Gears Of War

Good god the graphics in this game are amazing! My cousin and I have been running through on Hardcore mode, which I suspect we would be nearly done with if we didn't stop all the time to oggle at the gorgeous grecian ruins and malodorous industrial corridors. I know that this is supposed to be a first impressions column, but seriously, we are already closing on the finish of the 3rd of 5 acts. A bit short, but wow, what an amazing spectacle!

First Impressionsby Tanx - Video Game Reviews by a Very Busy Math Teacher

The story, I know from the previews, is about a human civilization that inhabited some world and built a stately society, only to face total destruction a few years later when a native alien species unexpectedly hatched from the ground and killed everyone who wasn’t of a beefy testosterone-filled football physique. The critters have been dubbed locusts, no doubt mirroring the real insects’ tendency to hatch only once every seven years or so (or at least I think I remember something to that effect… I wonder if SCUM expects me to research these things?) Interestingly, the game itself does not bother to tell this story, instead focusing on the adolescent swagger of the main characters as they wander around with unclear goals, shooting stuff and gesticuting emphatically in a constant attempt to out-bad-ass each other.

The gameplay is very good, with easy to learn controls and two particularly nice conventions. The first is doing away with health, instead going for a massive damage effect… if you take a few shots in rapid succession you’re down. Otherwise you heal up in 10 to 15 seconds. The second is that most times you go down, you are just paralyzed until your compatriot can come to revive you, adding a nice dimension of teamwork to the play. I like that you have to use cover in this game and not just charge your enemies guns ablaze. Solid mechanics, frequent save-points and nice level design... Gears is a well made game.

While Gears may be the equivalent of the big dumb Hollywood special effects movie in terms of plot and dialogue ( the “Mummy Returns of gaming if you will ), there are ample reasons to spend your five to six expected hours playing through. I mean, any game that features a weapon that calls in a satellite laser strike on an opponent is hard to beat, and there are plenty of gamers out there who will derive untold pleasure from sneaking up on an unsuspecting locust and using the friggin chainsaw attached to the front of your gun to cause a gratuitous gib.