With the recently launched Wii and PS3 nowhere to be seen on European land as of yet (although I hear emagi just got a hold of one…) us Euros need something new to keep us busy. Fortunately for Xbox 360 owners, Gears of War has just been released.
Just to get the first thing out of the way. The game looks stunning. By far the best visuals seen on the 360 so far, it looks immense and is just as instrumental in immersing you into the experience as possible. Every area has it’s own unique feel, each one as gritty as the next.
However, if you’ve been paying attention to this game at all (watched videos, seen screenshots) then you already know how good it looks. How it plays, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely.
The game plays like a cross between Doom and Ghost Recon, with a huge emphasis on cover but with enough big weaponry on hand to let you really rip your enemies a new one. Computer AI is pretty good with dishing out the pain, but you’ll find that your team-mates get less and less useful as the game goes on. Which would be a huge problem if it wasn’t for 2 player co-op (both online and split screen) which is one of the better gaming experiences out there. The game consists of 5 Acts (stages) split up through checkpoints, and each one is equally memorable with it’s own little set pieces (The claustrophobic, shotgun toting factory area or the Pitch Black-inspired town where you can only survive in the light spring to mind.) It comes to an end a little quickly, but while it’s there the campaign is great; Good storyline, good stages, good everything.
Like Halo 2, the multiplayer aspect of the game is where the majority of your time will be spent after finishing co-op. While at the moment only allowing 8 players on a server, each map is pretty well thought out and allows for some satisfying firefights; especially when your team work together well. Epic are also developing some downloadable content at the time of writing, perhaps to enhance multiplayer and to iron out any of the niggles players might have.
Gears of War, though not without it’s (small) flaws, is definitely the must-have game for anyone who owns an Xbox and is somewhat interested in third-person shooters. What might look like a run-of-the-mill shoot ‘em up is one of the deepest of it’s kind.
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