Having played through all the gears up to this (except 4), it is mind boggling to me how good this game is compared to the rest. I mean they weren't that bad, but this one actually has story moments that work in game, and not just when i think about that moment separate from the game. The game also looks stunningly beautiful, when original gears looked like poop. When you are first going down the ice hill in that vehicle, it was such a beautiful moment to me, along with finding out there were small open world levels, simply amazing for Gears.