Gears Of War Reviews

• A Must Have for the Mature Gamer

  
  By A3V6Z4RCDGRC44 on 2006-11-21
  Gears of War is a high energy, well detailed sci fi shooter set in a dismal future. You are a muscular, well trained soldier wearing pounds of gear, armor and weapons - and it'll barely be enough to keep you alive.
  
  This game is compared frequently to Halo, but if Halo is the lighthearted ease of Star Wars, Gears of War is the non-stop assault and clinging to life of Alien. You're not jumping around like a kangaroo here, blasting at foes. You are heavily laden, crouching behind anything you can find to shield you, trying your best to stay alive for five more minutes. You have to work strategically with your fellow soldiers to climb forward every inch.
  
  The graphics in Gears of War are very impressive. The game is done in a palatte of browns, greys and reds. The dismal skies above, the swarms of black birds, the dented and dingy equipment - this is a world on the verge of despair. Enemies don't stand out with brightly colored costumes. You have to really pay attention to know where they are and to take them out.
  
  The sounds really help drive home the urgency of your mission. Voices cry out on all sides for help. The hammering of the machine guns and rapid fire weapons ring in your ears. The soundtrack is pounding and epic. If anything this is all TOO pounding - after playing this for weeks, I really can get a headache :) I'd turn it down, but then I wouldn't be able to tell where the enemies were sniping me from sometimes.
  
  The storyline really helps involve you in what is going on. It's like being at the center of a high power action movie. There are decisions you can make along the way to help guide the story. I really enjoy the "fight for every inch of soil" way it has you feel like you are involved in a real challenge. It might seem TOO challenging for some new gamers. Stick with it - it's well worth it.
  
  I do wish, with all of their emphasis on taking cover and being cautious - that you could CROUCH. I understand not being able to jump - you're wearing hundreds of pounds of gear! However, you can crouch behind cover. Why can't you crouch when you're not near cover, to lower your profile a bit? I think that would help out in some situations.
  
  Still, that's a minor complaint for a fantastic game. If you're a mature gamer (there's a fair amount of blood here) that enjoys shooters, definitely pick this one up!
  
  

• Gears redefines FPS

  
  By A3F6O9EE6JOTH1 on 2006-11-09
  I'm a Halo FREAK. I love Bungie's masterpiece and will count the days until Halo3 comes out- but Gears of War destroyed my expectations of what a FPS could be like. Gears does things on a level I thought this generation of hardware was incapable of doing! I never would have thought that graphics like this were possible - you simply MUST SEE IT to BELIEVE IT! The high resolution screenshots on the web do NOT do this game justice. And the music is AMAZING to hear in the heat of combat.
  
  And the combat- nothing touches this. Your teeth will be clinched TIGHT the entire time- every bullet is a potential killer and you feel TERRIFIED as the cover you're behind begins to fall apart while Horde forces are flanking your position!! I can not give this game any higher praise than to say it sets the bar so high, I'm only hoping that Halo3 will be able to touch it!
  
  Game of the Year -no DOUBT in my mind
  
  

• Gears - The 360's First Killer App

  
  By A16NK4WD84MNK8 on 2006-12-27
  I recieved Gears of War for Christmas and have to say that it's visuals are absolutely second to none and are the first thing your likely to notice about this title. We're talking visuals quite a few steps ahead of the pack, and the animations that they support are superb, everything from the characters to the explosions, to the game's oh so destructable world. I havent completely finished the game but felt compelled to throw in my two cents now to maybe influence holiday buying decisions for you late shoppers out there, people who maybe received say 60 dollers as a gift and is wondering how to spend it. Well, quite frankly, you couldnt spend it on a better game. Gears of War does for the 360 what The Legend of Zelda did for the N64, or what Halo did for the original Xbox. It will become one of those games that defines the system, or at least for a long, long while. Apart from the outstanding visuals (either in high-def or not) gamers will be pleased to find one heck of a sound design. The sounds of the Locust crying out as your chainsaw rips through them is one of the most satasfying things i've heard in recent gaming. The musical score is also to be highly noted, it is beautiful in a creepy kinda way and i hear it in my head between playing stints. The game controls really tight for the most part. Using a "one button does all" approach, the A button will become your best friend...yes even moreso than the right trigger. It allows you to take cover, barrle roll, all sorts of things, depending on the context. Basically it is your protection from becoming a thousand tiny pieces in a pool of blood. Which takes me to my next point. This earns its M rating with some pretty graphic violence. It's not quite as heavy as Dead Rising, but its certainly bloodier than any of the Halo games. The language on the other hand actually isnt as heavy as i thought it would be. No f bombs thus far, and no gd's. But like I said, the game earns its M rating nevertheless, thanks to its heavy gore. Production values are high in Gears and you certainly feel the effort that went into its creation. It earns the distinction in my book as quite possibly the most polished game I've ever played. I am yet to find a glitch, or even a cheap gimick. All in all, I'd say Gears of War is a fantastic game, slightly overrated, but a fantastic game. People looking to buy just one xbox 360 game need to look no further. I recieved Call of Duty 3 too and although thats a pretty good game, this is dominating my 360. Do yourself a favor, purchase and experience Gears of War. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!
  
  

• Gears of War is THE Killer ap that X-Box 360 owners have been dyin for!

  
  By A1ZS8LRP35GNTW on 2006-12-01
  Aside from a few really great games, I HATE first person shooters. The reason for this is that I grew up cutting my teeth on "real world" combat games like BB gun fights (way way back) and have about 12 years of Paintball under my belt.
  
  One simply cannot run around in the open, circle strafing around your opponent while hopping like a jackrabbit on crank and hope to accomplish anything other than experiencing pain and a quick ticket to the dead zone.
  
  That's why I was glad to hear that Cliffy B and the team at Epic were working on a more "real world" combat style for Gears of War.
  
  There is nothing more annoying than logging into an online FPS game and witnessing players pressing and holding the jump button (bunny hopping) and searching for targets that they can circle around like a shark. It kills the experience and it makes for gimicky gameplay that eliminates the tactics needed in combat, and thus for me, most of the fun.
  
  Gears of War is not that kind of game.
  
  Gears is build around a "stop and pop" play mechanic and anyone who plays this game looking to "Run and gun" or "bunny hop" is going to be in for a world of hurt.
  
  Gears forces you to take cover, think out plans of attack, and fight it out with your enemies in a much more realistic manner. There isn't even a jump button to press. There is a contextual button (very similar to the way Nintendo's latest Zelda games really only use one button to accomplish many feats. The context sensitive button will allow you to dive into cover, leap over barriers, get low and run for cover, get tight to the wall, roll out of the way, or jump from cover to cover. So no bunny hopping at all...
  
  To compliment the realistic maneuvering there is realistic gun play. The developers have really emphasized real world combat in this game. It's all about your cover and knowing when to pop out and fire. They've thrown in shooting from the hip (firing in the direction your are facing and not very accurate), aimed fire (get a bead on your enemies and come out from behind cover to get accurate shots) and blind firing (sicking your gun over the top of your cover point and blindly firing rounds in the opponent's general direction). To make matters even more realistic, you have active reload which means that you can basically wait until the clip is empty and reload at a ordinary pace or you can wit until the clip is almost empty and actively reload your gun. Do it right and you reload faster and get a brief damage bonus to your rounds. Do it wrong and the gun jams and you have to clear the jam. AWESOME! It's about as close to real world combat as you can get in a computer game.
  
  Gears of War is a masterpiece of graphics, game play and fun. While it seems that the concept of using cover and popping up to fire off a few rounds before taking cover again as your opponent opens up on you sounds like it could get repetitive, Gears keeps it all so fresh with different kinds of environments, places to sneak into that give you a tactical advantage, and fights where you will really have to fight to make it through alive.
  
  Luckily the Developers didn't stop with realistic play mechanics and gorgeous high-definition graphics. They also saw fit to include AI opponents and team mates that are actually intelligent. Your squad mates will slug it out and move intelligently in battles. Sure, they aren't as smart as having a buddy play along side you, but the developers even threw in a Co-op mode for that. The enemies are very intelligent as well, constantly trying to move in on you or your team mates or flanking to your side and opening up angles on you. You can't just find cover and get comfortable. You have to know where your enemy is and move to cut them off or they'll end up right on top of you ready to take you down.
  
  That's where the Chainsaw comes in handy... Or a frag grenade... :)
  
  For all the realism of the actual combat in Gears of War, there are also the "over the top" moves... The Chainsaw, smacking an opponent with a frag grenade and having it stick in 'em, coming up on downed opponents and givin' 'em a curb stomp, and etc.
  
  This is not your typical video game. This is truly meant to be enjoyed by adult gamers. The language is "real" and adult, the story line is complex enough, but not over the top, and gore can get excessive (what do you expect when you jam a frag grenade into your opponent's chest or drive a chainsaw through their torso?) but it never stops being a fun experience even for grizzled old gamers like me.
  
  The control scheme takes a little getting used to, but it's not so complex that it intimidates you and the multi-player and co-op modes are worth the $60 price tag alone. If you own a 360, Gears of War should be on your game shelf right next to Dead Rising as the two great examples of Next Generation gaming at it's best. I cannot recommend this game enough.
  
  

• A False Epoch in Gaming History

  
  By AKB0A3MKVS4NY on 2006-11-28
  This game is criminally brief. It should be packaged as a multiplayer game that FEATURES a single player campaign - not vice versa. Because that is what the single player game is - a FEATURE at just several hours long. The bonus mission content on Resident Evil 4 PS2 plays longer than the GOW main campaign.
  
  The campaign is basically a handfull of firefights. The cover feature is not as clean, exact and necessary as in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, thereby making the gun battles less tense and realistic than in that game. The world in which the action takes place is exquisite, yet there is no tension, or foreboding at all between battles as you wander(unlike F.E.A.R, which escalates dramatic tension between encounters).
  
  The boss fights in GOW are especially disappointing. While the bosses in GOW are as menacing in concept as those found in Ninja Gaiden and Resident Evil, there is no real strategy needed to beat them - usually only a single FATAL strategy that is easily discovered, and when discovered, dispatches the boss singularly. For example - the Bezerker. In the first two encounters, you need only lead the Bezerker into the open air, and under panes of glass, and then dispatch it with the Hammer of Dawn weapon. Simple. The last Bezerker, you need only lure it to a train carriage, and then release the carriage to jettison it. Even more simple. The Corpser, a giant spider thing, you need only shoot it in the abdomen and then the mouth, three times, sending it backward onto a collapsible floor - you then shoot out the floor supports and send it falling to its death. Brumak, the giant, armoured, formidably weaponized, dinosaur-like locust, you don't even get to fight. You just run away from it and race off in an APC. And the last boss, NAAM (who at least is majestic), you need only treat as an oversized Drone, and shoot it with standard weapons until dead. No strategy there either. And discovering the FATAL strategy is simply a matter of pressing the Y button - this pulls your gaze directly to "points of interest", like the supports on the collapsible floor, or the train carriage jettison button.
  
  The multiplayer CO-OP on the campaign is the best of this feature. Mainly because it is a real team-building, friend-making exercise. I know I friend-requested whomever I battled the locust with. The versus mode is scant, both on variety, number of players, and maps.
  
  GOW is not the epoch in gaming as the critics are drooling. It is a good enough game that does not warrant the outrageous critical lauding. I just hope this review presents a balanced, and objective enough point of view, at least to give you a more informed choice before spending the money on the game - as games are expensive. Thanks for reading.
  
  
• Just Me or Does This Game Suck??
  By AM2DM87SC3K50 on 2007-04-06
  I don't get all the outstanding reviews here. The game is repetitive as hell and also annoying. I got so sick of constantly filling holes and annoying, annoying monster enemies that are always the same. Every room, every level on this game is the same. I did enjoy the Hammer of Dawn thing.. that was a cool concept, but overall I wouldn't buy this one.
  
  Now, before all you fanboys add your comments to my review, ask yourself why a game like Halo 1 or 2 was/were so popular? A: Because they had many different environments, enemies, etc. This game is the same dreary, boring stuff, colors, scenes, environments beginning to end. Plus.. if you knew these damn kryll (or whatever they're called) would kill you when you drive out...why drive a vehicle with no roof? Why not slap armour plates on the thing and let them bang into the roof all they want. What? Am I supposed to believe they can pierce armour? Dumb game.
  
  
• Mind blowing graphics and game!
  By A2Y1WNETD9AYHO on 2006-11-11
  Lived up to all the hype! Graphics are really sweet and so is the game play. The movement behind walls and obstacles in third person really work and feel right. The game sets new standards by which many games will now be judged.
  
  
• An objective opinion on Gears of War (for once)
  By A1T353HLEP4D8H on 2006-12-18
  This is quite possibly the most over-hyped game of all time. As a cross between Killswitch, Black, and Halo, this 3rd-person shooter doesn't attempt to be anything new or revolutionary. The story is passable, but certainly not original. The characters are unintelligible, emotionless cavemen with huge guns and a penchant for unnecessary swearing. Finally, the gameplay is completely unoriginal and uninspired. Granted, there are some interesting diversions from the standard (albeit mind-numbing) point-and-shoot gameplay, but be prepared for about a dozen hours of unloading thousands upon thousands of rounds into sameish, unremarkable enemy monsters through various cliched industrial, metropolitan, and gothic environments.
  
  The aesthetic aspects of this game are actually quite impressive...as long as you're standing still. There's an almost obtrusive amount of painstaking detail that went into crafting the amazing environments, yet sadly none of it is interactive. Sure, little chunks of texture appear when you shoot buildings and pavement, but all the windows, light bulbs, and street lamps in the game are all completly bulletproof. And has anybody actually played this game before reviewing it? Not a single reviewer has mentioned how disjointed and jerky the animations are. When your character goes to leap over the blockade he was hiding behind, the animation should flow in such a way that gives the impression that the character does, in fact, actually have some mass. Instead, the character moves like a beleaguered dinosaur while on foot, but he looks more akin to a chipmunk on crack during reloading or transitioning to and from cover. Little things like terrain-mapping a character's feet and motion-captured animation go a long way towards player immersion in a 3rd-person action game.
  
  The sound is excellent - there's no arguing that. The gunfire isn't at all realistic, but it definitely suits the style of the game. Sound effects are mixed perfectly and nothing is too loud or too quiet. However, the quality of the voice acting is to be expected (i.e. not good), and the dialogue is extremely juvenile...but I guess that should just be assumed given the subject matter.
  
  Lastly, the cooperative modes are a nice addition, and do add to the replayability of the game. The addition of another player makes for some fun moments, but the gameplay essentially remains unchanged. In Gears of War, adding a second player does as much to augment the gameplay as it did in 8-bit Contra, which is to say it makes it easier and not much else. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory made tremendous strides in cooperative gameplay -- a co-op level in that game would be nearly unplayable with a single player simply because that game allows you to do so much more with a friend aside from telling him where to aim. Ironically, a game like Gears of War that has been toted as being completely cooperative doesn't really provide much in the way of gameplay options by adding a friend.
  
  This is certainly not a bad game, not by a long shot. But its flaws do bear mentioning, especially since professional and amateur reviewers alike seem to be blinded by the immense hype surrounding this better-than-average title. Buy this game if you enjoy senseless sci-fi violence and don't require a lot of depth to your gaming experiences. Otherwise you're better off renting.
  
  
• "Take cover" from the hype
  By A4ZEE3O8FH39Q on 2006-11-23
  I am a FPS fan. I have never liked 3rd person shooters (GOW is 3rd person by the way) except for Mercinaries. I just bought a 360 a few days ago and was eager to buy some "only on xbox 360" games. Since I had heard so many good things about this game like, "it will sell systems" and "best game of all time, buy it right now" I decided to pick it up along with some others for my new system. Overall I was disapointed. I had more fun playing Perfect Dark! Maybe its just because of my preferance of 1st person over 3rd person shooters, I dont know. It's true that the graphics are nothing short of amazing and the controls are fairly easy to learn which earned it the 2 stars. The problems lie with the lack of freedom and clumsyness of the cover system and controls. Too many times I found myself diving from cover insted of breaking to another peice of cover. The croutch run (the only run) is not easy to use unless you plan to run in a strait line. The absence of a crasshair drives me CRAZY as well. This game wasn't bad, I had some fun playing it but if you dont own a 360, please dont fork over hundreds of dollars just to play this game. Its not worth that. I wish I would have waited a few months and bought it off the used rack at gamestop.
  
  
  
  
• It's OK. But I don't like it...
  By A2PATSWMA38ZEE on 2006-11-23
  First I'm not a fanboy. I own a 360 (21 games) an original XBOX (61 games) games) and a PS2 (49 games). I had always gamed on my computer, but purchased a PS2 so I could play GTA-Vice City, then about a year after that, got my XBOX; and then this summer, my 360 (purchased so that I could play Saint's Row). I like all kinds of games, and I have most of the major releases, for all 3 platforms for about the last 3 years. I also will admit for a few of my most favorite games, I will buy other versions, to get other content, etc (I own all 3 platforms of Godfather, the game, lol). I do want to get a PS3 when they are more widely available, probably will wait till the summer like I did for the 360. Plus there will be more games for it then, I'm sure. With my boring background out of the way, here's my review:
  
  Last week I picked up a bunch of new games for my 360-Gears of War was the first one I tried out. OK well, I wasn't that impressed. Visuals were pretty good, but it seemed like the couple-of-humans-trapped-in a small area-by huge aliens-type story like Alien or things like that. I don't like the fact you can't control your crouching/wall cover more; although I guess with time I could get used to the movements. One thing I noticed everyone else say was, hey you can't jump...myself, I think they made it like that on purpose--if a human soldier was carrying all that equipment (in real life it would be at LEAST 150lbs of pack/weapons/armor), obviously, he wouldn't be able to jump very high, lol. In fact, quite honestly I always thought the fact you COULD jump like a jumping bean in HALO, with that armor/enviro suit on, was kind of silly, but, that's just me I guess.
  
  Anyway, maybe part of the problem is, it's me, i.e. I'm not too good at this type of shooter, i.e. the quake/doom/unreal type game rather than the GTA/Saints Row/Godfathe type game. It was frustrating to be stuck in the same place (where the enemy species is cutting through that door), and, even though I'm taking cover, etc, being killed in like 10 to 15 seconds. The weapons you have at this stage don't seem to do too much damage to the enemy either, or maybe I'm not hitting them in the right places. I read somewhere, take their knees out first becuase their thorax is heavily armored, tried that, still got killed. Maybe once I got the machine gun with the saw bayonet I'd score more kills, I dont know. To me, right now, this game seems too frustrating-the enemies are too strong and the weapons are too weak. Again, this could just be my poor skills, just my opinion, but I don't think I'm going to spend too much time on this one.
  
  
  
• OK WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE THIS 5 STARS?
  By A2OHZE6G60JZFM on 2007-03-18
  THIS IS POSSILBY THE MOST BORING GAME IVE PLAYED IN A WHILE. It sucks people, all you do basically is run and hide for cover while you use all of your ammo to kill one enemy (the locust horde) you shoot these things at least 50 times before they actually die. The night I bought this I played for and hour trying to get into it, but it was just boring, i was so excited to play it because everyone had been pumping it up and giving it great reviews, but to my dissapointment, it was really bad. What is wrong with these games now a days? They're all the same, nothing is stand out or extremely original. GRAW exceeds way above this game and Gear of War won game of the year? I have no idea how, the graphics are nice but overall the gameplay is dull and its just a boring game, after one night, i took it to the neighborhood eb games and traded it for store credit, that was the fastest ive ever gotten rid of a game, if your gonna buy it, wait until its 20 dollars then it might be worth it.
  
  
• Halo 2 killer and maybe Halo 3.
  By A3P82ZRRDDV8VN on 2006-11-10
  I really love the Halo franchise, but after playing through GOW I think Halo 3 has a tall order to fill to try to come close to the experience GOW just gave me. From the insane graphics, booming military orchestrated music score/s and incredible game play. GOW is levels above the rest in quality and fun. Halo developers have a lot of work cut out for them to beat this obvious "Game of the Year" winner. Gears looks to me as the next Halo 2 (and maybe 3) killer.
  
  What can I say that hasn't been said by everyone already. Instead of writing the same comments about how great the music, sound effects, game play etc... I want to talk about how great the Co-op mode is.
  
  Of course this game IS the best action shooter game for the 360 and the single player campaign is a lot of fun, but it doesn't EVEN compare to a co-op experience with a live "online" player (friend or online stranger). Playing this game with someone IS like being in a action movie with a buddy. This game is like Syphon Filter DM meets Starship Troopers. There is even a level that resembles the movie "Pitch Black" where you HAVE to stay in lighted areas at night or you will be shredded by what looks like a huge swarms of flying, razor blade bats. Shoot those propane tanks to light those areas as you proceed, or you will be quickly turned into liquid goo giblets!
  
  GOW has a great co-op online feature. You can host a game and start playing right away in the single player campaign by yourself and a person can join while you are playing. No longer do you have to sit bored at a menu screen waiting for a player to join. Take notes Marvel Alliance!
  
  As you play, you can give support to you buddy with cross flanking fire or yell for help to get "revived" if you are downed by the horde and vice versa. There is no reviving yourself in single player so this changes the game play a bit when playing co-op. Hearing your buddy on your headset cry for help to be revived while you are trying to fight your way to him can be a nerve wracking experience, but in a good way. "Hurry and save your buddy so he can help you in the fight!" "He might return the favor when YOU most need it!"
  
  When playing in co-op there are times where you will be split from each other in a fork in the road type set up. The host will decide what path they will take and you will take the other. If you die, there is no reviving and you start over at a checkpoint. The fun thing about the path diversion, is one player will be able to see and help the other player shooting through hole gaps in pipes/walls or high above in a building or cave ledge. If you have the high path, many times you can see the horde coming to kill your buddy and provide flank fire from above that greatly changes the gameplay dynamic to another fun level. If you have the Hammer of Dawn weapon you can aim a target onto a horde and let the powerful space satellite laser do the work. You can even move the painted laser beam as it fires to hit other targets. Your buddy will thank you for it. The separate path feature changes the co-op experience in a positive way and I hope to see it in other co-op shooter games.
  
  The bo-low whip grenades are a blast as well. You can hold the left trigger and see the actual path the grenade will take or if you are good enough you can just hit the throw button and try to hit your target. Also, if you have the grenade equipped, you can also run up and shove it in his chest and run. Boom! A fun, rewarding feeling will come over you when you make a successful hit.
  
  Wait until you see and hear a guy explode from a grenade or a close up shot gun. The bodies fly in chunks that actually look like what exploded. Most games just show random pieces of body parts when someone blows up. In Gears, the developers actually custom "cut up" every model and added gore to it so when they explode you see the parts fly off the models. Looks great and is a sight to see and hear.
  
  It is hard to explain into words how fun the co-op mode is. Halo 2 should have had a mode like this. In fact ALL online co-op games need to be built with this function of "come in when you like".... "leave when you like." I hope other developers try to add this feature to their games as well.
  
  So let's recap.... Yes, this game is the best looking and sounding game ever, and plays just a good. You have NEVER seen the amount of graphic detail in a game like this before. The environments are insanely beautiful and come in different flavors of: city, caves, Factory, Mines, city streets and even a battle it out on top and inside of a speeding bullet train. Mind numbing graphics like this need to be seen to be believed. I hope this is a vision of what we should expect from future games.
  
  Triple A titles of this caliber don't come out often but when they do, it is something really special. If you haven't bought GOW yet you are missing out on one of the most beautiful, captivating, engrossing and enjoyable games to ever come out besides Resident Evil 4 and God of War. The online death-match stuff in Gears is great but I will let someone else write a review on that mode. I am sure I will be playing it a lot after I have played the campaign/co-op a few more times.
  
  Microsoft made sure that they had a killer app in their arsenal and I think they have it. I am sure this game will sell many 360 systems and give the PS3 launch a "serious kink in their slinky". Shows how great a game can be when a title isn't rushed out the door and time can be taken to make a really fine tuned and polished game.
  
  I have a feeling that this game was finished months ago, but Microsoft held the release back so it would hit with the PS3 launch. This might have given Epic time to work out every little detail and make this game the awesome gem that it is.
  
  Thank you and Thanks Cliffy B for adding the chainsaw weapon. I get "warm fuzzies" every time I land a successful sawing-up of a baddie.
  
  Two high Thumbs up to Epic and Microsoft for making such a masterpiece!
  
  
  BTW.. Where is the Gears of War soundtrack?
  
  
  
• FREAKIN AWESOME!!!
  By A2671C5738TM7P on 2006-12-13
  I am what I would consider to be a veteran Gamer being able to recall when the atari 2600 was first released and growing up playing PONG...Having owned nearly ever video game system ever released, I have to admit, Gears of War is arguably the most advanced and outstanding game i have played... the consistantly outstanding graphics and gameplay draw you in to this fantacy world that they have created...I have to agree with some of the other criticism's in that the story line game play is not as long as I would have liked, BUT...THE ONLINE GAMEPLAY MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR ANY OTHER PERCEIVED LACKS!!! GEARS ONLINE IS OUTSTANDING!!! For those of you waiting for Halo 3 to come out and need a GREAT game fix until March...I would highly recommend this game...There is not a huge learning curve even for you newbee's looking for a fun game to cut your teeth on...
  
  The only downside, in my opinion, is some of the language...I found it sometimes a bit "obligatory/cheesy", in that it seemed like it was maybe the "thing to do" to put an occasional curse word in the programing but it did not really add anything to the game...
  
  For those of us who have spent time in Law Enforcement or the Armed Services, we realize that the language is a fact of life, but if the attempt was to make the game more realistic by adding language...then they should have made every other word the F-bomb...
  
  if they are just going to throw an occasional curse word into the game for character...I would prefer that they leave it out as it seems to take away from the reality in my opinion...I would not recommend parents buy this game for their kids...this review is not coming from a PRUDE, I am actually a SWAT TEAM member in law enforcement...I am just giving an honest review for any adult gamers/parents who really want to know what they are getting into...
  
  As in any "war" type game there is the violent exploding head shots and the common dismemberment as a result of being BLOWN UP- or CHAINSAWED with a chainsaw bayonet-which I gotta admit IS GRREEAAAT!!! especially when playing against people you know...But this is not a game I would buy my middle school aged child, and would actually be leary of it for my lower high school aged students...
  
  With that said, THIS GAME IS FREAKIN AWESOME!!! Great addition to the video game library of any adult gamer...TONS OF FUN!!! Well worth the investment!!!
  
  
• An Old Locust Comes Out of the Ground.....
  By ANQ8IPQEIM278 on 2006-11-10
  I am an old timer, a dad really, whose first gaming experiences go back to pong. If you don't know what pong is then you know I am old. If you do than you're old as me! Anyways, suffice to say I have played many a game. From the old Atari 2600's, Intellivision, Colecovision, to the Commodore 64, the PS, GBA, Sega, PS2, PSP, Xbox, on my own PC gaming Rigs, and now the 360. I have also been an Amazon customer for years and I have made many purchases, but although I rely on reviews to make my purchasing decisions, I have never taken the time to write one myself. Well this isn't a review really. it's just a recommendation. Truly I am more of a RTS fan than a pure shooter fan, but folks this is more than just a shooter. This game is truly the first next gen classic! I am so glad that I got it, and I can't wait to get back in there and play it. XBOX 360 owners, the wait is over, the suffering and the pain has been worth the reward! Get Gears of War for yourself now! WOW!
  
  
• Resistance for the PS3 blows away Gears of War. Here is why:
  By A180JJI7WPRXK7 on 2006-11-20
  When you play the two games you come to realize how low Gears of War is compared to the pontential of Resistance. I play Gears of War the day it was release day. Sure, the game was okay. I did enjoy the Co-op. But the gameplay and multiplayer doesn't even match the capacity of Resistance fall of man. 40 players vs 8 players online? Come on that's weak. I personally just finish the game and was in line friday getting my PS3.
  
  Gears of War is too short. If you don't duck and cover you die pretty quick. That's just weak for a FPS. The games glitches are bad.
  
  This is really bad for M$. Don't be fooled by the hype behind Gears of War.
  
  
• This game is ridiculous...
  By ALFXHW2XW3TFI on 2006-11-21
  First things first... if you don't own this game already, go and by it right now. No joke. If by just saying that straight out I can't convince you to buy this game, than keep reading. If you've read other reviews, you'll notice that almost everyone comments on the graphics. The graphics are ridiculous. Gameplay is unbelievebly realistic and cut scenes make you feel like you are watching a movie. And i'm saying this owning a normal 20 inch tv. no hdtv for me. The best feature in this game, in my opinion, is the co-op campaign. I've played many of the co-op games out there, including Halo 2, and this is the best one by far. The game is so realistic you find yourself yelling at your team mate to cover you, flank an enemy position, or just do SOMETHING so that you both don't die. A great feature in this game is how it forces you to choose a path in the middle of missions, which sometimes makes you and your team mate split up and go in different directions making it pretty intense. I was reading a review below and someone mentioned that this game is so intense and realistic it makes him jump out of his seat and he's right. I have friends that just watch this game and get so into they jump out of their seats right along with the guys that are playing.
  
  I love the importance the game developers placed on cover. If you are one of those gamers who likes to run in and blow everything up, be prepared to change your ways. Oh there is plenty of action, so much in fact that if you don't find cover almost immidiately you'll be dead before you realized where guys were shooting you from. The game developers made it extremely easy for the player to cover which is nice because it is such a vital part of the game. Just press A almost anywhere and you'll either dodge in a direction or slam up against a barrier. Read the description provided above for more details on using cover.
  
  I dont' want to make this too long so I'll wrap it up. Game play is sweet, graphics are incredible and there is definite replay value. There is a clear difference between the different difficulty levels, one of which you have to unlock. Lastly, straight out, this is one of the best games i have ever played in its genre. Big props to the developers.
  
  
• Generic first-person shooter
  By A1OTFTOBXHBGLT on 2006-11-25
  Generally a boring, generic first-person shooter. Unsuitable for young children (crude language, blood, violence). Most of the images floating on the net are of cutscenes, not actual gameplay. The graphics during the actual game are hardly impressive.
  
  
• Borrriiiiiiinnnnggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!
  By AT8MZNW21UN3X on 2006-12-31
  Sucks B@[[$ !!!!!! What is with everyone???? Why does everyone love this game so much?? GRAPHICS DO NOT MAKE A GAME FUN!!!!!!!
  
  
• The Most Over-Hyped Game for Teenagers - EVER
  By A2ONKPI3JH5HUJ on 2007-01-29
  I say this game is for kids 18 and under because you have to be one of those kids in order to compete on line with some success. It's the same nonsense as Halo 2. If you are 30 years or older with a life other than playing Halo 2 or Gears of War 10 hours a day after school, then this game is not for you. I have yet to play with anyone who sounded like they were out of high school yet. Therefore, as the old man that I am, I enter these live matches immediately dying from kids who have spent 100s of hours memorizing the maps and perfecting headshots. It's a completely different experience like say, entering a racing game (i,e.-PGR2) where you can be a "noob" and still have some fun.
  As far as the single player mode - one of the most OVERHYPED and OVERATED games ever. I respect what EPIC is doing and their UNREAL engine is phenomenal. No one can question that this may be the most graphically intense game for any console to date. However, that and great sound quality are the only things the game has going for it. Here are all the cons:
  
  * Save-points are a joke. I can't believe in today's day and age you can't save at any point. Elder Scrolls IV, though a totally different type of game, allows you to save at any point so you are not doing the same thing over 40 times until you get it right. To boot, I haven't found a way to skip the cut scenes. Inexcusable!
  * Levels of difficulty are poorly designed. You can either play IQ-50-easy to ridiculously hard. Therefore, accessibility is limited to the hardcore player (ironically most 12 to 18 year olds). If you are a casual player, forget it. Although, there is actually a "Casual" mode which my 4 year old can play. There is no "in-between" for normal adults who have some skill and a life outside of video games.
  * Controls are clunky at best and have a huge learning curve. The A button is used for everything from jumping, running, and wall cover/sticking. Therefore, if you are running from an ememy in the single player or a 12 year old on-line and you run by a wall, you can kiss it goodbye. You inadvertently stick to the wall and get blown away by said 12 year old who is more than happy to also stomp on your head for additional humor. Also, the camera view when running (a.k.a. - roadie view) makes it very hard to see where you are actually going. Yeah, that's real fun.
  
  I like the third person over the shoulder view that was stolen from Resident Evil 4. However, for the single player mode, this game is falls way short of the greatness of RE4 in ever single aspect, save the graphics.
  Bottom line -If you are still in high school and don't have a girlfriend/boyfriend and have no ambitions besides living at home with your parents for the rest of your life, then this game is for you. All others save your money for much better XBOX 360 titles.
  
  
  
• Too bad, it's really pretty
  By A2MIV2R3M8RIOG on 2007-03-17
  Gears of War threw in this whole movement system where you can hide behind stuff, and bounce to-and-fro like you're a member of the LAPD SWAT. It's a cool concept, but the problem is it's completely unnecessary.
  
  Why? Because the hit detection is abosultely horrid. You can literally empty an entire clip with your machine gun into a running target and not kill it. I understand there will be some weapons more powerful than others but a whole clip? Give me a break.
  
  If you actually want to get a kill during an online battle, learn to grenade tag, chainsaw, or shotgun. That's what everyone does. And the sad thing is, each of these methods is fundamentally the same exact thing (a close-quarter kill). Imagine, you're hiding behind a corner and see a guy run past and go to hide in front of you. He's about 30' away, so you decide to unload with everything your machine gun has to offer. Well, since this is Gears of War, he'll be startled but not killed by the first 20 bullets. During the barrage of hot lead, he'll turn around, run towards you, and kill you with one shotgun blast to the chest. The complete ineffectiveness of the guns is what has driven most my friends away from this game. It makes all your hard work seem like a waste of time when it can be shot to crap with just one cheesy blast.
  
  I liked playing the story mode, but the online deathmatch is the main reason most people buy fps games, and Gears does NOT deliver.
  
  Rent it. It's fun. But the online aspect blows.
  
  
• Fun and Immersive Shooter
  By A21XG7UVD2ABKS on 2007-06-04
  GoW was the game I most looked forward to when I got my 360; so much so that I refused to play it until I got my HD home theater system in place.
  
  Now that I have completed the single player campaign on "Casual", I am ready to finish it on "Hardcore", a testament to the replay value of this game. (And that's not even touching on the multiplayer elements...)
  
  First of all, the game is beautiful. It takes full advantage of your High Definition display to render crisp, detailed environments. The game designers also make good use of the 5.1 surround, making the experience even more immersive.
  
  Gameplay is not overly complicated, and allows the player to do what he wants without too much problem. A VERY important aspect of gameplay is getting into cover, which is accomplished with a single button. The same button also allows various ways of getting out of cover. This, combined with the ability to shoot from cover, and "active reload", makes you feel like you're really fighting the Locust.
  
  The story line IS quite linear, although you are presented with branching choices at a few points in the game. You are also given very simple control of your squadron, although this does not seem to accomplish much.
  
  Speaking of your squad mates: they are ALWAYS injured and you have to go help them recover and get back into battle. This gets a tad annoying at times, and often you just fight on without them, as completing a stage always brings them back to health. I call this my "victory is the best medicine" strategy. Your squad mates are also a source of amusing dialog. (Cole's "Hells to the no!" is now part of my vernacular.)
  
  One of my favorite things about GoW is the design of the many building interiors you encounter during the story. They are simply works of art, and you will find yourself enjoying just looking at the environment.
  
  I have already mentioned "active reload", which at first seems like a trivial detail, but is actually an important part of the game. AR permits you to reload much faster by hitting the reload button a second time after a precisely timed interval. If you do not use AR, you just reload at normal speed. However, be aware that if you AR and FAIL, you reload REALLY slowly, which can mean your death when Locust are bearing down on you. It adds an element of realism, because it's really easy to screw up, or forget AR when a bunch of Lambent Wretches are bearing down on you.
  
  There are also plenty of Achievements to earn in GoW. Many of them are awarded for just completing the various Acts of the game at the various difficulty levels (Casual, Hardcore, Insane). There are some fun ones based on gameplay elements, such as active reload skill, or killing certain boss creatures, etc. There are some Achievements awarded for collecting "COG" tags, which are dog tags shaped like little gears. COG tags mark the locations where soldiers have fallen fighting The Locust, and they are hidden in 30 locations throughout the game. This is a fun detail, and encourages you to completely explore your environment, rather than just completing the levels and moving on. Some of them are pretty hard to find, and, to date, I have only collected 25. I like the COG tags.
  
  A few minor gripes. The grenade throwing in the game is actually pretty cool; you hold down the left trigger and you see the trajectory, complete with bounces, your grenade will take when you throw it. The problem is you often cannot see where the trajectory will take your grenade because you are looking UP at the arc. Since where the grenade will land is pretty much what you care about, this is a little annoying. Another annoyance is that sometimes the getting into/out of cover can be a bit of a pain. Often time you are frantically trying to get into cover only to go into a headfirst dive roll into the wall you are trying to get into cover behind. Sometimes you get stuck on cover you don't want.
  
  These are minor quibbles, however. This game has everything: lots of cool weapons, lots of cool monsters, lots of cool levels, lots of achievements. Heck it even has the obligatory "Driving a Vehicle Now" level. (Is there the obligatory Lava Level? There must be...) Also, the game is sufficiently challenging for ANYONE. I initially jumped right to Harcore (cause I think I'm Hardcore) but I was getting killed in the TRAINING LEVEL. It may, in fact, be impossible to beat the game on Insane without a partner.
  
  Anyway, you will get your money's worth on the single player campaign alone. Then there is the MULTIPLAYER aspect, which I will not even touch on here. Needless to say, if you have a 360, this is a must-own game.
  
  
  
  
• Phenomenal!
  By AD51Z60NO77GB on 2006-11-10
  I'm not one to take the time to write reviews, but do feel obligated to give my 2 cents worth on this game.
  
  It is phenomenal. Simple. Nothing like it. Immaculate.
  
  I'm not an FPS fan usually, I've quite enjoyed Metroid Prime, moderately enjoyed Halo, Prey, and Resident Evil 4 and some more adventure types like Tomb Raider Legend and Perfect Dark Zero. I'm more a RPG fan or Turn Based Strategy Gamer... I enjoy a good story, an emmersive setting, and excitement. I like to use my brain and have to outwit my opponent.
  
  I hate memorizing button combinations and fighting with controllers. Gears of War, for me, is a perfect game. Although the A button may do a few too many things and causes some slight hiccups, by Act 2 you have completely overlooked them. Although the story is like a Bruckheimer movie, I quite enjoy those. Yes, they aren't typically intellectually stimulating, but you can sit back and be overwhelmed by technical merit and sheer glee. GoW has that... Glee. That sort of "Oh my gosh.. I can't believe that... AWESOME" type of feeling. There is nothing like the "Roadie Run" or the "Hammer of Dawn" not to mention when I saw one of our NPC allies have his head blown off. His head kind of just rolled around on the ground a while. Or when I used a shotgun on a locust and he became "nearly headless"... I could just see a few veins and a couple strands of fleshy substance keeping it on.... he kinda just slumped to the ground in a pile.
  
  Yes.. it's violent. But it's a game... and darned fun. Yes, the graphics are THAT explicit and clear, and probably aren't meant for young people. Not even teens. Keep to the rating on the back... it earned it. But for those mature enough to play this, it has the best graphics and gameplay I have ever seen on any platform. I run Alienware PCs so my desktop and laptop are no slouch... but they have not one game that looks as visually appealing as this. And the controls are extremely intuitive on the Xbox 360. I've been playing coop with a friend from Canada (I'm in Cleveland) and we had not one hiccup in 6 hours.
  
  This game will sell systems. It's a game that proves why you don't need a PS3. It is a new benchmark in gaming.. not just shooters. If this does not get "Game of the Year" I missed something.... I could nitpick, but why? It's a great, fun, exciting, rewarding gaming experience the likes I cannot recall in my decades of gaming experiencing before.
  
  
• Great game, but far too short
  By A35OJ7V2VAKD04 on 2006-11-13
  I'd be hard pressed to say anything negative about this game. The storyline is engaging, the graphics are stellar, etc. The only other game that I find comparable is GRAW.
  
  Here's the downside, the campaign is far too short. There's 5 acts to the campaign and once you're done, well you're done. To put it in gamer hour perspective, I bought the game on Nov 8th, played it regularly but not obsessively and completed the campaign by the 11th. All in all, I'd estimate maybe 20 game hours. For gamer points you unlock each of the 5 acts and a few in-play activities, and you can increase the difficulty from Casual to Hardcore to Insane, but thats the limit of single player variety.
  
  The real value of this game comes if you enjoy on-line play, or play co-op with a friend locally or online. If you're like me and prefer single-player campaigns, then this game probably isn't worth it to you, but definitely worth a rental.
  
  
• Game of the Year
  By A4BK54P0D1GOS on 2006-11-23
  I know theres a couple new reviews on here stating we are crazy for thinking this game is amazing due to the lack of decent games for the 360. Well they are wrong! This game is purely amazing and entirely fun. You get hooked and want to find the light at the end of the tunnel. My favorite part is being able to play the whole game in co-op mode with a friend. That makes life so much easier and the game a lot more fun when you can help your friend get past certain parts and your friend can assist you. Adds a level of fun to the game and makes replayability not an issue.
  
  Theres levels for any type of player. Casual, Hardcore, and Insanity. Each mode gives you something harder and more defined. Ill tell you right now, the best way to play is with a friend because it makes the game a lot easier to swallow.
  
  The controls are very good. I know people have been commenting on the cover skills. I think they are pretty good although I agree you should be able to crouch when your not against a wall. But switch among the different commands gets easier over time. I dont think that one reviewer gave the game a fair shake. Just because the enemies dont just fall over doesnt mean its a bad game. Thats why it's challenging. His precious GTA is very angering because of the controls. Missions are very difficult at points!
  
  The graphics and sound as said before are excellent. They blow you away. For the most part the game is very fluid. Only a couple times I've seen slow down and only one time there was a glitch where I got stuck after rolling. The sounds are amazing. Listening to the creatures scream and yell is amazing and chilling. You def want to crank that sound up and listen for the subtle changes and the great music thats behind it.
  
  Anyone can pick up this game and be engrossed! And using the Saw Bayonet is one of the best things I've seen in a game. I just love catching one of those jerks upclose and revving up my saw then cutting right through them. You have a feeling like "oh yeah, i just wreck your world sucka!". Hopefully next Gears of War there will be more along the lines of story because this one is mostly just dropping you into the fray of fighting and saying they are bad you are good kill them and get to the end. But nevertheless its still worth the full 60 bucks and it also comes with a great online!
  
  
• Gears of War Needs to be Made Into a Movie
  By A1VCJKQUUDV6SL on 2006-11-29
  I just went out a few weeks ago and bought a Xbox 360 console along with Call of Duty 3 and Gears of War. I've always been a PC computer gamer myself for years because I always thought that PC computer games had much better graphics than any console game out there.
  
  Personally, I love World War II games and when Call of Duty 3 first came out I noticed it didn't come out for the PC. I just had to have Call of Duty 3 so I decided I had to go out and buy a Xbox 360 console so I could play Call of Duty 3. I ended up playing Call of Duty 3 first before I played Gears of War. I played the single player part of Call of Duty 3 all the way through and I really like the game. I love playing first person shooters.
  
  Well I heard alot about Gears of War and I thought to myself even though this game is a third person shooter, I would still go out and buy Gears of War to see what all the fuss was all about. To be honest with you, I wasn't too sure if I like the game since Gears of War is a third person shooter. But I wanted to be fair and give this game a chance, because lets be honest, most games aren't cheap anymore. So I wanted to out and try to buy the best game for my money out there.
  
  I really like Call of Duty 3 but when I played the single player part of Gears of War, I was blown away by how smart the AI is for the both the enemy and allied soldiers and the amazing graphics. You don't have to tell fellow soldiers what to do, they're smart enough on their own just to go out and try to find some cover. Same goes with the enemy. They will try to use cover whenever they can and they will try to outflank you and try to overcome you with sheer numbers. I thought the battles in this game were better than the battles in Call of Duty 3 and that's saying alot right there.
  
  Gears of War is by far one of the best games out there, period. It doesn't matter which gaming platform it is. No PC computer game, PlayStation 2 or 3 game, GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Xbox, or other Xbox 360 game comes close to this game. I have a top of the line Dell PC computer and the graphics in this game are much better than the computer games on my Dell computer. I honestly thought I would never find a console game which would have better graphics than a PC computer game.
  
  My hat is off to the developers of this game. You definitely have a moneymaker here. I can already picture endless expansion games to Gears of War in the future. If you can't decide which game to go and buy, go get a Xbox 360 and give this game a shot. You won't regret it.
  
  I noticed Gears of War is getting extremely high ratings on all the gaming websites on the internet. It wouldn't surprise me if the developers of this game have already been approach by a movie director out of Hollywood to do a movie on this game. It's that good. If someone does decide to do a movie on this game, believe me I'll be one of the first ones in line to go see it.
  
  
• Too Violent
  By A297RQWDDY4X0S on 2007-01-16
  This could have been a great game but it just places too much emphasis on gore. I don't really need a chainsaw weapon to have fun and the gore really ruins the fun of this game. This could have been the next Halo but the designers lost their way when they pandered to the small percentage of gamers who feel they need graphic violence to have fun.
  
  
• Falls short of the hype
  By AXKULY1DUDE3N on 2007-01-28
  Perhaps I was influenced by all the hype this game received, but I truly believed this was going to be the game by which all next-gen games would be judged. If so I'm depressed.
  
  First the graphics. They're certainly good but to me they appear to be crisp renditions of animated characters. The environment everyone raved about in reviews is again good but monotonous. How many burned out cars can you see? It just didn't overwhelm me as expected.
  
  Now for the AI. I heard how "intelligent" the enemy characters were. Truth is they aren't. Not at all. Even playing on the hardcore difficulty level I tired of watching enemies run forward to hide behind an obstacle only to immediately stand up and start to back-pedal back to the obstacle they just left. If you don't eliminate an enemy quickly this same repetitive pattern of gaining territory and voluntarily and inexpliocably abandoning it occurs over and over. Occasionally the enemy will try a flanking move but so far its usually very obvious, easily defended, and once the flanking position is gained they'll give it up using the above mentioned back-pedaling retreat.
  The only thing that makes the competition difficult is the fact that despite executing a perfect head shot the enemy somehow manages to continue to fight unfazed.
  Your squad mates? Lets just say I'm tired of saving Dom over and over again.
  
  Gameplay - tedious is an understatement. I find myself forcing myself to continue to play just to finish the game and be done with it. The game is completely linear with you running from one objective and one obstacle to another fighting essentially the same recycled enemies. Its call of duty without the realism or entertainment value.
  
  Oh and there are plenty of glitches. I just turned off the console after one of the enemies climbed over a concrete barrier and remained suspended in mid-air, completely unresponsive and unable to be killed and thus unable to move on in the mission. I've also actually had to shoot a teamate to make them move out of the way of a doorway so I can continue the mission without having to turn off the console and start over.
  
  Overall not worth the money and if this is next-generation without hope of improvement I'm depressed. I'll keep playing and see if the game improves figuring with all the hype I must be missing something, but somehow I doubt it.
  
  
• the gears of HYPE
  By A4BA2SSCQ2W56 on 2007-03-04
  i admit it.. i believed the hype. i was pretty sure gears of war would be a fun game. i stand corrected. first of all, i'll start with the controls. i could argue a FPS is only as good as its controls. and if that's the case, gears of war is bad. precision in the controls is very lacking. whether that's the xbox controller's fault or the game's fault, i don't know, but it's not good. i can easily name three ps2 FPS's that have much better shooting controls - timesplitters: future perfect, urban riot response and resident evil 4.
  
  graphics - nothing but hype. sure, duh, the graphics are going to look better than an original xbox or a ps2. does that mean they're mindblowing, artistic, or better than typical modern PC games like, say, call of duty 2 or far cry? HELL TO THE NO. for one thing, the color is.. well, THERE IS NO COLOR. just look at the screenshots! they might as well have just painted the whole game gray. it looks terrible. if that's good graphics, i'll pass on good graphics, thank you very much. dead rising has better graphics, but it's not getting hyped for it.
  
  gameplay - not good... not good. the cover idea is just a cheap silly gimmick, a selling point. i've been using cover, flanking, popouts, proning, sprinting etc. for years with the call of duty series. i'm not impressed at all. weapons? nothing special. painkiller for PC has tons of more fun and innovative weapons.
  
  story? well, i wasn't expecting an RPG or anything, but this feels like starting to watch a movie in the middle of it. story isn't terribly important in a FPS, but it wouldn't hurt to make the player care about the characters or their mission.
  
  i would take so many FPS's over gears of war. i don't care how many people say it's great or how many great reviews it gets. hype hype hype. i would say "graphics don't make a great game," but considering the graphics aren't that great, i'll just say "hype doesn't make a great game."
  
  
• Thought it was going to be good....Nope
  By ASDF3LMXD2KLX on 2007-10-19
  Let me list the reasons that this game sucks:
  
  1. No knife
  2. Grenade sucks -- You know why.
  3. Reload Sucks -- You know why.
  4. Run Sucks -- The screen gets blurry and you can't turn worth a darn.
  5. Level restart after every kill -- Split screen battles restart after every kill=dumb.
  6. You can only split screen -- no quad screen.
  7. Only 8 players at a time online
  8. Maps too small -- See 8 player online only.
  9. Guy takes up 1/2 the screen -- terrible
  10. Weapon selection sucks -- The guns it has are good but there aren't enough.
  
  
  I never played the campaign mode because my friend's 360 blew up before we got that far. I got a picture of it on my phone if you want to see it...Oh, you probably have on of your own, or two.
  
  
• Move Over Halo, Gears is Here.
  By AY3Y9ROK6LRPI on 2006-11-11
  Gears of War - Circa 2006
  
  
  GOOD:
  - Intuitive cover system which is a great fresh way to approach the overcrowded Action / Sci-Fi / Shooter Market. The Cover systems works well and is easy to pick up it also makes for a fun realistic gameplay experience.
  - Intense multiplayer versus action either online or off online with either spilt screen, or system link.
  - Great Co-op Gameplay allows two players play through the game from start to end. A co-op player can come into the game at any time and leave at any time.
  - Gorgeous graphics, that even look better then the likes of Halo 2, Elder Scrolls 4, and F.E.A.R. (which is saying a lot).
  
  BAD:
  - Some might consider the plot Underwhelming.
  - No buddies or parties in ranked matches only in player matches (non-ranked games).
  - Game is considered short to some.
  
  IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
  - A Sci-Fi First third Person Shooter (Camera behind the player) with quick pacing (Although slower gameplay) with an emphasis on shooting behind cover.
  - Cover Play's a big role in the game much like in Full Spectrum Warrior or Kill Switch
  - A slower-paced shooter, focusing on sound tactics rather than brute force.
  - This game is not meant for kids or the immature, this game is gory/bloody/violent and has many fowl words. Although you can turn off most of these features
  - Co-op and online versus is the big draw here.
  
  GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
  - Unreal Championship 2 (Xbox)
  - Resident Evil 4 (Game Cube/PS2)
  - Halo 2 (Xbox)
  - Full Spectrum Warrior (Xbox)
  - Kill Switch (Xbox/PS2)
  
  ADDITIONAL NOTES:
  - Many of the game's achievements are in references to movies, and Internet Meme's. For example getting 100 kills online with the Bow & Arrow will net you the "Nuge" Award which is in reference to Ted Nugent (the 70's Rocker) who is known for his love of Archery.
  - You can also find a limited collector's edition.The collector's edition includes an art book "Destroyed Beauty", a bonus DVD with the video "The Making of Gears of War" documentary and it comes in a tin case.
  - There are 6 new maps for this game two of which are free. The Free ones are Raven Down and Old Bones; the other four maps (called Bullet Marsh, Garden, Subway, and Process) will be free in September (2007) but right now they cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10.00 USD)
  - Annex is the new gameplay mode for Gears of War, it automaticaly downloaded to your game once you log you copy of Gears of War on Xbox Live (even if you have a Sliver Account) this new gameplay mode which requires teams to capture and hold certain areas of each map plays much like a King of the Hill gameplay mode from other First Person Shooters.
  
  

• Gears of War Signature Series Guide (Signature Series) (Signature Series)
• Gears of War Limited Edition Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides)
• The Official Xbox Magazine [1-year]
• Electronic Gaming Monthly
• Play

• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
• Call of Duty 3
• F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon
• Dead Rising
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition