“If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll like it.” It’s a perennial cliché in games criticism and something I almost always try to avoid. It’s a lazy way to bunt on actual appraisal of the title in question, playing off presupposed notions of what the reader wants to hear.
But things are a little different with Gears of War. Once Microsoft’s standard bearer for the Xbox 360, the series’ stock has fallen somewhat following the last installment, 2013’s tepidly received Gears of War: Judgement. Stewardship of the series has been taken over by a newly assembled studio named The Coalition, echoing the way Microsoft set up 343 Industries to take control of Halo. And both Judgement and 343’s Halo games alike have been criticized for changing up their formulas in unwelcome ways.
So know that when I say this, it’s a statement with some meaning: if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll like Gears of War 4.
[. . .]
If Gears of War 4 left me wanting more, though, The Coalition has done its job well. This is as safe a sequel as you could imagine, but I think that’s exactly what was needed to remind people why the series matters in the first place. There’s room for a more dramatic reinvention down the line, and it’ll be disappointing if the inevitable next game is as conservative as this one. But Gears of War 4 is a great way to get into Gears for the first or fifth time, proving that the series is in solid hands.