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Halo 2 killer and maybe Halo 3.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: November 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I really love the Halo franchise, but after playing through GOW I think Halo 3 has a tall order to fill to try to come close to the experience GOW just gave me. From the insane graphics, booming military orchestrated music score/s and incredible game play. GOW is levels above the rest in quality and fun. Halo developers have a lot of work cut out for them to beat this obvious "Game of the Year" winner. Gears looks to me as the next Halo 2 (and maybe 3) killer.

What can I say that hasn't been said by everyone already. Instead of writing the same comments about how great the music, sound effects, game play etc... I want to talk about how great the Co-op mode is.

Of course this game IS the best action shooter game for the 360 and the single player campaign is a lot of fun, but it doesn't EVEN compare to a co-op experience with a live "online" player (friend or online stranger). Playing this game with someone IS like being in a action movie with a buddy. This game is like Syphon Filter DM meets Starship Troopers. There is even a level that resembles the movie "Pitch Black" where you HAVE to stay in lighted areas at night or you will be shredded by what looks like a huge swarms of flying, razor blade bats. Shoot those propane tanks to light those areas as you proceed, or you will be quickly turned into liquid goo giblets!

GOW has a great co-op online feature. You can host a game and start playing right away in the single player campaign by yourself and a person can join while you are playing. No longer do you have to sit bored at a menu screen waiting for a player to join. Take notes Marvel Alliance!

As you play, you can give support to you buddy with cross flanking fire or yell for help to get "revived" if you are downed by the horde and vice versa. There is no reviving yourself in single player so this changes the game play a bit when playing co-op. Hearing your buddy on your headset cry for help to be revived while you are trying to fight your way to him can be a nerve wracking experience, but in a good way. "Hurry and save your buddy so he can help you in the fight!" "He might return the favor when YOU most need it!"

When playing in co-op there are times where you will be split from each other in a fork in the road type set up. The host will decide what path they will take and you will take the other. If you die, there is no reviving and you start over at a checkpoint. The fun thing about the path diversion, is one player will be able to see and help the other player shooting through hole gaps in pipes/walls or high above in a building or cave ledge. If you have the high path, many times you can see the horde coming to kill your buddy and provide flank fire from above that greatly changes the gameplay dynamic to another fun level. If you have the Hammer of Dawn weapon you can aim a target onto a horde and let the powerful space satellite laser do the work. You can even move the painted laser beam as it fires to hit other targets. Your buddy will thank you for it. The separate path feature changes the co-op experience in a positive way and I hope to see it in other co-op shooter games.

The bo-low whip grenades are a blast as well. You can hold the left trigger and see the actual path the grenade will take or if you are good enough you can just hit the throw button and try to hit your target. Also, if you have the grenade equipped, you can also run up and shove it in his chest and run. Boom! A fun, rewarding feeling will come over you when you make a successful hit.

Wait until you see and hear a guy explode from a grenade or a close up shot gun. The bodies fly in chunks that actually look like what exploded. Most games just show random pieces of body parts when someone blows up. In Gears, the developers actually custom "cut up" every model and added gore to it so when they explode you see the parts fly off the models. Looks great and is a sight to see and hear.

It is hard to explain into words how fun the co-op mode is. Halo 2 should have had a mode like this. In fact ALL online co-op games need to be built with this function of "come in when you like".... "leave when you like." I hope other developers try to add this feature to their games as well.

So let's recap.... Yes, this game is the best looking and sounding game ever, and plays just a good. You have NEVER seen the amount of graphic detail in a game like this before. The environments are insanely beautiful and come in different flavors of: city, caves, Factory, Mines, city streets and even a battle it out on top and inside of a speeding bullet train. Mind numbing graphics like this need to be seen to be believed. I hope this is a vision of what we should expect from future games.

Triple A titles of this caliber don't come out often but when they do, it is something really special. If you haven't bought GOW yet you are missing out on one of the most beautiful, captivating, engrossing and enjoyable games to ever come out besides Resident Evil 4 and God of War. The online death-match stuff in Gears is great but I will let someone else write a review on that mode. I am sure I will be playing it a lot after I have played the campaign/co-op a few more times.

Microsoft made sure that they had a killer app in their arsenal and I think they have it. I am sure this game will sell many 360 systems and give the PS3 launch a "serious kink in their slinky". Shows how great a game can be when a title isn't rushed out the door and time can be taken to make a really fine tuned and polished game.

I have a feeling that this game was finished months ago, but Microsoft held the release back so it would hit with the PS3 launch. This might have given Epic time to work out every little detail and make this game the awesome gem that it is.

Thank you and Thanks Cliffy B for adding the chainsaw weapon. I get "warm fuzzies" every time I land a successful sawing-up of a baddie.

Two high Thumbs up to Epic and Microsoft for making such a masterpiece!

BTW.. Where is the Gears of War soundtrack?

FREAKIN AWESOME!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: December 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am what I would consider to be a veteran Gamer being able to recall when the atari 2600 was first released and growing up playing PONG...Having owned nearly ever video game system ever released, I have to admit, Gears of War is arguably the most advanced and outstanding game i have played... the consistantly outstanding graphics and gameplay draw you in to this fantacy world that they have created...I have to agree with some of the other criticism's in that the story line game play is not as long as I would have liked, BUT...THE ONLINE GAMEPLAY MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR ANY OTHER PERCEIVED LACKS!!! GEARS ONLINE IS OUTSTANDING!!! For those of you waiting for Halo 3 to come out and need a GREAT game fix until March...I would highly recommend this game...There is not a huge learning curve even for you newbee's looking for a fun game to cut your teeth on...

The only downside, in my opinion, is some of the language...I found it sometimes a bit "obligatory/cheesy", in that it seemed like it was maybe the "thing to do" to put an occasional curse word in the programing but it did not really add anything to the game...

For those of us who have spent time in Law Enforcement or the Armed Services, we realize that the language is a fact of life, but if the attempt was to make the game more realistic by adding language...then they should have made every other word the F-bomb...

if they are just going to throw an occasional curse word into the game for character...I would prefer that they leave it out as it seems to take away from the reality in my opinion...I would not recommend parents buy this game for their kids...this review is not coming from a PRUDE, I am actually a SWAT TEAM member in law enforcement...I am just giving an honest review for any adult gamers/parents who really want to know what they are getting into...

As in any "war" type game there is the violent exploding head shots and the common dismemberment as a result of being BLOWN UP- or CHAINSAWED with a chainsaw bayonet-which I gotta admit IS GRREEAAAT!!! especially when playing against people you know...But this is not a game I would buy my middle school aged child, and would actually be leary of it for my lower high school aged students...

With that said, THIS GAME IS FREAKIN AWESOME!!! Great addition to the video game library of any adult gamer...TONS OF FUN!!! Well worth the investment!!!

An objective opinion on Gears of War (for once)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 17
Date: December 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is quite possibly the most over-hyped game of all time. As a cross between Killswitch, Black, and Halo, this 3rd-person shooter doesn't attempt to be anything new or revolutionary. The story is passable, but certainly not original. The characters are unintelligible, emotionless cavemen with huge guns and a penchant for unnecessary swearing. Finally, the gameplay is completely unoriginal and uninspired. Granted, there are some interesting diversions from the standard (albeit mind-numbing) point-and-shoot gameplay, but be prepared for about a dozen hours of unloading thousands upon thousands of rounds into sameish, unremarkable enemy monsters through various cliched industrial, metropolitan, and gothic environments.

The aesthetic aspects of this game are actually quite impressive...as long as you're standing still. There's an almost obtrusive amount of painstaking detail that went into crafting the amazing environments, yet sadly none of it is interactive. Sure, little chunks of texture appear when you shoot buildings and pavement, but all the windows, light bulbs, and street lamps in the game are all completly bulletproof. And has anybody actually played this game before reviewing it? Not a single reviewer has mentioned how disjointed and jerky the animations are. When your character goes to leap over the blockade he was hiding behind, the animation should flow in such a way that gives the impression that the character does, in fact, actually have some mass. Instead, the character moves like a beleaguered dinosaur while on foot, but he looks more akin to a chipmunk on crack during reloading or transitioning to and from cover. Little things like terrain-mapping a character's feet and motion-captured animation go a long way towards player immersion in a 3rd-person action game.

The sound is excellent - there's no arguing that. The gunfire isn't at all realistic, but it definitely suits the style of the game. Sound effects are mixed perfectly and nothing is too loud or too quiet. However, the quality of the voice acting is to be expected (i.e. not good), and the dialogue is extremely juvenile...but I guess that should just be assumed given the subject matter.

Lastly, the cooperative modes are a nice addition, and do add to the replayability of the game. The addition of another player makes for some fun moments, but the gameplay essentially remains unchanged. In Gears of War, adding a second player does as much to augment the gameplay as it did in 8-bit Contra, which is to say it makes it easier and not much else. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory made tremendous strides in cooperative gameplay -- a co-op level in that game would be nearly unplayable with a single player simply because that game allows you to do so much more with a friend aside from telling him where to aim. Ironically, a game like Gears of War that has been toted as being completely cooperative doesn't really provide much in the way of gameplay options by adding a friend.

This is certainly not a bad game, not by a long shot. But its flaws do bear mentioning, especially since professional and amateur reviewers alike seem to be blinded by the immense hype surrounding this better-than-average title. Buy this game if you enjoy senseless sci-fi violence and don't require a lot of depth to your gaming experiences. Otherwise you're better off renting.

A False Epoch in Gaming History

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 12 / 20
Date: November 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is criminally brief. It should be packaged as a multiplayer game that FEATURES a single player campaign - not vice versa. Because that is what the single player game is - a FEATURE at just several hours long. The bonus mission content on Resident Evil 4 PS2 plays longer than the GOW main campaign.

The campaign is basically a handfull of firefights. The cover feature is not as clean, exact and necessary as in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, thereby making the gun battles less tense and realistic than in that game. The world in which the action takes place is exquisite, yet there is no tension, or foreboding at all between battles as you wander(unlike F.E.A.R, which escalates dramatic tension between encounters).

The boss fights in GOW are especially disappointing. While the bosses in GOW are as menacing in concept as those found in Ninja Gaiden and Resident Evil, there is no real strategy needed to beat them - usually only a single FATAL strategy that is easily discovered, and when discovered, dispatches the boss singularly. For example - the Bezerker. In the first two encounters, you need only lead the Bezerker into the open air, and under panes of glass, and then dispatch it with the Hammer of Dawn weapon. Simple. The last Bezerker, you need only lure it to a train carriage, and then release the carriage to jettison it. Even more simple. The Corpser, a giant spider thing, you need only shoot it in the abdomen and then the mouth, three times, sending it backward onto a collapsible floor - you then shoot out the floor supports and send it falling to its death. Brumak, the giant, armoured, formidably weaponized, dinosaur-like locust, you don't even get to fight. You just run away from it and race off in an APC. And the last boss, NAAM (who at least is majestic), you need only treat as an oversized Drone, and shoot it with standard weapons until dead. No strategy there either. And discovering the FATAL strategy is simply a matter of pressing the Y button - this pulls your gaze directly to "points of interest", like the supports on the collapsible floor, or the train carriage jettison button.

The multiplayer CO-OP on the campaign is the best of this feature. Mainly because it is a real team-building, friend-making exercise. I know I friend-requested whomever I battled the locust with. The versus mode is scant, both on variety, number of players, and maps.

GOW is not the epoch in gaming as the critics are drooling. It is a good enough game that does not warrant the outrageous critical lauding. I just hope this review presents a balanced, and objective enough point of view, at least to give you a more informed choice before spending the money on the game - as games are expensive. Thanks for reading.

How long til the sequel?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I gotta say that this is one of the few games I purchased with the Xbox 360. I didn't read any reviews or check out any trailers or demos. I went into the game expecting a Doom or Halo rip off. The game established itself as a fast paced, duck and cover, third-person shooter.

The graphics in this game are phenomenal. I appreciate all the work that went into the environments, Cog characters, Locusts, vehicles, weapons and the cutscenes. The duck and cover scheme works well and the ability to "roadie run" and dive are also cool features. It would have been nice if you had an actual jump button, particularly during online battles with your friends. I also wish that changing weapons was a little easier and faster. The timed active reload feature is an original idea that I'm glad they kept in multi-player. Aiming your weapons is reminiscent of Ghost Recon. You can't move very fast when you are aiming and firing while not aiming is somewhat inaccurate. You will learn quickly, that you need to use your cover and plan your attacks carefully when completing the campaign. In multiplayer, you will need to learn that run and gun tactics aren't the best strategy unless you've been playing for 12 hours straight. Plenty of the achievements are for the multiplayer and there are a good amount of maps to dominate. The multiplayer adds to the replay value but I wish they HAD copied Halo in some regards. It would have been nice to give you a couple of respawns. The developers wanted to keep the games fast paced. They recently added a king of the hill mode where you do respawn and its pretty cool. It also would have been cool if they had a Capture the Flag game similar to Halo or GRAW. Still, the mutliplayer is great when playing with friends or other hard core gamers.

I don't like to spend much time describing the plot, but I will say that it is good enough to make you want to finish the game and the ending completely sets up a sequel.

This game is ridiculous...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: November 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First things first... if you don't own this game already, go and by it right now. No joke. If by just saying that straight out I can't convince you to buy this game, than keep reading. If you've read other reviews, you'll notice that almost everyone comments on the graphics. The graphics are ridiculous. Gameplay is unbelievebly realistic and cut scenes make you feel like you are watching a movie. And i'm saying this owning a normal 20 inch tv. no hdtv for me. The best feature in this game, in my opinion, is the co-op campaign. I've played many of the co-op games out there, including Halo 2, and this is the best one by far. The game is so realistic you find yourself yelling at your team mate to cover you, flank an enemy position, or just do SOMETHING so that you both don't die. A great feature in this game is how it forces you to choose a path in the middle of missions, which sometimes makes you and your team mate split up and go in different directions making it pretty intense. I was reading a review below and someone mentioned that this game is so intense and realistic it makes him jump out of his seat and he's right. I have friends that just watch this game and get so into they jump out of their seats right along with the guys that are playing.

I love the importance the game developers placed on cover. If you are one of those gamers who likes to run in and blow everything up, be prepared to change your ways. Oh there is plenty of action, so much in fact that if you don't find cover almost immidiately you'll be dead before you realized where guys were shooting you from. The game developers made it extremely easy for the player to cover which is nice because it is such a vital part of the game. Just press A almost anywhere and you'll either dodge in a direction or slam up against a barrier. Read the description provided above for more details on using cover.

I dont' want to make this too long so I'll wrap it up. Game play is sweet, graphics are incredible and there is definite replay value. There is a clear difference between the different difficulty levels, one of which you have to unlock. Lastly, straight out, this is one of the best games i have ever played in its genre. Big props to the developers.

Best 360 Game So Far

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I played this game last night and I think my jaw was open the whole time. It is visually amazing and very stunning. This game seems to be a combination of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Halo. I just hope that the story turns out to be as good as Halo's. The controls were intuitive, and I appreciated the fact that this game isn't just run and gun. It actually requires the player to think about a strategy to take down the whorde. I am glad that the 360 finally has a game that can properly demonstrate its capabilities, I think that its what all of us who put $400 down on the console have been waiting for.

Phenomenal!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm not one to take the time to write reviews, but do feel obligated to give my 2 cents worth on this game.

It is phenomenal. Simple. Nothing like it. Immaculate.

I'm not an FPS fan usually, I've quite enjoyed Metroid Prime, moderately enjoyed Halo, Prey, and Resident Evil 4 and some more adventure types like Tomb Raider Legend and Perfect Dark Zero. I'm more a RPG fan or Turn Based Strategy Gamer... I enjoy a good story, an emmersive setting, and excitement. I like to use my brain and have to outwit my opponent.

I hate memorizing button combinations and fighting with controllers. Gears of War, for me, is a perfect game. Although the A button may do a few too many things and causes some slight hiccups, by Act 2 you have completely overlooked them. Although the story is like a Bruckheimer movie, I quite enjoy those. Yes, they aren't typically intellectually stimulating, but you can sit back and be overwhelmed by technical merit and sheer glee. GoW has that... Glee. That sort of "Oh my gosh.. I can't believe that... AWESOME" type of feeling. There is nothing like the "Roadie Run" or the "Hammer of Dawn" not to mention when I saw one of our NPC allies have his head blown off. His head kind of just rolled around on the ground a while. Or when I used a shotgun on a locust and he became "nearly headless"... I could just see a few veins and a couple strands of fleshy substance keeping it on.... he kinda just slumped to the ground in a pile.

Yes.. it's violent. But it's a game... and darned fun. Yes, the graphics are THAT explicit and clear, and probably aren't meant for young people. Not even teens. Keep to the rating on the back... it earned it. But for those mature enough to play this, it has the best graphics and gameplay I have ever seen on any platform. I run Alienware PCs so my desktop and laptop are no slouch... but they have not one game that looks as visually appealing as this. And the controls are extremely intuitive on the Xbox 360. I've been playing coop with a friend from Canada (I'm in Cleveland) and we had not one hiccup in 6 hours.

This game will sell systems. It's a game that proves why you don't need a PS3. It is a new benchmark in gaming.. not just shooters. If this does not get "Game of the Year" I missed something.... I could nitpick, but why? It's a great, fun, exciting, rewarding gaming experience the likes I cannot recall in my decades of gaming experiencing before.

Game of the Year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I know theres a couple new reviews on here stating we are crazy for thinking this game is amazing due to the lack of decent games for the 360. Well they are wrong! This game is purely amazing and entirely fun. You get hooked and want to find the light at the end of the tunnel. My favorite part is being able to play the whole game in co-op mode with a friend. That makes life so much easier and the game a lot more fun when you can help your friend get past certain parts and your friend can assist you. Adds a level of fun to the game and makes replayability not an issue.

Theres levels for any type of player. Casual, Hardcore, and Insanity. Each mode gives you something harder and more defined. Ill tell you right now, the best way to play is with a friend because it makes the game a lot easier to swallow.

The controls are very good. I know people have been commenting on the cover skills. I think they are pretty good although I agree you should be able to crouch when your not against a wall. But switch among the different commands gets easier over time. I dont think that one reviewer gave the game a fair shake. Just because the enemies dont just fall over doesnt mean its a bad game. Thats why it's challenging. His precious GTA is very angering because of the controls. Missions are very difficult at points!

The graphics and sound as said before are excellent. They blow you away. For the most part the game is very fluid. Only a couple times I've seen slow down and only one time there was a glitch where I got stuck after rolling. The sounds are amazing. Listening to the creatures scream and yell is amazing and chilling. You def want to crank that sound up and listen for the subtle changes and the great music thats behind it.

Anyone can pick up this game and be engrossed! And using the Saw Bayonet is one of the best things I've seen in a game. I just love catching one of those jerks upclose and revving up my saw then cutting right through them. You have a feeling like "oh yeah, i just wreck your world sucka!". Hopefully next Gears of War there will be more along the lines of story because this one is mostly just dropping you into the fray of fighting and saying they are bad you are good kill them and get to the end. But nevertheless its still worth the full 60 bucks and it also comes with a great online!

An Old Locust Comes Out of the Ground.....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: November 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am an old timer, a dad really, whose first gaming experiences go back to pong. If you don't know what pong is then you know I am old. If you do than you're old as me! Anyways, suffice to say I have played many a game. From the old Atari 2600's, Intellivision, Colecovision, to the Commodore 64, the PS, GBA, Sega, PS2, PSP, Xbox, on my own PC gaming Rigs, and now the 360. I have also been an Amazon customer for years and I have made many purchases, but although I rely on reviews to make my purchasing decisions, I have never taken the time to write one myself. Well this isn't a review really. it's just a recommendation. Truly I am more of a RTS fan than a pure shooter fan, but folks this is more than just a shooter. This game is truly the first next gen classic! I am so glad that I got it, and I can't wait to get back in there and play it. XBOX 360 owners, the wait is over, the suffering and the pain has been worth the reward! Get Gears of War for yourself now! WOW!

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