The feel of Gears of War may not be for everyone, but I can't think of any other reason not to highly recommend it.
I stuck with the game for about 20 more minutes before it started to overtake me. The first gaming session didn't sell me on the game, and certainly didn't scream !!9.6!! to me. It was the following gaming sessions that hooked me in. I learned the stategy to the combat. I learned how to use cover. The intense and difficult battles became extremely satisfying and intensly brought back my fondest memories of Halo 1. Like this game, Gears of War has few weapons, but each one has a distinct feel and holds its own purpose. Everyone has their own favorite weapon, and it feels good to switch it up from time to time.
So while it's clear that the gameplay took a bit to grow on me but did so amazingly effectively, the graphics are a far different story. From the opening shots the graphics blew me away, and only continued to get better and more jaw-dropping. This is the best looking and most technically impressive game that has ever been released.
The multiplayer options are robust (at least enough for me). Cooperative play is superbly entertaining and again harkens back to my days of playing through Halo 1 endlessly with my friends in high school. Online play feels different than other shooters and has a more satisfying feel.
It seems important to me to point out what someone may not like about a game. The feel of Gears of War may not be for everyone, but I can't think of any other reason not to highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys shooters or action games. In my opinion, it is the best shooter ever released in terms of gameplay and graphics.