Gears of War: Judgment – it's more badass than ever

What you need to know
The latest instalment in the Gears of War sci-fi action videogame series is released in the UK this week. Gears of War: Judgment is co-developed by Epic Games and People Can Fly, the creators of Bulletstorm.

A prequel to the main Gears trilogy, Judgment takes place on a fictional earth-like planet called Sera, as hordes of destructive beings called Locusts start attacking humans. Members of a military group, Kilo squad, must band together to fight the encroaching hordes.

The game is a third-person shooter, where action is viewed over the shoulder of the protagonists. Players take on the role of different characters in Kilo squad and optional 'declassified' campaigns offer variable handicaps such as impaired vision or reduced ammunition.

What the critics like
This new instalment makes Gears of War feel young again, says Mitch Dyer on IGN. The combat is superb, the story meaningful and "the sights are almost impossibly beautiful".

Gears is "bigger and more badass" than ever, says Christian Donlan on Eurogamer. New co-developers People Can Fly have brought unpredictability to the series. It's "fast-paced but still tactical", with a churn of grim objectives, violent options and "increasingly horrible waves of enemies".

"This old dog has learned some new tricks and deserves to stick around for a bit longer," says Erik Norris on Crave Online. A new points system and the 'declassified' campaigns add some "much-needed spice to combat".

What they don't like
It's very polished, but the gore takes centre stage while the narrative takes a back seat, says Edward Smith in the International Business Times. "When the characters do speak, it's with the same, frat boisterous banter that made other Gears games grating." ·