Gears of War Review (Xbox 360) By barneystuta

9 / 10
20 Nov 2006 at 09:39

Review by: barneystuta

This game promised to be the greatest thing to grace my 360, the most visually stunning game to grace any console ever, and of course a action packed thrilling multiplayer.

But if i am honest, i feel a bit wet. I mean, yes lets get the graphics out of the way first. They are fantastic, nothing on the 360 can touch this as of yet. The textures are amazing, the charachters are so well designed and the satisfaction is shown in full HD when you whip out your chainsaw and cut an opponent to shreds. All beautiful.

As for the gameplay, well yes, it is very good. The single player has a well documented and discussed 'shortness' too it. Complete in 8-14 hours most reviews have quoted, of course depends on experience. This is not always a bad thing, Metal Gear and Resident Evil have never been the longest of games (until more recent versions) yet are critically acclaimed as two of the best game series of all time. GoW though, fails to be put in the same class.

The Story (what there is of it) is just enough to keep you interested, but it never gave me the feeling of needing to carry and strive on to see what happens next. Story telling has become massive in games now, and in some cases, can be just as significant as gameplay and graphics. The co-op ideas certainly add much more to the game, and when with a good co-op player with headset definatly adds to the fun and experience of this game.

Which brings me onto the multi-player. They have gone for a team theme. Which, like R6 can work. I just think that it is lacking in features. The team based round games are fun, and certainly take some getting used to if you haven't played a game of this style before. But the options are poor. There is only upto 8 players, and only 2 teams. 4 teams of 4 would have been excellent, or even just 3 teams of 4. Then there is the 'han-solo's'. People who are not team players and are playing for themselves. There is nothing you, i or anyone can do to stop these. But surely, would it have been difficult to add in a more deathmatch style game? But ok, even with what it has, the 3 modes are all basic. Assasination is nice, and the other 2 seem somewhat strikingly similair. I'd love to have seen a sort of 'defend base' where one team infiltrated the other for a key item. Ok we have seen this done time and time again in other games, but it works. The maps, there are 10 which are excellent and brilliantly designed.

Gears of War is a step in the right direction, and eye opener of what the 360 can do. While it lasts is up there with some of the best games on the 360. But i am always left wanting that little bit more. For £40-50 it doesn't represent value for money for the single-player, and there are better multi-player games out there (or coming soon).

Graphics - 10/10 - Without a doubt, and far away the best looking 360 game to date.
Gameplay - 8/10 Introduces some wonderful ideas (the reloading and advanced cover system) but doesn't offer enough in variation.
Multiplayer - 8/10 Could have been so much more, had it included some key features
Lasting appeal - 8/10 The single player is short, co-op and multiplayer offers something, but lacks options and variation.

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