I like Gears of War...actually no, I love Gears of War. Some people on here who know a bit about me understand this fact. Does this make me biased in choosing Gears of War 3 as my GoTY? Sure it does, but this doesn't mean that I think that all 3 games in the franchise are the greatest things ever (maybe) because I easily thought GTA IV was the best of 2008 instead of Gears of War 2. Now with that out of the way, I'll dive into some of the reasons as to why Gears of War 3 is my Game of the Year.

Gameplay

I don't care that it's my opinion but I'm 100% confident that Gears of War 3 is the best third-person shooter in terms of overall feel and control. If third-person shooters are not your thing then I understand your feelings about not caring/liking this game a whole lot, but I'll be damned if this isn't just a solid game in the third-person shooter genre. People like to compare this to Uncharted 3 because they share the same genre which in some cases that's fair. It's cool being able to jump and climb around in Uncharted 3, but I always come back to Gears 3 when it comes to wanting to shoot shit better. The guns feel and shoot great, character movements and animations are very smooth, everything just feels right.

Campaign

Yeah, the overall Gears of War fiction is dumb, but my love for the franchise is what kept me invested in the story. (I draw the line at the books; I tried one of them and then managed to stop myself before it was too late) Gears of War 2 was where they fleshed out the Gears universe and made the Locust somewhat more interesting (Giant Worm anyone?) but Gears of War 3 made the story more personal and added a sense of desperation to the events that were occurring. The game still has a lot of the traditional Marcus saying, "Nice", moments but they made the overall story more serious. Say what you will about the ending and leaving a rather large plot hole in regards to the Locust Queen, I was satisfied with how the story ended and I also had a fucking blast playing through that whole thing.

Multiplayer

To me, this is where the meat of the game is. The multiplayer in Gears of War 1, even though it was basically small and sparse in scale, was what got me hooked into this franchise. It's fun blowing people the fuck up in this game. It's the only game where I get the most satisfaction after killing someone because of how bad they can get messed up, it's crazy. Gears of War 3 surpassed its predecessor in every aspect of the multiplayer. Bullet lag and host advantage? Thanks to dedicated servers, that shit is gone. Tired of having shotgun focused multiplayer matches? EPIC made the rifles more useful than they have ever been before. Thanks to EPIC's stat tracking, the Lancer is actually the most used weapon in ranked matches. I've never had as much fun in any other multiplayer game, the modes are great and EPIC does a fantastic job of tossing in some custom game events every week.

With all of that said, it's easy to see people being intimidated by the competitive multiplayer. People are crazy on that game and if you don't know what you're doing you'll be ripped apart, literally. That's when the other coop friendly modes become more appealing. The new Horde mode in this game is fantastic; they added the ability to construct barriers, turrets, decoys, whatever. This new element makes it fun to fortify yourself with your friends and try to survive against the waves of Locust enemies. There's also Beast mode which is like Horde mode in reverse, but with a time limit on each round. There's just so much shit to do in this game and EPIC has already delivered in adding more content such as the 5 new maps that are available for free. More maps means more places to play some Horde and Beast mode in.

In The End

This was honestly a hard choice for me to make. I've been enjoying Skyrim a whole lot and I still have plenty of shit to do in that game even though I finished the main questline. It's a game that is easy to get lost in and waste away the hours but in the end I know that there's only one game where I'll still be playing well throughout 2012 and that game is Gears 3. I've put in about 45 or so hours into Skyrim with plans to invest more time into that game, but the crazy thing is that I probably have put in even more hours than that into the Gears 3 multiplayer. Also, it didn't help that I was finally forced to stop playing Skyrim on my 360 and go back to PC because I hit a part where the framerate wouldn't stop being in the single digits.

Some people will never understand the appeal of this franchise or share the love that I have for it and I understand that. Getting to sink many hours into the best, most polished entry in one of my favorite franchises is why I consider Gears of War 3 to be my Game of The Year.

The multiplayer in the past Gears of War games have a reputation of consisting of only hardcore players that roll around decimating the weak with shotguns. I was one of those crazy people who stayed with the game's multiplayer and I won't deny that the shotgun accusations are true. With that said, Gears of War 3 has finally provided the tools necessary for people to be able to even the playing field with something other than a shotgun. I aim to provide some info and strategies to help those who are unfamiliar with the game be better prepared and stay competitive in the multiplayer.

THE WEAPONS

Let's start out by talking about the weapons that you can spawn with.

LANCER

Ah yes, the classic Lancer. In Gears 3, the Lancer now has a larger magazine than ever before and can shoot with very little recoil. This gun is great for giving cover fire and forcing the enemy to take cover. The chainsaw has even been slightly tweaked so that once it is fully revved up, the only way to shut off the chainsaw is to either die or let go of the B button. If you manage to chainsaw a guy you can still continue to hold down B and continue to chainsaw any nearby enemies without ever having to turn off the chainsaw. It can get pretty crazy if no one is able to put you down. This is a great weapon for beginners.

RETRO LANCER

Now this gun is supposed to be the older version of the Lancer and has a knife bayonet attached to the gun instead of a chainsaw. This rifle is the most powerful out of the three you can get, but it is also the one with the most recoil. The gun has been tweaked since the beta and now has even more recoil but when controlled right, it can destroy your enemies with small controlled bursts. This has become my go-to weapon and my #1 choice in countering the guys who still wish to continue their shotgunning habits from the past Gears games. The stopping power on this gun is ridiculous and will stop any charger in their tracks. If you're feeling lucky you can try out the charge ability by holding down B which makes you charge forward with your bayonet out. I suggest this gun for those who wish to fight in a medium to close range.

HAMMERBURST

This gun has seen the most revisions in all of the games. The Hammerburst has come a long way since Gears 1 and in Gears 3 it's actually not too bad. This gun gives you the ability to go into first-person and allows you to be more accurate than any of the other rifles. People who favor fighting from a long distance will get the most mileage out of this semi-automatic gun.

GNASHER

Oh yes, the Gnasher. This is the infamous shotgun that is responsible for nearly all of the kills in the past Gears games. It's versatile, can shoot many times before reloading, and can cause havoc from a medium range. One of the key skills that veteran Gears players have with this shotgun is being able to blindly shoot this thing accurately. You can save a lot of time by shooting this thing from the hip instead of actually aiming the gun, it's how people usually used the gun when in fights with multiple players. The Gnasher retains most of its dangerous capabilities from the past games, but thanks to EPIC’s choice to rebalance the other weapons and introduce some newcomers, the Gnasher will no longer be the only answer to every gunfight.

SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN

This is a new addition which I completely love. I traded in my Gnasher for this monster mainly because I decided to move away from always fighting with shotguns. This gun can only shoot one round, but that one round is more than enough to get the job done...at the right range. The range on this thing is shit, mainly because it is intended to be used in up close and personal situations. Don't expect to be fighting waves of people with this gun because you also have to worry about the reload time, which is ridiculous. Those of you who like to use ‘hit and run’ tactics and/or camp around corners will probably like this thing a whole lot.

TRAVERSING THE BATTLEFIELD

Gear of War 3 is a faster game. People who are new to the series won’t notice it but when compared to the past games, you are able to haul ass now. Here are some tips on how to move efficiently through the warzone in hopes of extending your lifespan.

STAY ALERT

This may be obvious advice for any competitive game but it goes double for here. Guys can move faster now and they tend to be able to run without making a whole lot of noise. Don’t be surprised to find yourself exploding from the random shotgun blast to the back. Avoid this nuisance by always looking over your shoulder and keep tabs on any nearby enemies. Oh and be sure to be cautious when approaching a corner, there is a good chance that there is a guy waiting to shoot their sawed-off and kill you in one hit.

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE!

By pressing the back button and then B, you are able to access the map. This shows the location of every weapon spawn point and also displays the location of your teammates. This is helpful when you want to know were you are, where you might want to go, where the shortcuts are, and just how far you are from allies.

GET TACTICAL!

There is a neat little feature called the Tac-Com, which can be accessed by holding down LB. This gives you a new perspective of the battlefield with an aesthetic that is similar to Arkham Asylum's detective vision. Your teammate's locations will be highlighted and can be seen even through walls while the Tac-Com is active. It is also really useful in finding out where potential objectives are located when playing different game modes. Another neat trick is that you can use the Tac-Com to see right through smoke.

KEEP TABS ON YOUR TEAMMATES

Even though most games may consist of people with no mics, or maybe you just don’t want to talk, always know where your teammates are. You don’t want to find yourself surrounded by the wrong people. It is important that you stick close to another teammate so you can help avoid overwhelming gun fights. This doesn’t mean that you should never venture out by yourself, but if you do plan to go out scouting, make sure you’re at least in short running distance from a teammate.

TAG YOU'RE IT!

While aiming the gun, you can point at enemies and click in the left stick to highlight them with a symbol. This can be seen by any ally and it's a great to provide information without having to use a mic. Get used to tagging enemies with this icon and you'll be grateful for it because you may be able to notice that there was a guy stalking you.

KEEP MOVING

There are few spots in the maps where you can entrench yourself and hold off opposition, this becomes even harder when trying to accomplish this alone. You’re better off staying mobile which helps to reduce the chance of being flanked. You are also more likely to find some unsuspecting enemies by staying on the move.

GET FRIENDLY WITH THE 'A' BUTTON

Not only can this thing be used for taking cover, it allows you to roll. It’s not hard to figure this out but when used the right way it can be a life saver. One thing players should avoid is running in a straight line, you’re asking to be downed by gunfire faster. When taking fire while running, be sure to roll out of the way and try running in a new direction. Keep rolling in different directions if you still need to shake off that gunfire.

IT'S GETTING SMOKEY IN HERE

The smoke grenade is no longer a useless thing to have like in past games. The smoke grenade actually provides effective cover when trying to charge into contentious areas. Another cool feature is that the smoke grenade can momentarily stun people who are near enough to the grenade's explosion, but be warned, you can also end up stunning yourself.

KICK FOOLS!

In Gears 3, players can now perform a mantle kick. If you see a guy taking cover, you can chose to take cover on the opposite side and then jump over that cover to kick them out of the way. This will then stun the guy and give you enough time to eliminate him/her. This can also work in reverse where you can kick the guy that is going to take cover in front of you.

LET'S GET SENSITIVE!

Some people may not like the feel of it but I strongly suggest for people to increase the sensitivity of your controller. I chose to max out the sensitivity for every option available and I am now able to turn more easily and even have an easier time of taming the recoil of the Retro Lancer because of it. This may not be for some players but I suggest you try boosting up the sensitivity a tad and see how things go.

Hopefully some of this stuff will help you guys out. Feel free to post some other tips and tricks that can help people become better Gears players. Now go out there and have some fun!

DON'T FIGHT ALONE

If there's one huge negative to playing Gears 3 MP, it's playing by yourself. Unfortunately playing with randoms will most likely result in you getting your kills stolen and not being revived.

So, check out Atomasist's list of Giant Bomb Gears 3 players. Here

I did stupid shit and dragged some innocents down with me. I didn't mean for this to happen to you, but thanks for taking the hit for me. If only the 3 day resurrection rule would apply to this situation. So long pal.

After 4 weeks full of matches, the Gears of War 3 beta comes to a close. The first thought that goes through my head after this realization is, "Holy shit, I'm going to have to play that broken game called Gears of War 2 till September?!" In short I enjoyed the hell out of it, I'm quite the Gears player. I've been into the multiplayer way longer than I should since Gears 1. Hell, I paid full price for Bulletstorm the day the beta started because I couldn't wait a week longer, and I didn't even play half of that game. Anyways, those are my initial thoughts of the beta, I'm going to go into a bit more detail about some of the content of the beta. 

The beta consisted of Team Deathmatch, King of The Hill, and Capture The Leader. These modes were put into the game one by one over the length of the beta period. Team Deathmatch is quite a lot of fun. You eliminate the enemy’s pool of lives of 15 and this makes games feel like they are moving faster. Previous Gears games felt like they moved slower. King of The Hill, which will be where your longer matches will be at, is not too bad at all. It's a combination of the previous Gears game's Annex and King of The Hill modes. Great place to rack up kills. Now my favorite mode is probably Capture The Leader. Like the Gears 2's Guardian mode, you have to prevent one of your teammates, who is the "leader", from falling into enemy hands. The new twist is that the leader can use the Tac Com to identify the location of everybody, friend or foe, on the map. The reason why this is my favorite mode is that if you have a full cooperative team that effectively communicates enemy locations, this mode is a fucking blast!

The Weapons

There have been quite a lot of complaints about the main weapons you spawn with throughout the whole beta period. Most of the complaints seem to be aimed at the sawed-off shotgun and the retro lancer. I can see why people may be frustrated by these weapons but I think they are fine the way they are. Does it suck to get blown up by that sawed-off? Hell yeah it does, it makes me mad, but 95% of the time I shouldn’t have been trigger happy and running out there as if I was playing Gears1 or 2. The people who are still running out there like Rambo are the ones who are forgetting that they're not the bullet sponge that they used to be like in the old games. Don’t want to get dropped by that retro? Then don’t fucking run out there in the open, the game is a cover-based shooter for a reason. 

  I really think Epic managed to do a solid job with making the weapons useful. The main weapon that everyone defaulted to in the past games was the shotgun, there are still players who rolled that way in the beta because old habits die hard, but the other weapons are quite capable of getting the job done. Rifles actually matter now in this game, keep your distance and you will rip guys to shreds with one.

The Network

Epic took the time to create a decent infrastructure for their netcode and it shows. The netcode of past games were complete shit. Any host was basically granted god like power and precision because they were not hindered by any kind of lag. Gears 3 seems to have cut down on any major lag issues and the host advantage from the previous games is now a thing of the past. There were times that the dedicated servers were taken down for maintenance and it was then that you can easily notice some latency issues, but it was nothing on the shit level that Gears 2 was on.

Overall, the beta was fucking awesome. The game looks nice and there are plenty of diverse environments which increases my interest in what the campaign will be like. I think the big negative to the multiplayer is that it still can be a hard place for any new player to jump into. Despite the balance changes and better netcode, there are still a lot of players that will tear the new people apart. I’m able to fit in just fine because I’m aware of the strategies to help stay alive but I can easily see newcomers having a tough time getting oriented. At least now, when you shoot somebody, the bullets will go into the guy instead of the wall behind him.

(Because Giantbomb needs more threads/blogs about DA 2) 
 
I had to do it, I had some money laying around, so boom I gots DA 2. Anyway, to the reason why I put up that title.  
 
So far I'm close to getting 50 sovereigns for the deep roads expedition and I have a sizable crew of dudes rounded up. The recent additions are Anders, that pirate chick, and the warrior elf. Ya I'm great with names. So I'm about a bit more than 7 hours into the game and well, is this basically it? Just round up a bunch of seemingly pointless quests to get cash and occasionally gain an ally? I'm just not seeing any real point to what I'm doing. Some of the new characters are cool and have some interesting qualities but I don't find myself caring about them like I did with the guys in DA:O (Might be why I barely know any of their names).  
 
As for the combat, it's fine, I kinda like the faster style......I'm about 50/50 on the gore, guys blowing up for no reason is silly. Only downer to the combat is that I still miss the tactical view from DA:O. I think it's just these things that are keeping me into the game, but I'm still just really disappointed with what's going on so far. I'm not finding myself caring at all about Hawke's situation. Oh, and only traveling to that one mountain place and Kirkwall is really lame. 
  
I had to get my quick thoughts about the game out of the way first but back to my main point, does the game get better or will I basically still be doing the same stuff till the end?

After looking at the review Tom Pinchuk put up of Evangelion 2.0 over at Screened.com. I decided to give Neon Genesis another chance. In one of my previous blogs, I gave my thoughts on the anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and let's just say that I sorta borderline hated it. I never understood the appeal beyond anything than just giant robots fighting giant monsters or "angels" as they are called in the show. Hearing that the anime is now being retold but in movie form, I decided to give that universe another chance and see how it turned out. 
 
Evangelion 1.0 
 

Before I go into what I think about Brotherhood I just want to say a couple things.  

1) There will be some spoilers because I want to compare some plot points of Brotherhood and the original Fullmetal Alchemist. 
2) I'm only talking about what happens up to episode 39 because that is all of the dubbed episodes I have seen so far. I only watch dubbed and not subbed because I'm not a crazy person. 
3) Some people think that I outright hate anime, which isn't entirely true, I just hate most anime.  
 

For those of you who want to listen to the soundtrack, it's being streamed here:   http://seeksicksound.com/daft-punk-tron-legacy-full-ost-streaming/

 I decided to just torrent the soundtrack and I have no shame in doing so because I ordered the deluxe edition, mainly for the awesome poster, which I look forward to receiving. Anyways onto to my thoughts on this soundtrack

 Finally I am able to get my hands on Daft Punk's newest work and I must say that the wait was worth it. After listening to the soundtrack's single, Derezzed, I was pretty stoked. I was expecting more electronic music similar to what they did before, but I was very wrong. After going through several tracks, I was shocked at how different the music was to what I was expecting.

Daft Punk recently announced that they had hired a full orchestra for the soundtrack and it shows. What I was hearing was basically a fusion of electronic and classical music. The soundtrack sounds nothing like their past work and I appreciate their boldness in wanting to try something completely new for them. They did a fantastic job in using the orchestra along with electronic touches to create an intense somewhat somber atmosphere. The only song that has the most similarities to their past work is Derezzed.

      My main complaint with this is that this movie soundtrack is well, a movie soundtrack. Most of these songs are short, 1 to 2 minute range, and you won’t be getting any long epic songs from this. People may be turned away from this because of how much classical music is infused into this, but I personally like the change. I like the direction that they took with this when they could have easily made a simple soundtrack consisting of repetitive house beats and a drum machine. 

Below is a list of my favorites from the soundtrack:

-Recognizer

-Armory

-The Game Has Changed

-Adagio for TRON

-Derezzed

-Finale

When they get to working on their next album I really hope they go back to what they did in Discovery, which is still one of my top favorite albums.   

 Well just finished the game and I couldn't agree more with how Brad felt about the ending of this game. Before I get into that, how did you guys feel about the game overall and then what you think about the end game stuff?
 
I definitely think that it is a solid Fable game despite some of the stupid UI decisions. I got used to the Sanctuary as a replacement to a standard menu even though a more streamlined menu would most likely be better, but damn I want to have an option to pull up my inventory. I do admire Fable 3's determination to force you to stick to your choices you made by autosaving automatically after your decision and only allowing the one save per hero.  Also the game is still funny as ever.
 
As for the ending, well wtf. The whole shadows are comin' to get you thing was just shoehorned. They suddenly bring this whole evil force that is never explained on where they came from and surprise you with it as soon as you land on Aurora and I don't know how they expect me to give a shit about their problems. In fact I think that the game didn't do a great job about making you care for the people in it. The only person I may have had at least acknowledged was Walter since he was there with you at the beginning. Anyways back to the shadow stuff, they brought the end game sequence on you so damn suddenly that it was bullshit. Like Brad said, they really needed to put in a message or something saying, yo make sure you're done with everything before passing this point. Last point is what the hell is that blind seer doing anyways?! Last I remember she took over the Spire and holed herself up in there and I don't remember the Spire ever being mentioned in Fable 3. 
 
OK this is getting rantish. So ya what do you guys think about the overall game and what are your thoughts about the ending? It is still a solid game with the great British humor and I will continue to rule Albion within a chicken suit.