 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action Developer: Epic Games Publisher: Microsoft |
When players are at an intersection and must decide which path to take, both paths are equally dangerous and swarmed with hordes of
armed Locust with explosive arrows and chainsaws, players realize how great of a game “Gears of War” is. It is one of the most
amazing action games available on the Xbox 360. The graphics are great, the sound is great and the game overall is a lot of fun. Even
when players take to multiplayer, shouting orders to teammates through Xbox Live, system link of across the room, players will realize
that this is game lives up to the hype it has received since the game was first announced.
“Gears of War” takes place over a 36 hour span on the planet of Sera. Sera was once a civilized human planet of sidewalk cafes and
parks, but that is not how it is anymore. The residents of Sera did not know that a Locust Horde was digging under the city. These
superhuman underground monsters are creatures to be feared, and one day they finally decide to emerge, and players must send
them back to the depths of wherever they come from. The loss of life from their arrival was catastrophic, or so the opening sequence
shows. The soldiers of the Coalition of Ordered Governments, or COG, fought but failed. In the heat of battle, COG soldier Marcus
Fenix defied orders in order to try to save his father. He was caught and imprisoned. Fourteen years passed and the Locust have
closed in, taking over the prison that Marcus was put in and an old friend opens the cell door, gives Marcus a gun and the fight against
the Locust begins, again.
This is a game that chooses to show players more than tell by introducing amazing cinematic sequences and very informative dialogue
between Marcus and some of his fellow COGs, including his old friend Dom, the cocky Baird and Cole. Using this is a great way of
introducing the world and the character of Marcus, at least just enough to catch the interest of the player. However, by the end of the
game players will not get a resolution, which means players should look forward to a possible sequel. There are many questions that
are never answered in the story that will be very frustrating.
Through the storyline players will fight their way through survival missions that are used to scare the player, and it works well.
Eventually players will find themselves fighting in large, open battlegrounds taking on large numbers of Locust as once before taking on
the evil general of the Locust army. Though the game is a little short on story, it gives players a very immersive and compelling
atmosphere that pulls players right to the planet of Sera. Anymore insight into the story of the war or Marcus’s past will have to wait for a
possible sequel.
At first glance “Gears of War” looks like it is an arcade shooter because the action is fast and there are a lot of enemies to take down
and allies to protect. However, at the same time there is an AI that performs flanking maneuvers, they will advance and retreat and
execute the basics of armed combat as if players are playing against their friends. While players are ducking behind a tree or other
cover waiting for the enemy to reload, players will feel as though the game was originally conceived during a game of paintball. No
matter how the game was thought of, “Gears of War” is a fresh take on the shooter genre that works very well.
Of course there are a few flaws that players will be concerned with, such as the fact that the A button does too much in the game.
Though it works well for getting to cover, holding the A button triggers a quick sprint in which the camera follows behind the player.
Often times while sprinting players will be pulled to a piece cover against the will of the player. Players will be able to look past this for a
while, but it does get to be quite frustrating.
Visually “Gears of War” is one of the best looking games on the Xbox 360. The environments are very big and are very diverse. There
has been a lot of attention placed on detail that some players may never see, like objects that are either barely able to be seen, such as
object on top of a skyscraper. None of the structures are the same and there is no repetition of environments. The art design is
wonderful and the architecture in the game will leave players starring for many hours, most of which is inspired by Greek and Roman
architecture. This is one game that needs to be seen to understand how great it is. It even looks good in standard definition.
This is a game that offers a high learning curve, especially in the cover system, but for those who master is will find that the twists and
turns are an exciting change from the typical shooter genre game. With a blend of fast arcade action and tactical maneuvering, players
will be challenged through the variety of difficulties. “Gears of War” is a special blend of elements that makes players excited about
games again, even if it takes a chainsaw to do that.
armed Locust with explosive arrows and chainsaws, players realize how great of a game “Gears of War” is. It is one of the most
amazing action games available on the Xbox 360. The graphics are great, the sound is great and the game overall is a lot of fun. Even
when players take to multiplayer, shouting orders to teammates through Xbox Live, system link of across the room, players will realize
that this is game lives up to the hype it has received since the game was first announced.
“Gears of War” takes place over a 36 hour span on the planet of Sera. Sera was once a civilized human planet of sidewalk cafes and
parks, but that is not how it is anymore. The residents of Sera did not know that a Locust Horde was digging under the city. These
superhuman underground monsters are creatures to be feared, and one day they finally decide to emerge, and players must send
them back to the depths of wherever they come from. The loss of life from their arrival was catastrophic, or so the opening sequence
shows. The soldiers of the Coalition of Ordered Governments, or COG, fought but failed. In the heat of battle, COG soldier Marcus
Fenix defied orders in order to try to save his father. He was caught and imprisoned. Fourteen years passed and the Locust have
closed in, taking over the prison that Marcus was put in and an old friend opens the cell door, gives Marcus a gun and the fight against
the Locust begins, again.
This is a game that chooses to show players more than tell by introducing amazing cinematic sequences and very informative dialogue
between Marcus and some of his fellow COGs, including his old friend Dom, the cocky Baird and Cole. Using this is a great way of
introducing the world and the character of Marcus, at least just enough to catch the interest of the player. However, by the end of the
game players will not get a resolution, which means players should look forward to a possible sequel. There are many questions that
are never answered in the story that will be very frustrating.
Through the storyline players will fight their way through survival missions that are used to scare the player, and it works well.
Eventually players will find themselves fighting in large, open battlegrounds taking on large numbers of Locust as once before taking on
the evil general of the Locust army. Though the game is a little short on story, it gives players a very immersive and compelling
atmosphere that pulls players right to the planet of Sera. Anymore insight into the story of the war or Marcus’s past will have to wait for a
possible sequel.
At first glance “Gears of War” looks like it is an arcade shooter because the action is fast and there are a lot of enemies to take down
and allies to protect. However, at the same time there is an AI that performs flanking maneuvers, they will advance and retreat and
execute the basics of armed combat as if players are playing against their friends. While players are ducking behind a tree or other
cover waiting for the enemy to reload, players will feel as though the game was originally conceived during a game of paintball. No
matter how the game was thought of, “Gears of War” is a fresh take on the shooter genre that works very well.
Of course there are a few flaws that players will be concerned with, such as the fact that the A button does too much in the game.
Though it works well for getting to cover, holding the A button triggers a quick sprint in which the camera follows behind the player.
Often times while sprinting players will be pulled to a piece cover against the will of the player. Players will be able to look past this for a
while, but it does get to be quite frustrating.
Visually “Gears of War” is one of the best looking games on the Xbox 360. The environments are very big and are very diverse. There
has been a lot of attention placed on detail that some players may never see, like objects that are either barely able to be seen, such as
object on top of a skyscraper. None of the structures are the same and there is no repetition of environments. The art design is
wonderful and the architecture in the game will leave players starring for many hours, most of which is inspired by Greek and Roman
architecture. This is one game that needs to be seen to understand how great it is. It even looks good in standard definition.
This is a game that offers a high learning curve, especially in the cover system, but for those who master is will find that the twists and
turns are an exciting change from the typical shooter genre game. With a blend of fast arcade action and tactical maneuvering, players
will be challenged through the variety of difficulties. “Gears of War” is a special blend of elements that makes players excited about
games again, even if it takes a chainsaw to do that.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
