"The Coalition has elevated the franchise to new heights, crafting an engaging, brutal, and surprisingly intimate campaign that’s full of smart gameplay mechanics and wonderful surprises. It’s the best Gears has ever felt to play, and the best it’s ever looked and sounded on the big screen. Gears of War: E-Day? It's a f***ing masterpiece."
"Gears of War: E-Day isn’t simply the best game in the Gears franchise; for me, it’s also Xbox’s best exclusive since the days of the Xbox 360. It’s an essential experience for existing fans and an excellent starting point for newcomers alike."
IGN (9/10)
"By going back to the beginning, Gears of War: E-Day returns to the heart of this series: Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago, and a Locust horde that’s as terrifying as it is dangerous. E-Day pulls off the tightrope act of giving us a heartfelt prequel with strong characters even when we know how it ends. On a more mechanical level, it also evolves the enemies, weapons, and combat you’d expect to deliver a Gears of War campaign that stands toe-to-toe with any of the others. It wraps up with 10 years still left to go before Marcus gets tossed in prison ahead of the events of the first Gears of War, so here’s hoping the next one stays in the past for a while longer – and that we don’t have to wait another seven years for it to arrive."
"Overall, this is an excellent return to the Gears of War franchise, with well designed, detailed levels an an emotion-packed action storyline as good as a movie."
VGC (8/10)
"Gears of War E-Day's campaign offers balls-to-the-wall action and rarely lets up, but that means the story takes more of a back seat than I'd like. It's good that time is given to the backstories of new protagonists Mags and Lucas, but given that the game is literally the playable Marcus and Dom backstory fans have been waiting decades to see, more time could have been spent on their relationship. In terms of pure gunplay, however, very little beats it this year."
"Gears of War: E-Day is a solid prequel that gets a lot of things right. The characters, the combat, and the visuals all mesh together into a must-play adventure for any Gears of War fan, but it’s also an excellent starting point for those new to the series."
"There’s a reason Gears of War has survived as a series long enough to earn a prequel. Its specific flavour of bloody, tactical, cover-based combat isn’t done better anywhere else. Unfortunately, E-Day is let down by everything around that fighting, resulting in a safe and repetitive experience that shows you all its ideas in the opening hours and never dares to build on them in any meaningful way."
It's worth mentioning that these reviews are based on the Campaign. Both Versus and Horde Siege modes were locked off for the review period, however it looks as though Gears of War: E-Day made a mighty impression.
Currently, the game is rocking an 88 score on Metacritic, and that's even without counting our 10/10 score. So, expect that number to fluctuate a little whilst reviewers get stuck into the multiplayer.
So, what do you think of the reviews? Let us know in the poll below, as well as in the comments section.
Will You Be Playing Gears of War: E-Day? (99 votes)
- Yes, I'm buying early access!18%
- Yes, I'm buying the standard edition!14%
- I will when it's on Game Pass43%
- Probably at some point, but not immediately11%
- I'm not sure yet to be honest4%
- I doubt it, but you never know3%
- Nah, not interested to be honest!5%
- Other, tell us in the comments1%
by 