Simply one of the best shooters ever made.
These graphics are undeniably the best we have ever seen... EVER! Whether you have an HD tv or just a good ol' Standard definition, these graphics will blow you away. The character models of all the characters, minor or major, are all very well drawn, very distinct, and very detailed. The environments are definately very well done as well. While it is a lot of gray, brown, and black, it still looks amazing. Epic was trying to portray a war torn land, and that's exactly what they did. From cities that have been blasted with bombs to a train crawling with baddies, every where is very unique and VERY good looking. These are seriously the best graphics we have ever seen. Will we see better at some point? Defintately. But for right now, this is top of the line. This... is next generation.
CONTROLS: 9/10
Controls are hard to learn, yet very easy to use once you have it in your mind. The A button is practically everything to do with running and cover. You press the A button once to roll, hold it to run, or press it near cover to run towards and get into cover. The X button is the action button, which may throw some people off thinking it is the A button, but it really doesn't make a difference. One thing really different is the reloading with the Right Bumper. You press it once for a normal reload, or twice for an active reload which, if timed right, gives your bullets a temporary boost in power and lets you reload faster, while if you mess if the active reload, you jam the weapon and it takes longer to reload. The one problem with these controls is that the A button is used maybe too much... you will sometimes dive into cover when you meant to run past it, and so on. Still, it will generally not be a problem, and the controls are overall well layed out.
STORY: 9/10
This is a First Person Shooter. Do you really care about the story? Well, you should. This game has a very deep story. The problem is, it's hard to pick up on, and when you finally do pick up on it, the game is over. There are many loose ends at the end of the game (if you payed attention), but these will definately be filled in throughout the series (since there are going to be three Gears of War games... so that means two more! *cough* Halo *cough*... just kidding ). The story revolved around Delta (or is it Alpha? I forget.. ) squad who must fight these Locusts who are popping up through emergence holes in the ground. As you continue, you learn more about them, and more about Marcus' father... but I'll just have to leave you at that. The ending is alright, but it definately makes you wish Gears of War 2 was already out so you could get more into the story. Another bad thing about the story is that the game is short. On Hardcore, I beat this game in 8 hours, even with finding all the COG tags (hidden items to get Achievements) and taking my time. On Casual I've heard of people beating it in under 5 hours. Still, after the great Single player (no matter how short it is!) you always have the Multiplayer!
GAMEPLAY: 10/10
Revolutionary gameplay for shooters. This new "stop and pop" system that is appearing everywhere (Gears of War, Rainbow Six: Vegas, and more) is definately fun. No more will you be jumping around like a moron (God I hate Halo 2 online...), but you must use cover, tactics, and teamwork to successfully kill the enemy, whether it be online or in single player. The difficulty levels are well layed out, with Casual being pretty damn easy, Hardcore being tolerable, and Insane being... well, pretty damn complicated! In fact, most people recommend doing Insane Co-op instead of by yourself. Still, the gameplay is very fun. It doesn't get boring or tedious after a while, having to go from cover to cover. In fact, this adds a lot more depth to the gameplay, as you can try and flank, outwit, or anything else you can think of in order to win. Very, very, very fun!
SOUND: 9/10
Excellent ambient sound and very good voice acting. I doubt anyone will be forgetting the "Cole train" anytime soon! All the guns sound unique, and the chainsaw sound is awesome! You'll feel fear in your heart when you hear it revving up behind you! Very good sound overall.
OVERALL: 9.8/10
This game is amazing. Is it the best game of 2006? Well, I can't really say that, as I haven't played Zelda yet, but it is definately one of the top two. It has constantly been referred to as one of the greatest shooters of all time, and that's definately saying something. Is it the best game for the Xbox 360 right now? Well, again, it depends. If you like shooters, yes, if you like RPGs... Oblivion will probably be your "#1 Xbox 360" game. Still, it is simply an amazing game. If you like any type of shooter, whether it be first or third person, BUY THIS GAME! Despite it's short single player mode (which you WILL play through more than once), the multiplayer will keep you coming back for more. If you have a 360, you need this game. It's as simple as that!