Is Judgement Really Necessary So Soon After Gears Of War 3?

Now this might be a bit premature but having finally read some details on the recently announced Gears of War: Judgement, I couldn’t help but wonder what Epic Games were thinking announcing a new Gears title so soon after Gears of War 3 released, last year.

For those who’ve not read these details yet, they are as follows:

The game is a spin-off that will be developed by People Can Fly, who previously developed the zany first-person-shooters Bulletstorm and Painkiller; both titles known for being a bit on the quirkier side of seriousness. Whether that translates into the spin-off remains to be seen.

The game itself will take place fifteen years before the original Gears of War and follows the exploits of Baird and the rest of Killo Squad, standing trial for transgression against the Coalition of Governments at Halvo Bay, the home of the Onyx Guard Academy which will be modelled around San Francisco.

Judgement will still be a third person shooter, with the original Gears of War dev team also involved to “make sure it’s still Gears” throughout development.

That’s all fine and well, however this next bit is what I’m not so sure about:

The multiplayer will feature class-based modes online, with a “Team-Fortress-style” game mode called Overrun. Locust classes will include Wretches, Tickers, Kantus, Grenadiers, Corpsers and more. COG classes will include Engineers (able to plant sentry turrets and repair fortifications), Soldiers (able to deploy ammo crates), Medics (with stim gas grenades) and Scouts (armed with sniper rifles and able to climb some terrain).

Correct me if I’m wrong, but is this not just effectively an amalgamation of Horde and Beast from Gears of War 3?

Sure we’re a little short on details at this point but if Gears of War: Judgement is to be a fully fledged title, then I might be a little disappointed with Epic. Even if People Can Fly have been working on this game since releasing Bulletstorm — which then explains what happened to the sequel that was very obviously hinted at in the game’s concluding piece — it still wouldn’t excuse the fact that Gears of War 3 released just last year and it’s way too soon to hear news of another Gears title. At least, not a fully fledged one, spin-off or otherwise.

If however this turns out to be an expansion to Gears of War 3, perhaps one that is packaged and priced for retail, then that’s alright and in fact I might even welcome it, what with all the DLC map packs that usually go around; it would actually be nice to see a proper expansion.

But for all intents and purposes, right now this game seems like it’s going to be a standalone, entirely new spin-off title that is based in the Gears of War universe, a la Halo ODST.

Is this really necessary?

Gears of War 3 has an excellent multiplayer component, perhaps one of the best to have ever graced our gaming platforms. I personally think it is second only to Halo: Reach in terms of the multiplayer potential and freedom, as well as the amount of hours you will spend playing it with friends. It’s a social goldmine. The fact that you can play pretty much every mode in the game with a few friends makes it an endearing title and one that I still frequently look to for multiplayer fun, even now, many months after it has released to the world.

I just don’t see why Epic needs to release Judgement if it is indeed to be a fully fledged title. They would be competing with their own product, since let’s face it, anyone who enjoys Gears of War is still playing the threequel and anyone who doesn’t, won’t care about Judgement.

If this is the case, then why can’t Epic Games just add in the new multiplayer mode, perhaps through DLC or even using Judgement as an expansion? I do hope that this is the case, because I’m not ready for another Gears of War title. Not just yet. What about you?