ReviewsThe Verge
Gears 5 is unexpectedly phenomenal. It’s the best game Microsoft has published in many years, perhaps not counting anything with “Forza Horizon” in the title, and establishes The Coalition as a serious creative force. Even if you’ve never been interested in Gears of War, I’d recommend checking this one out on Xbox Game Pass at least — it’s about as good as blockbuster shooters get.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/4/20848 ... lease-dateGod is a geek - 10
This game is to Gears of War and Xbox what 2018’s God of War was for Sony. It’s a bombastic yet heartfelt entry into a beloved series; it’s gorgeous, sounds great, plays brilliantly – it’s at once a showcase for the high-end hardware available, and for where Xbox could be heading with its next console and the games we’ll see on it. One thing that’s for sure, though, is that it’s for the fans. If you didn’t think you needed another Gears of War, you were wrong. Gears 5 stands tall as one of the best games of the year. A barnstorming success, and the essential first-party title the Xbox One desperately needed. Well played, The Coalition.
https://www.godisageek.com/reviews/gears-5-review/Press Start - 9
Gears 5 is a big, loud blockbuster that brings so much to the table, it’s easy to under-appreciate it. By building on the stories set in motion by its predecessor, Gears 5’s narrative journey is a benchmark for the series so far with well-rounded characters that are far easier to love when compared to the original trilogy’s gruff, motley crew. Once you throw a polished, brutally competitive online facet, Horde’s best iteration and the promising Escape into the mix, Gears 5 becomes a package too hard to refuse considering the clear value on offer. The story’s driving force might be “bound by blood” but Gears 5 is bound for greatness.
https://press-start.com.au/reviews/xbox ... greatness/Gameinformer - 8.5
Gears 5 is exactly what it needs to be. This old war vet still packs a punch. The open-world exploration has issues, but that isn’t enough to steal away the thunder The Coalition expertly deploys on the battlefield. The campaign is a fun ride that concludes with a shocker moment and a hell of a setup for a sequel. I’m already looking forward to that follow-up.
https://www.gameinformer.com/review/gea ... g-the-lineEGM - 4 out of 5
Gears 5 makes major strides in the series’ approach to storytelling. This is the most heartfelt Delta Squad has ever been, and The Coalition backs up that emotion with genuine improvements to gameplay. While its new co-op mode, Escape, is generally underwhelming, Arcade mixes up the competitive meta enough to keep things interesting. All told, Gears 5 is more Gears, but it’s also a bold statement for why this series is still relevant.
https://egmnow.com/gears-5-review/?utm_ ... 8EGMNOW%29Eurogamer
With Gears 5, The Coalition finally breaks out from cover shooter cover band status
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019 ... and-statusWindows Central - 4.5 out of 5
Gears 5 makes me feel like The Coalition is ready to step out of the shadows and truly own this franchise, stepping above and beyond expectations to secure the longevity of Gears. The core format was arguably already refined to perfection by Gears of War 4. But there is simply no way The Coalition could have continued to release the same linear cover shooter year in, year out, without updating the state of play for contemporary audiences.
While some of the new elements come across as a bit under-iterated and rudimentary, it's the basis for growth that is perhaps the most exciting aspect as a long-time Gears fan. The Coalition shows that the franchise has legs for some serious longevity.
As a benchmark for visual excellence balanced against stellar performance, Gears 5 is technical wizardry. It also bridges platforms and storefronts, hitting Steam, Windows 10 PC, and Xbox One consoles complete with (optional) cross-play. The fact that Gears 5 manages to jam a truly "AAA" 12-18 hour campaign, several multiplayer modes, a map editor, and the promise of post-launch support represents one of the best deals in gaming right now. It's an even better value when you factor in Xbox Game Pass.
https://www.windowscentral.com/gears-5- ... Central%29Gamingbolt - 9
Gears 5 is one of Microsoft’s best games this console generation. It’s a package that’s brimming with content, and has top-notch stuff on offer for you no matter what you’re looking for. With its campaign, it successfully revitalizes a franchise may had feared was becoming stale, while with its online component, it continues to be on the top of its game, the way the series always been since the day it was born.
https://gamingbolt.com/gears-5-review-war-has-changedGamesradar - 4 out of 5
Gears 5 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it changes enough to keep its signature style of cover-based shooting from feeling monotonous. Going into this review, I was convinced Gears of War needed to change drastically or risk obsolescence. But the Coalition has found a different way forward, using new mechanics to polish the old, making the whole game shine.
https://www.gamesradar.com/gears-5-review/Venturebeat - 9
The Coalition’s Fergusson is right about one thing. Gears 5 is one of the best entries in the Gears saga. It is gratifying to see the developer get the balance right. It had to satisfy fans who wanted more of the same, give something new to keep them from getting bored, and expand the appeal and approachability of the game to attract new fans. That’s a hard balancing act, and many other developers often get this wrong......
Gears 5 has a lot to offer, with multiplayer, co-op modes, and a single-player campaign with wide range of emotions, from humor and laughter to despair and tragedy. It leaves the fans with a bit of a cliffhanger ending, but that just means that fans will want Gears 6 to come soon.
https://venturebeat.com/2019/09/04/gear ... -5-review/Shacknews - 9
If you never liked Gears of War before, this is not going to be the game to change your mind, as it sticks with the same formula, but does finally evolve the design in a positive way. If you were previously a Gears Stan, then this game is a must-buy.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/11373 ... ng-gunningMetro - 7
The attempts to innovate in terms of storytelling and structure feel superficial and ineffective, leaving Gears 5 to survive purely on its increasingly overfamiliar action.
https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/04/gears-5- ... to=cbshareACG - Buy
Reviews in progressIGN - 8.8 (Campaign)
Gears of War may have initially thrived because it refined and helped revive the third-person cover shooter, but it has survived for a much less obvious reason: it has heart. From Dom’s search for his wife Maria in the first two games to the breaking of a bond in Gears of War 3 to the passing of the torch to a new generation of Gears the last time out, this series matters because its characters make you care. Gears 5 is no different, and the consequences from your actions here – along with its welcome gameplay improvements – will affect both this and future games in a way I’m eager to see.
https://uk.ign.com/articles/2019/09/04/ ... ign-reviewGamespot - 7 (Review in progress)
Gears 5 is very much a return of those best elements of Gears of War, but with a focus on making the game feel somewhat more adaptive to your particular ways of playing. Whether you want campaign or co-op, Competitive or Quickplay, there's an option for you in Gears 5, and plenty of stuff to reward you for time spent and skill gained. Gears 5 might suffer from some of the same storytelling missteps as its predecessors, and it might not venture far out of the past, but the new ideas it brings to the series are all good reasons for fans to return.
https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gears- ... 0-6417287/Polygon
Gears 5 is personal, like its predecessor, and insistent in focusing on its characters. It’s thoughtful, and unafraid to stop the action in favor of slower story beats and sections focused on exploration. And those are the parts that I enjoyed the most.
https://www.polygon.com/2019/9/4/208485 ... war-reviewKotaku (Campaign)
Despite those issues, Gears 5 is a strong entry in a series that had been undeniably flagging on its campaigns. Gears 5 has a few too many new ideas, both narrative and mechanical, but its choice to put Kait at its center helps carry the game over its rougher spots. Gears 5 doesn’t top the original Gears trilogy, but it’s easily my favorite of the latter-day Gears games.
The creative team for this series has changed a lot since its beginnings. The world around Gears has changed, too. Gears 5 seems like a reflection of those changes. It’s a game that further complicates its world and stars a more complex hero. It’s still a game with a chainsaw gun, but now, those chainsaw guns can have a grenade launcher attached. Sometimes, change is good.
https://kotaku.com/gears-5-campaign-the ... ku_TwitterCurrently 86% on Opencritic -
https://opencritic.com/game/7402/gears-5Currently 86% on Metacritic -
https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-one/gears-5
