1st Impressions: Gears of War is a masterpiece in every way and deserves nothing less than perfection.
The Bad: It's hard, it takes a little while to get use to the controls, but that's it.
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One word, wow. Gears of War was one of the most hyped games for the past two years, and it has met all of the hype it got. There is almost no fault in this masterpiece of a game, and it gives the 360 a system selling game that will thrive at least until Halo 3 comes out. In the campaign, you play as Marcus, a dude who was a war hero who was released from prison to help fight off the locusts, who are bent on destroying mankind. To stop them, Marcus and is team must duck and cover, shoot around corners and chainsaw the heck out of the beasties before they become a nice snack. The single player campaign is intence and full of chills, spills and thrills. One thing you must know before getting this incredible game is that it does not play at all like Halo 2. You have to use cover, shoot from behind cover, then move on. Running and gunning won't get you anywhere. All the best FPS weapons are here in this 3rd person, over the sholder thriller. The best gun is a basic machine gun that has a chainsaw bainet. You use this a lot to hack down enemies that get too close for comfort. It's action at it's finest.
If the superb single-player campaign wasn't enough, the online modes are also showstopping. The co-op mode allows you to play through the entire single player campaign with a buddy, from where you were in single-player. Your buddy plays as Dom, who is Marcus' right hand man. This makes the campaign mode even more enjoyable than it already is. The verses mode also is outstanding, allowing you to play through some hard nosed, last man standing deathmatch modes on excellent maps where the gameplay you love is unaltured and unchanged for multiplayer. This game is also the best looking and sounding game I have ever seen. The visuals really show off what the Unreal Engine 3 can do. The sound effects are very atmospheric and add to the already outstanding effect. The fact is, this is a must buy on all costs. Get the collector's edition that includes a bonus DVD, awesome metal case and special picture book entitled "Destoryed Beauty", you won't regret it for the next many years.
Gameplay: Outstanding, the action is intense, it controls well, there are no faults here.
Graphics: Amazing visuals, again, no problems.
Sound: Sound effects work perfectly, so no problems here either.
Value: It's$69.99 for the Collector's Edition, but this is a game you will not want to put down for a long time.
Final Thoughts: Emergance Day begins.