Shortly after the beginning of the game, that Fenix estate is shown surrounded by an encroachment of DeeBee robots. That encroachment gets larger, and larger...and larger as the camera pans out. This was undoubtedly influenced (whether directly or indirectly) by the death-dealing robots in the Terminator movies. The difference here is that the DeeBee robots in Gears Of War 4 were made by the GOG's very own Baird, and give their subjects of manhunt phrases of encouragement and comfort. "Help us help you." Hearing things like this as they hunt you down is both ironic and eerie. These enemies almost look like humans because they are outfitted with clothing, but they were still really surprising to see. Previous games in the series featured mostly the Locust as enemies. Capcom's Spawn game didn't have very many mechanical enemies, either. The mechanical enemies in Gears Of War 4 definitely add to the horror-type theme of the game, which isn't easy to do. The Locust monsters are generally scarier-looking than a robot, so making them just as scary was probably no easy feat.

Each game tells a tragic story of fighting for humanity. Strangely, both games have a story aspect in common. At first glance, it would seem as if they don't have much in common. After all, one has to do with the supernatural, while the other has to do with mysterious monsters. I noticed something strange they have in common - the source focus. What does this mean? It means that both games have in common their threats from below the floor. Spawn's adversaries are from Hell, and the Locust come from the depths of the Earth. The series seems to depict the Locust with more humanity since Gears 3, and Gears 4 carries this on. The Locusts, once depicted as bloodthirsty invaders, are more recently depicted more like victims of consequence. On a few occasions, I felt sympathy for the Locust even though they had tried to kill me on numerous occasions previously. Their cries have gradually become more human, as will be discussed later when we address the audio.

Getting through Spawn and Gears 4 is fun. Both offer tons of fodder to dispose of on the way to each boss, and essentially allow you to play as them. These games differ in their approach, though. Each offers unique areas, but Gears 4 seems more streamlined in that its battle locales are connected. Gears 4 has this cool thing where you'll be in a part in the Story, but notice in Versus that you're in an area above, below, or in proximity to that part from the Story. It really gives you a sense of Gears 4's scope. There are tons of areas to explore in the Story mode that aren't in Versus, and vice versa. Some of the wannabe hardcores haven't explored the Story areas, and it's a real disservice, considering that's probably what a lot of the price went to. Even better are the motorcycle rides, turret shredding, mech battles, and racing against time in the elevator cable part! From start to finish, the Gears 4 Story mode is masterfully-done, and never forgets where its from.