Review : Gears of War
Epic's Xbox 360 game Gears of War has been injected with so much testosterone that the disc should grow hair. There's nothing in this game that isn't ridiculously big, covered in dirt, and infected with a bad attitude. Hell, even the grenades look mean. Anti-violence crusaders will no doubt retch when confronted with the blood and guts splattering the screen, but for everyone else, Gears is a big-budget blockbuster chock full of monsters, weapons, and mayhem.
The game actually has a pretty decent story that chronicles the war between humans and a race of creatures known as the Locust Horde. The main character, a mean looking soldier named Marcus Fenix, has been tasked with saving the world. Naturally, nothing goes according to plan, things get FUBAR, and a small team of army guys find themselves stuck in the middle of hell (not literally, however). There's certainly more to the story, but let's skip the formalities. Gears of War is all about grabbing a gigantic machine gun and killing big, ugly monsters that die about as well as any glorified Hollywood stuntman. Blood erupts from wounds, heads explode, and dismembered body parts fly in multiple directions. It's a gorgeous display of war at its absolute worst, a fabulous combination of delectable gameplay and luscious visuals that are shock and awe at its most demonic. It's also akin to watching Robocop for the very first time. Despite the gore, despite the all of the offensive material, it's the coolest damn thing, the type of experience that begs for a replay mode, just so the best kills are seen a billion times.
The game's cinematic cut scenes further enhance the experience. The voice acting is about as cheesy as a Gordita Crunch, but Epic did a remarkable job with the dramatic over-the-shoulder perspective, the shaky camera that follows the lead character as he hurriedly walks, and well-scripted cut scenes that perfectly communicate the game's dark, twisted tale.
Of course, a game is only as good as it plays, and Gears delivers on all fronts. It features a very simplified, two analog stick control scheme as well as quick weapon switching and a handy zoom feature. Almost anyone will be able to pick up the controller and start killing, though dashing into a firefight will result in a quick death. The artificial intelligence is well versed in the art of combat. It's not especially intelligent, but it does a great job making things dead. This is where the use of cover comes into play. Almost everything in Gears can be used as cover, and by pressing the A button while butted up against a surface, the main character will stick to it as well as modify his positioning. So, for example, if he's standing behind a wall with a window, he'll automatically duck under the ledge if he's maneuvered in the window's direction. He can also be instructed to pop up and attack, fire over his head without aiming (a cool looking but ultimately stupid idea), or leap over smaller objects when prompted.
Thankfully, players do not go to battle alone. Marcus' fellow soldiers accompany him throughout the horrific journey, and they're more than capable of holding their own and taking cover, but they're also prone to attacking a gun turret and getting destroyed. They cannot die (they simply fall to their knees and wait to be revived), but having to constantly heal them gets annoying. However, they do put up a fight so that the onus isn't entirely on the player, and they can be instructed to fall back or open fire at will with a single button press.
The single player game is cool because its designers throw the player into all sorts of thrilling situations. Multiple enemies will converge on their location, towering behemoths will attempt to skewer them with large pincers, and other terrors will lie in wait, using the darkness as cover. The wide-open spaces give the game a frenetic "storming the beach at Normandy" type feel, and the cramped darkness suffocates players with its claustrophobic hands. That is, if the monsters don't strangle them first.
Luckily, the game includes a myriad of deadly toys to play with. The shotgun is a great way to kill things at close range, the Longshot sniper rifle turns heads into piles of mush, and the Hammer of Dawn can fry multiple enemies at once. However, the Lance Assault Rifle's got them beat. This very effective machine gun packs some serious stopping power, but it's the special chainsaw attachment that garners the most interest. When activated, this very naughty toy slices enemies down the middle, resulting in a nasty display of blood and guts.
Unfortunately, this tour of duty is over much too quickly. The game can be beaten in eight to ten hours. That's not short by today's standards, but it's disappointing.
Thankfully, the multiplayer spices things up by tossing multiple people onto a battlefield, handing them chainsaws and leaving them to create anarchy. The game supports online and offline co-op as well as eight-person (four-on-four) death matching over Xbox Live and system link. The almost lag free gameplay means that people won't magically teleport around the arenas and that all bullets will find their mark, providing gamers understand how to play. Unfortunately, most people seem to think that the only way to succeed is to bum rush the enemy in the hopes that a barrage of gunfire will lead them to victory. These fools die quickly and sabotage the rest of the team, so it's a good idea to match up with friends and plot effective strategies. At least on the positive side, there are plenty of stupid people that are content to hide behind something and refuse to watch their rears. They're easy targets and a great excuse to rev up the chainsaw.
The only downside to this is Gears doesn't pack the same variety as Halo 2, which has a seemingly endless supply of modes. There's only three modes to choose from and they're simple variations of each other. Warzone is a standard four-on-four death match, Assassination charges players with killing the leader of each team, and Execution is the same as Warzone, except the only way to kill someone is with a melee attack. It's a disappointing selection, yet at the same time, it's good for people that don't care about capturing flags or worrying about reaching a helicopter before someone else does. It's a simple formula of kill or be killed.
Gears of War is a fantastic action romp through a sci-fi wasteland brimming with blood, monsters, and awesome graphics. It could've used some extras as well as a much longer single player campaign, but that's what sequels are for. For now, enjoy the unabashed carnage this game has to offer. Just turn off all the lights, crank up the audio, and have that chainsaw at the ready.
Related Links
Gears of War Game Guide
Gears of War Impressions
Gears of WarGears of War Cheats
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