Every so often.......
Gears if War is truly a great game on all fronts. I know the graphics have been talked about to death but once you see this game in motion (in HD) you will know what "next-gen" is all about. I NEVER expected the game to look so good and run so well. There is NO slowdown (except for some during the in-game cut scenes). This game should truly be the benchmark for all games to come (sadly I know this won't happen).
Gears of War's gameplay mechanics may seem simple on the outside but once you dive into the game and really get a feel for the movement and cover system, you will find some of the best action in gaming period. The "stop and pop" gameplay may sound boring and repetitive but without getting your hands on the game and just watching from a spectators view I wouldn’t be able to explain that this game is just flat out fun and get my point across. The only complaint I have about the game doesn't even really involve the game but rather the online community. People on Xbox Live suck.....we all have the stories of jerks and **** and this game is no exception. I have had zero fun playing this online because either I have some white kid in Illinois calling me a n***** or no one even talks at all. As soon as a match starts everyone just runs away, gets killed and then screams and cries because you were the last one left against 3 guys and "How could you have possibly died you n*****" If you are looking for a good online experience then make sure you have some good friends to just start a game with and just have a good time killing each other. The only reason I would go online is to get the achievements but even then it's not really worth it. Coop is SOOOOOOOO much fun, nuff said :)
Now this could all change when the next big game comes out and people transfer over to that. Then, maybe the people still playing will be the cool ones that actually want to have fun, use tactics and COMMUNICATE!!!!
All in all, Gears of War is an outstanding game that takes all the things you love about gaming and does them just about perfect. It's just fun, what more do you want out of a game?