The Gears of War: E-Day campaign is a great modernization of the series, with a spectacular first hour than no Gears or shooter fan should miss.
The early Gears of War campaigns are peak nostalgia for me. However, the more recent ones have been a relative slog to get through. I didn't care about the characters as much, and the world just didn't have the same feel I want from Gears. Since its gameplay reveal, Gears of War: E-Day looked exactly like what I was looking for, and having played the campaign, it's the best the series has felt in a long time.
We haven't played the multiplayer yet, so our full scored review will be coming at a later date. But, you shouldn't skip the campaign whether you're an online curb-stomping sicko or not. The first hour of E-Day is phenomenal.
Showcasing what actually happened on Emergence Day for the first time, it's an entirely different look for Gears of War. Sera hasn't been obliterated by the Locust, and the world feels real, lived in, and in a genuine state of panic. It's nighttime, but store lights are still on, the streets are bathed in moonlight and the hue of neon signs. Life is still going on around you to a degree, with cars screeching to a halt and NPCs running for their lives as the Horde bursts out of the ground.
Gameplay-wise, the early moments are as you'd expect, but the change in tone does wonders for E-Day. It adds stakes to what Fenix and the gang are doing, turning the cinematic flair up to 11. The first hour is the most 'blockbuster' an Xbox exclusive has ever felt. The early scenes rival the quality, polish, and intensity of some of PlayStation's biggest narrative-focused exclusives. I just wish the early E-Day action stuck around for longer.
Once the first hour is over, E-Day settles into a far more traditional Gears of War style. Think broken, gray streets, that familiar sandy hue to the visuals, and blockades everywhere. That's not to say Coalition's latest isn't still great after the opening Act, but the game starts so unbelievably strong, and the rest of the game can't quite keep up.
Visually, as you'd expect, E-Day continues to look great as the sun comes up. The cinematic moments are a huge upgrade on previous entries in the series thanks to the sheer amount of detail that's gone into the world. The streets are almost overwhelmingly full of debris and obstacles, ensuring it feels like you're actually exploring a world that's been torn apart by disaster. Even in the game's more open sections, which appear a few times in the middle acts of the game, there's an incredible amount to look at, hunting for easter eggs as you go.
I just wish E-Day switched up where its action takes place a little more regularly. Yes, Gears of War has always been a series that feels at home on the dusty streets, but the first act confirms that things can be a little different. More variety in the look and tone would have really helped to elevate things beyond the act to act switchups, and would positively impact the third-person action, too. The second act, for example, is a lengthy adventure through the streets of Sera, and I was getting a little bored of the same aesthetic after a couple of hours.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.pcgamesn.com/gears-of-war-e-day/campaign-review
