4. Gears of War 4

The carnage we love in gorey detail

Wonderfully gothic, Gears of War 4 is a brutal and heart-pounding cover shooter. Its combat system has been iconic to the series from the start evolving the way people interact with shooter arenas by forcing players to hunker down in cover and plan their next move rather than constantly moving and spraying bullets everywhere. The weapons at your disposal highlight the games gritty aesthetic, arming you with shotguns, chain rifles, smgs, and a variety of explosive weaponry. And if any of those options fail, Gears puts the power in your very fists with skull crushing and body splitting melee combat that will have you wondering why you even bothered with bullets in the first place.

Unlike many of its peers, Gears of War has maintained couch co-op accessibility and allows two players to bicker and troll each other within arm’s length and share a truly aweing experience curb stomping enemies into the dirt in devastating competitive play. As the fourth installment, the developers have taken the chance to tie old ends and light new fires introducing an all new cast and showing you aspects of the Gears universe after the end of a fourteen-year war and enduring an age of peace.

What stands out:

• Inspired and refined cover-shooter
• Never Fight Alone: enjoy co-op local OR over the internet

Tactical cover-based shooting

Hack em’ up