Gears of War: Judgment Preview

Gears of War: Judgment could prove to be the most inventive game of the series so far. The early signs from Epic's new game have been rather encouraging, so we've taken a closer look at what you can be expecting when the game is released in March.

As far as franchises go, Gears of War is a pretty successful one, the last installment however felt a little tired. Time for a little reinvention then in order to keep the franchise alive for the foreseeable future.

If you're familiar with the franchise then you'll already be accustomed to the characters of Augustus Cole and Damon Baird, they make up half of the Kilo squad around which the game is based. They are joined by two brand new faces that go by the name of Sofia Hendrik and Garron Paduk. These new faces coupled with the new direction could make Judgment the perfect starting point for people who are new to the franchise.

The game starts out with the squad on trial for treason. The crime in question is to do with their actions during the battle at Halvo Bay where they stole some secret tech that in-fact belonged to the COG - Coalition of Ordered Government to you and me.

It's here that the narrative gets a little interesting, upon hearing that the verdict will be based upon the members testimony, one by one each member of the squad begins to recount the events of the day in question. As they progress through their testimony, it takes the players back to the events as you re-enact the events from each of the squad member's perspective - It's certainly an interesting way to approach a game's narrative and Epic should be commended for displaying such inventiveness and applying it to a franchise that is already a few games old.

As the player, you don't have any idea which way the verdict will swing, but you do have the knowledge that the testimonies can be changed by your own in-game actions. Once playing, you'll notice that each map contains COG tags that allow you to hear some declassified testimonies that relate to what's going on. If you choose to hear them it may result in some complications as you battle your way towards completing the mission. The revelations that come from the declassified information could ultimately result in the game having multiple endings - something that hasn't been seen before in the Gears of War universe.

There's a bigger score on offer if you plump for hearing the declassified testimonies, which should keep those who are a fan of completing every tiny aspect of the game happy. Epic have also stated however that it will unlock a lot of extra content which can only be a good thing.

Overall then it appears that Epic have made a bit of a brave move and are attempting to reinvent the franchise, there looks to still be plenty on offer for existing fans of the franchise as-well as it having plenty on offer to attract new ones. We'll have to wait until March to see whether or not their bravery has paid off.