Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Top 52: Gears of War (#41)

Gears of War almost made me buy an Xbox360. Forget Halo 3, this game IS the system seller. Gears of War is the highest rated Xbox360 game on my Top 52 and that's partly because I don't own an Xbox 360. Still, I think it's impressive that two Xbox360 games made my top 52 favorite games of all-time despite not owning the system.
-----------


Title: Gears of War
Console: Xbox360
Release Date: 11/07/06 (US)
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
My Ranking: #41

Cooperative campaign mode. I could end this review right there and that would explain why I loved this game so much. Sure, plenty of other shooters have had co-op before but never did I enjoy myself with a shooter as much as I did with Gears of War.

The co-op was dynamic for a number of reasons. For starters, the level design seemed to be built for two-players. Wide area maps really allowed two people to spread apart and flank the enemies and you feel as though you are "trading off" bosses when in a boss fight. Usually the boss stays only on one player, letting the other player move and deal some massive damage.



There was always enough cover for the player to utilize and they were strategically placed so that you could gradually move up the level and get a better shot. Then, in some of the levels, they would have an enemy wave appear from the side you came from and the level would invert so you would have to use the cover from the opposite side.

In co-op you were always faced with a choice in how to work with your partner. Flanking is always a good idea but if you happen to die, then the other player needs to dash across to where you were in order to revive you. (Reviving is somehow magically done by a player picking a fallen player up). If you stick together you give the enemies one target but you can constantly revive each other and avoid a game over. It a simple choice but, the choice you make on how to fight will change how the AI enemies approach you.

There is a story in Gears of War but do you really care about the story in a shooter? Some people thought the story was really interesting; I just saw it as another generic "aliens (the Locust in this case) attacking! We must fight back!" I didn't expect much of a story though, so I wasn't disappointed.

However, for me to like a shooter, there needs to be a solid engine and control scheme. This is where Gears of War truly shines. Instead of just standing behind a wall and strafing the whole time, there is a very sophisticated covering system in Gears of War. Anytime you see any sort of barricade you can press the action button to fall behind the cover where you can do a variety of different moves.


For the cover position you can dash out from the left or right, stand up and fire, blind fire from the left, top, and right sides, back off the cover, or jump over the barricade, Rambo style. So instead of just standing behind walls or ducking, you can really get involved with the environment and use just about anything for cover. Thankfully, the camera is also reliable. You will probably get a good view of the battle from where you are crouching/hiding.

I remember first playing this game at my friend's dorm two years ago and just blasting through the campaign in about two or three days. I was disappointed when it was over not because the game was bad but because I wanted more. Wanting more at the end of a game is both a good and bad sign since it was too short but the gameplay rocked. I can't wait for Gears of War 2. I will tear apart that game at my friend's dorm again.
------------------------------------------
My Top 52:
#52 --- Star Fox 64 (N64)
#51 --- Kirby's Adventure (NES)
#50 --- Roller Coaster Tycoon (PC)
#49 --- Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)
#48 --- Metroid Prime (GC)
#47 --- Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
#46 --- Bomberman 64 (N64)
#45 --- Guitar Hero II (PS2)
#44 --- Super Street Fighter II Turbo (GEN)
#43 --- Pokemon Puzzle League (N64)
#42 --- Soul Calibur II (GC)
#41 --- Gears of War (Xbox 360)*
#40 --- Revealed on 09/30

*- Denotes highest rated game for that console

4 comments:

ultima301 said...

Ahh GoW...I like to think of it as one of those games that changed every game after it. Like after Halo 90% of FPS games went from having a regular health bar to one that "recharges" when you don't get shot for 5 seconds. After GoW every shooting game felt mandated to include some sort of "cover" system, but none of them did it as good as Gears. I never played it since I'm not really into shooters, but I should give it a shot sometime.

oakleyses said...

burberry outlet, polo ralph lauren outlet, michael kors outlet, kate spade handbags, coach purses, louis vuitton, louboutin outlet, michael kors outlet, louis vuitton outlet, michael kors outlet, ray ban sunglasses, nike free, michael kors outlet, polo ralph lauren outlet, air max, tory burch outlet, christian louboutin shoes, tiffany and co, coach outlet store online, longchamp handbags, coach factory outlet, louboutin, coach outlet, longchamp handbags, nike shoes, prada handbags, oakley sunglasses, oakley sunglasses cheap, louboutin shoes, kate spade outlet, michael kors outlet, prada outlet, ray ban sunglasses, tiffany and co, air max, oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet, chanel handbags, jordan shoes, gucci outlet, burberry outlet, michael kors outlet, louis vuitton handbags, louis vuitton outlet stores, longchamp outlet

oakleyses said...

nike huarache, ugg, valentino shoes, insanity workout, mac cosmetics, asics running shoes, herve leger, babyliss pro, nike roshe run, uggs outlet, abercrombie and fitch, vans shoes, instyler, jimmy choo outlet, ferragamo shoes, ugg boots, wedding dresses, beats by dre, nfl jerseys, north face jackets, ugg pas cher, celine handbags, abercrombie and fitch, new balance shoes, soccer shoes, nike trainers, longchamp, chi flat iron, hollister, marc jacobs, north face outlet, reebok outlet, nike roshe, barbour, bottega veneta, p90x, giuseppe zanotti, lululemon outlet, birkin bag, mcm handbags, soccer jerseys, rolex watches, mont blanc, ugg australia, ghd

oakleyses said...

wedding dresses, moncler, juicy couture outlet, toms shoes, oakley, canada goose jackets, canada goose uk, converse shoes, moncler outlet, ugg, lancel, air max, converse, moncler, hollister, timberland boots, ugg boots, montre homme, gucci, juicy couture outlet, moncler, air max, baseball bats, louboutin, coach outlet store online, parajumpers, canada goose, ralph lauren, vans, canada goose, canada goose outlet, louis vuitton, canada goose, hollister, moncler, karen millen, canada goose, iphone 6 cases, supra shoes, moncler, ray ban, hollister clothing store, rolex watches, moncler, ugg, canada goose