Actually, I read completing all medal grinds is not enough to complete ToD. Anyway, I don't hate the idea of spending a lot time playing, grinding 10,000 kills etc and eventually unlock something. Gears 3 did it and people liked it.

The thing is, in Gears 5 it's time limited. Yes 3 months is plenty of time for some. But surely not everyone has that much time to play. And they'd rather spend their time playing a specific mode, not grinding modes they like. It's designed to push these people to buy mtx, make no mistake. They won't fix this unless they're called out for it. Remember Gears 4 season pass scam? They've got no shame. 

Do you really find this system fun? I'm Staff-Sergeant II level or something and already frustrated and pissed-off about it. My favourite franchise turned into Fortnite.

Not exaggerating at all unfortunately. 

Laughable content yes and I won't buy them. You kind a missed my point there about them boasting it's a Gears game with most content. Learn what those bloodsprays do for example and then tell me it isn't laughable. 

Gears 5 isn't free on game pass. You pay for game pass. Rare didn't offer mtx after spending a year and a half adding content & communicating with players. 

TC released a broken game. Campaign is still full of bugs when playing co-op. People couldn't play versus at launch. Ok I understand there can be issues on release.. but it's been a month and it's still a struggle to start a match because lobbies dissolving.

Then the servers.. they were fine for a while but it's been couple weeks of 120+ pings for EU players. I have a high speed Internet and I'm on 150+ ping every match. It's unacceptable, online Gears has never been this awful experience. Almost 500 hours on Gears 4 and it was never this bad.

And yeswhat they are doing is predatory. Lootboxes aren't a good excuse ffs.

I'm not spending a dime but the system is hurting my experience. 

Seems that we have two different versions, its why it shocks me when people say what you say. I had no idea the game was like that for you.

I finished the campaign twice and only came across one bug which occurred twice, and that was the game not loading up the next section so I had to restart the check point. 

The MP ping I get my usual 30 to 50 ping so must be a Europe issue. I am from Australia so the issue must vary depending where you are.

Store fronts are not predatory, everything has store fronts, not just games. Predatory would be more aimed towards the young. A game rated mature means its meant for mature people. If someone under age plays Gears 5 than that's a parenting issue not the games fault because it clearly stats MA15+ or whatever the rating is where you are from. 

I am glad you are not spending a dime, me neither. Its as simple as that with store fronts.

I don't like to judge a game off a store that has no affect on me. Its not Battlefront 2. I can easily ignore them and I expect them in all my favourite games because that's the age we live in. I have been playing WoW for 15 years, that game has a Store front, that game also charges me monthly to play it. I am getting ripped off but I enjoy playing it. That's just my 2 cents.

Except it isn't as simple as that. When the whole progression system, cosmetic & character unlocks are built around time-limited grind or pay system. I already explained this and why it hurts the gaming experience. Nevermind the lack of customisation items (no, emotes bloodsprays or banners don't count) and insane store prices.

Make a good product with reasonable amount of content and rewarding progress & unlock system,  then put up a store front that offers something extra. No problem with this. 

But this shit is predatory. Kids play these games. You know it, I know it and they know it. And it's not even the point, it's predatory whether they target 15, 18 or 30 year-olds. And this time-limited grind is especially hurting those with limited time to play.  Bottom line is, it's sucks the fun out of playing.

I'm a fan of Xbox and I huge fan of Gears. But still, this is the first time I really hope an exclusive game to crash and burn. För the sake of future Xbox games like Halo. I don't want them to hurt those games with these practises. FH4 and SoT got the GaaS system right.

Well it's kind of hard to maintain a hate boner for a six year old game. When they added MTX to the game a year and a half after release. And it wasn't even a mode I cared about. 

But yeah, if TLoU2 comes out with $15 skins in a store I'll gladly hate on that too. Naughty Dog likely split multiplayer from TLoU2 because they are working on a GaaS style multiplayer game, set in TLoU universe. And I'll call that game garbage, all the way, whenever it finally releases.

If it was $2 to change weapon colors or skins, I'd be fine with it. Etrian Odyssey V offers that. It's a limited selection of a handful of new avatars for $2 each. With a no nonsense, simple store. In a game that already comes with fifty or sixty free avatars. In a series that has never sold well, so I know the devs are just trying to survive. 

Or if it was like BotW, where you bought a cool $12 toy and that toy came with a mechanically useless, but cool looking outfit. In a game that offers tons of outfits for free. The toy is already worth the $12. Getting the new outfit is just a bonus. 

But Gears 5 is basically asking for Fortnite level skin prices, while not being a free to play game. Even if you got the game via gamepass you are still paying monthly to have gamepass, and on top of that you are paying for XBL to play online. Some people like collecting everything in a game, and it is not fair to ask those people to pay even more money for a part of the game that used to be free, when they already shelled out $60 for the game. 

Not to mention, having a convoluted storefront where items rotate in and out all the time, is just a front to normalize MTX. They want people to grow comfortable about MTX, saying "oh it's in all AAA games these days" (it's not in even 1/7th of them). Eventually they'll move past it just being cosmetic items. If they are greedy enough to pay a 3D artist $400 to work on a skin, and then make $40,000 collectively off selling that skin to various customers, then they are greedy enough to eventually start charging for bullets, weapon mods, etc. 

I was referring to not having to complete all metal grinds to complete it. Doing daily challenges and probably 50-75% of metal grinds will do. I have some issues with the game, but the Tour of Duty is the least of my concerns. For someone who plays the game 2-3 times a week, it shouldn't be a difficult challenge to complete. I'm well aware the majority won't complete it. It's for those dedicated to it, just like for any reward system in a game, it's not going to be simply handed to them. I also kinda like the the idea of having a character skin others might not because I put the time in, not because I spent money. So you know, I'm Officer I. 

Oh I remember Gears 4 season pass. I never bought it because I knew it was BS to begin with. They're doing free map packs and content drops right in gears 5. I personally had way more issues with Gears 4 and how they did everything. 

I also couldn't even play Gears 4 the last years and a half because the wifi I use it not great. As soon as I got into a gnasher battle with anyone, my ping went up to 200-300, lag insanely, and then lose connection. That is why I didn't even bother playing it. Besides the server issues for ultimate members the first few days, my connection has been smooth. My ping ranges 40-60 most of the time.  

If your rank is Officer I you aren't even nearly half-way through ToD unfortunately.. It takes more and more stars to rank up. It's over 500 stars to General. Completing all the medals is ~250 stars.. Many daily challenges are only worth 1 star, some require stupid stuff like complete 5 hives or kill 120 drones. And you can recycle them for free only once a day.

There's absolutely no way you've be able to do this playing 2-3 times a week. What if you're required a win on specific map but nobody ever votes it etc? And it's not over, after 3 months it's time for another grindfest! 

After 3 months we could be grinding for original Delta Squad characters like Baird & Cole.. or characters already in campaign and in game like Clayton & Paduk. How generous of them to add these for free -_-

I agree it's cool to have stuff for the most dedicated players. That's why I mentioned Gears 3. Play and earn, no time-limits and fear of missing out, no system built to make you spend money. Now it's either grind or spend money and grind less.

Funny enough, I don't care about customisation items that much so ToD isn't the worst issue with Gears 5 to me. Not even close. But that's another discussion. 

The MP grind feels the exact same as the other Gears games to me, I honestly don't see the difference than again I play Gears for the SP mode which they did probably the best job out of the entire series here. 

I much rather Gears 5 be super successful which it seems to be because I want Gears 6 to offer another amazing campaign mode. 

I disagree with your predatory statement. Kids play Gears, that's not TC fault that's a parenting issue hence the rating system. I will heavily agree with you on games like NBA2k that are aged for 3+ year olds who can buy unlimited amount of Store items and having casino games shoved in there face. Gears 5 is just like every other basic store front. Again I feel the grind is the same as other Gears games and they have all offered heavy grinds to complete. But again I don't take the MP serious as you might.

I am a huge fan of Smash Brothers and they charged me $20 a character for the bonus ones.. and Ultimate asks for a Season Pass. Its all the same shit, it just doesn't affect me as I choose to spend the money when I want to rather than I have to.

I have yet to play gears 5, but my all time favorite is gears of war 2. It was a great game, and is the first online multiplayer I really ever played, that got my brother and myself to play together for the next 2 years, and brought a few friends and 2 cousins along for the ride too... some great fun and memories to be had.

Gears of war 2 is the best Gears game for me.