Gears of War 4 Beta Review

Gears of War 4, albeit in beta form, is something that I was really excited about. I have long been a fan of the Gears of War series from the original game in the series. Its game play mechanics and the way in which the player engages enemies is unique and has always been something that I have enjoyed and likes experimenting with. The game was recently bought by Microsoft studios and handed over to Coalition studios. This is the first game that will be released in the Gears series by both of them.

The demo that was released at E3 was incredibly exciting it was an incredibly teaser, Showing us the new main character some phenomenal backdrops and environments and the company completely utilizing the next-gen capabilities with regards to graphics. aswell as an all new monster featuring in the demo show.

Gears of War 4’s gameplay is much the same specifically in the Beta that was recently released. With those same ‘take cover’ and ‘peaking’ with a weapon taking pride of place in the multiplayer experience that the beta supplies. However there were some changes in-game play shown in the Gears demo at E3. even though the demo was only a short 5 minute demonstration a new door kicking feature was shown in it as well as some slightly different movement mechanics so there is some exciting news in this field that gears fans can be happy with. As well as those who thought the series were getting stale will now have something new and exciting to experiment with. Along with this as I’ve already mentioned the demo did feature a new monster, and a distinct lack of locusts most likely due to their destruction in the previous gears of war game. However this doesn’t necessarily mean that they wont feature in the game at some point.

The graphics are fantastic. In the beta this isn’t as clear as the maps are merely older ones recycled from the old games to show off some of the online play. But, in the video demo it really showed where this game shined. the environments were astounding.

The demo started with the min characters on the edge of what looked like a forest before they worker their way over an old stone bridge towards a castle. The breathtaking views and graphics shown here were phenomenal with a hurricane in progress the trees shook viciously and building falling to pieces around them. This really helps the player immerse themselves in the environment and its only gets better as the characters move indoors. They kick open a door into an old abandoned library with a strange glowing in one corner which looks like it could be the emulation seen in the previous games although as yet this is a mystery which will remain unanswered. It then opens up into a courtyard for the castle and this is when we get our first good look at the monster an armadillo/scorpion type creature shooting spines from its tail at our heroes. This is where we first see the battle system in the demo and it shows off some of the new movement mechanics and possible actions from the characters.

The sounds are as expected also spectacular. While this isn’t really noticed in the beta game play again the demo is where this game really shined with the game footage really showing how great this game can be the sounds are just perfect. with fully compatible surround sound people with those setups will really benefit. But even those without will really be able to enjoy all this game has to offer in terms of sound quality with crisp sounds that match perfectly what is happening on-screen it really helps to put the player into the game and give them a real feeling of actually being involved in the gunfight or watching the building crash them self. rather than being a game if the finished product is done right this will be a real experience.

In conclusion the Gears of War 4 beta and demo game play have only reinforced my faith in what i feel really will be a fantastic game and something I’m looking forward to so much. With the improvements that they have made upon the last release from the series it could potentially become one of the best games of the year. But we will have to wait and see if Microsoft and Coalition can get their first attempt at a Gears Of War game right. If they can i feel this could be a real hit!

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Microsoft Xbox One code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.