Gears of War E-Day - The Early Reviews Say It All...

Early Reviews Roundup: Gears of War: E-Day (Launch Oct 6)

The video is an “early reviews” roundup for Gears of War: E-Day, launching Oct 6 on Xbox Series X|S and PC. The presenter frames the game as broadly exciting—especially the campaign and new movement/combat—while repeatedly noting concerns about open-area pacing and PC (and some) performance stability.

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Story & Campaign (Set 14 Years Before the Original)

• The campaign takes place 14 years before the original Gears of War, during the Locust’s first emergence on Sera.
• The story follows Marcus and Dom as they recover from the Pendulum Wars, while also dealing with the loss of Carlos Santiago.
• Supporting characters include Max Carter and Deluca Reyes, with Ty Caliso returning.

Tone shift: first encounter fear

Reviewers emphasize that the Locust feel especially terrifying because characters are experiencing them as a first encounter, not as a familiar, well-understood threat.

Emotional moments and moral tension

Early reactions also highlight strong handling of:

• Quiet, emotional moments
• Tension between protecting civilians and military orders

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Campaign Structure: Praised Combat, Questioned Pacing

• Craig Reed (Pure Xbox) Strongly liked the combat system and highlighted a favorite demo segment (“Column”), praising environment detail and new movement mechanics. He’s mainly curious whether the early mission structure stays engaging.

• Morgan Park (PC Gamer) Liked some more linear set pieces (including a bridge fight with tight routing and close-quarters combat). However, he found open areas too empty, with combat spacing reducing tension. He still found individual missions interesting (e.g., defending a gas station, rescuing civilians).

• Presenter’s take The concerns may be minor—detailed city exploration could be enjoyable too. Side objectives and modding may also encourage clearing areas rather than rushing pure combat.

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Gameplay Changes (Movement, Reload, Weapons)

Movement overhaul

A major mechanical shift replaces the classic “roadie run” with:

• A more vertical sprint
• A wider camera view

Cover and traversal tweaks

• Jump/dash via the Y button, described as responsive.
• Less reliance on chaotic wall-to-wall movement:
  • sliding and shooting remain, but cover cancel timing is adjusted
• Cover can be used behind lower objects
• Shoulder/aiming behavior updated
• Ledges can be climbed where players might previously assume they can’t

Reloading and combat tuning

• Active reload returns (with a default center panel option and the ability to revert).
• Some weapon systems support partial reloads and improved projectile behavior (including real-time flight).

Noted weapons and campaign moments

• Gut Puncher (control explosive timing)
• Incinerator (emulsion-fueled shotgun)
• Improvised origins for the Chainsaw Lancer

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Horde Siege & PvE Direction

Horde Siege details

• Expands co-op survival to 12 players across three squads
• Includes classes: assault, demolitions, rifleman, medic
• Uses escalating wave/challenge structures (e.g., 10-wave defense plus variants like Blitz / Siege)

PvE pacing echoes campaign concerns

A critique similar to the PC Gamer campaign pacing issue appears again: challenges may be fun, but empty space between combat can mirror those pacing complaints.

Fan-faithfulness concerns

• Insider Gaming (Josh Challis) Appreciated teamwork for objectives/evacuation, but worried the new direction may not capture what fans loved about traditional Horde.

Positive technical/scale reaction

• Digital Foundry More enthusiastic about scale/chaos, while still flagging PC performance concerns.

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PvP Confrontation at Launch (Mixed Reception)

Modes and maps

• Launch modes (4v4): Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Demolition, Crucible
• The game ships with six maps, which the presenter says feels limited and hopes expands quickly (targeting around 10).

Overall reception

• Insider Gaming: PvP is “just okay,” though they note it isn’t their main focus.
• The presenter recommends trying PvP, especially for the updated movement/control feel.

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Progression, Monetization, and Content Roadmap

Progression and cosmetics

• Progression to level 100, plus “rebirth” cycles
• Medals add extra objectives
• 60+ character skins available at launch

Battle Pass

• No Battle Pass

Monetization claims

• Cosmetics mainly earned via gameplay/challenges/coins
• Paid currency (“Iron”) can accelerate cosmetics, but won’t affect balance
• Rewards include weekly coin limits, with developers promising adjustments based on feedback

Ongoing support

• Five seasons of free content planned
• Beta carryover:
  • rewards/titles/medals carry over
  • but player level/class progression resets at launch

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Graphics & Performance (Strong Visuals, Recurring Performance Risks)

Visuals

• Digital Foundry reports the campaign looks significantly better than the multiplayer beta demo, with improved lighting and variety.
• Tech highlights mentioned:
  • Lumen hardware lighting
  • detailed shadows
  • Megalights for complex multi-source lighting
• Praise includes distinct lighting moods across locations and notable shadow behavior from gunfire flashes.

Visual critiques

• Some areas show visible noise, particularly in indirect lighting
• Occasional shadow draw delays
• Some console testing includes more “forced” film grain/chromatic aberration (possibly art-direction dependent)

Performance

Xbox Series X

• “Quality”/“Balanced”: roughly 30–40 fps consistently
• “Performance”: mostly around ~60 fps, with dips and micro-stutters in intense scenes
• “4K” is cautioned as potentially not native (upscaling implied)
• “Performance Plus” for online play targets around ~80 fps using 120Hz/VRR

Xbox Series S

• Not covered in the same depth (separate evaluation needed)

PC

• Digital Foundry: frequent dips below 60 fps in Horde during testing, even on high-end CPUs, with concerns about CPU throttling
• Also reported:
  • less smooth motion than the FPS counter suggests
  • higher-than-expected input lag
• Presenter counterpoint: their PC beta experience didn’t match these issues, suggesting differences in build/settings/resolution

Frame generation and PC features

• Frame generation indicated as disabled in the beta, planned for final version
• PC includes a robust settings menu, DLSS (including dynamic resolution), and ultrawide cutscene options

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Release Editions & Platforms

Release and platforms

• Release: Oct 6
• Standard on Xbox Series X|S and PC
• Game Pass Ultimate / PC Game Pass available on release day
• Platforms: Xbox consoles and PC only (no PS5 planned based on announced release plans)

Editions

• Standard: $69.99
• Premium: $99.99
  • up to 5 days early access (starting Oct 1)
  • Bravo Squad weapon set
  • 1,000 Iron
  • five seasonal cosmetic packs (starting with “Emergence”)

Collector’s edition (physical extras)

Includes physical items such as:

• a 15-inch Marcus/Dom statue
• Carlos Santiago tokens
• steelbook / art / photo / note
• demo package

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Presenters or Contributors

• Ryan (video host/presenter)
• Craig Reed (Pure Xbox)
• Morgan Park (PC Gamer)
• Daniel Partis (Xbox Wire)
• Josh Challis (Insider Gaming)
• Richard Leadbetter (Digital Foundry)
• John Linneman (Digital Foundry)
• Oliver Mackenzie (Digital Foundry)