Each unit, by default, gets 3 AP per turn. Other times, you can deploy your units defensively and activate Overwatch (an ability that allows your units to fire on foes during the enemy’s turn if they enter a cone of space) to take out your opponents as they come to you.Īll the above is further balanced by Action Points. Sometimes you have no choice but to barrel ahead and leave your units exposed or behind shoddy or partial cover. The tactical element comes in with the cover system and abilities. You’re not just mindlessly charging forward. You only have access to a max of four soldiers per mission, so the emphasis is on squad-based tactics and not the platoon-sized fights that many turn-based games allow. You have to balance your disadvantages by continually blitzing before you’re overwhelmed. Missions in this game are packed with enemies, and they’re often stronger than your own units. Gears Tactics succeeds as a Gears game because it encourages you to be aggressive. Otherwise, the game might seem bloated and lack a sense of urgency. There’s no base-building or world map to worry about here, which is fitting.
Gears Tactics a more linear experience, and progressions via main missions and side missions which comprise acts. I really enjoy the XCOM series, for example, but it has a bad habit of throwing you into virtually the same mission multiple times before you’re given a chance to progress the plot. However, the rest of the game isn’t balanced as well, and Act Two, in particular, began with a stint of tasks that gave no further insight into the story.ĭespite the presence of filler, Gears Tactics is better at moving the story along than many of its tactical brethren. Act One is strong the whole way through, with only a couple of non-story side missions.
Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of filler battles. Many missions have these before, during, and after, and there’s a lot more story content here than in similar games like XCOM.
Gears tactics base game series#
You can expect to find cutscenes with production value as high as any main series game here. You don’t need to have played any of the main series Gears titles to enjoy Gears Tactics, but if you have, you’ll pick up on references to characters and events mentioned throughout the series. It’s also a good starting point for those who have never played a Gears game before because it’s chronologically the first title in the series now. Gears Tactics‘ campaign is great to play through for long-time fans of the series as Gabe and Ukkon have appeared in Gears lore, but we never really got a chance to see them in action. Gears Tactics Review | Not just a side game. However, because of the disarray of the COG’s forces after the Hammer of Dawn strike, the two soldiers are left to fend for themselves and must seek out recruits and equipment for the fight against Ukkon. Gabe and Sid fight their way to the local military HQ, and there they find classified information on Ukkon, the Locust geneticist that is responsible for experimentation on humans and the creation of colossal Locust beasts like the Brumak and Corpser.Īs taking out Ukkon would deal a mighty blow to the Locust’s war effort, Gabe and Sid are assigned to assassinating the scientist. When taking shelter with his motor pool squad in the base’s bunker, Private Sid Redburn brings a message that Gabe is being reassigned to obtain information that could turn the tide of the war. Gabe is forced into action on the day the Hammer of Dawn satellites were set to fire on the planet’s surface to deny the Locust access to human weapons, technology, and resources. He’s jaded and doesn’t have much respect for the politicians that dictated the lives and deaths of COG soldiers. He was previously a Lieutenant Colonel, but after a battle in which he had to make a difficult personal decision, he busted himself down to Sergeant so he wouldn’t have to be put in that situation again.
When the game begins, Gabe is chilling in a motor pool squad. It centers around Gabriel Diaz (father of Kait Diaz) and his mission to take down the Locust geneticist Ukkon. It begins during the first year of the Locust War, placing it roughly 13 years before Gears of War. The campaign in Gears Tactics is a prequel to the main games in the series. Gears Tactics Review | Back to the beginning. ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming ATX Motherboardģ2GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo Series DDR4 3600MHz