E-Day Has One Call of Duty Trick I Didn’t Know It Needed

The first Gears of War: E-Day Beta weekend has come and gone, and it has proven to be a great sneak peek of the game’s multiplayer. I was going to wait to check out the second weekend, but the FOMO quickly crept in and convinced me to set aside a few hours over this past weekend to see what Gears of War: E-Day has in store with its multiplayer modes. Overall, I’m really impressed, and particularly with one Call of Duty-inspired mechanic that I wasn’t completely sold on leading up to the Beta: sliding.

Sliding mechanics aren’t anything new, and Call of Duty wasn’t even the one to popularize the feature. However, it has become a staple mechanic for the Call of Duty games ever since being introduced in Call of Duty: Ghosts. Sliding may be a well-known mechanic, but when it comes to the Gears of War games, it’s completely fresh. E-Day marks the first time that a slide mechanic has been added to the gameplay, and it actually turns out to be a really great fit for the series.

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Gears of War: E-Day Is Shaking Up the Franchise’s Gameplay, and It Might Be for the Better

Any change that makes Gears of War: E-Day’s gameplay different from past entries is going to be controversial. It’s a 20-year-old franchise, so that’s two decades worth of expectations that have been built up among the fan base. Developer The Coalition is in a tricky spot with such an anticipated prequel, because keeping every gameplay aspect the same might turn away series newcomers who find past mechanics restrictive, while adding new mechanics to the mix can upset some longtime fans.

Gears of War: E-Day has to honor a long-running series with a huge fan base and still appeal to fresh players. It’s an incredibly challenging balancing act to get right. The Coalition seems to have achieved this for the most part, though, at least when it comes to multiplayer. Since the Gears of War: E-Day Beta only focuses on multiplayer, it’s impossible to know if the prequel is going to nail such an important story moment in the franchises’ overall lore. Fans will have to wait until October for that reveal, but from a gameplay standpoint, Gears of War: E-Day is a blast.

Gears of War: E-Day’s Slide Mechanic Makes Combat More Aggressive

The Gears of War games have a huge focus on action, and the slide is a useful addition that makes intense moments feel even sweatier. Players can really zoom through the maps, and hitting a slide and finishing with a kill is incredibly satisfying once you get the hang of it. The classic core gameplay staples are alive and well in Gears of War: E-Day, so longtime fans who have been with the series since day one still get that nostalgic feeling. It just so happens that there are some upgrades thrown in, as well.

Gears of War: E-Day’s sliding and jumping don’t get in the way of the cover shooting mechanics that the franchise has been so well known for. It simply makes combat more dynamic. Also, players who don’t necessarily enjoy sliding can just opt not to use it. The Gears of War: E-Day gameplay changes don’t just stop at sliding and jumping, either. The default position of the Active Reload bar is now in the center of the screen instead of the top right corner of view.

It’s Still Too Early to See the Full Picture, But Gears of War: E-Day Is Off to a Strong Start

I will admit that I was a strange mix of both skeptical and deeply excited while logging into the Beta. Gears of War has been a part of my life for an incredibly long time, and I have been crossing my fingers that it lives up to my expectations. The real deciding factor for me is going to be Gears of War: E-Day’s story, but the multiplayer is a promising taste of what else the game has to offer.

This Is When Beta Weekend 2 Goes Live

August 13 – August 17

Open to all players on Xbox, PC, and Steam.

The first Beta weekend was only available for pre-orders and Xbox Game Pass subscribers, but the second weekend is going to be the most intriguing of all. Everyone who has access to an Xbox, PC, or Steam will be able to jump in and offer their own feedback. The more participants and early reviews there are, the better The Coalition will be able to make the game at launch, since there is still a little bit of time to make some small tweaks ahead of October.

Gears of War: E-Day’s multiplayer may not be the main star of the show like the campaign story will be, but it’s what’s potentially going to keep the game going strong for years after the initial launch. Campaign and multiplayer are two essential pieces to the Gears of War DNA, so it’s going to be a real thrill starting up the story for the first time after getting a taste of how fun multiplayer is.

These combat mechanic changes might not click with every die-hard Gears of War fan, but gameplay evolution is important to keep a series going for as long as possible. This new Gears of War chapter has the heavy burden of being one of the key players in Xbox’s 2026 plans, so risks have to be taken in order for the game to truly make waves. If done well, a new game in a long-running series can still stay true to the original formula while also pushing it forward into the future, and Gears of War: E-Day might do just that.