I looked forward to getting home from work all day so I could play through Act 5 in Gears and finish the campaign for the first time.

If you don't want to read anything about how the game ends, you probably want to click over to another blog.

*FINAL SPOILER WARNING*

I never anticipated the game ending on a moving train. That was an interesting choice. Not that it was a bad choice, just unexpected. I always assumed we'd end up going deep into a Locust hole to deliver a charge before having to race out of it.

The final fight with RAAM was just difficult enough, at least the way I approached it. Maybe there is a trick I didn't figure out, but I started off with the Torque Bow, tagged him 7 or 8 times while Dom tangled with him. Once Dom went down and RAAM started coming towards me, I switched to the standard rifle and picked my spots while moving around the map in cover. After 4 or 5 clips, the SOB went down. It took me a while to realize those bugs that he sends after you won't attack you if you stay in cover. I thought you had to get to the turrent and blast away at him with that, but after dying twice in a black cloud, it dawned on me that probably wouldn't work.

Visually the ending was impressive. The landscape and the sky looked gorgeous as the train sped on. The Matrix Sentinel like creatures were cool, but seemed to be a blatant rip-off. Killing them with the turrent was none the less enjoyable though. The explosions and ultimate ground collapse was satisfying. There is one thing that left me sort of puzzled, maybe I missed something in the narrative. Did they know that the bridge was out right above a tunnel that led all the way down into the heart of the Locusts? Was that the plan all along? If the bridge was out, where was RAAM going and why was he on the train? I hope to run through the game a few more times so I'll pay better attention during Act 5 next time.

I can't wait for the sequel, that's for sure.

*END SPOILERS*

All in all, it was a short, but as sweet as a fistfull of sugar packets. I look forward to firing it up on Hardcore next. If anyone out there hasn't started Gears on Hardcore, and wants to go through it on Co-Op, send me a message. I'll be your Dom. (yes I'm an achievement whore).

I did get a scare last night. As I was watching the credits for Gears after beating it, I received my first "Dirty Disc" error message. It kicked me back to the dashboard, but no red lights thankfully. I hope this isn't a harbinger of problems to come.

I then played some Hexic and unlocked 2 more achievements while listening to the latest episode of Gamers United to wind the day down. I love listening to video game podcasts while playing games for some reason and the GU crew put on one of the better non-professional ones. Check it out if you haven't before. I also enjoy some of the "pro" ones from 1UP, even though they can come off as way too cynical and jaded, as well as the UnNamed Podcast put together by another group of Gamespot users. I enjoy listening to real gamers opinions so I'm glad people are taking the time to produce these. The best one is still the Hot Spot though. They mix humor with insight and opinion in a tight package that is always fun to listen to.

Anyway, hope you all have a Happy Tuesday.