Gaming Gears Of War

[Obesepanda]

[Center][IMG]http://i4.tinypic.com/10qh2zd.jpg[/IMG][/center]

[center][b] Information is taken from [URL=http://www.ign.com/]IGN.com[/URL][/b][/center]
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[b]Gears Of War[/b]

[b]Developer[/b]: Epic Games
[b]Publisher[/b]: Microsoft
[b]Release Date[/b]: TBA 2006

[center][b]Links to the video section of IGN.com for a better look of Gears of War can be found below[/b][/center]

[center][url]http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/747/747891/vids_1.html[/url][/center]
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[center][b]My Thoughts[/b][/center]

This Game is looking absolutely fantastic, the game will be running on the Unreal Engine 3 and looking through some of the images through out the game i have to admit they are looking very beautiful, The game itself takes place in a Post-apocalyptic world as it seems and you play the main character named Marcus Fenix a former prisoner On the planet Sera, The human forces are fighting a entity named the Locust Horde. A nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet.

The human cult is named "The Coalition of Ordered Governments" While the Locust are giant ogre-like creatures and flying menaces known as Kryll bats. Though as the previous Column said the game had minor frame rate issues how can you be angry? Game consoles are running very good looking games and are bound to have problems some-times, I for one would love lagging or not to get a quick session in on this magnificent looking game.

Though the different mulyiplayer games don't sound much different from what we could expect from the next sequel of the Halo franchise it does sound quite nice, This game is shaping up to a very promising game and maybe take a step to edging in the place of halo, if the development team plays their cards right.

[Charles]

All right, first of all, never edit out a message I put in your post. It's there for a reason; I want others to see it and learn from it as well.

Secondly, here are some new pics:

[url]http://www.gfdata.de/archiv05-2006-gamefront/01737.html[/url]

There's finally a good shot of hair (something that seems artistically challenging for this engine to handle consider how sparse hair shots are). You also get a refreshing glimpse of the player taking cover in a building bathed in daylight. This image really contrasts with the dark, dreary motif that seems to encompass most of the game. The blood effects also seem to be coming along nicely. Generally nice-looking stuff.

[Kenshin DX]

[COLOR=SlateGray]This game is just Wow... Its looks and plays great truly one of the best looking games ever made. This is definetly the 360s killer ap. Im having a ton of fun and with coop as well. This game is just flat out fiun. My only complaint would be the controls take some getting used to. I hate how slow you move while starefing. This is not a run and gun game. You have to use cover and precise aiming to get through it. I havent been online yet but this game may even surpass Halo in multiplayer if the single player holds up to the multiplayer. GOW truly is a great game and a must own for 360 owners. its a little diffcult if you approach it the wrong way but if you learn the fundamentals this game will rock your world.[/COLOR]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]I saw the coolest form of advertising [b]ever[/b] for this game in the Metro newspaper today. Gears Of War was released in Europe today, so it sort of got "special treatment". Basically. I was reading through the television listings section where I noticed a splodge of red ink, to which thought: "Hmm, that's odd", and then swiftly disregarded it. Having turned the page over a few times, the splodge got bigger and bigger, and I continued to disregard it, until three or four pages later where it started to take form as the Gears Of War "Skull" logo, which I thought was plain awesome.

There was another one too, where an image of a traffic light was shown in its three different stages, beginning with green, and then amber, and then red, with the aforementioned "Skull" logo illuminated inside of the red light.

Some sweet, sweet advertising.[/color]

[Kaze]

[FONT=Times New Roman]I spent around $472 for this video game, seeing as how this is what I PURCHASED my 360 for months ago (as well as Dead or Alive 4).

I've been playing on Casual difficulty very slowly (short game judging by there only being five Acts - and I got through three very quickly even at my pace - so yeah; savor it), but thus far I have loved every moment.

I think I fell in love after the prison break, or the first Berserker. Movement can be awkwardly slow (trying to get a bead quickly, bouncing from one enemy to the next), and controling yourself whilst running is annoying; but I don't have any serious complaints at this point.

Save for this one time I went into a little doorway for some ammunition, and the AI controlled characters blocked me in.....Literally trapped me in the doorway. I had to restart the game. I died a little on the inside.[/FONT]

[Nomad]

[SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]Lol. The GoW AI characters do have a bit of glitching in the campaign/co-op. I have the problem of running ahead whilst Cole stays behind still behind cover at some door or something, which makes me have to go back and shoot at him in order to have him move with me.

Well, where to start? I guess I'll start with the graphics. This has some of the most amazing graphics I've seen in a while from a console game. Everything from the textures on the walls, ceilings, floors and other various surfaces as well as the characters themselves look absolutely wonderful. Then there's the blood. Oh the glorious blood splatting onto the camera as you chainsaw some unknowing player in a multiplayer match.

The campaign is designed for single player action, as per the norm, but it was also designed with the distinct intention of the integration of the co-op system. It's designed so you will be able to play the campaign single player and then have someone come in during any time and play co-op (as Marcus [1st player] and Dom [2nd player]), and vice-versa. There are moments in the campaign where having another player controlled character flank an enemy turret is extremely useful as you draw its attention.

The multiplayer is where it is at however, in my view. It's only 4 versus 4 action on small maps, but that's more than enough to be a hell of a time. Two alternating spawn points and basically just massacre about the level until there is no one left. Good stuff. This is where a lot of the fun is at. It's hard to explain the MP so the advice I have for you is to just buy/rent the game and experience it for yourself.

The campaign lacks extremely in the story development. The basic story that is to prelude the game (in order for you to have any knowledge of what's happening and why such characters are in such situations) is the the Locust horde had invaded Sera. Marcus Fenix is a soldier in a group called The Coalition of Governments (COG). [spoiler]The COG has taken it upon themselves to rid the earth of the Locust and therefore enforce martial law and try to escape all survivors to Jacinto Plateau, their last safe area (because of an extra thick ground, the Locust can't break through it yet), and they proceed to laser target the rest of Sera with satellite lasers to rid themselves of the infestation. The Locusts still survived, however, underground. Marcus Fenix is in jail because he disobeyed orders by the COG and instead went to aid his father who had put out a distress call and upon failing to save him is charged with dereliction of order and imprisoned for some number of years. The Locust proved to be too much for the COG and they pardoned all prisoners in the jails at Jacinto Plateau to use their prisoners as extra soldiers to combat the Locust.[/spoiler] This is where the campaign kicks in.

The above IS NOT explained in the campaign, and nothing else is really explained about what you are really doing or why you are doing it. One way I've seen it put that I totally agree with is "You experience the feeling of doing something really cool... but you don't know why you did it." Besides lacking the underlying story, the campaign is relatively fun to play, especially co-op. Me and my friend especially had fun during the first encounter with the Kryll (if you've played the game, you know what I mean). Just do a bit of research on the net (*cough*wikipedia*cough*) to get the jist of the story and the like.

Overall this game is well worth purchasing and well worth the time and effort to convert from Halo, Halo 2 or any other FPS. The controls are rather easy to transfer to, especially once you're in the heat of a battle between four of your men and about 20 Locust. :D Awesome game.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[size=1][color=darkred]I added spoiler tags just to be safe. What you've typed sounds more like an introduction to me, but seeing as you said that none of it is mentioned in the game, I'm taking the approach that it's for the player to figure out someway or somehow. -- Bombu[/size][/color]

[SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]-Thanks, didn't know if I should have added them myself or not.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[NorykoAngelcry]

Honeslty.. I wasn't terribly impressed with this game.. The story was weak, and that's an overstatement. It was just all about survival. It took way to much ammo to kill just a standard infantry type bad guy. Visually this game was on par with what is out these days. It was pretty and pleasant to look at. However it was nothing really special. Plus, taking under 8 hours to beat the game was just sad.

I borrowed it from a friend, and just got a personal copy from Gamefly, so, I'm hoping that maybe playing online with my friend and getting to learn the boards will make it a little more entertaining.. doubting it though.. still have high standards of online play from Halo 2 (zomg, not a fanboy, chill out).. Timesplitters .. and Goldeneye.

[Charles]

To each their own, but I just find your opinion a little weird.

I don't think anyone expects Shakespeare going into Gears of War. Although several scenes represent missed opportunities to develop the plot, I do not think the game suffers as a result. GoW is a straight-up action title; the game is obviously gun porn and I am somewhat relieved that Epic did not try to force too much plot into the game because doing so would have disrupted the game's visceral pacing. To the game's credit, I did enjoy the dude speak and none of the characters actually got on my nerves.

As for the enemies taking too much ammo to kill--you have to remember that this is intentional. You are not combating other humans. You are fighting incredibly tough monsters. Epic purposely made them hard to kill so that the gunfights would be more strategic and intense. This game isn't supposed to be a realistic shooter, like Rainbow Six, where enemies die after one or two gunshots. You're supposed to feel as if you're going up against a super-human enemy.

Your comment about the game's visuals though, really has me scratching my head. I don't know if you're playing this on some sort of ancient black and white television, or if you simply need your eyes checked, but it's pretty much an undisputed fact that Gears of War is head-and-shoulders above any other console title currently on the market from a visual standpoint. There's nothing even close. So, saying that it's "on par" with everything else, and "nothing special" is a puzzling statement to make.

The game's length felt just right. GoW isn't the kind of game that should go on for twenty hours. It hits you hard and fast and has a lot of replay value. Playing the game on Insane difficulty is easily one of the most rewarding experiences I have had playing a shooter. Playing the game with a friend on co-op only intensifies that enjoyment. The deathmatch is also painstakingly balanced; the experience is tight and the maps are perfectly designed to make each game almost like a game of chess.

I haven't finished Zelda yet, but so far Gears of War is definitely a contender for game of the year, in my opinion.

[Semjaza]

Complaining about the story in Gears is like complaining about the story in Doom. It's not even really present, but who even cares? There's enough to portray the characters in a world that's basically doomed and that's the end of it.

I've played it quite a bit at this stage and it's remarkable to me that anyone can even have an overall negative opinion of the game. It has its flaws, like anything else... but graphics and gameplay complaints (from an action title perspective) just seem almost entirely invalid to me.

[NorykoAngelcry]

[quote name='Generic NPC #3']I've played it quite a bit at this stage and it's remarkable to me that anyone can even have an overall negative opinion of the game. It has its flaws, like anything else... but graphics and gameplay complaints (from an action title perspective) just seem almost entirely invalid to me.[/quote]

Soooo.. it's like, you hear people complaining, but just aren't listening to them?

Just wanted to touch upon another quirk I had with the game.. is the aim speed sensitivity.. even on high, it's still too slow. This is just a minor irritation, rather then a real problem. It just needed to have a 'even higher' setting or something.. on a scale of 1-10, 'High' seemed about a 7, and I play games on a 9 or 10 level...

Hope that made sense... lol.

[Nomad]

[QUOTE=NorykoAngelcry]Soooo.. it's like, you hear people complaining, but just aren't listening to them?

Just wanted to touch upon another quirk I had with the game.. is the aim speed sensitivity.. even on high, it's still too slow. This is just a minor irritation, rather then a real problem. It just needed to have a 'even higher' setting or something.. on a scale of 1-10, 'High' seemed about a 7, and I play games on a 9 or 10 level...

Hope that made sense... lol.[/QUOTE]
[SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]Made perfect sense, at least to me, being the avid Halo player I am. It seemed too slow, as you've said, but I quickly got over it because it's not like you really need to be doing 360s while running past enemies in this game, that'll just get you killed ;) . On Halo I play from 8-10, depending on how long it's been since I've played. That's relatively fast for those who don't play Halo.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[Semjaza]

[quote name='NorykoAngelcry']Soooo.. it's like, you hear people complaining, but just aren't listening to them?[/quote]

That's not my point. I think a lot of the complaints are pretty much drowned out by the positives. My last phrase was pretty much directed towards the overall quality of the game. Every game people would give a 10/10 or whatever has detractions, but I feel some of the ones launched against this game are incredibly nitpicky and/or strange. I don't see how they're valid reasons to dismiss many of the things it does exceptionally well compared to other titles out there.

Story complaints can be leveraged, but look at the genre we're talking about here. Its purpose is to provide a motive to kill things. I cannot even imagine someone coming into a title like this expecting anything storywise... so thus, I cannot even really see how it would count as much of a disappointment. For me, at least, the characters at least have some personality.

I just think that complaints about the story can be leveraged against any game of this type (and any video game in general, honestly, as I don't see how many RPGs even have great stories) and given its genre and purpose I don't really think it has much of an effect on its overall presentation.

As for the graphics, I really don't understand where you're coming from on that. I can see people not enjoying the art style, but from a pure graphics standpoint on a technical level there's just not anything else that is matching it. Certainly not at that framerate with that many things on screen at once with full 5.1 audio. It's just not happening.

Beyond that, I can understand the control issues and the thought that enemies take too many hits (although I've not really thought that since I figured out the best routes and places to hit the guys).

I've not had problems with the sensitivity myself, but obviously that's a personal thing. The game is really about cover and popping and shooting, so I've not been in terribly many situations where I needed to suddenly look somewhere else out of absolutely nowhere.

[James]

[font=arial]I just bought Gears of War a few days ago and I've had a couple of play sessions so far. I'm at the part of the game where dusk/night is approaching (whatever that area is called). I've only had two play sessions thusfar, but I've been very impressed.

[b]Story:[/b] Meh. As has been said here, it's an action game and it therefore doesn't need much of a story.

However, I think the reason this aspect might be especially disappointing for some is because a) the game puts such an emphasis on cinematic moments and b) because when playing, allies [i]do[/i] have a sense of personality. Seeing that backed up by a solid story would be great...but again, it's not exactly necessary.

[b]Graphics:[/b] Not much to be said...the game looks gorgeous. I personally don't mind the art style, but the raw visual quality is astounding. It's a shame I don't have it hooked up to an HDTV.

[b]Gameplay:[/b] This is definitely the most important element and I think it's where the game shines. I can see how some wouldn't be terribly interested in the gameplay because despite being quite frantic, Gears of War is still relatively slow-paced in a sense. It's not as free and easy as a regular FPS, so the added restriction might annoy some.

But having said that, the added [i]complexity[/i] involved with the whole cover system is a welcome addition for me. Being able to seamlessly move between cover points and being able to perform a variety of actions within those cover points really adds to the game. Combine that with multiple routes and you have a game that'll probably be quite different on each play-through.

As far as controls go...I don't really have an issue. At first I thought aiming was slow, but when you use LT it seems fine. I did put the sensitivity up from the default, but I quickly got used to it.

Overall I'm really happy with this game. It's the first Xbox 360 title (other than Call of Duty 2 and Dead Rising) to really make me feel that buying the system was truly worthwhile.[/font]

[silpheedpilot]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]From my point of view I wanna clear something up.

Cliffy B.

Unreal.

Was there an outstanding story in any of those? Maybe some weak plot in Unreal and Unreal II but in the Tournaments' it was; 'A game where you kill eachother. Hop to.'

Now I wanna talk about the multi-player component since everyone has touched up on the game in general. Multi-player is broken. It's busted. It's simply....terrible. No offense.

When I think multi-player I think; 'Options, Options, Options!' but Gears Of War has almost no options. No clans, only three gametypes, and a handful of maps in which only a few are any good. The gameplay while in multi-player seems a bit broken too. Why is it, in the famous words of Charlie, am I ''sucked into the chainsaw' when I've clearly gotten away? Why, when I shoot some guy who has the chainsaw up and revved, somehow manages to get me anyway? There should be a window of oppurtunity where you can kick your attacker away and suffer major damage rather than default fatal damage.

A few other things that really irked me about the multi-player is the grenade stick. Where you run up on someone and use the melee attack with the grenade and then you roll away and watch him get his head blown off. Why can't I shake it off somehow? Same with the Torque Bow.

Why can Skips McGee over yonder nail my head off while I'm behind cover?

Why can't I duck?

Why is there a limit of 8 players a game?

You see what I'm saying here? Sure the multi-player is novelty for a while but when there are plenty of other games out there that make Gears' multi-player look like pud (insert Rainbow Six Vegas) why not play them instead?

And for the record, I am playing them instead. (Insert Rainbow Six Vegas again) [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]This is easily the most fun I;ve had with an actio ngame since Halo 2 and I'm lovin it!

The combat is so crazy and great and you fight like a team of trained professionals should be. The AI is amazing IMO, and the cover system works so well it breaks the boundary of 'gimmick' and even 'shtick'. Everything about this game appeals to me, be it in single player or multiplayer.

The XBOX Live mode is astounding in my opinion because it takes teamwork to a new level. You and your teammates can for a strategy that actually works and execute it well, just like a real trained professional would.

Also, I like the story, contrary to popular thought. Especially the characters.[/COLOR]

[MissWem]

[COLOR=DarkRed][FONT=Arial]I was decidedly cautious about this game, but then I'm not the one who owns a 360.

Anyway, my mate brought the game a day or two ago late-ish afternoon. We get back to his place and play co-op on casual and finshed the game in about 7 hours.

Loooooooved it.

I agree with most other people it has great graphics, the story is as expected, the gameplay solid, the flow from level to level is pretty solid.

As with any game there are a few minor glitches. My only real peeve about the game is the [spoiler]driving stage. Oh dear God could they have made it anymore irritating! It was tolerable on casual but on hardcore when they come from above in the 2nd to last swarm and you realize with horror you can't aim upwards. And just as you finish them more spawn from the front and several more swarms spawn behind you.[/spoiler] That part alone was nearly enough for the both of us to quit playing.

The only other real glitch we found was missing enemies. At some point we'd find Baird or some other character shooting at a random corner and the music to indicate there are still enemies continues playing *sigh*

I suppose during the parts you have to split paths, it gets a little confusing when one person reaches the other end before you and you suddenly find yourself being teleported to a new location. Only a bad thing if it's at a point you find yourself about to enter battle and are still looking around yourself trying to get your bearings. Though I believe that problem only came up when I found myself in close combat with Boomers and happened to be facing the other way wondering where the hell I was.

I can't comment on single-player since I haven't tried it. We're on our second time through but on hardcore and I have to say, the skill level jump there is pretty big. It's challenging almost to the point of aggravating. I don't see us trying Insane level anytime soon, assuming we finish it on hardcore.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Andy]

[FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="2"]Yep, Gears of War is coming out for the PC, and I can't wait. See, I don't have a 360, so I never got to play the game on the console. But for those of you who have(or haven't) played the game on the console, what are your thoughts on the release of this game for the PC?[/SIZE][/FONT]

[desertphoenix]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][FONT="Verdana"]
The PC version basically gets an whole new act added to it. I say pick it up when it comes out man. It's a really nice solid game with great moments and graphics. You will experience more than the people like me who doesn't own a PC that could handle it. To add more salt to the 360 owner's wounds:[spoiler] You get to actually fight the cool looking giant monster at the end of the 360 version in the PC version.[/spoiler]:animecry:[/FONT][/COLOR]