Players spend the first act playing as JD, the badass son of long-time series protagonist Marcus. In Gears 5, that struggle seems to be drawing to a conclusion as the pseudo-fascist human rulers, the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG), consolidates power. In sum: on an Earth-like planet in a futuristic world, humanity has been locked in life-or-death struggles with monstrous enemies called The Locust and The Swarm. Thankfully, The Coalition included a brief movie that caught me up on everything I’d missed. Sadly, I missed the last few entries in the series. These games have always been over the top, but they take their story seriously. Gears 5 is, weirdly enough, the sixth title in the franchise that started with 2006’s Gears of War. In a video game market increasingly dominated by live experiences and “free to play” schemes, that’s no small thing. Gears 5 won’t challenge you, but it looks and sounds incredible, controls well, and is worth every penny of its $60 price tag. It’s like a Marvel movie or the latest Fast & Furious movie. Gears 5 is the game equivalent of a reliably dumb yet fun summer action blockbuster. Some, like Gears 5, I play on a huge 4K television while surround sound explosions shake my walls. Some I play while a podcast or TV show runs in the background and my brain turns to gelatin.
Some video games I play on the train while waiting for my stop.
