Gears is unironically a game you play for the story. The bro dynamic of the main team during the original 3 games and the payoffs of their storylines are legitimately great, with plenty of good moments in between. Its truly a lost genre of "macho men being macho but still hurting" without feeling like its trying to beat you in the head about toxic masculinity and other politics.

That and its never meant to be played solo. Its a splitscreen game all the way.