Gears of War

I put off getting into Gears of War because if I wanted a shooter I figured Halo should be my first choice. However, after romping through the campaign I found it to be a solid shooter experience. As a shooter I have to say it competes very well.

The areas you are stationed at have been invaded by humanoid aliens called Locusts. With a straightforward plot you are Marcus Fenix a court-marshaled soldier who is thrown into a big picture battle alongside others to take on the horde of Locusts and their heavy hitters: giant mutations/alien species and a variety of enemy classes.

Right off the bat some particular shooter mechanics in this game include: zoom w/ crosshair-shooting, hugging coverage (i.e. anything that will block a bullet: doors, walls, cars etc.) and peek-shooting. The health indicator feels natural in that it does not get in the way and also sprinting with limited endurance. You can shoot without zoom-crosshair and the accuracy is still pretty fair.


It is one of the grittier shooters I have seen because the environment has more familiar architecture focused on broken down man-made scenery. There are some futuristic elements with armor, weapons and some environmental.

One thing that stands out is that there is not a lot of color in the game, so if that is a deal breaker. Well, then it's a deal breaker. Suffice to say you will be missing out on some unique game play. For example, facing off against seemingly unstoppable foes that are larger than life. Also the characters are relatable in the sense that most of us will gripe, curse and throw around mildly entertaining sarcasm like Bruce Willis' character from Die Hard.

For those of you who are familiar with the game I particularly enjoyed the Krill, but the Berserker not so much. The Krill reminded me of the movie Pitch Black both concept and execution. Pretty much suped up bats they remained interesting to watch and avoid. I would have enjoyed the Berserker more if it did not look like a giant mutant baby. Would have preferred it had some armor like the Juggernaut from Marvel or the Hunters from Halo. The Krill gets utilized in imaginative ways throughout the game, so they are occasional encounters. The Berserker is more regular throughout the campaign and can be an annoyance at first.

SCORE 10/10If I have a craving for a shooter, this will come to mind as the weapons and grenades all have that "kick" and sound that we enjoy. I really appreciated being able to hug walls and hide from enemy fire. Also there were zero glitches on my campaign run. I will likely pick up the sequel down the line because this first one will still be fresh in my mind.
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