Judging the latest Gears of War
Gears of War: Judgement
(out of four) Xbox 360, Rated M
It’s a busy March for video game releases and prequels are all the rage. Coming hot on the heels of the Tomb Raider reboot is Gears of
War: Judgement, a story that is chronologically set 14 years before the main three games in this blockbuster series, telling the story of the space marines (a.k.a. COGs in the series mythology) and their battle against the Locust hordes.
Judgement puts the spotlight on two of the series’ supporting characters, Damon Baird and Cole Train. Through them we learn the story of a mission prior to the main series, through the prism of a makeshift military tribunal regarding their actions at Halvo Bay, after one of the first attacks by the evil alien forces.
In terms of gameplay, the classic duck-andcover shooting action remains fun and is clearly one of the series’ strong points. The only real addition is that since the story is being told to the military tribunal (hence the Judgement in the title), each section of the game’s missions allows you to declassify missions, adding some sort of challenge, like reduced visibility or limiting what kinds of weapons can be used. At first, it is a somewhat interesting addition as it can force players out of their comfort zones, such as forcing you to rely only on close-range weapons. The benefit is that players can accumulate stars faster as rewards for taking on the mission. The problem is that by the end of the game, it feels like the developers ran out of ideas in terms of varying the challenges.
As well, the story is kind of ludicrous, with an Ahab-like commanding officer determined to punish the soldiers at his command, while the Locust forces literally bring down the makeshift courthouse around them.
One good thing is that each of the characters gets to give their testimony and they are play- able during these sections, and I enjoyed the additions of the two new characters, Cadet Sofia Hendrik, and Private Garron Paduk, a crusty Russian soldier. Another positive is that Train, a series mainstay who is a former athlete and often speaks in excited Ebonics expulsions, seems toned down here, as opposed to being played for stereotypical laughs as he has throughout the series.
The one thing I really felt was missing from the game was Gears’ trademark set pieces. Previous games would always include a memorable boss battle involving some kind of giant beast. That is replaced by smallerfeeling skirmishes in Judgement. The fact that the game is a prequel and the fourth in the series is likely what makes that kind of one-upmanship difficult to keep going and innovating.
This is still a pretty good game, although it feels slightly weaker than the previous three in the series. To that end, after you’ve finished the main campaign, there’s Aftermath, a bit of additional content that ties up some loose ends in Gears of War 3. It lasts a few hours and is most notable for a fun zip line ride.
As for the multiplayer, there are some new modes, and this is likely where most fans will spend their time playing. Team Deathmatch is the holdover, and there’s a free-for-all mode that is making its debut in the series.
Overall, Gears of War: Judgement is the kind of game that does enough for long-time fans of the series, although newcomers are best to stick with the main games in the series to truly experience the hard-knock COG soldier lifestyle.