My thoughts so far on Gears 5 PC:
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/TGAEC/discussions/0/2564160288793406558/WRITTEN ON 9/11/2019:
Gears of War 5 is part of the XBox for PC Game Pass, which I am currently a member of.
So, Digital Foundry made a claim that "Gears 5 is one of the all-time great PC ports." Pretty much, they're right on the money. This might be one of the best PC versions that I've seen, since probably Doom 2016 and Destiny 2, on the technical sides of things.
I don't know if it's something on my end, but I can't get it over 60fps in the Campaign. But, this game looks fantastic technically and artistically; and also runs amazing. Seriously, at 1080p with a mix of mostly High and Ultra settings, it doesn't know how to get below 60fps. The game runs butter smooth and just feels great. There's also an insane list of graphics options in the Video Menu and it has so many options, you could be here for a while if you really want to get really into it and mess around with the settings. Since it runs so well, I'll probably do so.
Within the first hour and half of gameplay, it's basically more Gears 4, if we're talking in the departments of both gameplay and gunplay. Gears is still King, when it comes to cover-shooting; it's still the master of it. Weapons feel weight-y, powerful, awesome, and unique...like they always have felt, in this Gears series since even the original Gears. If you're okay with basically "more Gears", you're going to like Gears 5. It doesn't hesitate one bit with the action and gunplay that makes Gears games as awesome as they are.
There's some tweaks here to the formula early on, as you have a robot too now that you can aim at items you see even out in the distance, tell the robot to get it, and the flying robot will just fly over, pick up the item, pick it up for you, and then bring it back to you - which is very useful. There's even puzzles at times, when you need to use the robot to move, use, or do things...which you can't access without the robot b/c maybe a space is too small for you but it's the right size for the robot.
Gears 5 early-on feels really good as a shooter, but let's be real: this game is a technical marvel. It's a technical masterpiece. This is one of the best technical ports that I've seen in a while...and maybe ever. I wish all PC versions both ran and looked this great, at the same time.
ADDENDUM - WRITTEN ON 9/13/2019:
So, I'm a fair deal into this, now into Act 2.
So, Gears has always been a linear cover-shooter. And yes, Gears 1 and 4, to me, were awesome cover-shooters. Gears 5 represents this in its first Act as JD is the lead here (just like in Hears 4), reminding us how great the series is with its combat, action, shooting. If you wanted more Gears, you're flat-out going to love this Act.
Well...then, there's Act 2.
Act 2 changes things up a bit. Yup, not only changing things up w/ its lead character here as Kait (who was in Gears 4, but wasn't that game's lead) as the lead for Act 2, but also with its design...at least so far. Like Metro: Exodus and Rage 1 that tried to do its own thing with a somewhat semi-open world, this does some similar stuff. Metro: Exodus had cars, trucks, and a train even; and Rage 1 had their own vehicles - meanwhile Gears 5 has a skiff, which is how you get around the big semi-open world in this Act. The side quests/side missions feel like...well, their own linear main-style and hand-crafted missions, dungeons and/or levels.
It's really just a matter of "Do I travel there and do that level and/or quest" or not? Often, it's here for your benefit - you might get a new special skill for yourself, robot, upgrade equipment, interesting banter and/or something. It doesn't feel like it's doing the "Oh, just kill off 5 guys" UbiSoft open-world type of side quest stuff - no, they seem to tie right into the game-world, characters, skill-sets, and/or something here, somehow and someway.
I'm really enjoying this game...and also curious where Act 3 is going to go with this game.
