Cale's Largely Forgettable Review of "Gears of War"

Wow.

I have been playing console games since the 80s. With each new generation of systems, there is a game that will truly define the generation. Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario 64, Halo, Metal Gear Solid, and Splinter Cell all stand out as generation-defining games. Up until this point, the new generation of games has not differed too much from the previous one. Aside from extra sparkle and polish, no game released this generation has changed the way we look at and play games.

Until now.

For fans of shooters, both first-person and third-person, Gears of War is a must own game! Fans of tactical shooters like Ghost Recon or Socom will fall in love with the cover system in Gears of War. Though not as complex as those games (you only have to press A), the cover system in Gears of War feels incredibly intuitive and you'll find yourself a pro at the mechanics in just a matter of minutes. This is great, because Gears wastes no time throwing you into the action of the game. It starts of strong and never slows down, and never feels dull. Never. Additionally, the level design in Gears of War is designed to take full advantage of the cover system, while maintaining the realistic feel of the landscape and architechture.

For fans of "more run-and gun" Halo-esque shooters, Gears of War does not disappoint here either. As I already stated, the action in Gears is non-stop, so you won't find any moments where you're begging for more action. In fact, I've found that some points in Gears of War are so intense that it's literally tough to handle. One scene in particular where your character is forced to defeat a huge, blind enemy had my heart pounding like no other game has ever done before! I cannot recall a time where I have actually screamed in a game, but this definitely did it for me.

The Berserker will own your soul...and scare the balls out of you!

Overall, the game is a rather pleasant mixture of both the run-and-gun and more tactical shooters. It plays out flawlessly. If you're looking for a killer multiplayer experience on Xbox Live, Gears of War is possibly the strongest game available on the service as of right now. Players have the option of playing a ranked game, or an unranked game and there are 3 main types of gameplay. There is no respawning in matches, so when you are dead, you are dead. But the round system and 8-player limit gets you right back into the action in no time.

My only complaint with multiplayer is that if you're new to the game, you will find it increasingly difficult to jump into a game with people of the same skill level. Unlike the matchmaking system in Halo 2, if you are brand new to the game, you may very well be put up against people who are the best players in the world, without warning or acknowledgement. In other words, you won't stand a chance. There is a huge learning curve for multiplayer, so don't be surprised if you wind up getting booted out of several matches by the host due to your skill level. More consideration by the developers would have greatly benefitted the less skilled gamers out there. Hopefully, this will be addressed in further Gears of War titles.

Graphically speaking, Gears of War is the most visually impressive game ever seen on a home console, bar none. It's easy to get caught up in the action in Gears, but if you ever get a chance, take the time to look around the environment and see the amazing job that Epic did in creating this game. The level of detail in every square inch of the playing field and beyond is simply breathtaking. Spot on character models and fairly decent voice acting rounds out what is simply one of the best shooters ever created and by far the best game to be released on a next-gen console thus far.

The detail in the level design will distract you from whooping up on locusts!

Gears of War is definitely not for everyone. The gore and violence in this game are through the roof, and the gameplay can be intense beyond belief. However, if you're a fan of shooters, you simply cannot pass up this marvel of a game. Gears of War is definitely one of the best games of 2006 and the first game to set itself apart from the rest of the pack in this console generation. Check it out!