@travmoody
GEARS 5 (The Coalition/Xbox Game Studios – Xbox One/PC – September 10, 2019) – While I was disappointed we didn’t see The New Day’s Xavier Woods, Tyler “NXTease” Breeze and the “Phenomenal” AJ Styles — my favorite WWE Superstar — blitz from the horde in Gears 5‘s all-new Escape mode, it didn’t take long for me to do just the same.
I got my hands on the gorgeous Gears of War sequel right about 9am on Sunday and it lives up to the billing. New modes, improved 4K visuals (mind you this isn’t an Xbox One X “upscale” like GOW4), addicting death metal riffs all at a scorching 60 frames per second make this the Xbox One game of 2019.
Escape begins with a Hivebuster trio (Mac, Lahni and Keegan) with one mission: get the eff outta dodge! Co-op is fast, furious and.. courteous; it’s a multiplayer mode this single-player narrative driven junkie can get behind.
https://youtu.be/ErqsgG0HRR8
You’ll likely need good, communicative pals to enjoy the mode, but my experience was a pleasant one alongside two strangers when it came to pitching each other ammo finds. Goods are scarce as you book it from the venomous locust and the flood of poison that follows.
The best part of Escape mode were the special character abilities. I completely wrecked shop and had a very high kill rate with Lahni’s near-Wakandan electric blade, often taking down Big Show-sized foes while my more gunner-skilled teammates shot from a far. One time my Lahni was even gifted a giant mace that I used for several rewarding melee moments on our way to the deck. Mac has a holo-shield, while Keegan’s ammo-resupply ability was a true blessing.
https://youtu.be/kSaZPvtSIBs
Yeah, throw in this MAHFUCKIN’ delicious Terminator tie-in (just above) and Gears 5 is securely in the 2019 release top five. 4.5/5 Bibles.
-Travis Moody