Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer is a wicked blend of Horde and Beast

We play a few rounds of the brand new multiplayer mode, Overrun.

Gears of War: Judgment may focus on a different protagonist (Baird) and a new time period (just after Emergence Day), but the core tenets of multiplayer remain, but it's still a cover-centric shooter that encourages teamwork over insane reflexes. And the new multiplayer mode, Overrun, is the best example of this.

Overrun is best described as a mash-up of two modes from Gears of War 3: Horde 2.0 and Beast mode. The concept: two teams of players face off with one side playing as COGs and the other playing as different species of Locust. The COGs have a simple objective: Protect a generator against the Locust swarm.

Each map starts off with pre-made defenses, like razor wire, which will slow the Locust side from reaching their objective. Once the defenses are destroyed, they're gone for good, so it's up to the COGs to keep them maintained. This is where the new class system comes into play.

COG players decide which class they want to spawn as. Each class has different abilities on the field. For example, the Engineer is able to repair defenses using a blowtorch and can drop down automated defense turrets.

On the flip side, there's the Locust. Just as in Gears of War 3's Beast mode, the Locust team is able to spawn as a wide range of different creatures, from the diminutive Ticker or Wretch to the more sizable Drone or Corpser. Spawning as a certain creature costs points, with smaller creatures costing less of the team's resources. But, as you earn more points, more powerful classes begin to unlocking, giving players more of a fighting chance.

For example, in the match I played, I was able to spawn as a Bloodmount and, after some coaxing, was able to convince another player to hop on my back as a Kantus. The Kantus could fire his rifle and heal, while I was able to bash down enemies and defenses with a powerful melee attack. It was a devastating combo.

One of the reasons Beast mode in Gears 3 lacked longevity was that there wasn't a ton of variety to it. Once you figured out the pattern for success in each map, it was simply a matter of replication. In Overrun, though, the addition of player-only teams of Locust and COGs means your likelihood of success is tied directly to your willingness to switch up your tactics from game to game. Gears of War: Judgment follows the basic rules of nature: Evolve or die.