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Cliff Bleszinski: Gears of War Franchise Was Sold to Xbox Because Epic “Didn’t Know What to Do With It"

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
The fact that no one likes to bring up nor remember Gears of War: Judgment is proof enough.
It's funny, just completed the trilogy and is doing judgment atm.

The controls feel wrong, the campaign is pretty meh.

It's cool to get the story, but damn you gotta work for it lol.
 

Arsic

Gold Member
Gears is a franchise that showcases what Halo fans ask for isn’t successful .

What Halo fans often beg for is for “Halo to be Halo” and to go back to “Halo 2&3 era gameplay loop.”

Gears hasn’t strayed from its formula for 5 iterations . All it has done is improve the core functions of its gameplay loop while upping the visuals .

The games die within 2 weeks of release. The online is super sweaty and only the truly hardcore remain, and even that core has dwindled over the years.

What can you do with this franchise ? It doesn’t make sense to be a battle royale as well, and it wouldn’t work in a game as a service model. It also isn’t as inviting as say Call of Duty.

The only thing I could think of is if they tried to add a survival game mode or free to play component on initial game release. Trying to do a Tarkov like , Division Dark Zone, kind of gameplay mode that takes the gears maps and glued them altogether into a cohesive world. Day night cycle . Scraps to salvage to make for your Gear. Factions to fight over each other. Instead of a Scav maybe you play as a Locust at night to hunt down Gears to get some loot back on your main character.

That’s a loose idea I felt could work in this universe if fleshed out. But the current state of the franchise ? There’s nothing more you can really do aside from make it free to play I guess .
 

01011001

Banned
I really hope that Gears 6 will change things up more drastically in terms of gameplay.

while The Coalition made some really great changes in Gears 4 and 5, like attacking while vaulting and stealth combos, they were only small additions in the grand scheme.
 

01011001

Banned
Gears is a franchise that showcases what Halo fans ask for isn’t successful .

What Halo fans often beg for is for “Halo to be Halo” and to go back to “Halo 2&3 era gameplay loop.”

Gears hasn’t strayed from its formula for 5 iterations . All it has done is improve the core functions of its gameplay loop while upping the visuals .

The games die within 2 weeks of release. The online is super sweaty and only the truly hardcore remain, and even that core has dwindled over the years.

What can you do with this franchise ? It doesn’t make sense to be a battle royale as well, and it wouldn’t work in a game as a service model. It also isn’t as inviting as say Call of Duty.

The only thing I could think of is if they tried to add a survival game mode or free to play component on initial game release. Trying to do a Tarkov like , Division Dark Zone, kind of gameplay mode that takes the gears maps and glued them altogether into a cohesive world. Day night cycle . Scraps to salvage to make for your Gear. Factions to fight over each other. Instead of a Scav maybe you play as a Locust at night to hunt down Gears to get some loot back on your main character.

That’s a loose idea I felt could work in this universe if fleshed out. But the current state of the franchise ? There’s nothing more you can really do aside from make it free to play I guess .

noone says Halo should stay the same. the big issue Halo has is that 343i is not innovating whatsoever, all they do is copy mechanics and design choices from other shooters that are in the current zeitgeist in the hopes to steal playes from those other shooters.

we all saw it...
when Halo 4 came out CoD started to fully take off as the giant main shooter franchise. and what did 343i do? they implemented kill streaks, weapon loadouts, unlockable perks and permanent sprinting.
then Titanfall was a big hit when it first launched, which influenced Call of Duty to implement thrusters and other movement abilities. and what did 343i do? implement thrusters and other movement abilities.

no innovation, just trend chasing while completely missing the point of what Halo actually is.

at its core, Halo is a slowed down Run & Gun Arena Shooter, mainly based on teamplay and using weapons and items that spawn on the map in order to take over advantage points on the map.
first 343i removed the Arena Shooter part by implementing loadouts and the Run & Gun part by having a sprint button that lowers your weapon (although Reach already did the latter to a degree due to sprint and roll armor abilities)

then came Halo 5, they backtracked on the Arena Shooter elements and made the game an Arena Shooter again, great! but they implemented even more gun-lowering movement abilities and with that strayed even more from the Run & Gun roots of Halo.

and then came Infinite... and what did they do? keep all the movement abilities modern Call of Duty has and ground it more because the Titanfall and CoD Wallrunning phase was over and "boots on the ground" is trendy again.


so instead of innovating in the niche genre that Halo occupied, the Run & Gun Arena Shooter, they transformed it into an amalgamation of whatever was trendy at any given time + make that Halo themed.

zero innovation, zero spine to stick with the genre out of the fear that CoD bros wouldn't like it and no clue how to evolve Halo in a way that it still is Halo.
I mean fo fuck's sake they removed grenade and rocket jumping from Infinite, as well as player collision detection and friendly fire... all of which drastically change Halo for the worse, BUT that's what is trendy! can't risk not copying everything other modern shooters do!

Halo also became more and more sweaty due to the changes done to the matchmaking and the CoD like gameplay. because 343i thinks Halo needs to be a hardcore competitive eSports shooter... which is also not what Halo is, but 343i thinks that's what it is and that's how they designed it since Halo 5
 
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Tams

Gold Member
Has anyone ever really cared about Gears of War? I mean outside of the exclusivity and associated console warring?

I've only tried a friend's copy of one of them. I was alright, but really nothing memorable.
 

Yoboman

Member
It's hard having a franchise with a very distinctive gameplay style and a vocal multiplayer community to boot

Can't change much without pissing people off, but eventually most people will get bored as more sequels roll out.

You can get away with reinvention a bit better for single player franchises. But multiplayer fans are whiny bitches who hate change

Same problem Halo has
 

Yoboman

Member
Has anyone ever really cared about Gears of War? I mean outside of the exclusivity and associated console warring?

I've only tried a friend's copy of one of them. I was alright, but really nothing memorable.
It had some solid success and was the first real killer app of the 360

But I think it's importance is highly over stated as it peaked at only 6 million, and I'm pretty sure each sequel ended up selling less rather than growing
 

Fredrik

Member
I’m a big fan of the IP and he’s spot on with the narrative corner because of the death decision. That was such a dumb thing to do. Splitting the fan base. Now they need to either not even continue with the current story arch and start over with new character instead, or they have to continue with two story archs.
 

Fredrik

Member
Gears should just revamp the formula to something else, maybe go to a more RPG style.
A Gears game playing like Elden Ring would be awesome!
But I guess that goes for any IP.

After playing Gears Tactics I think a VR game with that IP would be fantastic, God mode camera like in Moss, would be like playing proper Warhammer.
 

kapshin

Member
The problem with Gears is when it was new it felt fresh, fun and different. Then it's too much of the same on going without enough innovation. Also the Gears story was never good
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Gears is a franchise that showcases what Halo fans ask for isn’t successful .

What Halo fans often beg for is for “Halo to be Halo” and to go back to “Halo 2&3 era gameplay loop.”

Gears hasn’t strayed from its formula for 5 iterations . All it has done is improve the core functions of its gameplay loop while upping the visuals .

The games die within 2 weeks of release. The online is super sweaty and only the truly hardcore remain, and even that core has dwindled over the years.

What can you do with this franchise ? It doesn’t make sense to be a battle royale as well, and it wouldn’t work in a game as a service model. It also isn’t as inviting as say Call of Duty.

The only thing I could think of is if they tried to add a survival game mode or free to play component on initial game release. Trying to do a Tarkov like , Division Dark Zone, kind of gameplay mode that takes the gears maps and glued them altogether into a cohesive world. Day night cycle . Scraps to salvage to make for your Gear. Factions to fight over each other. Instead of a Scav maybe you play as a Locust at night to hunt down Gears to get some loot back on your main character.

That’s a loose idea I felt could work in this universe if fleshed out. But the current state of the franchise ? There’s nothing more you can really do aside from make it free to play I guess .
I think both Gears and Halo should pivot and focus on fleshing out their Horde/Warzone Firefight game modes.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Has anyone ever really cared about Gears of War? I mean outside of the exclusivity and associated console warring?

I've only tried a friend's copy of one of them. I was alright, but really nothing memorable.
The story, not really. But Gears/Halo 3 and Modern Warfare 1&2 are the best online games I have ever played. Easily.
 

Kerotan

Member
Gears followed the same path as resistance fall of man although gears was more popular at it's peak. The only difference is Sony knew when to drop it and move on.
 

Fredrik

Member
The problem with Gears is when it was new it felt fresh, fun and different. Then it's too much of the same on going without enough innovation. Also the Gears story was never good
They added new things in Gears 5, strategy with Jack, and in general I liked the action a ton, still best in class for me. But I’ve always thought movement is clunky. I wonder if they could make the movement smoother and more free while still keeping the tight cover action, or if that would change it all.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Should have been sunsetted after the trilogy.

Gears 5 should have just been an online multiplayer F2P game. If it has to exist at all.

Same with Halo. Destiny would have been a first party MS game at this point if MS weren’t scared to let go.
 

DJ12

Member
To cliff,

Episode 14 Nbc GIF by One Chicago


Yours

DJ12
 

Kacho

Gold Member
The creator also talks about the latest Gears of War titles and how they “lack” the heart of the original titles.

I think he means the testosterone. The series went from an alpha male power fantasy to a silicon valley power fantasy. JD got completely emasculated so the writers could focus on a strong female character…in a Gears game lol

Like who is this series for anymore? It’s just another IP originally aimed at men that has been hollowed out and repurposed for ‘modern audiences’ (who still couldn’t give two shits about the series btw).
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
Gears got cuckified and colorful instead of going all-in on darker horror-like, which the series deserved. But I'm not surprised since it's a MS run woke-r type franchise now. A shame nonetheless. I was a fan, but I haven't truly enjoyed a Gears game since MS took over. With that said, Hivebusters DLC was pretty good, and better than its main game.
 
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RIPN2022

Member
Gears is a franchise that showcases what Halo fans ask for isn’t successful .

What Halo fans often beg for is for “Halo to be Halo” and to go back to “Halo 2&3 era gameplay loop.”

Gears hasn’t strayed from its formula for 5 iterations . All it has done is improve the core functions of its gameplay loop while upping the visuals .

The games die within 2 weeks of release. The online is super sweaty and only the truly hardcore remain, and even that core has dwindled over the years.

What can you do with this franchise ? It doesn’t make sense to be a battle royale as well, and it wouldn’t work in a game as a service model. It also isn’t as inviting as say Call of Duty.

The only thing I could think of is if they tried to add a survival game mode or free to play component on initial game release. Trying to do a Tarkov like , Division Dark Zone, kind of gameplay mode that takes the gears maps and glued them altogether into a cohesive world. Day night cycle . Scraps to salvage to make for your Gear. Factions to fight over each other. Instead of a Scav maybe you play as a Locust at night to hunt down Gears to get some loot back on your main character.

That’s a loose idea I felt could work in this universe if fleshed out. But the current state of the franchise ? There’s nothing more you can really do aside from make it free to play I guess .
I remember being a newbie to Gears multiplayer with Gears 5, and I understood the meaning of shotgun meta. Essentially, if you didn't look up some youtube guides on how to get good with the shotgun in multiplayer, you will lose every single game. I honestly can't think of any game that forces players to do this.
 

Iced Arcade

Member
gears 4 and 5 ran great and looked great BUT nobody wants to play as JD and the hip kids shooting bright colored mindless robots.


Go back to Marcus and the dark grimy horror undertone
 

BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'
Another story about Phil Spencer being an all around cool businessman and a gentleman. (y)

Why they ever chose Mattrick over Spencer I will never understand.
 

SteadyEvo

Member
That wasn't considered a main entry so it's not mentioned just like Gears Tactics or Gears Funko pop propaganda edition.


Sly Cooper and Twisted Metal were never on the same level as Gears, Forza Horizon, or Halo. Sly wasn't even that big of a game but the marketing of it next to Ratchet and Jak made it look big. twisted Metal was attempted after II many times and couldn't gain traction. Jak itself was only a major hit with the first game, a good hit with a second, barely a hit with the third, and the other two games are also in the franchise no one talks about.

Forza Horizon is Xbox's current biggest IP so not sure why you would think they should cut it.

Halo needs a revamp but it's a big money making brand, so if they fix it before it stops being that it too doesn't need to be cut. At least not until they are able to replace it with another big franchise.
I’ll give you Forza.

Halo??? It’s time to move on. For the love of God please make a new IP. Let Halo Rest In Peace. It’s been a great run and they’ve milked it dry. Same with Gears. I pray both projects are new.
 

gatti-man

Member
Gears needs to go back to being a horror shooter. Dark bleak with moments of heart and humor. MS took out the horror and the stakes in 4&5. At the absolute end of 5 it started to feel like gears and then the credits rolled. I’m hopeful 6 can get it done
 

bxrz

Member
The community did that. The game itself is community based. It has a social media like power where it can die in an instant if Microsoft gives it the bad touch.
Every multiplayer game is community based. And Microsoft didn't give it a bad touch. So your original post is wrong.
 
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Gibbs

Member
Problem with Gears today is the whole drip feeding of content which makes people leave with little to nothing to keep you engage in between 4-6 months of waiting for a single map. It's laziness.

Gears 3 was the swan song. Best campaign, multiplayer with unlockables, best everything. Then we went to Judgment and while it was ok, it was too different and didn't feel Gearsy. The control scheme, the lack of content, it just felt like a half baked, half assed attempt at getting a Gears game out the door by a different studio. I did enjoy it but overall forgettable.

Gears 4 was fine from a gameplay standpoint but the system in place with unlocking content was trash. I shouldn't have to grind and pray to RNGesus to unlock characters I want and scrap was a joke. Maps were ok at best.

Gears 5 did better with allowing you to buy characters but it took time for this to happen but the extreme lack of maps was the biggest problem in the all scheme of things. I get it takes time, but its insane when theres nothing to keep you engaged.

All in all when Gears 6 launches they need to have a full MP suite with maps, core modes, and ensure we have content day one to unlock verses waiting 3-6 months to start getting characters and maps.

Gears has the best gunplay, and I will die on that hill. The cover system and gun fights are still tight and top notch.
 
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