Despite getting Gears of War back when Games with Gold was a thing, I’ve only just finished it. I originally played through the first few levels, but got frustrated by the “step in the dark and die instantly” stage. I figured I’d come back to it later. Turns out it’s been 13 years since I last played it. Eek.

The combat is heavily based around taking cover and is quite fun once you get the hang of it. It reminds me a little of Full Spectrum Warrior, although without any of the tactical mechanics.

Weapon-wise it’s pretty light on variety. The Lancer is fun enough, and the Torque Bow is very satisfying, but there’s nothing as unique as Halo’s needler. The “active reload” system is a neat change to the standard gameplay loop, and hitting a perfect reload is quite satisfying. Messing up a reload can be frustrating, but it does force you think on your feet.

Graphically it’s definitely a product of its time. The visuals are dark and grimey, and there’s plenty of bloom once you step outside. You’ll spend plenty of time walking through dark buildings and alleyways, and there’s never really anything that makes you want to stop and look around. It’s a bit grim.

The same goes for the music - it suits the game’s atmosphere, but it’s not something I’d choose to listen to.

The story wasn’t particularly gripping, and I didn’t really bond with any of the characters. Wise-cracking muscle-man #1 isn’t really that different from any of the other wise-cracking muscle-men. The interesting threads aren’t talked about and there aren’t really any major twists or turns. One highlight was the death of the final boss - the cutscene had almost as many cuts as Liam Neeson climbing over a fence.

There’s a couple of places I found to be quite annoying: escaping the berserker for the first time (getting caught results in instant death), and making it through the Kryll infested stages (walking in the wrong place results in instant death). The rest was fairly enjoyable, and pacing-wise the game feels pretty good. It’s not particularly long, but it also doesn’t outstay its welcome.