Gears Tactics Review

Although the somewhat contrived story is a convenient excuse to bring Gears of War to the well-fitting tactics genre, squad progression and incredibly generous customization will keep most players engaged for the long haul. The Convoy is the mission hub and unit barracks, where players recruit, upgrade, and personalize their Gears. As in similar titles, Gears Tactics allows players to rename units (just not the special hero characters that drive the story), outfit them with stat-adjusting armor pieces and weapon parts collected from battlefield Supply Cases, and specialize each of them into numerous subclasses using skill points. Unlike other modern games, however, it offers robust color, texture, and pattern customization options for almost everything a Gear carries or wears, and it doesn't charge a dime for even the coolest opti


There are some small annoyances that start to become more apparent as Gears Tactics long campaign unfolds, such as some common camera quirks and stiffness, protagonist Gabe Diaz's mind-numbing tendency to audibly re-read mission briefs after a squad wipe, and character quips repeating every other time a unit's selected. However, those and other little nuisances pale in comparison to the game's droning sense of pace. Encounters feel like they drag on for ages thanks to an an inability to speed up or skip to the end of enemy turns and friendly buff animations that take too long to complete, and the overarching story is an even worse offender. Its first act is really an extended 5-10 hour tutorial, characters are uninteresting and hard to get invested in, and the plot doesn't exactly amaze six mainline entries


The weakest part of Tactics is its mid-to-late-game objective variety. I’m looking at you, accursed side missions. Like many strategy games before it, Tactics ends up relying on the same few formulas for a good bit of its meat. This time around, you’ll be getting a whole lotta "hold these supply points," "rescue these two POWs," or "collect these loot crates before you get nemacyst'd in the face." Rinse and rep


To top it off, Tactics nails the reconstruction of familiar enemies in a turn-based world. Boomers are just as terrifying and stompy, Tickers just as erratic and hyperactive, Kantus just as loud and obnoxious . There are a few new foes to discover too, Strategyessays website but the core army of bad dudes didn’t require many tweaks to remain interesting and formidable. As it turns out, the Locust are just as robust in a strategic sett


Sometimes someone is just going to have bad luck, but always make sure the units are spread out. When flanking enemy units, make sure there aren't any other soldiers in a position who can hit the player just as easily as the en


The weapon applications are similarly impressive. Torque Bows, Longshot Snipers, Gnashers – they all hurt just as much as they did in the originals. Even the unique Active Reload mechanic is (somewhat) emulated via the "fast fingers" perk for the Sniper class. Seeing the wide array of Gears weapons in action from a birds-eye view is pretty fr

Gears Tactics’ structure crumbles around the side missions due to a lack of variety. The game features four types of side missions: Rescue, Sabotage, Scavenger Run and Control. In Rescue, you need to save two soldiers from torture pods. Sabotage sees the squad attack a Locust stronghold and destroy its Imulsion supply. Scavenger Run tasks players with grabbing equipment as Nemacyst bombings inch closer each turn. Finally, Control has the squad holding two positions to collect supplies. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these types of objectives, but Gears Tactics overly relies on them to its detriment. It regularly sidelines its own story and main missions to task players with these side missions. It’s not bad until you realize that the game interrupts the flow of the campaign after nearly every main mission and completely throw off the pacing of the entire game. One mission you could be laying a trap for Ukkon, and the next, rather than springing it, you must complete two side quests. In an effort to increase the length, Gears Tactics actively sabotages the pacing of its campaign. Considering the campaign makes up the entirety of the Gears Tactics experience, the amount of required side missions to continue the story is just too much.


Battlefield commandos of the highest order, scouts are great at getting around and doing the subtle work that other classes just aren't capable of. Fast moving and hard hitting, their unique mix of stealth and explosive skills makes for a hit-and-run technician that can expertly dismantle enemy positions and leave without a scratch (apart from a few powder burns and Locust stai


It is especially lucky for this class that one of the first skill available is one of the most useful in the entire game: Fast Fingers. The automatic reload on a hit at the skill's first level is incredibly beneficial, but the second level is where the ability truly shines. Getting an action point refund along with the reload is effectively a reset for the Sniper - a clean slate and a whole turn if used as an opener, or a last minute surge of damage if used to close out the ro