Gamernode: Reviews - Gears of War

Gears of War

• Gears of War
• Xbox 360
• Epic Games
• MS Game Studios
• November 07th, 2006

It's easy to say that Gears of War is the most hyped game on the Xbox 360 this year; in fact, it's probably the most hyped game of the year, period. But while hype can help a game fly off store shelves at launch, it needs to be a solid, fun title to keep selling and to keep people playing. Halo 2, regardless of what negativity has been aired about it, is a game that has kept it the most popular title on Xbox Live, even two years after its release. Microsoft is relying heavily on Gears to be the heavy-hitter for their console this year, as it's going up against the release of two new next-gen systems and the holiday rush. But Microsoft needn't worry: Gears is everything it could have hoped for, and more.

Gears of War is an interesting case when it comes to writing a review. Whereas most games would be heavily chastised on their faults, Gears, on the whole, gets a pass due to the fact that it's such an incredible experience. Great games are fun to play -- that goes without saying. Gears is, of course, extremely entertaining, but it goes much further beyond that. It takes the undefinable goodness that creates a great game, combines it with the production values of a Hollywood movie (with the clichéd story included, natch) and creates the best game to be released in quite a long time.

Its faults, however, do warrant mentioning. Throughout the game, you'll watch your computer-controlled teammates display levels of idiocy you wouldn't think possible by anything living. Cole, your big (well, that goes without saying -- all of the characters are goliaths), trigger-happy comrade will, in essence, take a knife to a gunfight when he runs into the middle of battle. Dom, the guy you're partnered with the large majority of the time, will take cover on the wrong side of objects and die like it's his job. And Baird will just get on your nerves with his cynicism and his nature to sit back and get shot at.

When taking the game online, you'll be able to immediately identify several of Gears' shortcomings. Unlike other games, such as Halo 2, there is no clan support, nor is there any party system. What that basically means is that you're unable to take a group of players from one room to another; you'll need to individually leave and join again as you hop from game to game. That might have been a non-issue if hosts weren't restricted in their ability to change options in mid-session. To manually change levels, you'll need to leave and create a new game, or wait it out until the game itself decides to switch maps. Additionally, despite the fact that Gears is the type of game that really encourages cooperation and teamwork, you'll be unable to play ranked matches with friends. For everything Gears does right, it just feels like this is a large step backwards.

Co-op support for both offline and online is nothing short of a superb addition. I can't describe the difference it makes, and just how much more fun and intense the game becomes when playing alongside another living, breathing person, as opposed to the computer. Surprisingly, there was no hit in performance or on the graphics while playing co-op, or any type of multiplayer for that matter.

Gears' system of cover is simply amazing. Using just the A button, you're able to run, get into cover, and navigate from one spot of cover to the next. It sounds like it might be oversimplified, but the need to think through your movements circumvents that problem. Without the proper usage of cover, you'll be blown away by the opposition -- this isn't your traditional run-'n-gun shooter. The intricacy of the system -- while still retaining its simplicity -- is what allows for Gears to maintain its mainstream appeal to gamers. Reloading can be a simple matter of pressing the right bumper, or you can opt to press it a second time. If timed correctly, you can reload quicker and possibly obtain a temporary damage boost. If you do go this route, you risk jamming your weapon, so be wary. Most tactical shooters require too much strategy and complicate their control schemes; Gears' cover mechanic and reloading, and indeed the entire control scheme, is a thing of beauty.

The story of Gears of War is fairly clichéd. You'll be fighting alien-like creatures on a futuristic Earth-like planet in an attempt to save the world. The main human characters are hulking giants, clad in heavy armor, whom you really can't relate to and start out by not knowing or caring about. But like so much in Gears, some indiscernible reason results in you becoming truly attached to each of the characters. Even with their annoying nuances, they are your partners and each time they die you'll feel the need to rush over and revive them immediately. The Cole-Train just manages to make a stop in that soft part of your heart, no matter who you are.

It goes without saying that Gears looks absolutely phenomenal. It's hands-down the best looking game I've ever played -- anywhere. The game runs at a silky-smooth 30 frames per second, and the only time I could notice even the slightest hitch in the framerate was during a particularly action-packed cutscene, but it only lasted a short moment and was soon forgotten. The level of detail in weapons, character models and the environment is astonishing and look so good that it's difficult for any other game to compare. Gears' style of gray-tones and a destroyed world work so incredibly well, that even nay-sayers will have to admit that it's all extremely appropriate.

The aforementioned positives and negatives, on their own, don't warrant the score I've given Gears. But as I've said again and again, this game is unlike the large majority of titles out there. Its stunning graphics aside, first impressions wouldn't make you think this is anything more than your run-of-the-mill shooter. Once you start playing in any capacity, though, whether it be single player, co-op or multiplayer, you'll become sucked in and completely immersed into the world that the game provides you with. Chainsawing opponents, blowing their heads off, sniping, laying down cover fire or just marveling at the beautifully constructed world and characters is all significantly more rewarding than can be described.

As you watch a cutscene, or pay attention to the minor details of a firefight, it becomes readily apparent why the game has set itself apart: realism. Any game that sticks you into battle against aliens or any sort of monsters already provides you with a kick in the jaw that it's not real. But Gears, in all of its technical glory, really gives you the impression that you are fighting Locusts and that your life depends on keeping your head behind that pillar. Bullets whizzing by your head, enemies exploding, teammates shouting things out -- finally, a game has managed to immerse you in a battlefield that's unlike anything you've ever experienced before.

For all of its issues, they just don't seem matter in the big picture of Gears of War. It's difficult to really describe what exonerates the game from being considered a lifeless, average game. Maybe it's the stunning visuals, or the satisfaction from chainsawing your opponents into chunks of flesh or the unparalleled sense of realism. It has its problems just like any game, but the experience of playing Gears of War is undeniably incredible.

• (3)
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