I can't help but see a parallel in Gears of War's first outing on Xbox One with that of Halo. Both have been passed to other studios at this point, and while both retain the core gameplay elements that we have enjoyed from the previous games, they've changed just enough here to sour the experience a little.
In Halo, the entire arc of hunting Master Chief and playing as Spartan Locke, as well as having to keep an eye on your team was pretty shit. Things did improve vastly in the latter half of the game, but there was a lot of crap to get through prior to that. Here we have the introduction of "Deebees" and the fabricator. The latter in itself is by no means a bad thing, however its presence signifies you're about to experience a few waves of momentum killing tower defence, and it sucks. It feels like filler, padding out the length just that little bit more. I'd have been more than happy to forgo those sections at the cost of however long they are. They sap the enjoyment out of what is otherwise a cracking installment of the series.
Also, the Deebees really add a sterile element to the action. There's something dissatisfying about shooting these hunks of tin, compared to the visceral gun fights you get with the Swarm. I can deal with the over powered scions and snatchers over the big mini gun wielding robots, because they are fun to fight against. The robots really are a dull choice to try and shake things up.
I appreciate they tried to make some changes to keep things fresh, but when the story is as entertaining as it is, as well as the locations and great weather elements they incorporate, which keeps the gameplay ticking over at a great pace, everything else feels like it's dragging it down and nothing more than filler.
Things start off a little tedious, but once you get to fight the swarm and the story picks up, it's a great time, and up there with the better games. Overall it's a great entry in the series, by no means bad, but those momentum killing changes in game play and some crappy design choices drag it down to being one of my least favourite games out all of them. Again, not necessarily bad, just not as good as the others.
In Halo, the entire arc of hunting Master Chief and playing as Spartan Locke, as well as having to keep an eye on your team was pretty shit. Things did improve vastly in the latter half of the game, but there was a lot of crap to get through prior to that. Here we have the introduction of "Deebees" and the fabricator. The latter in itself is by no means a bad thing, however its presence signifies you're about to experience a few waves of momentum killing tower defence, and it sucks. It feels like filler, padding out the length just that little bit more. I'd have been more than happy to forgo those sections at the cost of however long they are. They sap the enjoyment out of what is otherwise a cracking installment of the series.
Also, the Deebees really add a sterile element to the action. There's something dissatisfying about shooting these hunks of tin, compared to the visceral gun fights you get with the Swarm. I can deal with the over powered scions and snatchers over the big mini gun wielding robots, because they are fun to fight against. The robots really are a dull choice to try and shake things up.
I appreciate they tried to make some changes to keep things fresh, but when the story is as entertaining as it is, as well as the locations and great weather elements they incorporate, which keeps the gameplay ticking over at a great pace, everything else feels like it's dragging it down and nothing more than filler.
Things start off a little tedious, but once you get to fight the swarm and the story picks up, it's a great time, and up there with the better games. Overall it's a great entry in the series, by no means bad, but those momentum killing changes in game play and some crappy design choices drag it down to being one of my least favourite games out all of them. Again, not necessarily bad, just not as good as the others.