Gears: It Grew on Me Fast
Gears of War has been around for awhile now, and I know i'm far behind the times on reviewing this game, but I like to get my opinions out. :] So anyways I've had a history with the franchise. I went from a Gears hater (The first time I ever tried it), to a Gears 2 dabbler (Played it with my uncle a bunch, it was pretty fun), to now I would call myself a Gears Fan. I borrowed it from my uncle, beat it in 3 days and then bought my own copy and I have to say it's a pretty great game!
Gameplay: The gameplay in Gears is very refreshing to me. I'm not a huge shooter fan because for me it all feels the same. Point, Shoot, Checkpoint, Move on, and realistically, this does sound like Gears. But the Cover feature makes the game fun and challenging. Try just standing in the open and blasting everything that moves and you won't last long. There is just enough guns to keep the fights interesting, but not so many you get overloaded with choices. The levels are pretty straightforward, with not too much backtracking that I find tiresome in games, and it evens has a couple of nice bosses, that provide a little break in the usual rut. I found the game (With only 5 Acts) too short though, something that hinders the game. But too it's credit an act takes almost 2 hours to complete usually. Overall I would give the gameplay a 4 out 5.
Presentation: The graphics in Gears are pretty great to me. Everything looks sharp and the whole ruined world gives off a feel of tiresome war. It puts you in the perfect mood. Small effects like blood splattering the screen just makes the game even more visually immersive. The audio is nice too. The characters always seem to have something snappy to say, and provided me with a couple of chuckles. Of course the Locust's crazy yells and screams get annoying after awhile (I understand why the COG hates these guys so much!) but it sounds good and fits in with the game. Presentation gets a 3.5 out of 5
Plot: I'll try not to put spoilers in here, but Plot is something that Gears doesn't have the greatest of. I like the history and the setting, but throughout the course of the game, it almost feels like you're accomplishing nothing until the very end pay-off. It keeps you tuned in, and watched all the cut scenes once, but now I just skip through them. Of course this comes from a gamer whose a storyphile so maybe i'm a little harsh. I give plot a 3 out of 5
Replay: Like stated earlier, Gears averages to only about a 8-9 hour game in story mode. But throw in 2 more difficulties, an amazingly fun co-op, and of course Xbox live, you get a game thats worth every bit of its price. If I could have just had a couple more acts then I would be perfectly content with giving the replay a 5, but as of now I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Overview: Overall Gears is an excellent game and any shooter fan or action game fan would probably find a home here. It's fun, provides a bunch of gameplay, and looks nice, even if the plot isn't as inspiring as I would like. Overall I give GEars a 4 out of 5
