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Gears of War: Judgment
A collection of notes in Damon Baird's journal, the Log expands on declassified testimony and other facets of the game. This firsthand account chronicles the soldier's experience in a riveting and beautifully illustrated oral history - the events he witnessed and the deterioration of COG society, his decision to take his unit rogue, and stories from the other members of his cohort.
- GenresVideo Games
128 pages, Hardcover
First published February 25, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 4, 2021
The Kilo Squad Survivor's Log is an in-universe journal written by Gears of War character Damon Baird. It's an excellent tie-in to the Gears series and Gears of War: Judgment in particular, and I highly recommend it for fans of the series.
In-universe material can be really hit-or-miss. If it comes off as inauthentically written (written not like a character would write), doesn't expand on lore, and doesn't differentiate itself from a regular novel, it's probably going to fall flat.
The Survivor's Log, on the other hand, stays true to Baird's voice and gives more detail on his thoughts, feelings, and background before and during the events of Gears of War: Judgment. It also includes extras beyond Baird's journal entries: cool artwork, screenshots, and in-universe artifacts like museum fliers, maps, and personnel reports.
The journal entries are serviceable but nothing more. Baird is writing to his parents as a sort of therapeutic exercise while he processes his early career in the Gears. He tells some interesting stories but keeps it pretty vague when talking about the events of Judgment.
The real star here is the other material. Reports on squad members, a collectable sports card, and a service commendation are just a few of the objects that are physically pasted into the book. The ability to actually move and touch some of these objects (even while others are static and printed onto the page) adds a totally new dimension to the Survivor's Log. It's obviously not going to fool anyone into thinking it's a "real" journal, but there was clearly some time and attention put into making it into a special collectable for Gears of War fans.
In-universe material can be really hit-or-miss. If it comes off as inauthentically written (written not like a character would write), doesn't expand on lore, and doesn't differentiate itself from a regular novel, it's probably going to fall flat.
The Survivor's Log, on the other hand, stays true to Baird's voice and gives more detail on his thoughts, feelings, and background before and during the events of Gears of War: Judgment. It also includes extras beyond Baird's journal entries: cool artwork, screenshots, and in-universe artifacts like museum fliers, maps, and personnel reports.
The journal entries are serviceable but nothing more. Baird is writing to his parents as a sort of therapeutic exercise while he processes his early career in the Gears. He tells some interesting stories but keeps it pretty vague when talking about the events of Judgment.
The real star here is the other material. Reports on squad members, a collectable sports card, and a service commendation are just a few of the objects that are physically pasted into the book. The ability to actually move and touch some of these objects (even while others are static and printed onto the page) adds a totally new dimension to the Survivor's Log. It's obviously not going to fool anyone into thinking it's a "real" journal, but there was clearly some time and attention put into making it into a special collectable for Gears of War fans.
May 7, 2019
More a collectible art book than a real story-telling book, but beautifully presented nontheless. A good complement for the story told in Gears of War Judgement, describing Damon Baird’s thoughts and feelings before or after the battles encountered during the Battle of Halvo Bay. I’m a big crazy fan of Gears of War, proud to include it in my growing collection of GoW merchandise.
October 7, 2023
Great accompaniment to the games. Brings the world to life, with some cool little nods to the games.
February 2, 2026
Baird is the best
December 18, 2019
I love Baird so I was excited to get a glimpse into his inner workings via his journal. I found myself laughing out loud a lot, but mostly I found that Baird has a heck of a lot more heart than he lets on.
April 4, 2014
I have to start by saying I've never played Gears of War so i know nothing of the GoW universe. Having said that, I enjoyed this book. It's written as a series of letters from Private Damon Baird to his deceased parents. Not bad for a pulpish book based on a video game. I think where this book really shines, though, is that it includes some ephemera, such as an Augustus Cole Thrashball trading card, commendations from the Military of the Coalition, and a propaganda poster, that make this kinda fun. It's the kind of book I would have loved when I was 10. I guess it could be the adolescent version of a pop-up book!
The artwork was really quite nice on some of the pages, even the sketches were well drawn.
This would make a great gift for any fan of the GoW game and has references to creatures and weapons from the game. The binding is excellent and looks really nice on my bookshelf.
Thanks!!!!
The artwork was really quite nice on some of the pages, even the sketches were well drawn.
This would make a great gift for any fan of the GoW game and has references to creatures and weapons from the game. The binding is excellent and looks really nice on my bookshelf.
Thanks!!!!
March 10, 2017
Loved all the neat artifacts the book comes with. Great to have more of Baird's backstory and insight into the events that took place in the game.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews