I didn't know what to expect when Epic handed off the game to The Coalition, but I have been pleasantly surprised for the most part. Understand that I primarily play Gears for the campaign, as it is my wife's favorite game and something we can play together on the couch. Luckily, split-screen co-op returns. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll tread lightly. This is the story of Marcus Phoenix's son, and it feels incredibly familiar, but not in a bad way. Some old characters show up throughout the game, some new characters wind up being important in ways you might not have imagined, and the game itself plays just as you would expect. The campaign probably took me 10 hours to play through (though I did hunt for collectibles throughout) on normal (I'm playing through solo on insane now, and it is ... hard). Without spoiling anything, there isn't much to say about the campaign except that it feels like Gears, and it is an improvement upon Judgment. I'd still rank it behind the original trilogy, but it was fun. You should know that Horde mode is online only, so I've only checked it out during free play weekends (no, I don't use live since I am a solitary gamer for the most part). There are some changes, but overall, it seems like a slight inferior version of Gears 3 Horde. Versus brings back the COG/Horde battles from the first 3 games (even if it isn't really the COG or the Horde). Writing this review, I guess I find it hard to explain other than saying this game seems like an updated Gears game. It's just what you'd expect. Anyways, I hope this helps!