Gears of war plays right, looks great and does a lot of things well.
How can you add to shooting games that have just become so stale and dull? Cover. In Gears of War, ducking and covering is mandatory if you want to survive. you'll take less shots, and you can then get a nice kill on someone. some annoying parts though are really frustrating when two people get into a firefight but nobody is taking damage. That might sound noobish, but occassionally odd moments are real tedious.
Then, there's active reloads. by pressing the reload button, and pressing it again at a precise time, you'll receive better ammo and faster than if you didn't attempt to do a reload at all. this is a real nice rewarding feeling when you blast the crap out of somebody with you active reload.
Everyone knows Gears of War has some of the greatest graphics. particles can be seen from explosion, skin looks almost real, but the characters are buff midgets that like to get dirty, and they aren't that fresh looking. still though, they get the job done.
The music and voice acting is excellent. the characters really seem and act like actual people, which sounds weird ... but still... one thing i find difficult not to laugh at or dislike is the vulgarity of these men. it seems every few words they just constantly swear. ....
Unfortuneatly, the campaign is pretty damn short. a dozen or so hours and it's over, and the ending left something to be had. since i have no incentive to play online right now, and since i can't play online right now, this game remains one of those games you rent.