For many years Halo was considered the flagship exclusive for the Xbox console. Many other exclusives tried to be up to the level that Halo reached, but while many exclusives like the Mass Effect series found a new life in the world of Blu Ray on the PS3, other franchises, like Forza Motorsport, gained followings but not quite to the numbers of Halo.
Then in the early stages of the Xbox 360’s life came a third person shooter titled Gears of War. Made by the creators of Unreal, the game was an over the top shooter with burley men screaming profanities while firing off big, loud firearms. The game was an unexpected success almost overnight, and the Xbox finally had a contender for Halo’s crown for the best Xbox exclusive.
The story was nothing overly original, badass soldiers fighting alien beings hell-bent on destroying mankind, but something about the game clung to gamers; whether it was the unique gameplay, the advanced graphics or the story that had a lot of potential to be amazing, something about Gears of War made an impact on enough gamers to leave them wanting more. After a sequel that was, in my opinion, inferior to the original in every way but story-telling and character development, Gears is back for one more romp to save humanity.
Premise
As stated above, the story is fairly stock: big ugly monsters want to kill all of mankind while a mysterious third party of monsters are also joining the fray (UNFC vs. Covenant vs. The Flood, anyone?) The tale of mankind’s attempted survival is hardly able to be considered original, but where this narrative shines is the use of this tried and true storyline compared to most other games that follow an identical plot.
The gamer plays as the husky Marcus Fenix or one of his allies as they shoot, scream, swear and chainsaw their ways through endless hordes of uglies to end the war once and for all, and secure mankind’s safety for good.
Graphics
We’ll get this out of the way now because everybody knows it already: Gears of War games have always had stupendous graphics that were ahead of their times. The same can be said about Gears 3, but there’s a refreshing change about the look of this game compared to its previous tales: colour.
Gears was one of those franchises that fell into the “nothing but brown and grey” colour palette, like most shooters of its time. So when Epic Games, the makers of Gears, created Bulletstorm with lush, vibrant colours, gamers spoke up and said “hey, this is pretty good!” Gears 3 boasts a very attractive colour palette, which is a little odd as it’s a tale portraying mankind at its most grim and desperate but hey better late than never.
Environments are now alive with colour, though hardly vibrant and lively, the player now at least feels like they’re in a place where life could have once existed. I love the new look of the graphics engine and the bold move to use more colour, this treatment could have made Gears and Gears 2 even more attractive to look at.
Sound
The sound work in Gears is usually very much on polar opposites of itself; with screams and howls with gunfire over generic rock orchestra pieces filling the game for the most part and then sobering, well delivered dialogue in cut scenes with gentle musical pieces that pull at the heart strings, can be jarring for the player. This trend continues in Gears 3, but it feels like more emphasis has been put on the characters plights and feelings rather than the endless growls and shouts, which are still there in abundance don’t worry.
Voice acting is as strong as ever, but what really makes impact in Gears 3 is the use of their music, especially in the cut scenes. When an overwhelming horde of enemies are pounding on the player’s gates, the music brings up that urgent desperation, making the player truly feel like any firefight may be their last stand, while toned down melodies, like the returning Mad World from Donnie Darko fame, makes an emotionally gripping moment even more impactful.
Gameplay
The game handles probably better than any Gears game in the past. The controls feel responsive and follow commands far more accurately than in the past, leaving mis-steps more the fault of the player rather than clunky controls.
The game also feels faster than previous visits. The characters are a little more in realistic proportion (though still quite exaggerated) so that may be a nice way of making an excuse for the ease the characters move around. Running feels faster, diving from cover to cover feels much more nimble and firefights have a much more frantic sense to them; plus the ability to finally dropkick an enemy as you vault a low wall is long overdue and crazy satisfying.
Like any shooter, there are multiple button and stick layouts so that the gamer can have a comfortable experience, and the button commands feel more responsive than ever, which probably plays a large factor into the game feeling so much faster than the previous Gears titles.
The game handles the same online as it does offline, very crisp and responsive; I wasn’t a fan of the online multiplayer of the previous Gears titles, but I’m having a lot more fun with this one online if for no other reason than the smooth controls and the speedy combat.
What I liked
A more colourful palette, great use of sound and superior controls have already been touched upon, but what I love the most is the story-telling. Yes, this is a story that’s been told to death but it’s the characters make this tale one of tragedy and triumph. One aspect I’ve always liked is how they tell the story of Dom Santiago, a man who loses his children in the first Gears, his wife in the second, and how he keeps himself going in the third. The narrative could easily have over or underplayed how Dom would handle these tragedies, but instead made him handle it like a real human would, with good days and bad days while he learns to accept what his life is without making him a stereotypical dead inside badass or a whiney weakling; his story alone is told brilliantly with a pay off that makes the player truly appreciate the character and have respect for this fictional individual.
With the obvious tragedies that come with a world-destroying war, there is also a tastefully handled comic relief, as always found in the Carmine family. For those of you just joining us: Carmine is a name synonymous with a soldier whose one role in the game is to die. Much like the red shirts in Star Trek, Fenix and his gang have always had a Carmine brother in their ranks who has eventually kicked the bucket. This time around the player fights alongside Clayton Carmine, the badass oldest brother of the family, in a running gag of him being in situations that could have been deadly, but he scarcely survives; much like that episode of South Park when it consistently looks like Kenny’s been killed, but surfaces in one piece just before Kyle and Stan can shout “you bastards!”
I love Baird. He reminds me of me. He’s a blond @$$hole with a sarcastic mouth. I always play as Baird with my friends… if only he had tattoos then he could be my twin…
What I would change
My problem with Gears of War 3 is the same as most shooters: the community is, primarily, a lot of foul-mouthed children and over-compensating young men firing off racial and homophobic slurs. If I can suggest anything it’s to play this with your friends and your friends only if you dare traverse the online.
Final Thoughts
I’m not a huge Gears fan, but I like what they’ve done here. If you’re a Gears fan than you already have this game, but if you’re on the fence like I was, I’d say you can feel secure putting down $50 on this title. I’ll still go back to Halo,but for now I’m going to grind my gears a little longer.
