This is, unfortunately, exactly what happens when the gameplay mechanics you panned LP2 for are removed. As frustrating as the stunlocking and odd animation nuances of Lost Planet 2 were, they made up a large amount of the "soul" of the franchise in terms of learning the various (and oftentimes obscure and entirely too vague) gameplay dynamics that were seldom, if ever, clearly presented to the player.
Most people disliked previous LP games (LP2 especially) on account of the absurdly steep learning curve to overcome in order to excel at them. However, the cult following the games accrued over the years stemmed largely from the same unorthodox choices of gameplay mechanics. The games were very polarizing: you either loved them or you couldn't stand them.
Removal of the learning curve in an attempt to allow more accessibility was a poor decision by developers... while certain dynamics definitely needed vast improvements, the outright removal of most of them took a lot of the appeal away from veterans of the series. A key example is the inability to use your grappling-hook at will and removing jumping, thus destroying the freedom of movement that made earlier games so interesting (especially in versus modes).
Ultimately, you're left with a game that alienates its core fanbase by deviating so greatly from the formula they loved. Then, unfortunately, its attempt to appeal to a broader demographic backfired when it failed to do anything impressive with its more streamlined, simplified approach to what was once a run n' gun shooter with a number of intricate, subtle details one needed to learn to succeed.
Old fans are left with a bastardization of one of their favorite series, and new fans get to experience a generic third-person shooter that sometimes lets you stomp around in a mech and punch stuff with a drill arm, and a versus mode that pales in comparison to its predecessors'.
I really liked this game. Is it some revolutionary shooter bringing anything new to the table, or a mindblowingly rich narrative story arc? Hell no. But for a game to play with a friend where you can just goof off and rampage through Mexico, mowing everything down... it's a fantastic romp.
The only thing I'd disagree with on this review though, is what Kevin said about the weapon customization: It's more akin to the first game's system where you have a series of parts exclusive to each weapon. You can't min-max everything by crossing the components (like an AK receiver with a SCAR barrel and a G36 stock, etc.) and making some goofy abomination to get the best stats. You have to kind of work within more realistic parameters to get the most out of a specific weapon.
In terms of customization options, the weapon skins look much, much better than 40th Day's and you have more options. In all of the main weapons, you have the option of customizing the main body, as well as the secondary components... so you could make a golden AK with polished ivory grips/furniture on it if you wanted or a solid ivory/silver AK if you wanted to, for example.
I would've given the game a 6.5, personally. Nothing spectacular, but doesn't stray from its original intent: you and a friend make lots and lots of **** dead. And it does a find job of letting you do so.
@Kungfu_Kenobi Same here. This one even moreso. Especially since I picked Red. "Oh hey, Sheppard, you made the Citadel explode and have somehow fallen from orbit and lived?" - "I guess..." - "Well... let's GO BACK AND EXPLORE IT!" - "What?"
Female protagonists in Gears Judgment wouldn't make any sense. Real-world "feminism/gender-equality" debates aside, the world of Sera where the series takes place is a patriarchal society where during the course of the Locust War, most females were either rounded up for breeding purposes or support roles.
The only reason female front-line soldiers were present in Gears 3 was to emphasize that the COG had fallen into disarray and they were so low on troops that even support units (like Anya, a radio operator) were now being forced to fight for humanity's survival.
Since Judgment is a prequel, you'll most likely be seeing the series' usual agenda of a male-dominated cast.
Going to love kicking ass as Big Boss again. And yeah, that is Big Boss. Thats the Militaires Sans Frontieres (MSF, "Soldiers Without Borders") that Peacewalker focused on. Also, that's the Sneaking Suit from Peacewalker.
Then again, Kojima also had all of the imagery for Raiden replaced with Snake in everything before MGS2, so we all know the dude can troll and know not to trust anything. :P
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