Gears of War Judgement - Review

Fresh off the back of completing Gears of War 3 myself and Nolls decided to play Gears of War Judgement, the fourth installment in the Gears of War series. I had only played it once before when it was first released so was excited to see how I felt about it the second time around, especially after playing Gears 5.


There are certain combinations of food in my opinion that go really well together. A classic for me is lasagna, chips and garlic bread.  It's a heavy meal and a lot to eat through, but I'm always up for the challenge. As I sit here with my slightly swollen stomach (okay it's very swollen) I find myself asking was it worth it? The answer is yes, every time.  Playing Gears of War Judgement I found myself asking was it the right combination of things and would I be left swollen or feeling sick?

Story


Gears of War Judgement is split into two campaigns; Judgement and Aftermath.  Judgment focuses on Kilo Squad, made up of a young Lieutenant Baird, Private Cole, and introducing Cadet Hendrik, and Private Paduk. Cadet Hendrik who is in training to be an Onyx Guard, Private Paduk who is from the Republic of Gorasnaya who doesn't like taking orders and has more than a few bones to pick with the COG.


The start of Judgment sees all members of Kilo Squad in handcuffs and each giving their testimonies.  Each character provides another piece of the story and the pieces combined show their journey to take down General Karn. Aftermath takes place during the latter half of Gears of War 3 when Baird and Cole are sent to find reinforcements.  They meet a not so happy Paduk and try to convince him for help.


Overall the story works really and it was interesting to see a younger Baird and Cole and the introduction of new characters Hendrik and Paduk.

Visuals


The visuals are a lot more vibrant and sharper than in the previous installments of Gears of War. Don't get me wrong the game still looks dark, but fire and the overall lighting effects stand out much more than before.


There are a number of missions that are outside during the day and these look really good especially in the Judgement campaign where there were still some buildings intact, and for a moment give the illusion of an abandoned world rather than a desolate one. The world feels more real than it has previously and can really see the impact war has had on it.


It's clear the visuals are starting the move towards a more vibrant look and not quite as dark and moody. Who said darkness had to look dark anyway?



Music


Part of what makes up the Gears Of War Universe is the music, dark, moody and very often intense. This sound is created by Steve Jablonsky, who along with creating the music of Gears of War has also created the sound for Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands and Command and Conquer Tiberium Wars.


The soundtrack is just under an hour but Jablonsky makes every minute count.  It is hands down the best Gears of War soundtrack to date. He managed to create both a new and familiar sound which really adds to the overall experience of the game.


This is one of these few times where I give top marks to the soundtrack.  Every track was perfect and worked so well. If a Lancer was pointed at my head and I had to pick one track that stood above the others I would have to say 'Jacked'.

Gameplay


While the core gameplay in Gears of War Judgement is similar to the others in the Gears of War series this one makes a few tweaks and changes along with throwing in an interesting curveball.


The weapons are reliable, sawed-off shotguns and retro Lancers feel a little inaccurate but they are supposed to be. Not since Gears of War 2 have I used my chainsaw so much, it makes me smile every time I revved it up.  I used the Retro Lancer a lot as well because even though it does not offer the best accuracy I really got into using the bayonet, and while awkward to use it is quite satisfying killing a locust with one.


The cover system continues to be solid for the most part but can glitch on occasion, this means you don't always slide into cover as smoothly as you may like. The cover feels a lot more temporary in many cases as similar to Gears of War 3 it is more destructible.


Gears of War 3 made you feel you were fighting for your very life, Gears of War Judgement does that same thing which creates an intense and satisfying experience.  In the Judgement campaign, there is a Star System for each section with a maximum of three stars to be gained.  It certainly pushes you not to be lazy and give it your all.  However, if you find this too easy you also have the option of adding a declassified mission to the mix, it can be anything from stronger enemies, little ammo, or there is a time limit.  While it is jarring to start with we got into the groove pretty quickly. The only downside is that they did not continue this with the Aftermath campaign.


Overall the gameplay is varied, offering more challenges, new enemies and a few new weapons too!






Final Thoughts


So, after ten hours how did we feel?  Pretty good.  The story was really good and fleshed out some of the characters. The visuals were a lot more vibrant and sharper and it will be interesting replaying Gears of War 4 to see how they compare.  The soundtrack is easily the best to date and certainly adds to the tension.  The gameplay is fairly solid with only a few minor hiccups.  This one gets a solid 4 out of 5