Gears of War

The game follows Marcus Fenix, a soldier or "Gear" in humanities last organized government in a fight with a subterranean collective known as the Locust. The game takes place on the fictional world of Sera. There are only two noticeable differences between Earth and Sera; a 26 hour day and monsters coming out of the ground. The game opens 14 years after the Locust first appeared, or E-Day as it is commonly called. Much of the world was destroyed by the human use of the Hammer of Dawn, a giant space-based weapons platform, to burn all the possible resources the Locust might use against them, and also destroying much of the surviving human population.

The game opens with Fenix's rescue from an abandoned prison by Dom Santiago, his childhood friend and fellow Gear. The game then presents the option to go through a tutorial or jump into the action. An important feature to note about GOW is the Lancer, the primary Gear weapon. The Lancer has attached to it a chainsaw for use as a melee weapon. This is one of the most innovative aspects of GOW and also it's most brutal. As the game progresses, you will be joined by various squad mates, and fight many forms of Locust from the grubs, the most human of the Locust and the foot soldiers, to the spider-like Corpser.

Gears of War is an original work unlike any other. It combine typical shooter aspects with third-person gameplay, something I always enjoy. It also creates a feeling of empathy for characters not often found in the gaming world. In addition, the excellent graphics and depth of the Locust forces provides stimulus to keep playing.

Game Play: Whether you are exploring the emulsion factory in Act 3 or on the train in Act 5, the obstacles before you remain primarily the same. GOW utilizes several aspects of gaming often disregarded. The third person shooter is unusual by itself, but when coupled with the concept of cover, you have an entirely new kind of game. Whether it is a slab of concrete, a burned out car or a doorframe, without cover, your dead. This dashing for cover and taking pop shots at enemies is a welcome change after so many games where frontal assault is your only option. Additionally, the game gradually introduces new forms of Locust. The game introduces new enemies throughout its entirety, but the overall feel and play of the game remains the same. A simple rule for GOW is to simply keep shooting and everything will work out. There is seldom a conflict or challenge in GOW that can't be solved by empting a clip into something or revving up your chainsaw. This stagnant situation detracts from the game's overall appeal to me personally. If you don't mind holding the right trigger down for hours, you may not mind it as much. That said there are some aspects that require a bit more thinking, like fighting a Berserker or the Corpser in Act 3.

Graphics: Much like Assassin's Creed, GOW has graphics much better than anything else of the time period. There are times in the game where the camera flies around for a few seconds, seemingly just to showcase the work put into certain areas or buildings. One of the few places where the graphics seem to lack clarity are the times where your body explodes or is torn apart (which on the higher difficulties happens a lot). Beyond this, GOW is beautiful to behold.

Story Line: Gears of War, for all its originality, has relatively no back story. The game opens with Col. Hoffman abandoning Marcus in the prison and play begins with Dom releasing him. You are then thrown into combat against an unnamed, gray scaled species that crawls out of the ground and shoots you. As you play further into the game, things are better explained, and the story that forms the majority of the game is entertaining and imaginative. For those of you who haven't read the Gears of War novel Aspho Field or its sequel, Jancincto Remnant, but have played the game, I recommend them. They go into depth what is barely mentioned in the games, filling in gaps and make the characters stand out as individuals the next time you play. Rating: Normally, this is where I split the game into clusters and give its positives and negatives. However, I am going to try something different for this review. Please try to follow along.

Final Rating: 9.5/10

Closing Comments: Among the best games ever created, Gears of War has achieved what few games do; Gears of War leaves a lasting impression, after playing it, you can't help but compare other games to it. It isn't like Modern Warfare II or Halo ODST, not just because of the actual game play, but because there is actually something to it, and you just can't wait for more.

By Hegemon

Date: February 26, 2010