Gears of War: E-Day is set on the brink of humanity's destruction. The titular Emergence Day refers to the moment when hordes of Locust soldiers rose from the ground to wage war on humanity, killing a quarter of the planet's inhabitants in little over 24 hours. We know that this was just the beginning – with the broader Gears series set during the ensuing war – but when I'm thrown into the industrial city of Kalona, survival feels futile.
My hands-on takes place in the game's second act, as a night of horror bleeds into dawn. Kalona is in its death throes. The military is only just pulling itself together, but its higher-ups have no clue how to organize against an enemy that can attack from below-ground. Although boots-on-the-ground soldiers are putting up resistance, it's scrambling and disorganized, leaving returning protagonists Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago to fight fires on all fronts.
