Gears of War: E-Day campaign receives mixed reception
The campaign for Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel developed by The Coalition, has received varied reviews from outlets. Many reviewers praised the game for its improved gunplay, combat mechanics, and engaging setpieces, with IGN noting its return to the core of the series. PC GamesN and Retro Gamer highlighted the spectacular first act and dynamic combat, respectively, while The Xbox Hub called it an absolute triumph with stunning visuals and compelling voice acting.
However, some outlets criticized the campaign for being overly long, repetitive, and lacking narrative justification. PC Gamer described the campaign as a slog, and Gamespot felt it failed to offer a compelling narrative, largely sticking to the series' established formula. Metro UK found the game old-fashioned and overfamiliar in single-player. Eurogamer noted that some open-ended sections detracted from the overall pacing, and also mentioned that recent layoffs at Microsoft, including the story director, impacted the development context.
Coverage across 10 outlets
Gears of War: E-Day review
Gears of War: E-Day offers excellent cover-based shooting mechanics and a strong multiplayer experience, but its main campaign is criticized for being an exhausting and overly long firefight. The game introduces some new mechanics and weapon upgrades, but the narrative struggles to justify its existence as a prequel.
Gears Of War: E-Day Review | TheXboxHub
Gears of War: E-Day is an absolute triumph, taking players back to the harrowing Emergence Day 14 years before the original game. The Coalition delivers stunning visuals, compelling voice acting, and an engaging story that fills in key timeline gaps. New mechanics, including character jumping and weapon/armor mods, enhance the campaign, while the multiplayer offers familiar modes alongside a tweaked Horde Siege. The game is a must-play for any Gears of War fan.
Gears Of War: E-Day’s Campaign Is Buried In The Past – Review
The Coalition's Gears of War: E-Day review indicates the game is a prequel that largely sticks to the series' established formula. The article suggests that despite exploring the past, the gameplay offers little innovation.
Gears Of War: E-Day review - the original third person shooter embraces co-op
Gears Of War: E-Day is a prequel that returns to the story of Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, but offers little new compared to the original game. While the action is solid and co-op gameplay is enjoyable, the game feels old-fashioned and overfamiliar, especially in single-player. The Coalition's lack of vision and ambition is highlighted as a key issue.
Gears of War: E-Day (Campaign) Review – Back in It
Gears of War: E-Day is a strong prequel that successfully recaptures the grounded tone and classic duo of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago. While the narrative and character arcs are inconsistent, the game excels with its detailed urban setting, improved movement mechanics, and superb combat encounter design. It stands as one of the series' best outings in years, offering a visually impressive and technically sound experience on Xbox Series X.
Recension – Gears of War: E-Day
Gears of War: E-Day marks a return to the series' roots, with The Coalition delivering a prequel that blends survival horror elements with classic third-person shooter action. The game's early hours, focusing on Marcus and Dom's initial encounters with the Locust horde, are particularly strong, creating a fresh yet familiar experience. While the campaign offers some non-linear paths and promises robust multiplayer modes without battle passes, minor issues with sniper accuracy are noted.
Hands on: Gears of War: E-Day review-in-progress: "Gears is finally back firing on cylinders – this is the series' Halo 3 ODST moment"
Gears of War: E-Day offers a compelling setting and excellent third-person gunfights, with an adaptive cover system that makes combat dynamically chaotic. The devastated city of Kalona serves as a standout feat of level design, though melee combat and some weapon balance issues are noted drawbacks. The campaign is a triumph, restoring the series to the cutting edge of shooters.
For every two seconds of frustration, there are 10 seconds of euphoria: the Gears of War E-Day campaign is a satisfying, meaty return to form for The Coalition
The campaign for Gears of War E-Day is a satisfying and meaty return to form for The Coalition, successfully recapturing the magic of the original trilogy with improved combat mechanics and engaging setpieces. While the game excels in its curated, bombastic moments, some open-ended sections detract from the overall pacing and tension. The review also notes the recent layoffs at Microsoft, including the story director, impacting the development context.
Gears of War: E-Day Review
Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel that returns to the core of the series. The game aims to recapture the essence of what made the franchise popular.
Gears of War: E-Day review in progress — Good shooting, but the campaign's a slog
Gears of War: E-Day offers significantly improved gunplay and combat mechanics, making the core shooting experience more fluid and enjoyable than previous entries. However, the campaign is criticized for being overly long, repetitive, and lacking narrative justification, despite introducing some new weapons and enemy types. The review is in progress, with the final score pending a multiplayer evaluation.
Gears of War: E-Day campaign review - A spectacular first act
Gears of War: E-Day's campaign is a spectacular return to form for the series, particularly in its opening hour which offers a fresh perspective on Emergence Day. While the latter half settles into more familiar Gears territory, the game's visuals, satisfying combat, and emotional storytelling remain strong. The Coalition has delivered an experience that feels like the best the series has ever been, making the campaign highly recommended even for newcomers.
Gears Of War: E-Day’s Campaign Is Buried In The Past
Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel to the original game, fails to offer a compelling narrative or surprising twists, feeling superfluous for longtime fans. While the core cover-based shooting mechanics remain satisfying with new weapon mods and improved player agility, the open areas are tedious and disrupt the game's pacing. The Coalition's latest entry delivers classic Gears action but ultimately disappoints as a prequel.