Gears of War

I recently picked up Gears of War for the Xbox 360 and all I can say is Wow.  The graphics are downright stunning.  The cut scenes, which use the game engine, our out of this World.  The game is a beauty to behold.

I have had the game for three days now and tonight, I completed the game on the casual gamer level.  About 50% of the game was completed in coop mode with Sean.  We have had a ball playing it the last 3 nights.  The game is nice in that I can play by myself or a friend can join in coop via xbox live or split screen at any point.

As mentioned earlier, the graphics are stunning.  They are easily the best I have seen on any console or PC game.  It is very easy to get caught up in the beauty of the game and forget what you are doing.

As a bit of background, the game is a third person shooter.  The genre is a bit of a fantasy shooter in that its aliens (Locust) and such.  Its not exactly my favorite genre.  I much prefer 1st person shooters and current times or historical (such as WWII).  Still, the game has fully captured my attention the last three days.

Despite how much fun and engrossing the game is, it has a few draw backs.  While it is a whole bunch of fun, its really not all that innovative.  The use of a single button for controlling a lot of the actions is nice.  The requirement to use cover is very nice.  Too many shooters allow you to stand in the open and “gun sling”.  Do that in this game and you will die.  The storyline is not the best, but the dialog is fantastic although quite heavy on the four (and five) letter words.  For the kids, there is an option to turn off the gore and language. And the cut scenes?  WOW…  I have never seen better.  They very successfully draw you even further into the game.

The frame rate of the game is pretty much rock solid the whole game.  Some reviews I have read talked about some frame rate issues, but I never noticed them.  The game plays a bit short but seems to have some replay value as I am anxious to try again on the hardcore level.  There is also an insane difficulty level that is unlocked when you complete the hardcore difficulty level.

If I were to rank the game on a scale of 1 to 10, I would probably give it a 9.25.  This would be because of the lack of innovation in my opinion.  Still, the game is a must buy for the Xbox 360 to see the graphics and cut scenes.  Hardcore level, here I come…

On a side not, I ordered the History Channel Civil War Xbox 360 game tonight.  None of the local stores had it so, an online order was required.  I am very intrigued by this one.  Being a Civil War buff, my interest was immediately piqued.  The game is a first person shooter set in the Civil War.  That just sounds amazing.  Most Civil War games are RTS, so I am anxious to give it a go.  A review will follow at a later date.