Didn't I play this same game three years ago, back when it was called Gears of War 2? I can't shake the feeling that I'll lose interest in Gears 3 just as quickly as I did with Halo 3, in spite of - or perhaps because of - the countless hours that I invested in previous installments of both series.

Didn't I play this same game three years ago, back when it was called Gears of War 2? I can't shake the feeling that I'll lose interest in Gears 3 just as quickly as I did with Halo 3, in spite of - or perhaps because of - the countless hours that I invested in previous installments of both series.

Well, yes, pretty much, but were you really expecting anything different?

Wait? The third in the series is like the previous entries in that same series? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Why do people still feel the need to write 'first impression' wrap-ups weeks after launch? Everyone who really cares has already finished it, and people still on the fence are more interested in what the people who can describe the total experience have to say. My point is, nobody gives a fuck what you think of the first hour of Gears 3 (unless the game isn't out yet, or has only been out for a few hours, of course). Especially if it's just negative bitching about a complete non-issue. Yeah, it's similar to the game you haven't touched in THREE YEARS- no fuckin' shit.

I just got Gears of War 3 a few days ago. Believe it or not, I haven't played the previous two. Same was the case with Halo 3 about three years ago. I didn't enjoy Halo 3 too much, and so far, my impression of GeoW 3 is that it's really good, but nothing I haven't played before in one form or another. Then again, I'm barely into it, so we'll see.

Gears 3 is the most refined Gears game ever. Just like how Halo Reach is the most refined Halo game ever. If you didn't want more Gears then you shouldn't have played more Gears.

Gears is still Gears, there is no arguing that. But this is much improved version of that. The campaign is very well made and paced and does a much better job than previous installments in how it tells the story and handles the characters. From what I can tell the multiplayer is a bit faster now, which is a good thing. The new game modes really add a lot to the mix. The Horde mode for example has a lot more to it with the tower defense aspects and I for one actually enjoy it a lot now. Beast is another fun distraction, even if it is a bit short. 
 
Gears 3 is a lot like Halo Reach in that it is that franchise done better than it has ever been before.

@TooWalrus: Gears 3 launched 6 days ago, not "weeks ago". As someone who loved the first Gears and lost interest in Act 2 of Gears 2, I was on the fence about buying this game. He wrote this entry after multiple friends of his (including myself) asked him how he liked it. I'd take his 1-hour opinion over a GOW fanboy's opinion any day. My point is, some people do give a fuck.

It's the best Gears game out there, and I'd like to think there's more than enough changes that make it feel different enough. For one: the entire tone of the game.

To clarify: I wrote this "First Impressions" piece after playing Gears 3 for just two hours. In that time, I completed the first act of the game's campaign, along with one match each of King of the Hill and Team Deathmatch. Having now completed the second act of the game's campaign, I'm more optimistic about the quality of the full single-player experience; after several matches of Execution played with a friend, I've started to enjoy the game's multi-player more, as well.