Gears Tactics Reviews
Check out Gears Tactics Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 37 reviews on CriticDB, Gears Tactics has a score of:
In the end. Gears Tactics has the heart, body, and soul of a true Gears of War game that makes it shine in combat with blood-pumping action despite being turn-based. The repetition and linear focus make it a few cogs short of being a Marcus Fenix instead of a Carmine. Fun and lovable, but destined to die quickly.
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If you're a fan of Gears of War and XCOM then Gears Tactics is here to blow your socks off with its intense strategic turn-based battles.
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Gears Tactics is a stellar tactics game that still manages to feel like the Gears you know and love. With an okay story, addictive RPG systems, and dozens of hours of gameplay, this is a must-play for any fans of turn-based strategy games or the Gears franchise in general.
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Gears Tactics takes the series' trademark high-intensity action and successfully transplants it to a turn-based tactical format. By stripping out a lot of the expected resource management and downtime inherent in the tactics genre - focusing instead on keeping you on the ground and in the face of the Locust as much as possible - it gives itself a uniquely high-tempo flavour whilst managing to imbue encounters with much of the non-stop brutal and bloody action fans of the franchise know and love. It may bog itself down here and there with mandatory side missions and the Locust are a...
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When all is said and done, I have loved my time with Gears Tactics. It melds the action, world, and personality of the core Gears series with a new style of play I thoroughly enjoy. Its challenging yet flexible battles frequently gave me the feeling of true accomplishment when I succeeded in getting my squad through another fight.
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Gears Tactics does a fantastic job at applying the X-COM formula to the Gears of War franchise despite it not changing much from the core gameplay. While the intrusiveness of side missions and some weak ability progression take away from the overall experience, Gears Tactics is a must-play for Gears fans and turned-based shooter fans alike.
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Gears Tactics is one of the best translations of one genre to another I’ve ever played. The benefit of having many other games to use as inspiration and the backing of first-party production value give it a degree of polish you don’t see often in a turn-based tactics game. It’s a lengthy adventure containing 22 chapters spread out over 3 Acts. And while it doesn’t innovate or push the gameplay forward, it does take this new surrounding and make it feel like home.
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With the recent success of Gears 5 things are starting to look up for the Gears of War franchise. It never once occurred to me before how well an XCOM style Gears of War game would work, but when it was announced I immediately knew it was the right choice. The squad-based cover-shooting gameplay was always primed for this sort of game and the long wait has paid off. Gears Tactics is definitely not a fluke.
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All my quibbles are on the periphery of Gears Tactics, though. The core — getting onto the battlefield and agonizing over every move — is excellent. There’s a smart experience here, one that feels both authentically Gears and tactics. That’s the best possible outcome. Gears Tactics is a great Gears game and a great tactics game. This 90% doesn’t miss.
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The Gears of War series just got a new entry, but this time, we don't pull the trigger – we tell others when to do it and who to shoot at. How do you make a strategy out of a shooter?
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If, however, you’re a fan of more complex Turn-Based Strategy games you’re going to feel like a large portion Gears Tactics is either missing or dumbed down so far that it feels completely unfinished. As a veteran of other games in the genre, at every moment this very much felt like babies-first turn-based tactics game. All it needs is for the instruction manual to be printed on thick cardboard with a disclaimer on the back saying ‘these instructions are waterproof and chew-able’.
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Gears Tactics is a single player top-down turn-based strategy combat game developed by The Coalition and Splash Damage and published by Xbox Game Studios. It’s the latest entry in the Gears of War series and takes place in the same story realm. Gears has carved its identity over the decade with its over-the-top action and third-person cover-based shooter mechanics, which The Coalition has perfected. Gears Tactics is the developers first foray into the strategy realm for the Gears of War ser...
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Just today, I witnessed my Heavy accidentally blast apart her own cover with a stray shell from her gatling gun. The pile of palettes exploded, sending her rolling backwards, and me scrambling to come up with a new plan to see off the Locust. Any turn-based strategy game that can successfully mimic the changability of third-person shooters deserves to be celebrated for it, and in its finest moments, Gears Tactics does just that.
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A fast-paced and accessible turn-based action game that if anything feels constrained by the predictable nature of the Gears Of War universe.
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There’s a sense that this is Splash Damage and The Coalition playing to the crowd with Gears Tactics. It undoubtedly captures the look and feel of the Gears universe, squeezing it into a slick turn-based tactical game, but while I can see a few genre fans attracted to its more cerebral form of warfare, it’s the series fans who are going to get the most out of it.
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Gears Tactics proves that there's a lot more that can be done with the Gears of War IP besides just third-person shooters. The game has some pacing issues and some repetitive missions, but it's otherwise a very engaging turn-based strategy game that should please both fans of the genre and Gears of War enthusiasts alike.
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Gears of War is a series known for its fast-paced and frenetic cover-based shooting. You’re always on the move, bouncing from one low-wall to the next trying to take down the Locust (and later the Swarm). It doesn’t seem like the Gears games would translate well to turn-based tactical gameplay, but Gears Tactics manages to distill the franchise’s essentials into a totally new form of gameplay.
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If you can get past that one major flaw, there’s a lot for both Gears and strategy game fans to like with Gears Tactics. Genre diehards will enjoy the unique hero system and more fluid pace, while Gears fans will savor the cleverly translated gameplay mechanics and prequel story. While flawed, this is a subseries Microsoft should continue to invest in, especially after they work out its current issues. 7/10.
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Its core combat is probably better than XCOM's. If only it did a little more with it, Gears Tactics would be one of the greats.
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It's no secret what my feelings are when it comes to Gears of War as a series, I explained as much in my preview of Gears Tactics at the end of last month. Simply put, I don't really enjoy my shooty-bang-bang fun being taken up by me essentially becoming one of the ducks in the duck-shooting carnival games. If I wanted that, I'd just start up Rainbow Six: Siege. Gears Tactics, on the other hand, gives me a reason to love the cover, the chest-high walls, while remaining firmly rooted in the series in every way possible.
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Staying true to the franchise, your Gears are brutal killing machines who live in a soap opera. We’ll add that it’s also rare to find a tactics game which makes you feel powerful but vulnerable at the same time, and that’s worth a lot.
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Even with some flaws, Gears Tactics manages to meet and exceed expectations. Fluid and fast-paced action, along with tactical decisions, will keep you on the move. Likewise, brutal firefights and executions, as well as battles against massive bosses, capture the frenetic Gears of War experience for an entirely different genre.
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With its cover-based shooting, varied enemy types, and bombastic tone, the Gears franchise is a great fit for the tactics genre. The world and the feel of combat both remain intact in this transition to turn-based warfare. With a focus on characters and story, plus a sense of speed and flexibility in battle, Gears Tactics manage to outstrip most competitors in the genre. Despite some pacing issues that leave the content feeling stretched thin over too many hours, this is a challenging and rewarding experience.
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Gears Tactics at first seems like a straightforward premise that blends two incredibly popular franchises together, but that shouldn’t be mistaken for it lacking depth or fun. Despite playing in a completely different style compared to the core Gears games, Gears Tactics still feels remarkably in line with the rest of the series and is a thrilling, worthwhile experience that Gears fans and strategy game veterans will enjoy, while being completely accessible to newcomers. If you consider Gears as chocolate and XCOM as peanut butter, Gears Tactics is how they meet: a combination of ingredients you’ve likely had before, but...
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Gears Tactics is a smart, fast, and aggressive strategy game that's in need of a little more variety
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“...Gears Tactics doesn’t have to rival the latest main-series game to get across the franchise’s grand ambitions of worldwide conflict.”
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Gears Tactics is the best Gears of War game since the original trilogy came to a close. The genre may have changed, but the action still has the same immediacy, and it’s just as much fun as ever to chainsaw an enemy in half or blow them to bits with a frag grenade. The joy of leading a four-man squad against the Locust Horde once more is heightened by the fact that you’re in control of all of their actions and how they’ve been developed. But Gears Tactics isn’t just a great Gears game; it’s an outstanding strategy game. Whether...
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So, in conclusion. This is 100% a Gears Of War game, that also happens to be a top flight strategy effort. Arguably the best of its kind on the market, in fact, despite a bit of trouser trouble. It's a spectacular thing to play through, and it'd be more than enough to merit the fifty quid price tag if it deleted itself on completion. Thankfully, however, the replay value is much greater than you'd expect. There's the randomised side missions, for a start. And even for the linear-ish story missions, the massive spread of subclasses and squad compositions allow for...
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A fantastic tactical combat system translates Gears of War into a strategy game worthy of the PC.
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Despite some stumbles, Splash Damage has successfully taken the essence of the Gears franchise and transferred it into a turn-based strategy game. Gears Tactics is a true Gears title with a campaign that builds and expands the franchise’s lore, all while introducing new characters and adding new wrinkles to old ones. The turn-based gameplay fits well within the universe, providing plenty of strategy both on and off the field. Combined with some genuinely excellent main missions, Gears Tactics comes together nicely. It does frequently stumble thanks to the repetitive and frequent side quests that vastly hurt the pacing, but remains...
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Gears Tactics perfectly translates the aggressive, bloody action of the series to a turn-based format.
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The announcement of Gears Tactics had me screwing my face up right away. Sure, the Gears universe has a lot in common with the XCom universe, and Tactics would presumably try to grab a slice of that pie, but would that work? Could the bombastic action of the Gears series really transfer over to a slower, more measured, and more thoughtful style of game? I had serious doubts. I was right to be concerned. While there’s a competent framework in place, Gears Tactics needlessly simplifies the genre and is laced with bizarre design decisions.
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Gears Tactics is not to be ignored. In fact, it's one of the best Gears of War games released to date!
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Despite its rather shallow endgame and pace-slowing side missions, Gears Tactics is Gears of War like you've never experienced it before, and in the best possible way. It'll get your COGS turning (sorry, I had to), while retaining what makes Gears so distinctly Gears. Its story adds to the universe, and its gameplay is incredibly compelling. Gears Tactics should be on the radar of all Gears fans, even those entirely new to the tactical RPG genre.
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On the gameplay front, Gears Tactics nails the transition from high octane shooter to tactical strategy. You'll be hooked even as you grind through an overlong campaign filled with repetitive missions.
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Gears Tactics takes the intense third-person action of the console game into the realm of PC-centric turn-based tactical strategy.
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Gears Tactics is an excellent turn-based tactics game that does a superb job of melding Gears’ famous style and action with the mechanics laid down by XCOM. It’s one intense and satisfying tactical battle after another, and it looks absolutely fantastic doing it. It does slightly wear out its welcome with too much of a good thing in its Gear-grinding side missions, and due to the lack of larger strategic decisions I don’t see it as being as replayable as its tactical role model. Even so, it’s a strong campaign that leaves a great impression with some clever, Gears-appropriate original...
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