Gears of War is the best third person squad shooter ever. The only thing that came close in terms of the fun factor was Brute Force, a game that I think didn't get enough props. Gears of War works very well as a balls-out shooting match. You don't really have to think your way through it, you just shoot your way through it. It's the first cover game I've played and speaking as a Halo and Rainbow 6 guy, you pick it up right away. It feels very natural, a lot better than I thought a 3rd person could be. It does transform the genre.
The environments are as detailed and immersive as can be but not overwhelming. You don't feel as if you have to stop and look around and marvel at it. It doesn't freak you out like the stuff in Prey. Instead, the detail just adds to the gritty feel of the game. There are battles where you sometimes just wish the opposition would run out of ammo, because you're pinned down behind a block of cement and can't move.
There are some monsters in this game that are truly frightening. Very much like Halo, dealing with the various types of enemies, and in combination, force you to change your fighting style. The gameplay is flawless. The feel of your character's movements are as smooth as Halo and Half-Life. The AIs are competent whether they're fighting for your or against you.
What's great about GoW is that within 15 minutes you simply disappear into the game. After the first hour it feels like you've been playing this game all your life. The controls are that simple and natural. But because there are so many different weapons (frag grenade, smoke grenade, boom shot, sniper, chain gun, assualt rifle with chainsaw, shotgun, crossbow, pistol and magnum revolver) and so many enemies, you will find, over time, various combinations and strategies evolving, very much like Halo.
There are unique touches to this game that are subtle and some are profound. For example, reloading has become an art. If you pay attention, you can reload quickly, if you screw up, it will cost you precious seconds. It's something that, once mastered will give a strong advantage. There are very few 'circle dances' in this game, as with Halo, somebody will drop within two or three seconds.
Some of the cut scenes are annoyingly long considering the real lack
of a backstory, however you won't likely be repeating any levels, so
it's not a problem. You're just there and you shoot. And you never
repeat a level over and over, well until you get to the final boss.
The online games are stellar. If you're like me, you hate to hang around in lobbies. You want to get right to the action. This game is perfect for it. Because there is no single player deathmatch, Gears forces you to communicate and although many of the squads don't, they get squashed. The ability to concentrate fire and flank enemies are two very powerful tactics. Teams that get those things right generally become invincible. It's not about weapons so much as it is about tactics. There is no weapon that is outsized and highly contested like the sword in Halo and they are pretty well balanced. The decision to make this a squad based coop game through and through is a very distinguishing mark and a good risk, I think. But in the single player I haven't found the directions to the squad as detailed (or onerous) as with Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six. You have to develop this on your own.
I've not been able to get into many ranked matches. People don't seem to be going for it rather in the same way people seemed to be avoiding it for PGR3. I don't know what's up with that - I sit waiting minutes to get into a room and then it immediately times out. Very frustrating and much inferior to Halo 2 in that regard. That's too bad because the point system for scoring matches is very well thought out and like Call of Duty 3, you get points for reviving teammates, which is an interesting turn in shooters I think all the better ones are adopting.
I haven't seen the strategy guide but I can see tactics evolving. Each map, all of which are exquisite, has unique features that make them interesting. But each of them invites close combat. Matches can be over in 20 seconds when the action gets hot and heavy. You don't respawn in this game. Once you're dead, you sit out the round. The spawn sites are very predictable so I don't think that will change going forward.
All in all, there are a limited number of ways you can play online, but it's focused on the most action packed way of all, medium sized maps that encourage close combat, small squads, deadly weapons and quick motions. I should also say that unlike with Halo there are no circle dances where you unload a whole clip into an enemy reload and start again. You will be dead in short order, make no mistake.
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So here's what I don't like about the game. I already mentioned that the lack of ranked game availability sucks. I don't know what to do about that but I've heard other people complain too. I would have liked to see some average of my match scores kept track of, it might be there I just can't get to it in the ranked matches.
Second, there's a bug in which sometimes late joiners to a room can't be heard. This is a real handicap if the person is on your squad.
Thirdly, it's annoying that you can't change the configuration of your hosted room once you set it up. I know it adds to the amount of gameplay, but sometimes you do wish you could mix it up a bit.
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Here are the things I've noticed that impress me.
I've seen a few times when I spawn and start running to wherever, that my skin detail isn't fully rendered. The fact that the designers anticipated system capacity and knew what to leave off is impressive. Same thing with raindrops.
Very little lag, and lag is always associated with a player that can be identified and kicked. Also very little mic echo although more than a negligible amount.
Recovery from a down is a great idea. How many times have we gotten hit by a noob and know that they were shooting completely random as they run right by you? In Gears, you can get back up and serve them.
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Overall the game is truly excellent in just about every way. As a single player experience it's a little tiring. As a coop, it's great. There is a lot of richness, emergent tactics and lore associated with the game, and I can easily see this becoming a huge franchise. The Gears guys have done a great job.
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