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The console wars have been extremely interesting this generation. We have the Wii in a clear
lead in sales, thanks to its early innovation and family friendly titles. However, the other
two systems have been extremely close recently, with the 360 currently leading the PS3 in
sales by only a few million, but it wasn’t always so close between the two. In 2006,
the PS3 was just getting started, while the 360 had already been on the market for a year,
and it was already off to a huge head start. It was also getting ready to unleash a little
game, by Epic games and the famous Cliffy B, to drive the first nail into Sony’s coffin.
This is that game, it’s Gears of War. Gears of War’s story has been a fan favorite
in recent years, and for good reason. You play as Marcus Fenix, a soldier turned prisoner
that gets released to fight the Locusts after Emergence day. In fact, every prisoner gets
pardoned, as the government gets desperate in an effort to destroy the invaders. This
story helps to set the game apart from games like Halo, for example, which gives the player
a little bit of time to ease them into the conflict. This isn’t the case in Gears of
War, as you’re immediately thrown into the action, fighting off swarms of enemies and
shooting them in the face. Over and over again. Gameplay in Gears of War is very much action
oriented. There isn’t much focus on tactics. Instead, it’s all about reflexes and timing.
It makes sense to have it this way, as the game’s extremely frantic pace doesn’t
really leave much room for pre- fight strategy. You’ll be diving, jumping, and pumping tons
of lead into the Locust enemies, all while making sure your team isn’t in danger. In
addition, the game includes some awesome arcade-style elements, such as the active reload. This
method of reloading relies on a perfect tap of the right bumper to give you a damage bonus,
and if you screw it up, it jams your weapon. Of course, what also separates Gears of War
from its shooter cousins is the way in which gameplay is presented to the player. It isn’t
strictly open or strictly linear. Instead, it finds a happy medium between the two. Parts
of the game give the player a clear path that you have no choice but to tread down, while
other sections let you pick which way to go, giving you different perspectives of the same
events if you choose to play the game again. I like choosing left at a fork in the road,
though. I need to represent for my southpaw brethren. If you’re playing with a friend,
and this game does include a FANTASTIC co-op mode, try going back and doing sections over
to see the different parts of each level. Visuals in Gears of War are outstanding, but
it does come at a small cost. This game was released only a year after the Xbox 360 went
on the market, so although character models and environments are stunning, the framerate
can take a big nosedive. This is mostly limited to cutscenes, where I also encountered problems
with shadows, and it isn’t really anything to worry about. What we REALLY care about
is the gameplay. And the gore, because there’s a LOT of it.
Gears of War is only the first in a trilogy of games that really helped to put the Xbox
360 on the map as the console to beat for awesome shooters. While the 360’s lead has
diminished recently, this is still one of the best shooters of this generation. Check
back the week after Thanksgiving for our review of Gears of War 2.