The first half of the Gears 5 tech test was playable this last weekend, and you can bet that I played just about as much as I could handle, and then some. I have been a huge Gears of War fan since I played the original back in 2012 (Yes, I know I had a late start), so you can assume that I might be a little biased, but I digress. Before I begin, let’s get this out of the way; I understand that it is a TECH TEST. The soul purpose of this event is for the devs to test their servers and get ready for launch day, as well as address bugs as they made themselves known. I will not bring the server issues into my criticism.

Boot Camp

The first mode you get your hands on in the tech test, is the brand new “Boot Camp” mode. Boot Camp serves as a tutorial for new players, and a refresher for returning ones. In Boot Camp, you are guided through training grounds, where you are taught the basics of the movement and combat of the game. There isn’t much else I would like added to Boot Camp, other than some Versus tips. I think it would be helpful for new and old players alike, if there was a tutorial that walked you through the brand new Escalation 2.0, or any of the other competitive game modes for that matter.

Arcade

There are three game modes, and two maps that are playable in the tech test. The all new “Arcade” mode is a unique departure from the Gears of War formula. Arcade is a casual TDM where every kill grants you an elimination. You can use you eliminations to buy more powerful gear to help your team be the first to reach the score limit. You can choose from different characters that have their own unique skill set and weapons to choose from. The only bone I have to pick with arcade is how campy the game mode becomes. A lot of the time in my games, no one would buy any of the weaponry they had access to, and it was just a lancer-fest.

KOTH & Escalation 2.0

I didn’t play too much KOTH, but from what I could tell nothing has changed much, if at all in the game-mode. I spent most of my time in the Arcade, and Escalation 2.0 modes. Escalation 2.0 is vastly different from its original counterpart. There is a new weapon placement system, where both teams have the opportunity to put weapons on the map. The new lives system provides more tactical and thought out game-play, as well as provides another way to win the round by eliminating the entire enemy team before they re-spawn. The game-mode really emphasizes teamwork in order to obtain the W. I will admit that Escalation 2.0 is a little difficult to grasp when you first start, I still don’t even fully understand the weapon placement system. Being a competitive game-mode, I think it would be really beneficial for both, new and veteran players, if there was a small tutorial we could play that walks us through every aspect of the game-mode.

In general I thought the tech test was great. I would like to give the people at The Coalition props for working hard to make sure that the servers were able to keep up with the amount of people, and keeping the down time low. I have been apart of other tech tests, and betas alike where the down time exceeds more than half of the duration of the test, and nothing is provided to compensate for lost time. If you haven’t yet tried the tech test, or missed out on the first weekend, you have another chance this weekend (26th-29th). If you have had the chance to try it out, what do you like about the game? What do you dislike? Let me know in the comments!