Many new gamers might not remember this, but Gears of War was quite the phenomenon back in the day. It really was the turning point for shooter games, as it provided an immersive third-person perspective, an excellent campaign with well-written characters, and it quickly became a generational hit as we lived the journey of Delta-One. Now, Gears of War: E-Day is here, and while it certainly looks more modern in many ways, it still feels like a true Gears of War experience, and one that many of us who grew up alongside Marcus Phoenix will love to play.
Emergence Day as We Imagined It
Fans like yours truly might remember just how excited we were with the prospect of eventually playing through the events of E-Day, which is what kicked off what we all played in Gears of War all the way back in 2006. Why was this such an important event? Well, we all remember how the first title began: Marcus in the prison, slowly making his way out of it alongside Dom and Delta-One, but the whole world was already overrun, with the war already happening.
And while that was amazing, we all wanted to see just what happened before those events, and well, E-Day will finally give us that. Now, during the Xbox Games Showcase, we got to see even more details of this new Gears of War adventure, and while it certainly feels new in terms of some mechanics, such as movement, traversal, and even shooting, it also felt familiar.
As someone who played through all of the games in the series, I couldn’t help but feel at home as soon as I saw Marcus vault over an obstacle to take cover and make a Locust enemy explode with a well-placed shot—it was just like in the old days.
And while I would love this installment to have just everything that the classic games had, that isn’t possible, as gaming has evolved into something more modern now. Yet, I don’t say that as a bad thing, because after I saw the gameplay, I’m convinced the roots are there.
As you can see, the active reload mechanics are there, yet shooting feels much smoother. Movement, which often felt tanky and was a staple of the first games, now feels smoother and even more cinematic. Yes, we only got to see a bit of it, but it was more than enough to convince us that the studio has married old with new, and that’s something that feels perfect for a series that has been waiting for its comeback for so long.
Of course, time will tell, and we’ll have to wait until the game’s imminent release. However, from what we saw during this deep dive, we’re more than convinced that Gears of War: E-Day is bringing everything we love from the series, while also opening its doors to a whole new generation.
In the end, these are exciting times. Gears of War changed how shooters felt at the time, making them feel more accessible, cinematic, and engaging. Now, the king is back in the spotlight and, just like in 2006, we know that this return, 20 years later, will be yet another one that will go down in the history books as one of the most exciting shooters in the market.
