Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	10
Sound:	10
FunFactor:	10
PlasmaFactor:	10
Overall:	9.8

Gears of War Review
November 7, 2006 by Kenneth Seward, Jr.

The Xbox 360 has its share of awesome games. Its library includes everything from first person shooters like Prey to the once Sony-exclusives like Devil May Cry 3. Now the 360’s roster has just acquired one beast of a game developed by Epic. Leaving nothing but the smoking entrails of its competitors, Gears of War is the best third person shooter...period!

Pick Up the Shotgun…

From the moment you start up the game till the fiery end, Gears does not fail to impress. The story takes place on Sera (Earth) years after the onslaught on the humans by the subterranean people called the Locust. On that day, Emergence Day, the human race met its match. For years the Locust were slowly eradicating humanity from the face of Sera. Being that they dig tunnels under the ground, the Locust could pop up anywhere at any time. In order to keep them from taking complete control over the cities and military bases of Sera, the humans used nuclear weapons to destroy vast amounts of the planet. They were then forced to gather on the Jacinto Plateau, a place set on a granite foundation; this made it impossible for the Locust to tunnel under them. From there, the last surviving humans waged an ongoing war against their lizard-like adversaries.

You begin the game as Marcus Fenix, a former soldier (Gear) in the war against the Locust, who is locked up behind bars. Thought to be a traitor for abandoning his post in order to save his father, Fenix was sentenced to forty years in prison. Moments later you are released from your cage by your former squad mate, Don. He gives you a nice shiny Gears outfit and a gun before informing you that you have been acquitted of all charges. You are then thrown into a full-fledged war against your worst nightmare made flesh. Gears of War is all about nonstop action. You will be gunning for your life as the horde of Locust start to close in on you. Don’t worry, you’re not by yourself. Gears supplies you with competent, computer-controlled squad mates. With the Locust AI being so smart, you're going to need teammates just as smart. They will duck behind cover, retreat when overwhelmed, and even flank the enemy. If that's not enough, you can also play the entire game with the help of a friend.

Gears of War has a co-op mode that can be played over Xbox Live or with a friend on the same console. I can safely say that Gears has one of the most satisfying co-op modes around. When your friend joins the game he will take on the role as Don. It’s one thing to have computer-controlled players that stand on their own but being able to jump in and out of a friend's game to help take it to the horde is just plain awesome.

Once you are released from prison and the action starts you are given a choice of any easy or hard way out of the prison. Both ways teach you some of the in's and out's of the game but the hard way throws more enemies your way. Of course, I chose the latter of the two. This is when you are introduced to the controls and mechanics of the game. The mechanics of the game can be understood by understanding the wonderful control scheme employed by the geniuses at Epic. Being that this is a third person shooter, it comes to no surprise that the face buttons are used to change weapons and the triggers control aiming and firing respectively. The left analog stick is used for movement and the right one is used for controlling the camera. To zoom in (when you have the sniper rifle) you click in on the right analog stick. The B button is used for melee attacks, Y is for looking at points of interest, and X is the "use" button. What sets Gears controls apart from other games is how deeply intuitive these controls can be after a couple of hours of game play. The A button is the all-around button. It is used to get behind cover, to dive or evade, to run, and to climb over objects. The function of the A button changes depending on what you want your character to do and how far away he is from structures. For instance, if you press the A button when close to a wall Marcus will slide into it, taking cover from enemy fire. If you are taking cover behind a low wall, pressing up on the left analog and the A button will have you climb over it. Holding the A button will cause Marcus to start a crouching run (called the roadie run).

Normally having one button perform so many tasks is just asking for trouble, but Epic has found a way to make it work. Before you know it you will be dodging gunfire and diving behind cover while blasting Locust.

The right bumper is used to reload your weapon. This mechanic is pushed further by allowing players with quick reflexes to gain a boost in power after reloading. When you press the reload button, a grey bar pops up on the HUD where the ammo slot is. Within the faded bar is a shorter white bar that is followed by another bar. After you press the right bumper a slider will move across the grey bar from left to right which passes over the shorter bars. If you press the right bumper a second time while the slider is over the white bar you will not only reload faster but gain a short power boost as well. If you miss the white bar and it is over the less than white bar, you will just reload faster. If you miss both bars then your weapon will jam, leaving you open to an attack. Honestly, it sounds more complicated than it is.

The B button, as I said before, controls the melee attacks. When you get the Lancer (think Battle Rifle) the B button is used to rev the chainsaw bayonet. Get close to one of the Locust with it revved and watch as your character rips said Locust in half. If you have another weapon the B button will make your character swing it at his enemies with tremendous force. If you are holding a grenade the B button will allow you to stab it into the enemies' flesh. After a few seconds the grenade explodes causing body parts to rain all over the screen. Lovely!

Oooooh Wee; I’m Good Looking…

Being able to run in 1080i and 1080p, Gears of War is one of the best looking games out right now! If the Locust bullets don’t leave you breathless, then the way the sun reflects light off the ancient architecture will. Expositions will rock your T.V. and blood will stain the screen as you battle the horde. Even on a regular T.V., Gears of War shines. If you don’t believe me, play on the rainy level just once. Other games won’t look the same to you after that.

I Can’t Hear You Over The Gunfire…

The sound quality of Gears is amazing. With the volume cranked, when a grenade goes off near your character it sounds like your house is being bombed. All the guns in Gears sound powerful enough to buck down tanks. The vocals from the characters on screen are great too. Humans and Locust alike will yell different things depending on what’s going on onscreen. It’s chilling to hear a Locust’s deep, raspy voice close to your position and not know where it is. On the other hand, the banter between your teammates can be hilarious at times. And I don’t care what other writers think, Fenix’s voice sounds cool!
 

Fun and Gun…

The Fun Factor goes hand and hand with the Plasma Factor. This game was designed with teamwork in mind. Playing co-op with a friend is fun but you will definitely want to try the other multiplayer modes. Battles are raged on Xbox Live (Four on Four) or with system link (only two people on each console). The teams are split between the humans and the Locust. They all play the same so everyone is on even footing. What will determine the victor is teamwork. If you leave your teammates and run out into the open chances are your brains will be decorating the concrete. What makes matters worse is that you will have to wait until the next round to respawn. This makes playing as a team all the more important. This might sound bad for those of you who like to be the "lone wolf", but I assure you that Gears is most fun when played with like-minded individuals. I can’t tell you how many times one of my teammates saved me from being decapitated by taking out a sniper before he got off his shot. It's quite exhilirating.

Not so long ago Epic released new maps and a new mode called Annex. This is similar to King of the Hill, where two teams battle to control random points on the map. This is a cool addition in that it adds replay value but it also appeases those who didn’t like the CounterStrike-like matches. I prefer the original modes myself.
 

 

 

The Bottom Line!

Gears of War is everything one can expect from the developers that brought us the Unreal Tournament series and then some. If you don’t have an Xbox 360 and a copy of Gears, go find someone that does and be their friend. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.