Gears of War

First of all, Gears of War is an utterly brilliant experience online and offline. From when you chainsaw your opponent in two, smash your foes face into the ground with the devastating curb-stomp or take off their head with the Sniper Rifle. In the Campaign Mode you play as Marcus Fenix, a disgraced soldier sent to prison for disobeying orders (trying to save his father). This massive war has been going on between the Humans and the terrifying Locust since Emergence Day (The day the Locust launched a surprise attack from underground). So you get broken out of prison by your comrade Dom Santiago and you rejoin the battle, thats where the story leads off from there.

The graphics are astounding some of the best ever you will see as they are powered by Unreal Technology. The landscape, scenery and characters are beautifully brought to life and the dark, terrifying atmosphere of the Locust Horde adds to that.

The best part of the game is definitely the multiplayer. It is always four on four, the COG soldiers versus the Locust Horde. The modes are Warzone, Assassination, Execution and Annex. Warzone is when you get shot so badly that you are downed (crouched on one knee with a pool of blood around you). Your opponent can finish you off by shooting you when you are downed. In Assassination, there is a leader on each team and the other three members have to protect their leader but kill the other leader as well. Execution is nearly the same as Warzone but after your opponent has downed you, they have to go up to you and do a finishing move like a curb-stomp, chainsaw or melee to finish you off. Finally, Annex is where you have to get to a certain weapon placement, hold off the other team to gain points, there is a maximum of sixty points from each weapon placement. Your team has to reach a certain amount of points to win the round.

In other words, this game is top notch and it should be one for the collection of any gamer who has an interest in the shooting genre at all.