The truly disarming thing about Gears of War's return is that it no longer has an obvious rival. The original's mechanics have been imitated by every blockbuster under the sun, from Killzone through Tomb Raider to the Tom Clancy franchise, but most of its disciples have either died off or evolved beyond recognition. If the Coalition's debut is a fairly conservative work at heart, one that is content to tinker ingeniously within sturdy parameters, it nonetheless feels strangely exotic. There is no game out there right now that plays like this one, that uses quite these variables in quite this way, and while the revisions aren't mind-blowing individually, they're gripping as a whole. Marcus Fenix may have aged disgracefully, but Gears of War 4 has the wind in its sails.

This is what's so great about Gears of War 4. By going right back to basics, by reveling in the fundamentals of what made the series so vital in the first place, it is free to expand and grow at a steady pace in exciting new directions of its own, without the pressure of “Bigger, better, and more badass”. It's more dynamic, and more freeform, but it's still entirely Gears of War at its core, evolving from that rebooted starting point in a more logical and coherent fashion that allows it to be intricate and interesting rather than flashy or flamboyant.

At a basic level, Gears of War 4 is a joy to play. The guns are differentiated and interesting, each with its own quirks and use cases, and the feedback loop of shooting and hitting your target and nailing an active reload and shooting more is incredibly strong. Gears of War 4 could be far less complex in its environment design and enemy behaviors and it would still be fun to shoot things. But in the two-and-a-half hours I played, there was a strong, subtle evolution and progression to everything that made me sad when I had to stop.

Additionally, the game can be played cross-play online between Windows 10 and Xbox One for the campaign co-op, Horde mode, multiplayer versus mode against AI, and multiplayer versus mode in private and LAN games. So while you won’t be able to jump into the same matchmaking queue as those poor souls who aren’t using a mouse to aim, you will be able to play with friends who don’t have the game on PC.

Development on Gears of War 4 is complete, as Microsoft announced the upcoming shooter has gone gold.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, and other execs joined developer The Coalition in Vancouver to celebrate the milestone, according Xbox Wire. The company marked the occasion with a celebratory image of Nadella holding the gold master disc next to Spencer and The Coalition Studio Head Rod Fergusson.