Gears Tactics is big and brash at times, but it’s also deep, intelligent and balanced, with all the heart and passion we’ve come to expect from a Gears game.

Though not without flaws, Gears Tactics meets and exceeds expectations. Fluid and fast-paced action, along with tactical decisions, will keep you on the move. Meanwhile, brutal firefights and executions, as well as battles against massive bosses, punctuate a Gears of War experience for an entirely different genre.

Gears Tactics is a solid turn-based strategy game that has something for genre veterans and newcomers alike. The faster pace and more aggressive style of the game will appeal to fans of the franchise, while the tweaks to established elements, like action usage and overwatch, will also tickle the fancy of strategy fans. The brutal difficulty may be par for the genre, and while the lack of multiplayer will turn off some players, the strong campaign and post-game skirmishes will keep others interested for quite some time. Both the series and Splash Damage are relative newcomers to strategy, but they've done a good job of convincing people that they can handle the challenge.

Strategy fans should definitely give Gears Tactics a chance, its combat can even challenge the amazing XCOM. Some missions felt repetitive though, and the game lacked branching options to tackle and manage its content.

While it might be a surprising translation between genres, Gears Tactics plays like it was meant to be. The game is often quite challenging and instead of the twitch reflexes of a shooter, it demands smart and strategic thinking. It nails the look and feel of Gears and adds some welcome refinements and improvements to the now-standard turn-based formula. Lengthy and populated by familiar and violent Gears of War moments of triumph, Gears Tactics suffers a bit in the areas of story and character and repetitive mission structure. In most ways, however, Gears Tactics is a refreshing and unexpected take on the Gear of War saga.

Gears Tactics it's a great experiment that proves the versatility of the franchise Gears of War. Dismiss the chance of telling a great history of the Emergency Day and maybe it's a little repetitive, but it's a great first step in the turn-based strategy.

Gears Tactics tries some new things, but ultimately results in a game that’s less tactics oriented than the name suggests. It’s a competent experience, but completely whiffs on character with a lackluster story and every tool is a hammer class design. Add in repetitive mission structure and Gears Tactics is a far sight less replayable than the giants of the genre.