GEARS OF WAR IS COMING TO XBOX ONE AND THAT’S ALL WE KNOW. HERE ARE FIVE THINGS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN IN THE UPCOMING SEQUELLARGE-SCALE BATTLES
One aspect of Gears’ design that has always been praised is its considered pacing when it comes to its battles. Rather than flooding players with enemies, each opponent was one tough son of a bitch to slaughter and it made each skirmish a contained event. We wouldn't necessarily want to change that approach entirely, we would like to see the scale of war portrayed in Gears’ inimitable way. Heck, it could be through massive multiplayer battles. But whatever route Gears 4 goes down it needs to up the scale substantially
USE DRIVATAR FUNCTIONALITY
Forza 5’s Drivatar concept centred around AI-controlled opponents lifting the playstyle of your friends was a genius one. Imagine if the same was applied to Gears’ squad mates? Depending on whether you play as a close-range character or prefer to take down targets from afar, your player profile is then used as a template for your friends’ own squad in single-player. It’ll add a touch more personality to the single-player campaign and keep the co-op going even when your mates are offline. We’re hoping this tech spreads across a lot of games.
A NEW CAST OF CHARACTERS
It’s a controversial opinion but by the end of Gears of War 3 Marcus Fenix had seemingly finally called it quits and it should stay that way. For all of the story problems that riddled the final part of the trilogy, it did offer a satisfying conclusion to Fenix’s personal journey. Not only that, but many of his friends and family have died, meaning there’s little of the original squad left for him to rely on. We’re probably looking at a new set of characters that could help redefine the series on Xbox One and reinvigorate the franchise for a new generation.
REDESIGN HORDE MODE
One of the defining features of the original game was Horde mode. Its popularity spawned a litany of clones over the years (from Halo’s FireFight mode to Call of Duty’s Zombies), and while Gears Of War 3 made numerous improvements to the core systems that underpin the mode, it’s about time the series completely reinvented the concept. We’re not just talking about Horde Mode 3.0 here but a radical reinterpretation of the mode that offers something just as ground breaking that’ll inspire the industry and give fans plenty to chew on.
A NEW SETTING
Something that the Gears Of War franchise put a lot of emphasis on was that the Locust attack was a worldwide invasion, but the games barely gave players a glimpse into the global scale of the atrocity. While there have been a few excursions to other ecosystems, for the most part Gears has been relatively localised. What the next entry will need to do is offer a completely new backdrop with its own unique tone, atmosphere and culture. Not only will it refresh Gears’ creaking formula but offer new gameplay avenues to explore.