>>11852038
I actually really liked GoW when it released, even though it got a dudebro following at the time. I thought it was a fresh take in the FPS/TPS genre with a strong focus on spectacle.

However, I also mark it as the beginning of the end because of how popular it became which wound up influencing a lot of games that came after. While Halo was the original console runaway success in FPS and slowed down the genre significantly and Half-Life released with a focus on a narrative over levels designed for straight action, Gears was built around slower paced combat disguised by a jerky camera and detailed animations but lacked a lot of depth in the actual gameplay.

At the time, I really wanted an FPS/TPS that focused on highly tactical combat in a war setting, something like Rainbow 6's methodical gameplay but drawing from a game like Company of Heroes which had a very strong focus on combined arms and planning. Gears got me excited initially because I thought it had potential to go in that direction as the series progressed, but it very much doubled down on very visceral squad based combat in an arena setting.