Gears of War: Judgment Preview: 2013′s Most Anticipated

Get your chainsaws out boys and girls, Epic Games is set to release its fourth installment in the Gears of War franchise and much anticipated prequel to the acclaimed series, Gears of War: Judgment.

This time around, Epic is taking us back 14 years prior to the events of the first Gears installment. The story will follow Damon Baird and Augustus Cole as they battle for humanity’s survival against the onslaught of Locust at the place where it all began, Emergence Day. Thirty days after the Locust first burst on the scene and started mauling humanity (no pun intended), Judgment takes us through the events of Kilo Squad as they deal with the new threat. Set during a military court hearing, Baird must recount the actions of his Kilo Squad and defend himself against a slew of charges, the least of which being threatening the safety of mankind. Each mission in the game is a testimony of said events and will further unveil the tale of how Baird and Cole survived the emergence of the monstrous horde known as the Locust as they hope to clear their names along with fellow members of Kilo Squad.

The story mode looks to have all the expected ingredients we have come to know and love from the previous installments. In addition to gory melee kills, excellent run-n-gun environments and hordes and hordes of bad guys itching to take the fight to your wheel-house, this time there is a lot more. Thanks to a new random spawning system Epic installed in Gears of War: Judgment, players will no longer experience the same enemy encounters over and over again until the level is completed. Each time the player dies, the game will load a new set of Locust baddies, giving a fresh take on the same obstacle every time around. Gone are the days of memorizing how each enemy class spawns and meticulously eliminating the threats until completion. And since the game is set during a time when humanity has absolutely no clue to the extent of the Locust intelligence, the game designers took the liberty of ratcheting up the number of enemy AI per encounter as well as augmenting their aggression. This combination of variety and relentless pressure will surely keep the replay value high and the missions fast paced and action packed.

As far as multiplayer is concerned, Epic once again pushes the boundaries of what they can do with this seasoned franchise and at the same time demonstrates an excellent relationship with the gaming community. Every installment of Gears of War since the first game has progressed the multiplayer experience in new and different directions and Judgment is no exception to the rule.

Gears of War 2 brought us the very popular and trend setting Horde Mode, which gave players an opportunity to play cooperatively against waves and waves of Locust hordes in a single level environment. Gears of War 3 then allowed players to take control of various Locust forms in a role-reversal of Horde Mode known as Beast Mode. Now, after much thought and consideration as well as a slew of suggestions and requests from their fans, Epic brings us Overrun. The new mode is a mash up of both Horde and Beast Mode game types, slammed together in one action packed multiplayer experience.

Overrun puts two teams of five players against each other in a defense-based game mode. The COG (Gears) team must protect their base generator against the onslaught of the Locust horde played by the opposing team. Each side will take turns attacking and defending, with the winner being the team that can destroy the enemy’s generator the fastest. While defending, the COG team is given access to four different player types, including Engineer, Soldier, Medic and Scout classes. Each class has a certain set of abilities that need to be used in conjunction with one another t o assure the most effective defense against the opposing team. This class dynamic will set a new precedent for team work and communication when considering the best strategy for team defense. Conversely, when playing as the Locust, each class is designed with more offensive capabilities in mind. Similar to Beast Mode from Gears of War 3, players must accrue currency by taking out the COG opponents and destroying their defenses to unlock bigger and better bad guys in order to get the job done. Ultimately, this looks to be the complete Gears of War multiplayer experience all wrapped up in one incredibly fun game mode.

With a fresh and new perspective on the Gears of War saga, paired with a revamped, polished, and innovative multiplayer experience, Gears of War: Judgment looks poised to deliver another welcome addition to the franchise. With this fourth installment, Epic Games sets the stage to distinguish this game as the pinnacle of the Gears of War franchise. Expectations are high but all signs point to a fine tuned and well crafted gaming experience.

Gears of War: Judgment is set to release on March 19 exclusively for Xbox 360.