Getting older means you might wake up one day and realize you've missed Gears of War. I never counted the cover shooter that birthed a thousand copycats among my favorites, but the seven year break between Gears 5 and E-Day has reminded me how rarely a grungy, uncomplicated third-person shooter comes along these days, and just how good The Coalition has gotten at making them.
Last week, I played a few hours of Gears of War: E-Day multiplayer split between Horde Siege—this game's expanded take on its long-running PvE co-op—and standard Versus PvP. Both modes were unexpected, but not because Gears is venturing into uncharted territory. It's actually the opposite: There is no surprise battle royale, no extraction elements, not even Call of Duty loadouts.
E-Day is The Coalition saying loudly, and proudly, that multiplayer as it was 20 years ago was good for its own reasons, and I'm inclined to agree.
Versus
Take the sampling of E-Day Versus I had access to, which could've been plucked out of 2007: We've got 4v4, classic modes, and Locust v. COGs. My first round of team deathmatch couldn't have had a more perfect beginning: four meaty grunts sprinting toward the center of th...
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