Gears of War 4

Gears of War 4 is a worthwhile successor that brings back all of the brutal combat, addictive multiplayer and waist-high walls you remember in a terrific return to form. The campaign leans on everything that worked in the first game, all while adding new flourishes to further make the world of Gears of War more compelling. The multiplayer is as enjoyable as ever, with the new modes keeping Gears online elements fresh, and more importantly, addictive. It's undeniably good to be thumping around in COG armor again.

Gears of War 4 shares similar parallels to Halo 5: Guardians; it has some of the most entertaining cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes available, but its narrative is lacking. It’s not just the short length, but rather the closed off world building and insignificant character development. It says something when you can’t remember the name of one the characters that stays with you for the entirety of the campaign.

All in all then, Gears of War 4 is a triumphant return to form for the series. What’s more, it proves that the franchise is more than safe in the hands of The Coalition. A visual spectacle that dials back some of the macho ridiculousness of the original trilogy whilst refining and expanding the gameplay, it’s genuinely a game to own an Xbox One for, and with an exceptional range of online adversarial and co-op modes.