Gears of War Judgment hands-on preview The ranking system is complemented by Judgment's introduction of a dynamic spawning system. Similar to Left 4 Dead 2"s "director," Locust are now spawned on your position in different waves and formations to keep you on your toes. The difference is slight but tangible, Judgment is a more chaotic game than previous Gears, as enemies become an unpredictable, overwhelming force in wider levels. Messier, but in a good way. This naturally plays well with Gears of War's seminal survival mode, Horde, and now there are Horde sections parachuted directly into single-player. The corridor stop "n pop of Gears" campaign has usually been kept very separate from Horde's arena battling, but it feels a natural fit for Judgment as you fend off waves of bad guys with the aid of turrets and a stash of weaponry. People Can Fly are also playing some neat tricks with narrative structure. Judgment is a prequel of sorts, set 14 years before the events of the first game, and series protagonist Marcus Fenix is still rotting in the jail cell we meet him in. Instead Judgment follows two other members of Fenix's Delta Squad, Lieutenant Damon Baird and Augustus Cole. Baird and Cole form Kilo Squad with Hendrick, a capable, by-the-book rookie and Paduk, a scarred veteran with a comedy Russian accent who says things like "this isn't a gun, it's a comrade." Kilo are under court marshal and the game's tale is told in flashback as each member testifies to their version of the events that lead to their arrest. You swap control between the four members of Kilo has they recount different parts of the story (or play in four-player co-op), and the unreliability of first-person narrative leads to Judgment's most interesting twist. As you play through each section, you will come across glowing red Omen insignias that allow you to "Declassify" certain parts of the story. This will then alter a passage of gameplay, whether it's replacing enemy types with tougher opponents, asking you to finish a certain section using specific weapons, or adding in mission objectives. The game's first act throws up some genuine variety in these sections. Some are simple modifiers that make the area more challenging, but some significantly change the dynamic of a stage. The most notable instance involved an area being shrouded in dust if you chose to play the declassified instance. Without the dust, the section played out like standard Gears; lots of scrambling behind cover and picking off enemies from a distance with your Lancer assault rifle. Cloud it with filth, and suddenly your visibility is massively reduced, with Locust brawlers charging around swinging giant machetes as you frantically backtrack trying to deal with foes at close quarters. It's good, challenging stuff. And your reward is extra score towards your end-of level ranking. You could choose to never Declassify an area, but almost without exception across the opening act it made the game more interesting. Judgment needed a twist like this. It's shaping up to be a thoroughly entertaining, bombastic shooter but there's no denying the sense of fatigue that comes with the fourth game of a series. It's loud, proud but in no danger of converting those tired of its macho violence. But those that still feel a frisson of excitement at the sound of a revving chainsaw will surely find Judgment a thrill, bolstered by the interesting quirks of an exciting new developer.