Unlike Halo Wars or Predator: Hunting Grounds where extensive strategy is the norm, Gears Tactics goes astray a bit with a more concentrated and pitched approach. The turn-based tactics game certainly has everything for both newcomers and genre veterans alike.
The fast-paced and highly aggressive game is sturdy enough to keep fans glued in for a while, especially with the tweaks to elements like over-watch and action usage will tickle strategy lovers. Unfortunately, this is where the good ends! Yes, it is undoubtedly an enjoyable game, but some glaring flaws prevent it from scaling the heights of the gaming world:
10 Performance
Performance issues are not uncommon in high-octane games, and Gears Tactics is not an exception. Although the game is highly optimized, some players experience stuttering and the infamous GT102 error code problems. The error issues are mainly related to the player's graphics card. It appears when the card fails to load.
A restart of the system should solve this problem. The same should also fix the stuttering issue. Make sure that you have an updated operating system and the latest card drivers.
9 Shallow Content
Although Gears Tactics does an excellent job of appealing to the genre lovers, it suffers considerably in terms of breadth. Apart from the cut scenes, missions, and the rewards for executions, there is very little to talk about once the shooting stops.
Similarly, the way the game handles downtime time is a bit uninspiring when compared to more established tactics series like XCOM. Though your team spends a lot of time in motion traveling in convoys, there is no time to evolve or grow. Instead, a player will spend time aligning units and personalizing favorite characters.
8 Not Fast Enough
The title's general fast pace comes with a significant flaw that waters down the gaming experience. It is impossible to speed up or skip enemy turns, whereas other similar games like Fire Emblem and XCOM have this feature.
Though this starts as a small glitch in the initial stages, it becomes a big problem towards the end as the war gets tougher. Watching similar animations repeatedly can be tedious, especially in essential side missions or in missions that you lose something if you fail.
7 Screen Tearing
Not every Gears Tactics player will experience screen tearing, but it does happen occasionally. It takes place when the monitor shows several frames at one time or is split into two which don't align properly.
This doesn't always mean that there is a problem with any component of the game. It happens because the data that your card is sending to the monitor is not syncing appropriately with the displays refresh speed. As such, your card is submitting new feeds before the monitor finishes displaying the older ones. You can use V-synch to counter this. It will prevent the card from loading the display until your monitor finishes the current cycle, though this can sometimes present its own set of issues.
6 Game-Breaking Glitches
Some game-breaking defects occur when a component or an action like shooting or overwatch is not working as it should. It removes your ability to perform an action you desire, like using the best weapons, jumping, or dodging. This puts you in a dangerous position and can potentially make some scenarios nearly unwinnable.
There are some situations where a player may be unable to use any weapon. Unfortunately, guns are vital in the game, and missing them could mean a failed mission. A simple reset or restart should solve this, though no one wants to resort to that.
5 Crashing, Hanging and Freezing
This bug stops the game from launching or working at all; either the game closes or freezes. It is usually caused by a hardware issue or an incomplete program.
One good example, according to players, comes as a result of closing emergency holes using grenades. The game freezes and crashes in some cases. To avoid this, players have come with weird solutions like not touching anything for a few seconds when it starts hanging.
4 The Single-Player Factor
The main benefits of multiplayer games comes from the social factors. The competition element spices up games for gamers, as they feel like they are playing against a human being other than a machine. Similarly, playing against other players means every time you play. It gives you different challenges or experiences.
This is the main reason why multiplayer groups are likely to play for longer than a single player. The same applies to Gears Tactics. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean it will not appeal to all multiplayer fanatics. The post-game skirmishes, as well as the intense campaign, will keep you interested for a while.
3 Audio Problem
For some, Gears tactics is plagued with volume changes or inconsistencies, while, for sound, it is either wrong, delayed, or missing sound effects. This is one of the main problems the game suffers from. Audio issues make the sound fade in or out and sometimes even disappear altogether, which is obnoxious.
Sound errors, on the other hand, occur depending on the position or an action a character is performing. Though this may not affect a player during play, proper background music or sound effects set the right pace and mood. It is also vital for ascertaining what is exactly happening during the game.
2 Not Long Enough
Though it's definitely not the shortest game out there, Gears Tactics takes, on average, around 25 hours to beat. While this is a good thing for some, it compromises the otherwise vibrant and tactical game.
Extending the game is a feature the developers should consider in the long run if there is enough demand. If they get past that, there will be tons of goodies for both strategy and Gears fanatics in the game. Genre fans will love a more fluid speed, unique hero system, as well as the distinctly translated prequel tale and gameplay mechanics.
1 No Innovation
Though it's certainly a breath of fresh air for the third-person shooter Gears of War series, in terms of turn-based tactics, Gears Tactics doesn't innovate. While it may be a neat diversion for those who don't have much experience with the genre, it really doesn't break much ground, and it would have bee nice to see a more unique take on these newly top-down gameplay scenarios.