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A Must Have for the Mature Gamer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 135 / 156
Date: November 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Gears of War is a high energy, well detailed sci fi shooter set in a dismal future. You are a muscular, well trained soldier wearing pounds of gear, armor and weapons - and it'll barely be enough to keep you alive.

This game is compared frequently to Halo, but if Halo is the lighthearted ease of Star Wars, Gears of War is the non-stop assault and clinging to life of Alien. You're not jumping around like a kangaroo here, blasting at foes. You are heavily laden, crouching behind anything you can find to shield you, trying your best to stay alive for five more minutes. You have to work strategically with your fellow soldiers to climb forward every inch.

The graphics in Gears of War are very impressive. The game is done in a palatte of browns, greys and reds. The dismal skies above, the swarms of black birds, the dented and dingy equipment - this is a world on the verge of despair. Enemies don't stand out with brightly colored costumes. You have to really pay attention to know where they are and to take them out.

The sounds really help drive home the urgency of your mission. Voices cry out on all sides for help. The hammering of the machine guns and rapid fire weapons ring in your ears. The soundtrack is pounding and epic. If anything this is all TOO pounding - after playing this for weeks, I really can get a headache :) I'd turn it down, but then I wouldn't be able to tell where the enemies were sniping me from sometimes.

The storyline really helps involve you in what is going on. It's like being at the center of a high power action movie. There are decisions you can make along the way to help guide the story. I really enjoy the "fight for every inch of soil" way it has you feel like you are involved in a real challenge. It might seem TOO challenging for some new gamers. Stick with it - it's well worth it.

I do wish, with all of their emphasis on taking cover and being cautious - that you could CROUCH. I understand not being able to jump - you're wearing hundreds of pounds of gear! However, you can crouch behind cover. Why can't you crouch when you're not near cover, to lower your profile a bit? I think that would help out in some situations.

Still, that's a minor complaint for a fantastic game. If you're a mature gamer (there's a fair amount of blood here) that enjoys shooters, definitely pick this one up!

Gears redefines FPS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 96 / 123
Date: November 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm a Halo FREAK. I love Bungie's masterpiece and will count the days until Halo3 comes out- but Gears of War destroyed my expectations of what a FPS could be like. Gears does things on a level I thought this generation of hardware was incapable of doing! I never would have thought that graphics like this were possible - you simply MUST SEE IT to BELIEVE IT! The high resolution screenshots on the web do NOT do this game justice. And the music is AMAZING to hear in the heat of combat.

And the combat- nothing touches this. Your teeth will be clinched TIGHT the entire time- every bullet is a potential killer and you feel TERRIFIED as the cover you're behind begins to fall apart while Horde forces are flanking your position!! I can not give this game any higher praise than to say it sets the bar so high, I'm only hoping that Halo3 will be able to touch it!

Game of the Year -no DOUBT in my mind

Gears of War is THE Xbox 360 Killer App....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 56 / 65
Date: November 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Let me start with this. Gears of War is the best looking console game ever. Period. End of story. The amount of detail in this game is mind numbing, but more on that later. Lets start

Gears of War is the highly anticipated shooter exclusive to the Xbox 360. You won't find this game anywhere else. This game has been hyped for years, and now that it has finally been released, most people agree it has actually surpassed the hype.

Gears of War follows the story of the humans battle against the Locust Horde. The Locust Horde have, for some reason, come to planet Sera (home of the humans in this game) to take over. It's your job to stop them. To do that, you assume the role of COG soldier Marcus Fenix. When you start the campaign mode, you find that the story begins with fellow COG soldiers breaking Marcus out from prison. Marcus did something wrong, but his battle tested skills are somehow needed. From there the story takes off, carrying you through 5 "acts" and 30 chapters. This is just the way the game is broken down.

When you start the campaign mode, you can select from 3 difficulties. Casual, which the game should take you no more than 8-10 hours to complete. Then there is the Hard mode. Hard mode is a challenge, and can easily add 4-5 hours to the game, making the campaign about 12-14 hours long. Finally, we have the mode "Insanity". Think of Halo's legendary mode. You may not even be able to do this mode on your own.

Which is why Gears features a co op mode, simialr to Halo. Co op allows you to play through Gears with a friend. You can do this over Xbox Live, through system link, or through split screen. It is most fun over Xbox Live. You simply host a campaign "server" and start playing the game. Somone can join, take the role of a computer controlled soldier, and play alongside you, which can be great fun. If they have to go, when they leave, the computer will automatically assume the role of the soldier again, so it doesn't ruin the experience. Of course, you can always invite somone on your friends list to come play through campaign with you.

Aside from the excellent campaign mode, Gears features a robust multiplayer mode. Up to 8 players are split into two teams of 4 people. Doesn't sound like much, but this game is all about cover, flanking, and working with your teammates. The game ships with 10 multiplayer maps: Canals, Clocktower, Escalation, Fuel Depot, Gridlock, Tyro Station, War Machine, Mansion, Mausoleum, and Roof Tops. In multiplayer, there are 3 modes to choose from: Warzone, Assasination, and Execution. Warzone is a standard team deatmact, and like counter strike, once you die, you spectate until the next round. Assasination requires players to kill the other teams "leader". Finally, Execution requires that in order to kil somone, you must curb stomp them (smash their heads into the ground after wounding them), chainsaw them (a chainsaw is attached to the "lancer" machine gun), or kill them with a torque bow (a bow that fires a rocket the explodes on contact.)

The weapons in Gears are very diverse. The Lancer machine gun is most common, and best of all, it has a chainsaw attached to the end of it. So when you come up close to somone, you can press "B" to rev up the chainsaw, and then go in for the kill. Other weapons include a sniper rifle, pistol, magnum, shotgun, grenade launcher, and of course, the hammer of dawn. The hammer of dawn is a gun requiring you to charge a laser beam. Once charged, the gun calls down a laser beam from an orbital satellite, blasting anything in its path.

The sound, of course, is incredible. The music is amazing, and the gun sounds are some of the best you will hear. Like I said, the graphics are some of the best I have ever seen in my life. The amount of detail is scary. For instance, when you shotgun somone up close, you can see individuals parts fly, such as the jawbone, brain, etc. But the graphics don't just excel in a gruesome kind of way. Brick walls, water reflections, blades of grass all look so real, you are going to be stunned. Like I said earlier, the BEST graphics you have ever seen.

The Xbox 360 has been waiting for a killer app. This is the one. Halo 3 comes out in Nov 2007, but this game will make you forget all about Halo until then. People will be buying 360's just to play this game. The game is very voilent, but really, people, this is the MUST OWN game of the year. If you have a 360, you owe it to yourself to play this game. Games like this don't come around very often. Do yourself a favor, and play this game. It is THAT good.

A TRUE Killer App.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 16
Date: November 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The other day, while I was sitting in a computer class, a friend of mine asked me if I was going to buy any of the new consoles. I said probably not, because I've drifted away from console gaming, and gotten into computer gaming. Then he mentioned Gears of War, a game I remembered seeing a video of from E3 or something like that. After watching a couple new videos, I realized that I hadn't been this hyped about a game since Halo 2.

All day today, I've been anticipating my friend buying this game...after a long day of school, and a band rehersal that was obligatory, I rushed over to his house and barged in the door. They said to me, "This is the best game I have ever played." I quickly saw why.

The visuals are amazing. The techniques are amazing. The weapons are amazing. The action is perfect. The controls felt natural after 5 minutes of playing. The A.I is amazing. The whole thing is the definition of a good game. But let's get on to the multiplayer. That's where the game gets good.

After logging on to XBox Live and playing for about 10 minutes while switching off with my friends (We didn't take the time to see if more than one person could play off of one xbox), it hit me that I had never gotten so excited after being killed. I wasn't angry at all. That's because even though you die, there's something enjoyable about getting your head smashed in, American History X style.

This game is the best shooter I think that I've ever played. It's the perfect blend of Halo, Counterstrike, and Splinter Cell. I only hope that it gets the recognition it deserves, so we can get a sequel.

Gears of War is THE Killer ap that X-Box 360 owners have been dyin for!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: December 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Aside from a few really great games, I HATE first person shooters. The reason for this is that I grew up cutting my teeth on "real world" combat games like BB gun fights (way way back) and have about 12 years of Paintball under my belt.

One simply cannot run around in the open, circle strafing around your opponent while hopping like a jackrabbit on crank and hope to accomplish anything other than experiencing pain and a quick ticket to the dead zone.

That's why I was glad to hear that Cliffy B and the team at Epic were working on a more "real world" combat style for Gears of War.

There is nothing more annoying than logging into an online FPS game and witnessing players pressing and holding the jump button (bunny hopping) and searching for targets that they can circle around like a shark. It kills the experience and it makes for gimicky gameplay that eliminates the tactics needed in combat, and thus for me, most of the fun.

Gears of War is not that kind of game.

Gears is build around a "stop and pop" play mechanic and anyone who plays this game looking to "Run and gun" or "bunny hop" is going to be in for a world of hurt.

Gears forces you to take cover, think out plans of attack, and fight it out with your enemies in a much more realistic manner. There isn't even a jump button to press. There is a contextual button (very similar to the way Nintendo's latest Zelda games really only use one button to accomplish many feats. The context sensitive button will allow you to dive into cover, leap over barriers, get low and run for cover, get tight to the wall, roll out of the way, or jump from cover to cover. So no bunny hopping at all...

To compliment the realistic maneuvering there is realistic gun play. The developers have really emphasized real world combat in this game. It's all about your cover and knowing when to pop out and fire. They've thrown in shooting from the hip (firing in the direction your are facing and not very accurate), aimed fire (get a bead on your enemies and come out from behind cover to get accurate shots) and blind firing (sicking your gun over the top of your cover point and blindly firing rounds in the opponent's general direction). To make matters even more realistic, you have active reload which means that you can basically wait until the clip is empty and reload at a ordinary pace or you can wit until the clip is almost empty and actively reload your gun. Do it right and you reload faster and get a brief damage bonus to your rounds. Do it wrong and the gun jams and you have to clear the jam. AWESOME! It's about as close to real world combat as you can get in a computer game.

Gears of War is a masterpiece of graphics, game play and fun. While it seems that the concept of using cover and popping up to fire off a few rounds before taking cover again as your opponent opens up on you sounds like it could get repetitive, Gears keeps it all so fresh with different kinds of environments, places to sneak into that give you a tactical advantage, and fights where you will really have to fight to make it through alive.

Luckily the Developers didn't stop with realistic play mechanics and gorgeous high-definition graphics. They also saw fit to include AI opponents and team mates that are actually intelligent. Your squad mates will slug it out and move intelligently in battles. Sure, they aren't as smart as having a buddy play along side you, but the developers even threw in a Co-op mode for that. The enemies are very intelligent as well, constantly trying to move in on you or your team mates or flanking to your side and opening up angles on you. You can't just find cover and get comfortable. You have to know where your enemy is and move to cut them off or they'll end up right on top of you ready to take you down.

That's where the Chainsaw comes in handy... Or a frag grenade... :)

For all the realism of the actual combat in Gears of War, there are also the "over the top" moves... The Chainsaw, smacking an opponent with a frag grenade and having it stick in 'em, coming up on downed opponents and givin' 'em a curb stomp, and etc.

This is not your typical video game. This is truly meant to be enjoyed by adult gamers. The language is "real" and adult, the story line is complex enough, but not over the top, and gore can get excessive (what do you expect when you jam a frag grenade into your opponent's chest or drive a chainsaw through their torso?) but it never stops being a fun experience even for grizzled old gamers like me.

The control scheme takes a little getting used to, but it's not so complex that it intimidates you and the multi-player and co-op modes are worth the $60 price tag alone. If you own a 360, Gears of War should be on your game shelf right next to Dead Rising as the two great examples of Next Generation gaming at it's best. I cannot recommend this game enough.

Mind blowing graphics and game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 22
Date: November 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Lived up to all the hype! Graphics are really sweet and so is the game play. The movement behind walls and obstacles in third person really work and feel right. The game sets new standards by which many games will now be judged.

Easily the Game of the Year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: November 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

With the Playstation 3 on the horizon, Microsoft releases the Xbox360 exclusive "Gears of War" to convince players to "jump in" with the 360 and forget the PS3. If it were any other game, most would balk at this attempt, but Gears of War alone is reason enough to buy an Xbox360 over a PS3, if you're on the fence about which console to invest in. Gears of War, along with the rest of the 360's strong and large library, make a huge case for the 360 as the dominant console.

I played the game for several hours today and was simply blown away. The game's main selling point is that it simulates intense violent and realistic warefare that requires players to seek cover while fighting, just like in real combat, in order to survive. When I first heard this, I thought it would make for a boring and teadious game...nothing is further from the truth! This is so fast paced, so action packed, so real and intense that it's sure to be the first game in a future franchise that gamers will be talking about for years to come. There are numerous things about the game that I love, but I'll hit the most important points here:

First, the enemies are not stone statues, like in other games. What I mean is, the enemy will take a position for cover and from that position attack you and your squad. However, if the enemy realizes that they're in a bad spot...they move. Also, the enemy is always trying to get closer to you to go in for the kill. In other war games, enemies just stand in one spot and are always in the same places when you play....not here! The gameplay is realistic and intense and ever changing, just like real combat.

Second, the game itself is very cinematic. It feels like you're inside a red hot sci-fi action movie and living the action. The music is powerful and top notch, like what you would expect from a big budget Hollywood feature film. The sound effects are huge, organic and terrifying. The storyline is original and very exciting and the enemy is really cool and memorable. The character designs are gritty and disturbing, and the weapons feel big and powerful.

Third, a friend can team up with you using the split screen co-op mode during a campaign. Yes, split screen! That way, if you don't have an Xbox Live account, you can still play a co-op mode! As for Xbox Live, I haven't played it yet, but you can play against or as the Locust Horde in massive online deathmatches. I'm going to renew my Xbox Live subscription solely to play this game online.

Finally, if you're ready to go next gen, but can't decide between the 360 or the PS3, this game makes an excellent case to purchase a 360. I was at my local video game store yesterday and saw the PS3 display. Most of their games will be on the 360 too and the exclusive titles didn't look all that great. So, I can't see why anyone would spend more money on the PS3 and miss playing what is obviously not only the game of the year, but one of the best games to come along in years, "Gears of War".

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!!!

Gears - The 360's First Killer App

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: December 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I recieved Gears of War for Christmas and have to say that it's visuals are absolutely second to none and are the first thing your likely to notice about this title. We're talking visuals quite a few steps ahead of the pack, and the animations that they support are superb, everything from the characters to the explosions, to the game's oh so destructable world. I havent completely finished the game but felt compelled to throw in my two cents now to maybe influence holiday buying decisions for you late shoppers out there, people who maybe received say 60 dollers as a gift and is wondering how to spend it. Well, quite frankly, you couldnt spend it on a better game. Gears of War does for the 360 what The Legend of Zelda did for the N64, or what Halo did for the original Xbox. It will become one of those games that defines the system, or at least for a long, long while. Apart from the outstanding visuals (either in high-def or not) gamers will be pleased to find one heck of a sound design. The sounds of the Locust crying out as your chainsaw rips through them is one of the most satasfying things i've heard in recent gaming. The musical score is also to be highly noted, it is beautiful in a creepy kinda way and i hear it in my head between playing stints. The game controls really tight for the most part. Using a "one button does all" approach, the A button will become your best friend...yes even moreso than the right trigger. It allows you to take cover, barrle roll, all sorts of things, depending on the context. Basically it is your protection from becoming a thousand tiny pieces in a pool of blood. Which takes me to my next point. This earns its M rating with some pretty graphic violence. It's not quite as heavy as Dead Rising, but its certainly bloodier than any of the Halo games. The language on the other hand actually isnt as heavy as i thought it would be. No f bombs thus far, and no gd's. But like I said, the game earns its M rating nevertheless, thanks to its heavy gore. Production values are high in Gears and you certainly feel the effort that went into its creation. It earns the distinction in my book as quite possibly the most polished game I've ever played. I am yet to find a glitch, or even a cheap gimick. All in all, I'd say Gears of War is a fantastic game, slightly overrated, but a fantastic game. People looking to buy just one xbox 360 game need to look no further. I recieved Call of Duty 3 too and although thats a pretty good game, this is dominating my 360. Do yourself a favor, purchase and experience Gears of War. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

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