Gears of War a gritty, gruesome, battle for a good time. Sign up here soldier you wont regret it.
Gameplay--This brings the whole game together nicely and gives you so much satisfaction that some might not even care if there is a story at all. You fire weapons, have a couple of melee attacks, lob grenades, and things of that such. The controls are good but not exactly dead on as it is hard sometimes to jump walls, get off of walls wich you use for cover, or to crouch and run. Overall the controls get you where you need to be but with some fine tuning could have made this game so much better. The rumble feature in this game is used quite effectively as each bullet and each enemy you saw in half (with your chainsaw bayonet) is felt. Speaking of the weapons, they seem to leave a little desired as far as shooting, but there are a couple of things that make you love them like active reload which prompts you to realod your gun with percision timing and rewarded with a boost of power if you do. If you dont then your weapon will jam. Of course you could always let it reload its self, but it use time and you miss out on the boost. A good edition to the game I think. The over all gameplay is great!
The music and sound-- It is fantastic!! The music kicks in right when you need it and its good music. The sound effects are surreal. Bullets wiz by, chunks of flesh can be heard being sawed in half, and squad member banter back and foward with great voice acting in tow. Gears is a winner in this area.
Graphics-- Probably its strongest suit this game looks great. Even so it has some problems with clipping and some errors in collison and enemies. Sometimes enemies who are suppose to be hanging off a roof top are hanging off of nothing as the roof has collasped. People get stuck on scenery. Despite these minor flaws its beautiful. The lighting is phenominal. You can see the sheen of armor, you can see the heat of gun barrels, water puddles splash with realism, chunks of bodies fly apart, enemies who are killed dont disappear, and enviornments are destructable. Take time to view this game that is if your not buried under a hail of fire from the enemy.
The other odds and ends of this game include insane enemy AI as they take cover, flank you, all out bum rush you and the like. The online play is done well (well not great) with things like reviving your partner and assisting your team mates. Some other problems: unbalanced weapons, enemies sometimes looking like your squad members, sometimes clunky controls. Like I said though in the overall scheme of things these things wont bother you. Its a great game when you put it all together. With the Achievements and online play this one packs some good replay value.
When all is said and done Gears of War has much to offer and can be considered a good next gen game. Put your thinking cap on and prepare for frustration as youll be doing some levels over and over due to tough AI. This one is very satisfying and will have you frustrated, but in that good "I have to keep trying this till I get it!" Way. Get this game if you own a 360 it wont let you down. PEACE!!