Gears 5: Hivebusters Critic Reviews

Gears 5: Hivebusters recovers the thug tune of the original trilogy. It is a must.

Hivebusters shows that even a 3-hour long experience can be a fun and fulfilling one, if done right. The Coalition just showed us that the Gears franchise is in very good hands.

Hivebusters is a great addition to the story content of Gears 5 on Xbox. The same production values, the same great acting, and (whisper it) a better set of protagonists than Kait and J.D., all add up to make this a must play expansion.

Hivebusters feels like a proper expansion pack to Gears 5 rather than a tacked-on DLC that was really just removed from the main game. The Coalition clearly put a lot of work into this add-on. Though it doesn’t feel like that full step forward that a sequel would be, Hivebusters remains a robust experience and an essential one for Gears fans.

In a mad rush between stone idols and legendary monsters, the three hours of Hivebusters will serve to remind you why Gears is still such a damn satisfying series after all these years.

Gears 5: Hivebusters is a must-play for any fan of the series. From its dire situations to its jaw-dropping combat scenes, it's hard to pull yourself away from the action-packed campaign and once you've completed it, you'll gladly play through it again.

Apart from a few inconsistencies with the relationships between its main characters, Hivebusters does everything a great Gears game should and then some.

This short DLC can be seen as a sum of everything that makes Gears… Gears. The short duration allowed the screenwriters to give shape to a tighter and more cinematic story, all embellished with quite varied scenarios and a graphic impact among the best in circulation. Perhaps there remains a bit of the bitterness of not having seen Hivebusters exploited as a Trojan horse with which to experiment with the introduction of something new in terms of gameplay. But, after all, fans of the Microsoft franchise will be able to enjoy another three unreleased hours in single player or cooperative.

Gears 5: Hivebusters brought solid changes and gorgeous environments in a concise package. Moving forward, I hope the gameplay mechanics, art and characters in this DLC are carried forward.

Packed full of excellent action, blistering combat, a solid cast of characters, and astoundingly beautiful visuals, Gears 5: Hivebusters is unmissable for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the series.

Gears 5: Hivebusters is everything we ask of a Gears of War: lots of action, frenzy, a simple story, and a level design perfect for gunfights. It has an adjusted duration, yes, but it is enjoyable until the end.

Quotation forthcoming.

Even one more hour focused on really telling the story of where Scorpio Squad came from could have made Gears 5: Hivebusters into a far more memorable and substantial DLC. There's easily enough material to even make a full side game, but the expansion feels less like a genuine extension of the Gears universe and more like a way to make players more receptive to playing Escape Mode and purchasing the comic series featuring these characters. At the end of the day, that ethos makes for a disposable expansion that only diehard fans of the franchise or those looking for an Xbox Series X graphical showcase will really get the most out of - though if a player fits that bill, they'll be more than happy with what's on offer here.