Gears of War is a third-person shooter set to be the flagship title -- the first killer app -- for the Xbox 360. Is is brought to us by Epic Games, and to put it bluntly, it is awesome.
The story is simple, the planet Sera is the victim of an alien invasion, and must take measures to defend against their assailants. As a last line of defense against the invading Locust, mankind is forced to destroy their own civilization - which honestly seems at least a little counter-productive. Nevertheless, the conflict continues. The game begins when the main character, Marcus Fenix, is sprung from military prison by supporting character Dom Santiago. The mission is to locate and utilize a highly powerful weapon that was previously in the possession of another group of Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) soldiers. Basically, it's time to kill some bugs.
Gears of War is a third-person shooter, viewed from an over-the-shoulder perspective much like the critically acclaimed and wildly popular Resident Evil 4. It employs a unique duck-and-cover style of gameplay, which allows players to use all manner of environmental objects - walls, columns, statues, cars, debris, etc. - as cover, intermittently popping out to return fire. Much like the somewhat obscure Winback: Covert Operations, a simple button tap plants Fenix firmly against whatever cover is available. Pulling a trigger brings him out to aim, and releasing it sends him back to safety. The other trigger rains lead.
Beyond simply moving in and out of cover, Gears of War makes it very easy for players to send Fenix quickly from point to point, in any direction, in order to secure to a new position. These movements could involve quickly dashing across an open doorway, jumping over a low wall, or "roadie running" far ahead to the next pile of junk. The roadie run is a fast, crouched sprint that only lasts a short time, and it is quite useful when a flood of Locust pour out of one of their emergence holes. The setup takes a bit of getting used to, but ends up working like a charm.
The level of control during the combat sequences is phenomenal, and firefights can get very elaborate and very intense - especially on the highest of three difficulty settings, aptly called "insane." In addition to the nine different firearms available throughout the game, there are grenades, stationary gun turrets, and melee attacks, as well as various environmental weapons like gas tanks and faulty architecture. The most spectacular of all the weapons is probably the gruesome and wonderfully satisfying chainsaw bayonet. It instantly dismembers enemies when used successfully, sending copious amounts of blood and various other fluids splattering onto the screen...and everywhere else. Other weapons include a shotgun, sniper rifle (by far the most effective), a couple of machine guns, a rocket launcher, and an explosive bolt shooter, not to mention the Hammer of Dawn (readers, you have to see that one for yourself).
The game is basically all combat, with a few breaks here and there. Exploration is minimal, as everything follows a pre-determined, linear path. The overall presentation is highly cinematic, seamlessly transitioning from gameplay to cut scene and back. The pacing is excellent, driving the game forward in all it's filmic glory. Only one portion really sticks out like a sore thumb to spoil the otherwise smooth ride, and that is to the lone vehicle section. Not only is it far underdeveloped in comparison to the rest of the game and a jarring switch to a totally different gameplay style - it's also just not very fun. At a few junctures, the player is given the choice of going down one of two paths, but each time the split is brief and the two roads soon rejoin. This design may only be in place to serve the cooperative mode, forcing players to part ways every once in a while.
When it comes to multiplayer, Gears of War really shines. It features both online and offline cooperative play, allowing a second player to jump in at any point during the main campaign, then leave just as easily. It is in co-op mode that another of the game's features comes heavily into play. There are no hit points in Gears of War - no health bar and no healing items. As Fenix and company take damage, a red cog begins to appear in the middle of the screen. It continues to darken, telling the gamer that their on-screen avatar is nearing death, and must run for cover. As time passes, the image fades, and the character's health returns to normal. If an ally should fall in combat, running up to him and tapping the X button returns him to his feet, ready to fight again. It's like the Gears version of a revive spell, and while barely useful in single-player mode (especially because AI teammates can't do it), it is absolutely indispensable in the co-op game.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that playing Gears of War cooperatively is one of the best gaming experiences available today. The ability of the two players to take different roles using different weapons, or to strategize on-the-fly, moving either separately or in tandem make the action fun and exciting. Always having to look out for one's partner, reviving him if need be, brings the two players together like few co-op endeavors have manged to do in the past. It is simply a gaming experience worth having.
As for competitive multiplayer, Gears of War offers a rich online playing field. The scale is relatively small, going up to eight players per match, maximum, but it works very well for the style of play. There are no respawns in Gears; the game is round-based, and players can be revived like in co-op mode. The lack of respawning falls in line with the game's focus on self-preservation. You simply cannot be reckless, or you will end up as lunch meat. The available game types are "Warzone," which is a standard deathmatch, "Assassination," where one character is protected by the other three, and "Execution." The last option is unique in that players must finish off opponents, either with heavy fire or a final melee blow. If left in the half-dead state, players will come back via some good button mashing. There are a few flaws in the online game, like the inability to change option mid-session, and the inability to easily move an entire squad from one game to another. It's all a question of player management, though, rather than actual gameplay.
A game with such good gameplay must be lacking something in the graphics department, right? No way. Gear of War may be the prettiest console game to date. On top of that, it has no frame rate issues during gameplay. In the midst of finely detailed, smooth and shiny textures and ridiculously realistic character models (except maybe for their girth), everything runs without a hitch. As for the real-time cut scenes, there are a few instances where slowdown can occur. The attention to detail in this game is phenomenal. The faces of the COG soldiers look real, with scars and blemishes writing the histories of these war-hardened veterans. The landscapes in the game are artistic vistas of a post-apocalyptic world, shattered by conflict. Even in such a state, the gritty environments can be beautiful and picturesque, with the action that unfolds within them completing the visual feast. The only questionable aspect of the visual presentation is the sometimes over-embellished lighting. Most of the time, it is well-implemented, only adding to the game's graphical merits, but at certain points can make the game look artificial.
The audio, as well, is stellar. The sound effects make the weaponry feel heavy and "real," and also makes the player keep an ear out for any disturbances in his surroundings. Enemies are not silent, each with signature phases, grunts, roars, or screeches, and they make plenty of noise while moving around the map. The audio field the game creates is very good, separating sound channels nearly perfectly. Bullets audibly whiz across the field, and the various explosions and rumblings fill the air. The voice acting of the COG is a perfect match for the setting. It is colloquial and authentic, although sometimes maybe a bit forced. Epic may have tried a bit too hard to make the game "manly" with some of the dialog.
As far as the new generation of console games goes, Gears of War stands out above the rest. It has the best graphics out there, with audio to match, it features gameplay that is not only unique and innovative, but works incredibly well. It doesn't rely on cookie cutter first-person action to deliver a top-notch shooter, but does things its own way. As one of the few games to offer the complete single player game in a cooperative mode, in addition to online competitive play, it delivers the goods that gamers love - and gamers love it. There is no reason NOT to own this game.
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