Gears of War may be the biggest step forward the Genre has ever taken
Plot: Eric Nylund (award winning author of the Halo novels) was hired by Epic to write the story for Gears and it shows. The game has a really great story that may only be marred by the length. When the Humans started to live too luxuriously, the locusts came from below and started to destroy civilization as we know it. Known as Emergence Day, in just 24 hours, 1/4 of earths population was destroyed. The game starts 14 years after E-day. You play as Marcus Fenix, someone who could only be described as a badass. Fenix is accompanied by his freind Dom, and will meet other soilders along the way.
Plot: 10/10
Graphics: Gears features the best graphics in any game to date, and really shows what the 360 can do like no other game before it. The textures and just overall look of the game are simply mind blowing. it's one of those games where you can get easily distracted by just how incredibly awesome your enviornment looks. The Unreal Engine 3 makes it's first appearance, and if this is any Indication, I cant wait to see what comes next.
Graphics: 10/10 Sound: The sound effect are absoulutley top-notch. Everything, from the bullets flying to grenades being thrown 3 feet form you, adds up to one hell of a sound experience. The voice acting is also superb, and you really grow attached to some of the characters this way.
Sound: 10/10
Gameplay: I know what your thinking, "Sure it looks and sounds amazing, but im sure the gameplay sucks", Think again. the gameplay may be the best experience that has ever been put into a game. You'd think that a game whose sole premise is on taking cover wouldnt make a great game. After all, it's been done before but is hasn't exactly worked. Gears redefines the way its supposed to be. Basically if you run and gun, youll get killed faster than you can throw your controller, but if you take cover and actually duck when your getting shot at, you might make it through the incredibly awesome firefights that make up the games relativley short campaign.
But, when your done with the Campaign, what further use could i have for this game. Any ordinary shooter would have multiplayer and maybe Xbox Live support, but Gears is no ordidnary shooter. Multiplayer is, perhaps, the most addicting game mode to come out in 2006. Gears doesnt have any bomb the base or Capture the flag, just straight up deathmatch, and thats how it should be. The game is played 4 on 4 ( Humans vs. Locusts) on Incredibly well designed maps. It takes a page out of counter-strike's playbook where if you die your out until the next round, but unlike counter strike, when your Gears health meter fills all the way up, you go into astate of shock, from here one of three things can happen, one of you teammates can revive you, an enemy player can kill you by shooting you, curb stomping you, or (My Favorite) chopping you up with the chainsaw, or you can tap A rapidly to try and get your heart beating again. When an entire team has been eliminated, the round ends.
Gameplay: 10/10
Neverbefore has one game ammased so much awesomness. The grphics and sound are top notch, and the gameplay is absoloutley awesome. The Campaign is fairly short, but is not enought to marr one of (if Not) the best game of 2006. If you own a 360, go and get this game, you will not be dissapointed.