How Many of These Games Like Gears of War 5 Have You Played?
The announcement trailer of Gears 5 at E3 2018 features Kait Diaz as she struggles with premonitions and nightmares related to her past. In this new game, Kait takes a mission related to her grandmother’s necklace and it’s hard not to get excited for the family drama and space exploration that’s speckled through the latest trailer.
E3 announcement trailer
The announcement trailer for Gears 5 shows haunting memories and some gruesome displays from the Locust, but by far the most horrifying part of the trailer may be that 2019 marker at the end with no set release date in sight. Still, fans of the series can hold back those tears of frustration because we’ve got you covered with this list of the top 10 games that you can play to tide you over until Gears 5 releases next year.
10. Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade
Gameplay footage from Knights of Mars
Warhammer: Eternal Crusade is a multiplayer third-person shooter that’s set in the dystopian universe of Warhammer on the planet Arkhona in the 41st millennium. Eternal Crusade is currently free to play on the official website, meaning that you and your friends can jump into this space-adventure immediately. There are several races and factions that you can play, including Space Marines, Orcs, Chaos Space Marines, and Eldar. In true Warhammer fashion, the motivation and story for your race and faction varies wildly. The story for Warhammer is told across tabletop games, a massive book series, and playable online games. You can jump in wherever you’d like and check out more stories on the game’s website.
Choose your race and fight with a team.
9. Mass Effect: Andromeda
Footage by Keith Ballard
The latest installment in the Mass Effect series, this Action/RPG takes place in the year 2185 when a coalition of human and alien races in the Milky Way forms the Andromeda Initiative with the goal of settling the Andromeda Galaxy in massive spaceships called Arks. You choose to play as either Scott or Sara Ryder, human pathfinders that wake up after 600 years of cryosleep to a new planet that may not be as viable for colonization as they once thought. You’ll be able to customize your character’s design and playable skills to create a unique playthrough experience each time you pick this game up. While there’s only one ending in this game, many of the choices you make as you interact with characters (including everyone’s favorite missions to romance the aliens), will have an effect on how everything plays out in the game.
Visit alien worlds for a breathtaking gameplay experience.
8. VANQUISH
Directed by the famed Shinji Mikami, this third-person shooter takes place in the near future during a conflict between Russia and America after Russia captures an American space station and harnesses solar energy to wipe San Francisco off the map. And yes, the plot for this game is as awesomely ridiculous as it sounds. You play as Sam Gideon, an American agent equipped with an augmented reaction suit that’s tasked with infiltrating the captured space station within 10 hours before the Russians take out their next target: New York City.
Engage in epic space-laser battles.
7. Mass Effect 2
Footage from Rurumiki
Taking place shortly after the events of the first game in the series, You play as Commander Shepard in the year 2183 who is killed after forcedly abandoning the famed spaceship, the SSV Normandy. Fortunately for us, our story doesn’t end here, as Shepard’s body is obtained by a pro-human organization called Cerberus and revived with the Lazarus Project. It’s up to Shepard to assemble a team and track down the group called the Collectors -- the ones that destroyed the SSV Normandy in the first game.
As is typical for the series, after customizing Shepard’s physical traits and specialized skills, you’re ready to begin your own space-epic as the choices you make while you navigate the galaxy can result in up to 6 different endings.
Fight alongside your alien allies.
6. Star Wars Battlefront II
Footage from TetraNinja
Star Wars will always be the top name for unapologetic space-operas. In the official story, you play as Iden Versio, a commander of an inferno squad (the dark side) after the destruction of the death star. However, we all know that we’re really just here for a solid multiplayer game where you can fight with friends in classic settings like Dagobah, Hoth, and the forest moon of Endor.
This game initially launched to criticism in with EA’s controversial move to lock hero characters unless you could either pay to unlock them with special items or play an obscene amount of the game beforehand. However, they’ve since updated the game and abandoned all in-game purchases to even out the playing field, making it all the more reason for you to try your hand at the game now if you haven’t already.
Experience epic space battles with new and old characters by your side.
5. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
2018 E3 announcement trailer
Since there’s no date in sight for Gears 5, you may want to pick up this latest installment with an early 2019 release date to whet your appetite. While this third-person shooter may not feature intergalactic peril or a vast host of alien races, what it lacks in in extra-terrestrial drama, it makes up for in fantastic cinematics and scenery of America’s landscape. The setting itself is a complete 1:1 rebuild of a dystopian Washington D.C. and the visuals look breathtaking.
You play as a member of The Division, a group of civilians tasked with taking the US back from an opposing group called the True Sons that are attempting to take over the nation's capital. This shooter also comes equipped with many RPG mechanics, online co-op, and competitive PvP.
The US has fallen and The Division is here to take it back.
4. Destiny 2
Footage from theRadBrad
The follow-up to one of the biggest MMOs to be released for the console, Destiny 2 is where you want to go if you’re trying to get lost in space for hours. This game takes place a year after the events in Destiny: Rise of Iron. In the game, humanity’s last safe city has fallen to an invasion force led by Ghaul. It’s up to you to gather an opposing group of heroes to take back the city by force.
Just like the first installment, this is a collector’s dream as you move through PvP and PvE (player vs. environment) settings where you can fight with friends and strangers, level up your equipment and take on enemies together as a team.
Join your clan in the game in a more integrated system.
3. Mafia 2
If you’re excited to cop some real family drama reminiscent of Kait’s issues in the new Gears 5 game, you’re going to want to check out Mafia 2. Set in the 1950’s era Empire Bay (based off of New York City), you play as Vito Scarletta in this third-person shooter, as he tells the story of how he went from a nobody from Sicily to a bonafide crime boss. This game offers car-to-car gunfights, hand-to-hand combat and incredible visual storytelling all rolled up into a giant ball of drama.
Use stealth to take down your enemies.
2. Warframe
Footage from Wanderbots
Warframe is a free-to-play massive online cooperative third-person shooter experience set in the distant reaches of the universe. You control a member of the Tenno - an ancient warrior race that has awakened from cryosleep to fight with many different factions over the map. The titular warframe refers to a type of class that you can choose for your character that changes up your skills accordingly. There are about 35 warframes in the game that you can play as, making this a diverse game experience from player to player. In addition to your warframe skills, you have three different weapons that you can update throughout the game based on how you choose to level your character.
Team up with friends to take down challenging enemies.
1. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Footage from Time Warriors
In the realm of games, both online and tabletop, there’s nothing that says space-epic quite like the Warhammer series, and that’s true of Warhammer 40k: Space Marine as well. In this third-person shooter/hack-and-slash game, you play as the space marine Titus as he sets out to stop an orc invasion on the forge world Graia. You’ll fight alongside your companions Sidonus and Leandros for most missions as you upgrade your weapons and tear through enemy Orcs and the Forces of Chaos and save this outpost of humanity in deep space.
An out-of-this-world experience with new settings and alien creatures.
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