So I finally got through the campaign, all in all it is a satisfactory game. Overall I think one major issue with most Gears Of War games is that they always have some really ambitious ideas but don't fully exploit them. Gears 3 was the most comprehensive package but still stuck to a certain formula. This game tries to shift the formula and while some things work others take away from the core gameplay. I like the hotbutton mapping of grenades (instead of being a d-pad switch) but dislike taking away the "two weapons and a pistol" set-up the games have had from the beginning, it makes it more Halo or COD and less Gears.
The story was rather ingeniously portrayed between the tribunal testimonials and how it nods towards other things in the canon. But the Declassified options were a lot of fun, things like reducing everyone to shotguns made for a deliciously gory battle and I really enjoyed the D-Day "storming the beach" sequence. Yet while Gears has been hit or miss on their boss battles they are usually fairly memorable, General Karn was just underwhelming.
Pretty much my opinion of the game, too. I was pleasantly surprised by the length of the game (definitely more than an expansion pack, really) and the Aftermath addition was a nice touch. The Declassified option was my favorite perk of the game, and made things both really challenging and fresh enough to be exciting. But, like you said, some things just weren't executed as well as they could have been. More exploration could have been done into Sofia, Peduk... hell, even Baird and Cole.
Most disappointing of all, however, was Karn. "Master strategist" and "conductor of E-Day", yet as a boss, all you really have to do is aim for the gimpy leg and them empty ordnance into him. And this guy decimated an entire Goransci army? Hmm...
Still, a good addition and well worth the Red Box fee!
I know there's a Gears of War 4 thread, but Judgment is not 4.
New multiplayer video released: