A fine addition to the Xbox Play Anywhere lineup, Gears Tactic s is the best-looking squad tactics games on PC and Xbox One X. That goes doubly for high-end PCs, where max textures, lighting, and shadows settings produce gorgeous results that easily make it one of the most alluring games in the franchise. Splash Damage’s expertise and preference for the more powerful platform are felt throughout the experience, and the PC port is definitely the better choice for players with options. That superiority is felt to a fault when playing on console or PC with a gamepad, however, as it feels clunkier to play than even the first XCOM without a keyboard and mouse handy. Moreover, while it runs exceptionally well on mid-to-high-end PCs and, presumably, the One X, original Xbox One and One S players’ time won’t be as jaw-dropp

A lot is borrowed in Gears Tactics , but that’s not a bad thing by any stretch of the mind. Five classes, Support, Vanguard, Heavy, Scout, Sniper, provide a wealth of tactical options and synergy opportunities against a sometimes insurmountable foe, and it feels like XCOM with a few gritty Gears of War twists. Cover is the basis of the mainline series, and that’s equally true in this ambitious spinoff , with some added destructibility of certain weaker objects like boxes and sandbags. It may offer few innovations, but those that it does are thanks to is unique source material. Locust Drones can be downed and revived just like friendlies, emergence holes not cleared out with grenades spawn more grubs, and the game’s one of the most mindful of its 3D environments in the genre, especially regarding obstructions and vertical

The game also, surprisingly, doesn’t have much to do once the credits roll. Outside of Veteran Mode, which does tweak the formula with modifiers, there are no additional multiplayer or co-op modes to jump into. For a franchise that built itself on robust multiplayer and co-op options, Gears Tactics feels light on modes. While it may focus too much on side quests, it makes up for it with solid gameplay. Like a traditional tactics style game, Gears Tactics is played from a top-down perspective with players taking turns to maneuver around the map, attack and set up tactical positions. During your turn, each character gets three actions to move, take cover, fire on enemies, set up overwatch, use abilities or execute downed enemies.

On the other hand, the game required fast movements and actions, but the tactics of the SLG Game Updates are slow. The players find it hard to do multiple actions at the same time, results in making it one of the unfavorable features of the g

Gears’ strong history of delivering stellar presentations remains intact with Gears Tactics. Though the perspective is different and the action turn-based, Gears Tactics looks fantastic. Splash Damage has managed to provide a presentation that looks and sounds the way a Gears game should. Whether it’s the violent growls of the Locust, the sounds of a chainsaw revving or the brutal popping sound a head makes following a headshot, the presentation perfectly captures the essence of the franchise. Though it may not have the close-up shots of a shooter, Gears Tactics still features plenty of detailed textures and models for players to admire, particularly in the menus. A suite of features allows players to extensively customize the visual experience on PC. Meanwhile, plenty of accessibility options exist to ensure that whoever wants to enjoy Gears Tactics can. It’s another fantastic Gears game to look at and listen to.

Right out the gate, it needs to be addressed that taking a series that is built around sprinting and diving until you manage to shotgun your opponent into a billion pieces and turning it into a tactics game is a bold m

Though the standard three action points each character has available can feel quite limiting, it is helpful to remember that there are several ways to get more out of each point. One way to do this is to take full advantage of cover. In Gears Tactics , ending a movement action in cover will reduce the point cost, meaning that it is wise to plan moves from defensive point to defensive point to make the most of movement. Additionally, take full advantage of the execution mechanic: finishing off a downed enemy will award the executioner’s squad an action point, adding some much-needed versatility. Take full advantage of this, clearing the field of executable enemies if it is possible without throwing a soldier into the o

Gears Tactics’ structure crumbles around the side missions due to a lack of variety. The game features four types of side missions: Rescue, Sabotage, Scavenger Run and Control. In Rescue, you need to save two soldiers from torture pods. Sabotage sees the squad attack a Locust stronghold and destroy its Imulsion supply. Scavenger Run tasks players with grabbing equipment as Nemacyst bombings inch closer each turn. Finally, Control has the squad holding two positions to collect supplies. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these types of objectives, but Gears Tactics overly relies on them to its detriment. It regularly sidelines its own story and main missions to task players with these side missions. It’s not bad until you realize that the game interrupts the flow of the campaign after nearly every main mission and completely throw off the pacing of the entire game. One mission you could be laying a trap for Ukkon, and the next, rather than springing it, you must complete two side quests. In an effort to increase the length, Gears Tactics actively sabotages the pacing of its campaign. Considering the campaign makes up the entirety of the Gears Tactics experience, the amount of required side missions to continue the story is just too much.