(Source: http://www.polygon.com)

BAIRD!!! The most lovable teddy-bear in the Gears universe is getting his own game with Gears of War: Judgement. Like God of War: Ascension, Judgement is a prequel story to the Gears of War Trilogy. Long time NPC character Damon Baird and his trusty sidekick Cole have always been fan favourites, especially when compared to the relatively characterless Marcus Phoenix, so it is with great anticipation that they have their own game now.

Reviews-wise, we seem to have a mix of feelings, ranking the game at the top of the pantheon of Gears games from some outlets, to a rather less-spectacular Meh feeling from others.

Here is the breakdown:

IGN: Gears of War 3 appeared to exhaust what third-person, cover-based shooters do best. Judgment makes Gears of War feel young again. (9.2/10)

Destructoid: OverRun alone is worthy of praise, but there’s just so much stuff going on in this package, there’s something for all followers of the series. A few of Judgment’s experiments may not be as fondly received as others, but overall it’s hard to complain about a game that tries so much, and succeeds in almost all its endeavors…This is Gears of War back, unquestionably, on the winning path. (9/10)

Machinima: It’s pretty darn respectable package. The difficult-but-fair single-player was very satisfying and well-paced, with extremely well implemented co-op, something rare in games these days. Overrun is a welcome addition to the Gears multiplayer suite, even if there’s little variety among the modes.(8.5/10)

Polygon: As a side-experiment with class-based multiplayer and more aggressively arcade-influenced shooting, Gears of War: Judgment doesn’t feel essential in the same way its predecessors did. If three games in five years left you with your fill of Gears of War, Judgment may not be enough to change your mind. But as a well-executed supplement to its parent series, Gears of War: Judgment is easy to recommend. (8/10)

Videogamer: A solid effort that, in some ways, changes the Gears formula for the better. Whether it will be remembered as anything other than a stopgap is questionable, but small qualms aside, it’s a good one. (7/10)

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