Eurogamer’s Gears of War: E-Day campaign review praises combat, flags weaker open sections

What the review praised

Peppiatt writes that E-Day is at its best when The Coalition is guiding players through "well-manicured setpieces and bombastic cinematic events". He says those sections put the game "up there with the series' best", and adds that they are backed by "even better combat mechanics".

He also describes the campaign as a long one. Peppiatt writes that his final time on Hardcore difficulty "clocked somewhere between 20 and 25 hours", while noting that he stopped pursuing collectibles and side missions about halfway through.

Where the review found weaker pacing

Alongside that praise, Peppiatt says some open-ended sections weaken the momentum and tension built by the more tightly directed parts of the campaign. He writes that "this breakneck pace and tight design work is undercut with open-ended sections" that "completely hobble" the momentum the rest of the game builds.

He also writes that he plans to keep playing and "publish another, scored piece later that reflects the whole package", underscoring that this first review is limited to the campaign portion of E-Day."assignment":{"storyId":"312389f2-9c0d-4ea9-a5c1-58e2598e0334","briefHash":"4c87dd6ea6a814e7c234f148feaf6339273eb6da5d02292b0d5477134c011ee3","draftHash":"75af57394c4e80becfdae1c19e3dba87f07bd169c047f069be96ed38842856a1"},"claim_support":{"title":[{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c4","sourceIds":["S1"]}],"description":[{"claimId":"c1","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c3","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c4","sourceIds":["S1"]}],"tldr":[{"claimId":"c1","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c3","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c4","sourceIds":["S1"]}],"body":[{"claimId":"c1","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c3","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c4","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c5","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]}]},"unmapped_material_assertions":[{"text":"Peppiatt writes that he plans to keep playing and publish another, scored piece later that reflects the whole package.","sourceIds":["S1"],"note":"Supported by supplied evidence text, but no dedicated claim ID exists in the brief’s claim list. Add a separate claim for this assertion if strict one-claim-per-assertion mapping is required."}]},"status":"drafted

Positive accounts praised Gears of War: E-Day's high review scores and classic Gears feel as a GOTY contender, while negative replies called the campaign poor writing and a big skip.

Based on 46 sentiment-bearing replies from 39 accounts across 4 conversations.

Positive accounts praised Gears of War: E-Day's high review scores and classic Gears feel as a GOTY contender, while negative replies called the campaign poor writing and a big skip.

Based on 46 sentiment-bearing replies from 39 accounts across 4 conversations.