GEARS of War revolutionised third-person shooters a decade ago.

So new development team, The Coalition, has wisely gone for an ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ philosophy to bring the dystopian series to current-gen consoles.

What the Canadian studio, who have taken up the mantle from Epic Games, has done though is polish the existing cover-based gameplay with new abilities. The action feels smoother with new protagonist James ‘JD’ Fenix able to get over obstacles much faster and you can now pull enemies out of cover for quick executions.

Gears of War 4 also introduces a whole arsenal of new weaponry. Some of the best are the tongue-in-cheek ones that have do-what-they-say-on-the-tin sort of names.

One of the best, ‘Overkill’, is a devastatingly effective four-barrel shotgun that fires once upon pulling the trigger and again when you release it.

The story sees the narrative fast-forward 25 years after the Locust Horde, the subterranean enemy of the original Gears trilogy, was defeated.

You play as JD, the son of Marcus Fenix, the hero/anti-hero of the first three games, where the scars of war are still very much felt.

The aftermath of the conflict sees martial law declared and travel outside of walled-off cities forbidden.

Many are fighting against this affront to freedom which is where you come in – just as a new threat to humanity’s survival emerges.

This was a clever move by the game’s developers because previous criticisms aimed at Gears have been about the lack of variety in its sequels.

This narrative shift allows for new locations, characters, enemies (including mechs for the first time) and a different tone while retaining the key elements of the series.

Gears 4 also seems to have taken a little inspiration from Naughty Dog games.

In the style of The Last of Us, you learn more about the world the characters inhabit through their conversations and, like Uncharted, the gameplay is broken up with big gung-ho action sequences including a motorbike chase and helicopter battles.

The studio also mixes it up with a dynamic new weather system. You have to endure ‘wind flares’ which send debris flying through the air and alter the path of your projectiles, bringing a whole new dimension to combat.

Ultimately, Gears 4 breathes new life into the series which is still just as intense as it ever was and retains its title as one of the best co-op games out there.

Gears of War 4 is out on Tuesday

RATING 8/10