eat-sleep-game.com review

Gears of War is more than you likely think it is.  Most people associate it with Halo, because it’s Microsoft’s big franchise push this holiday season, the big gun aimed squarely at the launch of the PS3 and the Wii (whether Microsoft would publicly admit it or not), and because it’s a shooter with a strong multiplayer component.  There are elements of gameplay that are clearly influenced by Halo, but so is virtually every other console shooter at this point.  See:  a recharging health meter and the limited weapon mechanic, among other minor touches. In many ways, Gears of War feels like a synthesis of the best elements attributed to Japanese influenced game design, in its attention to detail (Itagaki and Kojima would be proud, especially when your avatars feet bend as they climb stairs, or characters grunt or wince as they hurl themselves into cover), depth of gameplay and amazing level design, and the best parts of American game design, with a visceral, intense, violent and gritty style that succeeds in defining a believable game world, and gameplay that is accessible and progressively more rewarding over time.

The mindless shooter mechanic is nowhere to be found here.  Yes, your character is the stereotypical badass; Marcus Fenix and Co. look as though they’d be at home on the set of a Predator sequel. But the enemy you face is bigger and meaner than you are, and within minutes, it’s very obvious that circle strafing, running-and-gunning, or standing still will get you killed. 

The difficulty settings may not be what you’re used to.  The Casual setting is just that; the A.I. of your opponents is set to aggressive but mindless here, and while the game will edge toward a higher difficulty near the end, you’re really not getting the full effect.  However, kudos should be given to Epic for providing an in of sorts to the more casual audience that Microsoft so desperately wants to embrace with their console without alienating the more devoted gamer audience.  While it’s not exactly surprising for the biggest game release of the year to try to be as accessible as possible, it’s also good to see it done in such a way that players of the Casual difficulty don’t feel like second class citizens, riding what is essentially a short bus in the battle to save humanity.  Set the difficulty to hardcore though, and things start to get serious.  Cover, not your partner, is your main ally, and even your questionably intelligent squad members know it.  You’ll see them slide to cover positions and blind fire over them, and when they think they see an opening they’ll advance.  While this is ideally the way you’ll make your way through, let’s hope you’re better at it than they are. The squad A.I. isn’t horrible by any means (I’ve occasionally seen them play more intelligently than human players online or off), but they go down often, and frequently, it’s easier to let them bleed on the ground while you attempt to finish the current combat scenario.  Hardcore provides a good level of challenge for the experienced gamer, providing for a 10-14 hour initial play-through. However, if you’re really serious (and want those Achievements badly enough), Insane difficulty is available upon completion of hardcore setting. On the Insane setting, get ready to die.  Like, a lot.  More than I think you can possibly realize without playing it.  There are games that have become borderline legend for the four letter utterances they inspire, a title held by Geometry Wars and Call of Duty 2 on the 360, but Gears on Insane gives them a run for their money.  I can’t stress enough that this usually does not detract from the fun of the game.  When you die in Gears (after the initial 30-45 minute learning curve is overcome), you virtually always die because you just weren’t “badass” enough. 

The game’s controls are second only to its graphics in terms of discussion, coverage, and debate among gamers and message-boards alike. There’s little point in recapping the arguments for either side here; the simple answer is that they work.  It works better arguably than any other cover system in any other game previously (and in this reviewer’s opinion, better even than the excellent evolution in cover present in Rainbow Six: Vegas).  They aren’t perfect: as mentioned above, there is definitely a learning curve, and many will experience frustration at first.  Even in the training mission, there is little sympathy shown to your initial inexperience, and when Marcus or Dom don’t take cover the way you thought they would it can be frustrating.  However, there is a point in the first act, after you’ve been dropped into Embry Square and after the second or third Locust encounter, when everything seems to click.  You go from fighting the controls to using them.  You capably take cover, you advance when you can, and you start to understand how the game really plays.

This is where the game really comes into its own, and takes its place among a higher echelon of a sort of action ballet gameplay.  You go from using the controls to enjoying them, and the rhythm present in combat makes it satisfying outside of a mere progression through the single player campaign or achieving an objective. There is a certain pleasure in the virtual physicality of it all, if you will. Even “Active Reloading”, which prior to the game’s release sounded more like a gimmick than anything, is a compelling and useful gameplay element.  The controls aren’t perfect. When you need to flee as opposed to just pulling back, things get antsy.  Gears isn’t tailored to panicked retreat, so when a Boomer or horde of Wretches is inches away from  your cover position, and a mad dash to safety is your only option (unless you’d like to literally be blown apart or torn to  pieces respectively), you may be screwed.  These are the only moments that can really derail the rhythm of the game, and while generally Gears handles these situations competently, dying even once because you stuck to a wall when you wanted to run or dive away, or because you didn’t see what was killing you, is one time more than we’d like to see.  Also, aiming at enemies in close is often problematic and inaccurate, although this seems more like a gameplay element in line with the cover mechanic.  In close, it’s often just as effective to melee with that shotgun as it is to fire it, unless you’re completely point-blank. Just remember, it sucks to be chain-sawed or torque-bowed by Theron Guards because your shotgun blast missed.

Story-wise, the game is a mixed bag.  While there is a quite a bit of documented back-story for the world of Sera, very little of it has found its way in-game. There are significantly more questions than answers after the game has concluded, and while Delta Squad’s mission is clear, there is little explanation as to why they’re doing it.  Some of these questions are answered or at least addressed within the supplemental materials found in the Collector’s Edition of Gears of War, but this doesn’t exactly seem fair, to put it lightly.  The game’s plot felt very much like the pilot or first episode of a miniseries rather than a feature film, where the viewer/player is introduced to the basic elements of the fiction and characters.  You’re given enough story to keep up, but there isn’t a lot of exploration of the fiction. The characters are all excellently realized though, and by the end of the game, you’ll be wondering if everyone will make it out alive (and not everyone in your squad will), and when someone dies, you won’t cry, but you will care. The characterization plays on war story archetypes from WWI, Vietnam, and even more modern conflicts, and there’s often a sort of Band of Brothers/Saving Private Ryan feel to the interaction between your squad. 

What story is present is generally entertaining (and the in-engine cut-scenes are well done, and you can pause them), and a closer viewing reveals that there is much more going on than might be apparent on the initial play-through. The real question is whether Epic will pick up the many plot threads left unaddressed or only hinted at here and run with them in the inevitable sequels, but with a game as enjoyable as Gears was, and continues to be, we’re willing and anxious to see where they take it.

The story and tone of the game is frequently aided by an excellent orchestral score that adeptly switches from melancholy movements during quiet moments amidst the shattered remnants of Embry Square or East Barricade Academy, or the somber cadence that plays when you find one of the 30 collectable COG tags scattered throughout the game.  The sound design of the game is excellent and practical, with audio cues for events like enemy encounters, the end of a combat scenario, checkpoints, etc.  During online co-operative play, the guest (who plays as Dom) doesn’t see the same messages regarding checkpoints and the like, but because of audio cues, these messages aren’t missed.  In fact, in future games, it would be great to see this kind of design taken further.  Sound effects themselves vary from great to good; explosions and the like sound great, and weapons sound good, but could have used more punch.  The Lancer, the default rifle and your go-to weapon for most of the game, has an instantly recognizable jackhammer sound, and you’ll never forget the first time you heard someone get chain-sawed.

I’ve intentionally put off discussing graphics, because there isn’t much left to be said.  You’ve heard the hype.  You’ve seen the trailers.  And yes, it looks that good.  Better in places.  Each level differentiates itself from the last by relying on a different kind of (destroyed) architecture and color palette.  The colors are muted and, combined with a filter effect that adds a grittiness and filmic quality to the visuals, contribute to the war-movie feel of the game. The environments, humans, enemies, and even incidental environmental pieces are incredibly detailed and modeled, and there is a cohesiveness present that makes you say “wow” on a fairly regular basis (especially with some of the large monster set pieces and in game cut-scenes), and serves to further involve you in the game.  There are occasional issues however, including some rare normal-map and texture pop-in, and a frame-rate that can occasionally suffer during co-operative play.  It’s nice to see a game that doesn’t degrade visually during online gameplay though; you won’t get the Ubisoft bait and switch here. Aside from the aforementioned frame-rate hiccups in co-op, the graphics in multiplayer are identical to the single-player campaign.

Multiplayer wise, the game is great fun, but limted in scope. It has some excellent netcode which makes lag generally unnoticeable, and combat is intense and gratifying (let it not be said that chainsawing someone into pieces can’t make a game just a bit more enjoyable). But configuration wise, multiplayer offers only three modes across less than a dozen maps, and the lack of a party system to join multiplayer matches with your friends in tow is a definite inconvenience.  It isn’t that difficult at this point to find 8 friends with the game to put together your own private matches, but still. For robust and comprehensive competitive multiplayer support, Halo 2 has yet to be toppled from its throne.

For online co-operative multiplayer though, we have a new king; Chuf sums it up in the sidebar very well, so let me just say that the game was clearly designed all the way through to be co-op friendly, and the addition of drop-in anytime (by invite or by join) co-op play is a fantastic addition that I had damned well better see in another game that’s rumored to release next November. I hope you’re listening chief.

If it isn’t clear by now, we like Gears of War a lot, more than I think I really expected to.  What I expected was a very good game; what I got was an action masterpiece that is a true and profound evolution of action games in general.  Unless you have no stomach for blood or are prone to motion sickness (as you can actually turn the disembowelments and other more graphic imagery off if you really want to… I suppose), or perhaps are allergic to things that are good, then I can’t recommend the game enough, shooter fan or no, and if you are a shooter fan, this is the game that will make you pick up a 360 if you haven’t already.  It’s a fantastic game, and for the first time in a great while, I can’t wait for the sequel.  I give Gears of War my absolute highest recommendation, or a 10 out of 10 for the number fixated among you. 

10 out of 10