I'm not sure what made me finally decide to write a review after all this time. As a long time Gears fan, Gears 1 being the first game to prompt me to play multiplayer I have to admit that I am disappointed. If this had come out a few years ago I would have loved it.
Game play is solid Gears, not happy about the delay from roadie running to shotty blast though. The new weapons are great though I do miss the digger and a few of the older weapons. The graphics are some of the best I have seen and with the Xone X update I am blown away.
On to the disappointment. The story while original in a sense is completely predictable and taken from the Gears handbook. Nothing surprised me, betrayal from the military-check, monsters coming from the underground-check, tragic loss-check, giant robot/(riding a brumack)-check. As far as multiplayer its solid but had I known the season pass was going to be all remade maps I would have never purchased it. I love remakes so don't get me wrong but I like them mixed in with new.
This seems more of a Gears complete edition with everything Gears jammed into it, problem is there is very little new here for long time fans. For newcomers i'm sure its a dream come true. Final complaint is the way they handle unlocking character skins. It is basically legalized gambling, I seriously see why speed runs are so prominent and useful. If this had been released on 360 the characters would have been tied to achievements and the season pass. In the end its a decent game, I do not regret buying it but I could have went without the season pass. Hopefully Gears 5 takes more risks, that would make me love the series all over again.