Playing Gears of War is like having a shot of adrenaline.
One of the first things I noticed about Gears of War is that the music is a let-down. The rest of the game is great, sure, but that music had me reaching for the music playlist on my 360. The music would suit if GoW was a movie, but it's not. If you want to play an interactive movie, then it suits fine because it makes it feel more cinematic. But I didn't: I wanted to revel in the ultra violent gunplay and ignore the limp storyline. After all, the storyline is virtually non-existent, and who cares anyway? Without much fanfare and without much preamble, you're thrust into the GoW universe, where everything is awash with a filmic digital-grading style gray and splashed with the red blood from gunshots and blue ammo pickups. No, what you want (or what I want anyway) when I play a big, dumb action game is some big dumb guitar rock (I found AC/DC's "War Machine", "Thunderstruck", and "Big Gun" worked well with the game, along with Rob Zombie's "Scum of the Earth" and Metallica's "The End of the Line").
But how does the gameplay stand up? Magnificently well. Aside from the fact I called it a 'big, dumb action game', GoW definitely has the smarts where it counts. The cover system works a treat, co-op is generally flawless, and multiplayer is great. Play through first on Casual (tip: it's not really all that 'casual', although you will finish it relatively fast) but stick around for a second play-through of the single player campaign on Hardcore and, then finally if you dare, Insane. (You're gonna need all the practise you can get if you wanna rule the MP.)
Adrenaline-pumping, fast-paced action gaming of the highest order. Recommended to anyone with a pulse.
(jtbug doesn't review games unless he has finished them)