After playing For Honor i realized how similar it feels to Gears of War. Theme aside, For Honor and Gears of War are two very similar games. There are a few key features that result in the games having a similar feel. This post identifies and explains the similarities in game-play to help any prospective buyer get a better feel for what the games are like. I'm also wondering if anyone else has spotted the obvious similarities....
(For the purpose of this article I'm referring to the original Gears of War game)
Max 4v4 player matches
Sometimes more is not necessarily better. By restricting the amount of players in a match both games increase the rivalry aspect of competitive game-play. As you repeatedly fight to the death against a familiar player name you build a personal vendetta towards players you recognize. Although this also happens in larger match games like COD or Battlefield it is much more intense and common within the smaller matches of FH and GOW.
Smaller matches make cooperation logistically easier. The best teams work together and understand their teammates strengths and weaknesses. In FH this is largely based around the strengths and weaknesses of the different warrior classes where as in GOW certain players tend to be better suited to certain guns. Either way working as a team to take down the enemy offers a huge advantage in both games.
Executions & Revivals
This is perhaps the most obvious similarity. The mechanic in both games is almost identical. Initially defeating an enemy puts them down but doesn't completely kill them. While 'down' a player can be revived by a teammate who most sacrifice a portion of time (leaving them vulnerable to attack) to revive the downed player. There is also an execution ability in both games which allows the victor to sacrifice time (leaving them vulnerable) to kill off the player, preventing them from being revived. This mechanic feeds into the rivalry, as well as the cooperative game-play.
2 player co-op
Ive only played a couple missions of this in FH so i don't really have much to say about it. But the co-op mode in both GOW and FH is 2 player.
In summary, i have never played two games that are so far apart but so similar at the same time. The themes of both games are MASSIVELY different, medieval warfare vs futuristic horror shooter. Even so the feeling i get from chopping off my opponents head brings back nostalgic memories of curb stomping a chainsaw noob out of the game.
P.S If anyone figures out how to crab walk in For Honor then be sure to let me know!