Gears of War 4: What to Expect

Gears of War 4 is the next installment in the popular Gears of War series and it looks like this will be a soft reboot for the series with a new enemy and new main characters. This is also the first main game in the series to be created by a developer other than Epic Games who birthed the series in 2006. Gears of War 4 is the second game from The Coalition for the series and their first game was well received with critics such as IGN [1] praising the combat, characters and multiplayer.

The October 11^th release date for Gears of War 4 is almost here and The Coalition have revealed quite a bit of information about the game so far; publisher Microsoft has also released some interesting information about the future of game.

Plot

Plot details about Gears of War 4 were released relatively early. Shortly after the Microsoft E3 event it was revealed that the game would take place 25 years after the third game. The main character of the game seems to be Marcus Fenix’s son who is accompanied by his two friends; according to Gamerant [2], the game takes place over a 24 hour period where the group are dealing with the consequences of going AWOL from the COG militia.

It seems to be a very different world now; there are no more Locusts and the world is torn between the control of the COG militia and the Outsiders who seek freedom.

Gameplay

Quite a bit of information about the gameplay has been released so far and recent gameplay trailers has revealed even more features; in addition to the new trailers, Microsoft and The Coalition have revealed that they will be hosting a special livestream event to show gamers brand new content in the game.

In terms of recent news, the biggest addition is the inclusion of split-screen co-op for the PC version; players will be able to play on the same machine as they fight through the campaign together. It’s still unclear if the PC multiplayer will use split-screen also.

The weather appears to play a big role in the combat and it looks like a very interesting system; random windstorms can occur which affects how weapons work, the environment in the combat zone and also how players should approach the combat. Gameplay footage from E3 [3] showed the weather creating more hazards in the combat arena which could be used to kill enemies and harm the player.

Multiplayer

Co-op is an important feature of the campaign and it was revealed at the Microsoft E3 conference that players on Xbox One and PC would be able to play together; in addition to this, the game is entirely cross-platform and allows players to transfer their saved data between the two platforms.

The new Horde Mode promises to feature more difficult waves and intense combat as players work together to complete the 50 waves in the game. The Coalition has confirmed that only the host player will need to own the maps, other players in the party don’t need to own the map to play on it.

Microsoft is already pushing a competitive eSports scene [4] for Gears of War 4; the publisher has revealed that the game will be getting a Pro Circuit will be begin later in the release month. The ten month long tournament is open to anyone with a copy of the game and boasts a $1 million prize pool.

Both the developer and publisher seem to be very proud of their game; current responses to the demos and the multiplayer beta have been mostly very positive. Gears of War 4 is scheduled for release October 11^th but anyone who purchases the Ultimate Edition will get early access to the game and will be able to play from October 7^th.

 

[1] IGN Review http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/03/18/gears-of-war-judgment-review

[2] Gamerant https://gamerant.com/gears-of-war-4-setting-115/

[3] E3 gameplay demo https://youtu.be/nk5oGeaeePY

[4] Microsoft announces Pro Circuit https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/01/microsoft-announces-gears-of-war-4-esports-pro-circuit/