8. Gears Of War: Judgment
A series loses its allure when the main story is over. I mean, it sounds like a pretty obvious thing to say, yet publishers and developers assume that we'll continue to lap up new entries into franchises that have all but been wrapped up. Likewise, publishers have a habit of forcing spin-off prequels created by different studios down our throats at any given opportunity. Rarely ever setting alight the sales charts, these stop-gap releases are supposed to keep players interested in a franchise while a numbered entry is in development - yet if anything they only serve to sour the goodwill of many. With that in mind, you have to wonder just what Microsoft expected from Gears of War: Judgement. While it wasn't a bad title, it was just more of the same cover-shooting that players had come to expect from a Gears game, repeating a formula that had already started to feel stale by the third entry in the series. Because it barely pushed the property forward, Judgement felt like a last-ditch cash-in on a once-bankable franchise.
Josh Brown
Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked full time as a content producer at WhatCulture for nine years. In that time he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple channels, specialising in subjects such as gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 most listened to gaming podcast in the UK that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, covered breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.
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