I don't play multi-player. Outside of some couch co-op, I'm a single-player guy all the way. So what I'm about to say is based solely on that perspective.
New Gears seems to be one of those times when I'm just completely out of step with the majority opinion. This thread is a good example. I read people saying things like it doesn't have good gunplay, or impressive graphics, it didn't do anything new, or has a worse story than the original trilogy. I'm sitting here like
It makes no sense to me. The new Gears that I've played have basically the same gunplay as before, which was always best in class, but now it's even tighter & more satisfyingly punchy.
The Coalition are a graphics powerhouses & a real showcase studio for Xbox, with Gears 5 in particular sitting pretty as one of the most impressive looking games of this entire console generation. For me, that's not even up for debate. It's just a fact. I have an OLED, a 1X & a Pro. I love AAA stuff & am a bit of a graphics whore. Gears 4 was gorgeous, but 5 is just on another level. It's stunning.
5 took a couple of refreshing steps away from the tried & true Gears formula (while keeping it's fast pace & big, bombastic set-pieces intact). It introduced a player controlled support robot with several unique powers, which can strategically change the flow of any gunfight & which can be upgraded over the course of the game. It stretched out a bit, moving away from those linear corridors & giving the player a couple of open maps to roam around in for a while. There were optional side objectives to complete & cool, unique weapons hidden around to search for. It even let us spend some quiet time in a village built out of the remains of the giant earthworm from Gears 2, which was a nice callback & some world-building which I hope they expand on in part 6.
The story is, for me, an example of how to continue a popular franchise without pissing all over what came before. JD, Kait & Del are the next generation, with their own struggles & motivations in a new setting. But the old guard are still around. Marcus, Baird & Cole play their parts in the new conflict &, crucially, both they & their past achievements are treated with all due respect.
I could go on, but this is getting long enough. My point is that I think new Gears deserves better. I really don't see why people react so negatively to it. For me, The Coalition are moving the franchise in a good direction while staying true to it's roots & respecting both the original characters & the fanbase. At the same time they're building eye-popping AAA games with gunplay & combat that provides all the thrills & action a fan could want. But hell, maybe I'm just out of touch. Who knows.