u/300DukeSinClaire

I seen a channel claim 8.X million NFA items are registered so how many individual people own? And any citing?

1. My biggest issue both is and isn’t that Kait became the lead. I don’t think making Kait the protagonist was automatically a bad decision. It’s that the game almost completely sidelines JD after Act I. Instead of having both characters share the journey, JD gets his character assassinated and left behind while Kait goes on the main mission.

2. If you compare it to Gears of War 2, Marcus is clearly the main protagonist, but Dom is with him for nearly the entire game. Dom’s search for Maria becomes part of both of their stories, and that’s what strengthens their relationship. Gears 5 could have done something very similar. JD, Kait, and Del could have all traveled to Mount Kadar together. While Kait searched for answers about her connection to the Swarm, JD could have been trying to repair his relationships with Kait and Del after the settlement protest. Instead of separating them, the journey itself could have been what rebuilt their trust.

3. I think the story would’ve been much stronger if JD had accompanied Kait. Watching them work through JD’s mistakes, his guilt, and Kait’s connection to the Swarm could have developed both characters instead of sacrificing one for the other. Rather than constantly framing JD through his past mistakes, the game could have shown his redemption happening alongside Kait’s own journey.

4. JD had a genuinely interesting arc after the settlement protest and his fallout with Del and Kait, but the game barely explores it because he’s absent for most of the story. It feels like there was a lot of missed potential. Instead of sidelining him, all three of them could have gone to Mount Kadar together and grown as characters through the same experiences.

5. On top of that, some of Kait’s dialogue felt overly forced to me. Rather than coming across as naturally strong, some of the writing felt like it was trying too hard to make her seem independent while putting JD down. It didn’t always feel like believable character dialogue. At times it felt like “girl boss” writing that was inserted into the script instead of developing naturally, and it reminded me more of modern Disney style writing than the grounded adult tone that made the original trilogy I grew up watching so memorable.

6. I don’t dislike Kait as a character. I think she had the potential to be a great protagonist. I just think Gears 5 would’ve been a much stronger story if it had focused on both Kait and JD, or better yet, kept JD, Kait, and Del together throughout the journey, instead of pushing JD into the background.

Does anyone else feel this way, or am I in the minority?