The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will have at least one launch day exclusive, coming in the form of Gears Tactics, the turn-based strategy spin-off from the Gears of War franchise. The game will be out on 10th November alongside the next-gen consoles, but will also be coming to the Xbox One family of consoles at the same time.
Of course… it’s already out for PC – insert snippy comment about exclusivity and not being new here.
And in even bigger news…#GearsTactics comes to console on November 10. https://t.co/wRcrGWoFAK
— Gears of War (@GearsofWar) September 9, 2020
The game serves as a prequel to the original games, introducing Gabe Diaz, the future father to Gears 4 and 5 protagonist Kait Diaz, who finds himself wrapped up in one of the dastardly plots of Chairman Prescott, right after the tumultuous events of Emergence Day. You’re tasked with seeking out Ukkon and dealing a serious blow to the Locust army.
Developed by Splash Damage, the game arrived on Windows 10 back in April to a good amount of praise for its pacey XCOM-like turn-based combat. Would you have guessed that the cover-shooter mechanics of Gears could translate to this genre?
In our Gears Tactics PC review, Dom said:
There’s a sense that this is Splash Damage and The Coalition playing to the crowd with Gears Tactics. It undoubtedly captures the look and feel of the Gears universe, squeezing it into a slick turn-based tactical game, but while I can see a few genre fans attracted to its more cerebral form of warfare, it’s the series fans who are going to get the most out of it.
It was always known that the game would eventually come to console, but Gears Tactics will prop up the first party side of the Xbox Series X | S launch line up in lieu of having the delayed Halo Infinite. It makes sense, with Gears Tactics and Microsoft Flight Simulator both pitched as PC-first titles as befits their genres, coming out earlier this year before following onto the trickier console platform with different controller requirements. We’re still waiting to hear on when Flight Sim might make the short haul over.
In the meantime, the Xbox Series X | S launch already looks absolutely packed with new and near releases. Dirt 5, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Gears Tactics, Tetris Effect: Connected, and Watch Dogs: Legion all ready on the 10th, not to mention Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Yakuza: Like a Dragon on the 13th, and Cyberpunk 2077 on 19th November!
It’s going to be mad.
