The 2000s are seen as an incredibly important decade in the progression of video games, with shooters and action games being where some of the more noticeable advancements were made. There was certainly an influx of cinematic, innovative shooters for the time, some of which are still very highly regarded today. Games like Half-Life 2, Max Payne, and, of course, Call of Duty were foundational for some of the brilliant games that came afterwards. Gears of War was one such game, and it was definitely one of the more popular third-person shooters of the decade. More so than just the third-person camera, its cover-shooter mechanic would be adapted into multiple games throughout the rest of the decade and beyond. Cinematic is definitely the keyword here, and the ultimate reason why this was so effective. With the grittiness of Gears‘ world, horrors of war and all, the movie-like feeling of being pinned down in cover, bullets zooming overhead, it just felt right. Weaving amongst destroyed cars, diving out of danger zones, and shooting back in quick successive bursts; it is effective even playing it now. I am not a long-term fan of this series and have only played the first one very recently, but this is a style of game that is confidently timeless. It knows exactly what it is, and it harkens back to a time in gaming’s history that felt much simpler, in the best way. Gears of War: E-Day feels like taking a time machine back to those more simplistic cinematic shooters, and whilst a bit of modern innovation would not go amiss, this evokes the comfortable feeling of going back to what made me fall in love with video games.

Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel to the wider Gears of War series, set 14 years before the first game on the day of the Emergence. After the long and gruelling Pendulum Wars’ conclusion only weeks before, Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago are reflecting on the horrors of the war and the many losses that came with it. As they drink away their sorrows, but also celebrate their survival, it seems the horror they have experienced has come back to find them once again. With the roads of Kalona crumbling into the abyss and eerie red light filling the streets, the mysterious Locust threat has arrived, and they are not taking any prisoners. As the COG mobilises its Gears once again, the Locust are killing people one by one and fighting the Gears with brutality that none of them has seen before. Either on your own or with some friends, you must mobilise Bravo squad and fight back. As the formidable duo, Marcus and Dom, joined by soldiers Mags and Lucas, you must also find a way to try and stop the chaos that seems to only be growing stronger. As the city collapses around you and the enemies only get stronger and stranger, will you be able to defend humanity from its greatest threat?

Gameplay in Gears of War: E-Day is mostly a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This is the classic cover-shooter system of old, but it feels modernised and refined like never before. This instalment introduces a few movement options, such as a jump and slide, to make the gameplay feel much more dynamic. It succeeds in that goal, making it not only just fun to pop at enemies from cover, but to also zip about the battlefield, finding the very best flank to get the most out of your weapons. Climbing up onto high ledges and raining down relentless fire on Locust below works a treat, and you feel like a tactical genius when you find just the right spot. Cover has been nicely reworked too, letting you shoot at multiple different angles in cover, allowing for full control of where you are shooting from. Particularly in some of the older games of the time, there was a clunkiness to them, even if some may say that made them endearing. There was a sense of the controls working against you, not quite letting you get into cover exactly where you wanted to. That does not feel like a problem here, with slick and tight controls that offer you the precision you desire. Similarly, the weapon mods system is very robust, allowing you to customise weapons to get the most out of them. I mostly stuck with the classic lancer, chainsaw and all, but I kitted it out with stability and accuracy mods that made it an absolute laser from cover. There are many different weapon types, all with lots of mods suited to different playstyles, so there are plenty of options for experimentation. Fundamentally, games like this live or die on how it actually feels to shoot something, and I can safely say that it never gets old, especially when you have so many ways you can change it up to keep it fresh. This game is also dripping with great set piece moments and plenty of different enemy types to constantly put those shooting skills to the test. If you come to these games for those elements, and just a fun time shooting things, you will not be disappointed here.

Though I do not have the connection to these characters in the same way as many do, the writing in Gear of War: E-Day does feel more on the safe side. Fans will, of course, be happy to see Marcus and Dom back in action after their iconic trilogy, and that may be worth the price of admission for some people alone. They do have some good moments together, and they do shine, particularly towards the end of the game. The main issue is that, as we know this is a prequel, we know they will survive, so it makes some of the more dramatic moments hit with little impact. Those moments are not written with nearly enough sense of occasion to fool the player into forgetting that fact, and that is often the issue with prequel stories. Still, Lucas and Mags do not suffer from that same issue, so the jeopardy is with them for most of the game. They both have some moments to shine, but not enough of the spotlight is put on them outside of the main duo, which then impacts how much you actually care about them. Mags, in particular, has very little attention on her story, and it leaves her coming across as a relatively hollow character. Where this game lacks in its character writing, its general narrative is effective, but not because of how it’s written. Ultimately, its story is very safe, seeing Bravo squad fight to try and stop the Locust threat, but most of the storytelling is done on the canvas of Kalona. As you progress through the game, the city gets more and more torn apart, giving a real sense of destruction and ruin. It also personifies the exhaustion of the Gears, sick of the war they have just fought and being thrust straight back into another, their patience wearing thin as everything around them goes up in flames. But as you near the end, there is rarely any celebration of those that survive; it is merely relief, but also a mature sense of grief for that which has been lost. Gears’ rather macho, pro-militaristic setup, with massive men and women clunking around in big metal suits with even bigger guns, does not really evoke emotional maturity. But here, seeing the desolation, there is a real lack of bravado that would be so easy to shove in your face, and instead there is a quiet reflection of what they have lost, yet also being thankful for what they have left. Though I did not love the story of Gears of War: E-Day, it did leave me at least satisfied as it rolled credits.

Gears of War: E-Day is probably not the best game you will play this year, but it certainly has a focus on fun cinematic action that I will always have time for. That cinematic element is only intensified by how good this game looks, and even if this might not be the best game of the year overall, it might fight for the crown of the most graphically impressive. Its main gameplay philosophy of shooting ever-increasing-in-size creatures is infectiously fun too, almost as much as it was with the series’ first entry 20 years ago. Though its story lacks any real punch, it should leave you satisfied enough to see some series greats back on your screen, as well as some strong environmental storytelling throughout, culminating in a strong finale. But frankly, if you just want bombastic action sequences, plenty of explosions, and some tightly crafted shooting arenas, this is certainly going to work for you and keep you entertained for a fair few hours.