A truly Next-Gen game, that deserves your attention.
User Rating: 9.4 | Gears of War X360
Gears of War is the special game in a console's cycle, that truly defines the console, and is a benchmark for upcoming games. Gears can be considered to be a tactical shooter/horror game, which may put off many people who don't like to take cover, but it's pure action is more than enough to make playing it worthwhile. The cover system is very interesting, as almost anything you see, you can take cover behind. After taking cover behind something, you can "blindfire" (fire from cover without taking yourself from out of cover, safe, but inaccurate), or hold down the left trigger to aim (exposed to enemy fire). The weapons in the game are quite unique, such as the basic rifle, which has a chainsaw bayonet, which can cut enemies in half, or the torque bow, which can stick to, and blow up enemies if it is charged up. The graphics in the game are just fantastic, I played it on a regular-definition TV, and it still looks fantastic, with rain reflecting off rock, and the "destroyed beauty" seen in most of the game, more beautiful than ever. The sound is also great, with a semi-realistic weapon noises, and an orchestra which will play during large firefights. The campaign involves two sides COG (Coalition of Organized Governments) and the Locusts (Human-like creatures that emerged from underground on "Emergence Day"). The campaign consists of five acts, which many people will be able to beat within 10-15 hours (on casual). The game is set into three difficulties: casual, hardcore, and insane (unlocked after beating the campaign on either casual or hardcore). The game is very difficult at times due to the sometimes poor AI of your comrade Dom (if you're not playing co-op), and the fluctuating difficulty seen later in the game. The constant checkpoints do prevent the difficulty from getting too overpowering, and playing co-op with someone of your skill level can make the experience much less frustrating. Co-op in the game is handled very well, a second person can just log in and start playing with the player from the latest checkpoint. The co-op does require you to quit out of the game you're playing, instead of just giving control of Dom to the player, which would have been nicer. The co-op can be played on system-link, locally (on a single console), and over Xbox Live, and can be a blast if you're playing with someone of your skill-level. The game also includes a versus mode that can be played on system-link, Xbox Live, and with two players locally. The versus mode is very much like the campaign, where cover is key. It is 4 on 4, with one side as COG and the other as the Locust. It requires that you work together as a team, or in teams of 2, as going solo will get the team destroyed quickly. The versus mode has three match types” Warzone, Assassination, and Execution, all are team deathmatch modes, which is disappointing, as it would have been nice to have more modes, and possibly a match-creator, like in Halo 2. The customization in the multiplayer is ok, but it would have been nice to see more. Hopefully more content will be released for the versus mode in the coming months. Overall the game is quite revolutionary. It has transformed the genre of tactical shooters into one that can be played by all, and even though it is not without it’s slight faults, it is still the best game to come out on the 360 so far. 
