Perfection.. No... Fantasic Fun.. Oh Yes!!
Gears of War is in my honest opinion the first game since release that will specifically sell 360's. The hype the game has generated has been immense in the gamer community that you would have to been cryogenically frozen not to have heard about it and for the most part the praise is well deserved.
My first foray into GOW proved to be a rather ham-fisted affair. Not fully appreciating the requirement for the proper use of cover proved to be very time consuming indeed. As it resulted in quite a few reloads. The concept of cover in GOW is touted as a revolution. However I am a little less inclined to agree with this view. There is nothing really new about the idea of putting something solid between you and the various bullets and grenade fragments that are generally aimed at your rather attractive mug. That being said I do like that the game really punishes you (at least on Hardcore and Insane) for being foolish enough to think that you could cover 20 feet of open ground and make it to the other side in one piece because you wouldn't and this gives the game a rather nice solid and realistic feel. This feel is further maintained by the absolutely astounding graphics and fantastic sound. I don't really need to go into to much detail on how good GOW looks primarily because you only need to look at the screenshots to realise your looking at something truly special. The various folly sounds and effects further immerse you in the fight. Bullets zipping past your head, slamming yourself into a car for cover and not forgetting my personal favourite the sound of the chainsaw firing up. Visually and auraly GOW is trully a masterpeice and it will take some time before a game on any system supersedes the achievements reached hear.
The in mission game play is reassuringly simple. Your good guys and it's your job to shoot the bad guys in the head before they do the same to you but despite the games progression being completely linear (ok you do get to choose left and right paths every so often) but your never going to be forced to do anything remotely different than in any of the other parts of the game and you want to know something.. It makes no difference or detraction to the game what so ever. Who says a game needs to be complex and varied. If you have a repeatable concept that is fun and enjoyable many times then you have the basis for an excellent game and this is exactly what GOW does. Go from A to B using all the cover necessary and shooting anything that is shooting back and it really works, even after multiple replays it still proves a potent experience.
All this being said GOW is not without fault. The cut-scenes sometime chug away as the 360 struggles to process the info being drawn. There are a few instances where the control system seems clunky and lacking any room for finesse. My biggest issue with the game is in response to the games completely unbalanced AI. Primarily your team-mates are completely useless proving to be no more adept at shooting the enemy as they are at getting hit themselves. Conversely the enemy AI knows this and as a response focuses all its attention on shooting you. Which seems a little unfair really but who cares I can always reload and get them the next time round.
The multi-player options in the game are fairly limited most being based on the team based head to head layout. Assassination offers a nice little twist but the real jewel in the crown is Campaign co-op. The missions take on such a different slant when you have assistance from someone who actually draws fire and can shoot back. However the game does become a little easy with the assistance of an other human player but it doesn't stop the game from being exceptional fun.
The lack of variety in multiplayer will hopefully be addressed in future patches for the game. The hints of a possible capture the flag mode could possibly punt GOW into the atmosphere as if it wasn't close enough already. This game is by no means perfect but it is a fantastic example of how a simple concept, well thought out and very well presented can prove to be an unforgettable experience and the first killer app for the 360.