10 Video Games That Had A Bigger Impact Than You Realise

Gears of War immediately cemented itself as one of Xbox's most impressive IP: a visually stunning sci-fi third-person shooter that won near-universal acclaim from critics and kickstarted a franchise that endures to this very day.

But Gears' true legacy lies in the gameplay mechanics and distinct aesthetics it popularised.

First and foremost, Gears served as the blueprint for the modern over-the-shoulder cover shooter. It wasn't the first third-person shooter to feature cover-based gameplay, but at the time of its release it was undeniably the most mechanically robust iteration of the concept.

Its movement, traversal, and reload mechanics are still prominently replicated in the genre to this very day, from games like Mass Effect to, more recently, Returnal.

As one of the first games released using Unreal Engine 3, Gears also had a massive aesthetic influence on the industry for many years.

Its grimy, earthy visual style ushered in an era of gritty action games utterly obsessed with drab, washed-out colour palettes: a style that very quickly wore itself out.