just not a fan of JD and while I know I'll be seeing more of Kait's story, I'm not feeling much of a connection there either. Perhaps that'll change though as I play more.

I'm also hoping that it feels a bit less clunky moving about the battlefield as Kait now that I'm in her boots as that has and still is one of my main gripes with the game. It feels like moving a tank about at times and is have liked that bit of an upgrade here to make it a bit less tanky/clunky and a bit more smoother (kind of how Uncharted 4 didn't really change the mould massively but gave just enough of a deviation to make moving about in combat smoother). It's something I can live with but yeah, I'd have hoped for a bit of a change given it's the 6th Gears game now.

I'm looking forward to diving in further though. As I say, I was never a massive Gears fan but from what I've played, if definitely say I'm more excited about jumping back in than I have been with any of the other games so this one is clearly doing something right.

[Dog-amoto]

Jesus. The boss at the end of Act II was ridiculous. A total bullet sponge who can kill you with one hit. Coupled with the fact that you can’t see anything at times with Kait’s visions. 

Truly terrible game design. Was enjoying the game till that point as well.