With the Xbox One releasing in late 2013 most Xbox 360 exclusives that came earlier in the year got a much smaller marketing push than perhaps previous games on the console, tie that in with Microsoft's massive focus on the kinect and it is no wonder that Gears of War: Judgment is somewhat forgotten.
I'm personally a massive Gears fan and even i didn't feel the need to pick the game up till much later! Now in 2019 i've finally given it a go, so, does it stack up?
Well, sort of is my initial thought! Judgment is a different take on the rather consistent formula of the previous 3 games. People Can Fly, of Bulletstorm fame, helmed this title and it shows. The most interesting design choice here is a focus on more arcade style gameplay sections. In short, each chapter is split into combat scenarios interlocked with short CGI cut scenes. The killer aspect of this was the excellent Declassify system. The story, which i wont go into too much here, is told from the perspective of the characters and as such they can choose to "Embellish" on there tales. This gave each scenario additional objectives or constraints, for example, in this mission you can only use longshots or there is a 3 minute time limit. This gives the game a ton of interesting scenarios and difficulty spikes which makes Co Op particularly enjoyable.
Graphically the game still looks pretty good even when compared to high standards of current xbox one titles. It wisely keeps the dark and muddy colour palette of previous games with a slightly more pronounced emphasis on physics effects such as fog, mist and fire. The sound design is also typically strong with each the characters voice actors giving good performances. The weapons have the meaty impact sounds you've come to know and love from gears.
In addition to the main 4 hour Judgment campaign there is also a deleted section from Gears of War 3 called aftermath. This takes place about half way through Gears 3 and tasks Baird, Cole, Carmine and Padek with acquiring a boat and some hired guns to assist the war effort. Overall Aftermath is fun added section that has some excellent gameplay sections but as its part of Gears 3 it lacks the excellent Declassify mode of the previous campaign which is a shame.
In terms of multiplayer the game offers the standard Gears PvP modes and maps that you would expect. This play well from the very few games i could get into but i didn't really get enough time with it to pass too much...well... Judgement. The other mode is the Gears franchises ace in the hole - Horde. And, much like the rest of the game, this horde mode tries a few things. It's a mix of the Horde and Beast modes from Gears 3 but with an added class system. It works fairly well in Co Op with friends who you can plan with but it isn't as much fun online if you lack certain class types. This system is much more refined in Gears 4 but it is cool to see its beginnings here.
Overall Gears: Judgment feel likes the Gears franchise's equivalent of Halo 3: ODST. It has some interesting ideas that stray from the main games but perhaps not enough depth for a full priced game. That being said, it is a game that's incredibly cheap nowadays and is backwards compatible on Xbox One so if you are looking for a fun Co Op game and particularly if you like any of the previous Gears games, you should give this somewhat hidden gem another look, i had a lot of fun with it!
