3. Pacing
It's worth noting that though the Gears games until now have certainly not wanted for intensity, the pace of the games aren't exactly frantic; you'll have a few minutes of downtime between each battle, where you run through to the next area and so on. The general pacing of Judgment feels scrappier and more frenetic; partly aided by the well-placed flashbacks, the story flings you all over the pace and as a result often barely gives you time to breathe between set-pieces. This helps to intensify the combat, which thanks to the spawn system is also far more lively, particularly because it denies you the ability to camp, which of course could grind things to a halt in previous games. Online, also, this makes itself clear; particularly during the Free For All multiplayer matches, things feel faster and more frantic than ever. It's not quite on the level of Call of Duty's insane pace, but it's still a noticeable shift from GOW3.