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"Gears Of War"

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This thread has been linked to the game 'Gears of War'.
Wed 17/01/07 at 15:37
Regular
"the burning sky"
Posts: 4,984
This is my first so it's probably a little untidy --

Quite simply put, Gears of War made me want to buy an Xbox 360. It was about two months ago where I saw it being played on a 32inch HDTV in all its glory, and my mind just went, "I have to own this game". This was before I'd even played it. And let me tell you this, Gears Of War lives up to the hype.

The story begins as such; there's a full scale war going on and the planet is in desperate need of soldiers to fight against the Locust army that has risen. The humans are completely outnumbered but not totally out gunned and this is where you come in. You soon become part of Delta squad, but as time progresses you work with an ever-changing squad of men, each with their back-story, from football stars, to rich mama's boys. The story that follows is a simple one, but it's as tense and dramatic as they come, with some hugely impressive cutscenes that further the story excellently.

The main difference between Gears of War and any other third person shooter is the strong emphasis on cover. As Marcus Fenix you must utilize the environment if you want to stay alive. This system is implemented using the A button. If you're near a wall pressing this pushes Marcus up against it, using the triggers to pull off an aimed shot or blind fire over to provide cover. Holding it down makes Marcus duck and run, which is vital for staying alive when running between cover. The A button can also be used to roll away from opponents or explosions and after any initial problems you'll soon find yourself using the system without thinking about it.

Once you've worked out the cover system the only thing that remains is trying to kill the Locust. The enemy AI isn't outstanding by far, but they will attempt to flank you, or rush you, or grenade you, but the fact that every time you replay a battle you can expect a different enemy strategy keeps the game feeling really fresh throughout.

The other interesting mechanic in Gears of war is the timed reload. Miss the 'sweetspot' and jam the gun, then you'll have to discard the cartridge and reload. Hit the sweetspot and you'll not only be rewarded with a quick reload but increased damage for that clip. With weapons ranging from the basic pistol to an assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonet and a bow that fires explosive ammo, you're always spoiled for choice on the battle field.

The other members of your team do try and help out, but most of the time its by providing cover fire, or dieing. They do try, bless 'em. This is where the co-operative mode comes in handy. At any point in the Single campaign, you can switch to the co-op mode and play along with a friend who takes the role of Dominic Santiago. The feel of the game completely changes, with the two of you discussing strategies, where to find cover, who's going to provide supporting fire, etc, it's brilliant and not just limited to split screen play. Using Xbox Live you can draft in virtually anyone to come and play alongside you, a feature which a lot of players use to complete the game in insane mode it seems.

Those reviews that say the game is a little too short are unfounded. I've been playing co-op now for about 7 or 8 hours and am just about at the halfway mark, and so far nothing has felt stale. I'm actually itching at the chance to play this game on insane mode.

On top of this Gears of War looks absolutely phenomenal, its one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen. You'll play through some wildly different environments, in day and at night, in the bright sun and pouring rain, in sprawling cities and dense forests and all the time at a nice smooth frame rate. It's more than a little bloody too, with the chainsaw causing a nice red wash to fill the screen. Along side the beautiful visuals comes a wonderful musical score and brilliant voice acting.

There are only slight problems with this game, being that the checkpoint system sometimes is a little harsh, but overall this is a fantastic game, that I would recommend anyone with a 360 to buy if they haven't already. Superb!
Wed 17/01/07 at 17:51
Regular
"the burning sky"
Posts: 4,984
Shanty Claws wrote:
> Not in the right forum, Tomm.
> It must be transfered to my domain........

As I said, not been on in a long time.
Wed 17/01/07 at 16:45
Regular
Posts: 9,995
I love those conflicting cogs.

Note: I have never played the game.
Wed 17/01/07 at 15:52
Regular
"Blood on my suit"
Posts: 1,387
Not in the right forum, Tomm.
It must be transfered to my domain........
Wed 17/01/07 at 15:37
Regular
"the burning sky"
Posts: 4,984
This is my first so it's probably a little untidy --

Quite simply put, Gears of War made me want to buy an Xbox 360. It was about two months ago where I saw it being played on a 32inch HDTV in all its glory, and my mind just went, "I have to own this game". This was before I'd even played it. And let me tell you this, Gears Of War lives up to the hype.

The story begins as such; there's a full scale war going on and the planet is in desperate need of soldiers to fight against the Locust army that has risen. The humans are completely outnumbered but not totally out gunned and this is where you come in. You soon become part of Delta squad, but as time progresses you work with an ever-changing squad of men, each with their back-story, from football stars, to rich mama's boys. The story that follows is a simple one, but it's as tense and dramatic as they come, with some hugely impressive cutscenes that further the story excellently.

The main difference between Gears of War and any other third person shooter is the strong emphasis on cover. As Marcus Fenix you must utilize the environment if you want to stay alive. This system is implemented using the A button. If you're near a wall pressing this pushes Marcus up against it, using the triggers to pull off an aimed shot or blind fire over to provide cover. Holding it down makes Marcus duck and run, which is vital for staying alive when running between cover. The A button can also be used to roll away from opponents or explosions and after any initial problems you'll soon find yourself using the system without thinking about it.

Once you've worked out the cover system the only thing that remains is trying to kill the Locust. The enemy AI isn't outstanding by far, but they will attempt to flank you, or rush you, or grenade you, but the fact that every time you replay a battle you can expect a different enemy strategy keeps the game feeling really fresh throughout.

The other interesting mechanic in Gears of war is the timed reload. Miss the 'sweetspot' and jam the gun, then you'll have to discard the cartridge and reload. Hit the sweetspot and you'll not only be rewarded with a quick reload but increased damage for that clip. With weapons ranging from the basic pistol to an assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonet and a bow that fires explosive ammo, you're always spoiled for choice on the battle field.

The other members of your team do try and help out, but most of the time its by providing cover fire, or dieing. They do try, bless 'em. This is where the co-operative mode comes in handy. At any point in the Single campaign, you can switch to the co-op mode and play along with a friend who takes the role of Dominic Santiago. The feel of the game completely changes, with the two of you discussing strategies, where to find cover, who's going to provide supporting fire, etc, it's brilliant and not just limited to split screen play. Using Xbox Live you can draft in virtually anyone to come and play alongside you, a feature which a lot of players use to complete the game in insane mode it seems.

Those reviews that say the game is a little too short are unfounded. I've been playing co-op now for about 7 or 8 hours and am just about at the halfway mark, and so far nothing has felt stale. I'm actually itching at the chance to play this game on insane mode.

On top of this Gears of War looks absolutely phenomenal, its one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen. You'll play through some wildly different environments, in day and at night, in the bright sun and pouring rain, in sprawling cities and dense forests and all the time at a nice smooth frame rate. It's more than a little bloody too, with the chainsaw causing a nice red wash to fill the screen. Along side the beautiful visuals comes a wonderful musical score and brilliant voice acting.

There are only slight problems with this game, being that the checkpoint system sometimes is a little harsh, but overall this is a fantastic game, that I would recommend anyone with a 360 to buy if they haven't already. Superb!

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