Reviews September 28, 2011
Gears of War 3
Reviewed by: Bryant Crawley
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Rated: M
Players: 1-4 (2-16 Online)
Cost: $59.99
Release Date: 09/20/2011
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Epic Games
Gears of War 3 is the first, post-summer release in the gaming industry that actually feels like a bona fide blockbuster. This isn't just because its franchise's swaggering, bloody reputation precedes it or even that it features hulking, steroid induced marines on the cover. Nope; the reason Gears 3 feels so immediate is because Epic may have finally created the best Gears game any of us fans could ask for.
Most shooters split their wares between a story-based campaign and a multiplayer where unlockables, trophies and profile leveling come into play. With Gears 3, the profile leveling starts the moment you boot up the game. Newcomers have a whole host of content to unlock while anyone who took part in the multiplayer beta earlier this year will see all of the trophies, ribbons, weapons and character skins associated with their profile arrive in tact. There's even an achievement in store for those beta-testers, for graduating up a skill level in the multiplayer - and this is before they even jump into the game.
Gears of War 3 is proof, if any were ever needed, that Epic's Design Director Cliff Bleszinski was serious when he claimed that the future of the shooter was the RPG. Everything players do in the game earns some reward for their profile. This includes playing through the story campaign on the different difficulty settings, in co-op, and in Arcade mode. The reason for this isn't just because Xbox 360 players have become geared towards collecting in-game items and unlocking Achievements over the years (although this probably helps a great deal). Nope, it’s because Epic wanted to ensure players aren't put off the multiplayer element by the prospect of being turned into paint by the online hardcore crowd. To that end, the game's superb matchmaking system reads each player's profile, notes their skill level, and then proceeds to match them up with players against or with whom they stand a fighting chance. This will likely prove a boon to newcomers, because for probably the first time in a shooter, their first experience of online play won't be a baptism of fire.
Online modes are split between competitive (Versus) and co-op (Horde and Beast) elements. Versus is your standard online shooter experience in which players and their mates blow the heck out of each other in different match-types across different maps. The maps are based on environments from the campaign, re-imagined slightly to offer high-ground sniping nests and choke points on the ground that compliment visceral, close-quarters, shot-gunning action.
There are six match-types available: Team Deathmatch, Warzone (Team Deathmatch with no respawns in the same round), Capture the Leader (a hostage-taking version of Capture The Flag), Execution (in which kills are only earned up close and personal), King Of The Hill (where players defend a roving zone) and Wingman (an 8-man, 2-on-2 fragfest). In co-op, Horde and Beast are the same experience, offered from opposite ends of the spectrum. In Horde Mode, players take on the role of the humans, and they have to survive 50 waves of increasingly difficult opponents. Beast Mode puts players in the shoes of the Locust Horde, and the object is to wipe out a team of humans before fifty waves is up. In both modes, players earn cash for battlefield activities, which allow them to upgrade fortifications and buy weapons and ammo, or upgrade to nastier and more destructive Locust troops, depending on which mode they're playing.
I came into Gears of War 3 with reservations due the previous titles. Not so much the Campaign Mode but the Multiplayer Mode. This was one of the main reasons I decided to skip the Multiplayer Beta earlier in the year and just wait for the actual game to be released. To my pleasant surprise, the multiplayer aspect is as good as advertised this year. It seems that the guys and gals at Epic Games worked very hard to correct the one aspect many gamers had problems with since the franchise launched in 2006. There are no connection issues or drop out issues like in previous games. The reason why this seems to have been fixed would be the use of dedicated servers. Matches load up quickly, and all in all, it’s a much smoother experience then the previous games.
Oh, I also forgot to mention there is a Campaign Mode, and it's easily the thickest, most robust campaign offered in a Gears of War game to date. One of the main features is being able to complete the game with up to 4 players, so you can talk the story with 3 of your buddies! Awesome! In an age where developers seem happy to skimp on story-length in order to bolster their online modes, it's gratifying to see Epic have constructed a campaign which will take players around 10 hours to complete - and that's if they breeze through it on the 'casual' level setting, skipping through a couple of cut-scenes as well. The story is pure sci-fi hocus pocus, but as with all of the other Gears Of War games, it's set in a brilliantly realized and believable world, populated with well-written characters who resonate long after the credits roll. Newcomers to the series shouldn't worry about not following the plot because the Campaign Mode menu offers up a brief clip of the game's back-story to ground them in the plot. Strange as it may be to say, of a game in which you can carve an opponent in half with a chainsaw bayonet, Gears of War 3's biggest selling point is probably the loving care with which it was evidently assembled. The passion and joy Epic holds for their brutal cover-based shooter is evident in every frame and pixel.
Epic and Microsoft aren't telling yet whether this is the end for the Gears Of War franchise, but if it proves to be its swansong, fans can rest easy knowing that the developers ended it all on the highest possible note. Gears of War 3 may be a console exclusive, but that doesn't stop it being utterly essential, and easily one of the best games of 2011!
Gameplay: 9
The same stop and pop gameplay that we’ve grown to know and love! GW3 seems more redefined then before. The actual gun mechanics seem to change depending on the gun that you use.
Graphics: 9
Very beautiful game! Highly detailed! No longer just browns and blacks, GW3 seems to add a bit of color to the overall package.
Sound: 9
Great soundtrack accompanies great voice over work! The score really sets the mood, and then there’s COLE TRAIN!
What’s New: 8
This isn’t new to other games but it is rather very uncommon for a 360 game, which are dedicated servers. Microsoft for the love of God, USE THEM!
Replay Value: 10
With the 10 hour story mode (that’s if you run through it), the unlockables, and the multiplayer modes, you’ll be playing this game for a while!
Final Score:
9