[Munkey Boy]

So, what did you make of Gears of War then? Post your impressions, and please leave a vote in our poll.

A 10 should only be given for a landmark game that sets new rules, a 9 for a truly excellent game without flaw, and an average game that does things right but nothing special should get a 5 (not a 7 or 8 like some would have you believe).

EDIT: If you've already written a review in the main thread, feel free to post it here for comment too, and please only vote if you've played enough of the game to comment.

Average score: 8.65
Number of votes: 504
% of 10 votes: 18%
% of votes 9 and above: 65%
% of votes 8 and above: 88%

Updated: 29 August 2007

[wormvortex]

8, Its good but its nothing that hasn't been done before. Half Life beats it hands down.

[chrislad]

Have to disagree. I've never played a game that did the duck and cover technique so well. I gave it a 9. It's excellently executed, graphically amazing but it's really a mismash of everything good in the genre rather than a genre defining game. Definitely worth a purchase and I've not even touched online yet.

[featherhall]

I would say it is the defining moment of the next gen. It sets the standard in my opinion, and (although it is too short) I am playing through it again at a higher level , which is the first time in my gaming life I have done that.

my only complaint is the shortness in single player. I feel it is pretty much faultless in all other areas.

[Cow Puncher]

I'd agree with Featherhall in that its genre defining. Truly excellent piece of work.

Single player may be short on casual setting but i think on hardcore and insane (i'm yet to try that) when doing co-op it is one of the finest games I’ve ever played.

I can only hope that from now on we can really see what this console can do.

Smaz.

[Cow Puncher]

Originally Posted by wormvortex1337

Half Life beats it hands down.

I'd agree that as a shooter Half-Life does maybe pip it to the post but I find that Half-Life only had a single player draw, I personally found the multiplayer on that appalling.

Combined with the multiplayer element Gears does it for me. Let's just say both games are in my top 5 all time greatest


Smaz.

[Steve.EX]

7

[Munkey Boy]

Could I suggest people leave comments with their scores please, lets keep the discussion flowing? You can stick your scores in the poll, and put comments in the thread. \cheers\

7


10


5


9


*Thats Numberwang!*

[mekes82]

Voted 8. Im definitely enjoying the game, my major gripe with it is the lack of a decent story. The game seems to just throw you right into the middle of a random scenario which in all honesty seems a little lazy.

Given my above remark, I must say the cinematic feel the 1p game has to it actually makes for some very immersive gameplay. I find this good and bad at the same time, good because it adds to the fun, bad because of my first point. But Im not usually one for shooters, 3rd or 1st person, Im tiring of the genre so I fail to get too optimistic about the game. I can see fans of the genre would love it tho.

[SibTiger33]

Originally Posted by wormvortex1337

8, Its good but its nothing that hasn't been done before. Half Life beats it hands down.

yep completely agree

great game but not a patch on half life

if it wasnt for the graphics i dont think people would be raving about gears soo much


My Score: 8

great graphics
good idea with co-op
okay cover system - rainbow is better
some good dialogue (good for a laugh)
good monsters and hammer of dream ;-)

but ultimately just a super nice game that re defines some elements of shooters without being truly outstanding in any area apart from graphics.

still one of my favourite games on 360 along with rainbow and ghost recon

[Tetlee]

Crikey, two people have voted 6, "above average" I haven't received the game yet so can't vote but I find those opinions very surprising.

[CAS FAN]

I gave it a 10, not because it's perfect (as no game is) but simply because it is Genre defining and my fave game on the system to date. Not played a 3rd person shooter that comes close to this. GRAW was OK but just didn't do it for me really.

Offline is great - well paced, fun, looks superb, sounds fantastic, controls well for this type of game.

Online is just amazing - sooo much fun with a decent group, some great weapons and fantastic levels that make for some superb action.

It is simply a classic console game and one which I personally prefer to the likes of RE4. I loved Half Life 2 as well but i'd say overall that I actually prefer this.

[trevellion]

Not only are the graphics on this game great but the attention to detail in the animation is better than anything I've seen before. Running crouched looks fantastic and, if I remember correctly, the animation for marcus hitting a switch varies depending on which side of the switch he is standing. This and GRAW are the standout games for me at the moment on the 360. I think it's amazing that these sort of games run on a system with a rrp of £279 including a wireless controller and headset.

[dgibbs]

I gave it a 9 as it is a truly superb game with many aspects that are far superior to what's come before.

Sure people can say Half life is better etc etc, but each has their own merits, pros and cons over one another. But let's face it who cares when you can have both, and my game collection is certainly better off for that reason.

When i first got HL2 on the PC it blew me away with the cutting edge graphics and the experience it offered.... As for GOW, well it's had the same effect on me so far so i'm certainly not complaining.

I very nearly gave it a 10, simply due to the satisfaction it gives when playing and unleashing some mayhem, but i thought i'd leave Epic with something to strive for with GOW2!!

Top game though!

[Kahled]

Historically I have not been much of a fan of the FPS genre and shooters and so Gears of War was pretty much in my maybe list of titles to pick up over the next few months, however with all the hype and raving I did pick it up and was far from disapointed.

The control system, the graphics, the sounds, the atmospere... all have been worked on provide what is an accessible and simply enjoyable game. Too often FPS fall into a 'sweet spot' mode which is frustrating if you do not happen to locate that one route that will get you through a level. This isn't a FPS though and I applaud the decision to got with a third person view, far more effective for the game they set out to create.

I gave this game a nine because that is just the best possible mark I could give to a game not my usual taste, games like HL, HL2, UT, etc have all been pretty much same old same old and never lived up to the experience of the original Deus Ex and its very clever design. GoW is a new variation on a tired theme, and I have to say that is refreshing to see it be as fun as intended.

It's lineararity (is that a word?) is the only area where it is let down for me and is really why Oblivion is the only 360 game to date that would warrant a ten from me to put perspective on the score.

The game deserves every accolade it gets but just falls short of what is, for me, a perfect ten game.

[monkeyleader]

Honestly - it just keeps blowing me away. Just loving it - it's a reason in itself to own an XBox360. Next Generation has arrived and Sony better take note ! (Master Chief as well in fact !)

Played my first bout of online goodness last night - plays so well. The single player - make sure you play co-op. Can't wait for INSANE mode

And the Berserker ! OMG ! She (that was scary enough) smells your fear ! Gees I smelt my fear that first time as well !

[Deputy Dawg UK]

I gave it an 8 although still on Act 1 (need to complete COD on VET) from what I can see single player does appear to be quite short...Then again I suppose once you crank up the difficulty the game length will expand!!! Need to complete COD so I can commit some serious time to this!

[Cowden_harley]

A reason in itself to own a 360.

What a game! Fantastic! Haven't had this much fun ince HL2. Thought it would be a while before I seen a console produce such graphics.

[Vellocet]

I gave GoW a 10. It sets a new standard in video games of this genre.

The graphics and sound are superb. I really cant fault them. All the little touches like the heat coming off the guns, church bells ringing, dust blowing through the streets etc.

The single player / co-op are brilliant, all games should have a co-op option where possible. The only flaw in this is the length of the game, it is a bit on the short side but its none stop quality gaming, literally every part of it I loved.

Its the gameplay that truly makes this game what it is though, I love the cover system, the controls, the gun fire etc

The multiplayer is the best part of GoW. Ive not played a better shooter in mp and Ive played cs, rtcw, cod, graw extensively to name a few. The maps have the perfect balance, the guns are perfect. However theres a few problems and I hope they get fixed, which are more to do with the set up of the games rather than the game itself.

First off I would love to see team based ranked games, I want to be able to play ranked games with my friends easily, so a team join option would be ideal.

The ability to change map and not have to go through the map cycle.

The ability to change the game type and not have to restart the server for it.

The ability to turn off team balance, again I want to play on the same team as my friends so we should be able to pick the same team regardless of how many players are on the opposite team.

The option to add a clan tag prefix to your name

The voice comms issue needs fixing, every game I have experienced this, where you cant hear certain players etc

[rrfierce]

I gave it a 9. Although its far too short and it has a couple of little niggles (its nothing an update won't sort out), innovative use of the cover system, unbeleiveable graphics, stirring musical score, and a sorted multiplayer make this THE must own 360 game.

With downloadable content this game should grow and grow. Its one of the only games that i've wanted to play over and over again.

[D@Z]

I didnt intend buying it to be honest as I get no pleasure from 3rd person games. But when it was region free and I was ordering COD3 I thought 'what the hell' so tagged it on my play-asia order.

I have to say I was blown away by the visuals and the sound is good too. But before I had even finished the first act I was bored. For some reason it gives me eye strain within minutes of starting (the only other title to do that was PDZ) and it is VERY shallow in gameplay, almost arcadey. THe control system is poor and its nearly impossible to get the guy to do what I intend. He seems to just dive around and hide completely at random and whilst I'm fiddling about trying to get him off some random wall and go in the direction I want I'm usually dead. I cant ever see this system becomming intuitive and being able to trust and rely on it like say COD2.

The gameplay itself is shallow as I said, its just blast blast and more blast. The biggest mistake here for me is the fact that you need to shoot enemies over and over and over to kill them. This is a disaster in games and just makes them feel vague. It is simply a ploy to cover up the very poor AI. Enemies simply stand in front of you while you blast away for a random time (a LONG random time) and eventually (when is a lottery) they die. This is similar to PDZ and completely ruins the feeling of the game for me. It is crying out for the weapon damage to be reduced (against enemies in single/co-op) and the damage needed to kill them to be reduced more (a drastic improvement in AI would be the icing on the cake). Satisfaction and realism is about right in games such as COD2 and maybe Halo2 imho.

NO single button for grenades is criminal too and renders them almost unuseable in the tight situations that they are most needed.

My mate who plays co-op with me came round last night and I put it on straight away and got him playing through the training level to get a feel before we started a co-op campaign. Unfortunately he said he wasnt in the mood for it and switched it off before finishing the training level so that was a non starter too. I may try again later in the week.

Im sad because if you do away with the silly diving and covering rubbish and make the game first person, completely overhaul the control system adding shoulder buttons for grenades, reduce the weapon damage and reduce enemie defence, and maybe lose a few cutscenes then this game has the potential to be very very good. As it is, I dont think I'll play it through, just use it as a demo of the 360 capabilities until Halo 3 comes along. It is exciting to think what is in the future now that I have seen what the 360 can produce visually.

Oh I forgot to mention online: I spent about an hour online last night and in all that time I actually got into 2 games. I constantly get 'disconnected from the host' or something like that when I try to start a game. So about 40 minutes of trying to join a game and 20 minutes of actually playing is not a good way to spend my hour.

The 2 games I played where ok, nothing special, 2 teams of 4 on the same small map over and over again (first to 10 rounds) got boring quickly. Each of the 2 games I joined had one guy who did almost all the killing every single time and the rest of us where there to stay alive long enough for him to do it.

In short dissappointing, I gave it 6/10.

[Kutocer]

I gave it a 10/10, i've played most FPS on pc from Wolfenstien 3D to Battlefield 2, I wish they could employ the cover system in to FPS. How many times have you played a FPS and said i wish i could stand along the wall and stick my gun around without being seen. This game tries to be nothing more than a action shooter, just like Doom 3 was a remake of the orignal Doom. This game has deliverd a very fun and entertaining exp which I will enjoy playing through on the harder settings. I tired it on Insane and got as far as the second chapter on Act 1.

I remember the FX from when they released the video of the Unreal Engine 3 some 2-3 Years ago, This engine is one of the finest out there showing Epic's exp in making game engines right up there with the likes of ID software (can't wait for UT2007). Top job on the sound running thorugh my 5.1 had me jumping in a number of places although i did expect it to be a little more jumpier. Epic have made them self's a fine thrid person shooter which will no doubt win a number of awards over the next year.

Kut...

[Cowden_harley]

Similar to doom there a re definately a few shat my pants moments.

[Pooon]

Originally Posted by Munkey Boy

*Thats Numberwang!*

^Must get out more!

Anywho, 10 from me. Only gripe i can find is when playing co-op id like an icon/radar that shows where my team mate is. i know you can press Y but its not the same

[Mr-Bananas]

Play this in the dark, with very loud 5.1 surround and its the best gaming experience on earth.

Best game I have ever played. ( I am 35 and been playing games since I was 8 )

[CeeJay775]

I ave gave it a 10 aswell, this game has really open XBL up for me. Above someone has comented that its not too good, one of the reasons, he cant control it. I found it one of the best games to control, yeah if you dont read the little icons you will be jumping around everywere. Why dont you play it properly, use the cover to get close to locust scum then stick a bomb on them. Then watch there arms and legs fly everywere. Makes me smile every time.

[daveon]

This is the stand out game on the 360 for me.
At first I found the control system a little strange but by the end of the training section I was already finding the controls becoming second nature (though reading the instructions may have made learning the controls easier).

It is a little unfair to keep comparing this to FPSs such as HL2 and Halo as it is an arcadey 3rd persons game and as such great fun.

The graphics look stunning and that is just in SD, can't wait to see it in HD. The sound is excellent and the attention to details is very high.

My only gripe is the AI of your team mates can be a little off at times, for example DOM running into the dark when you have been told you will die if you do.

A number of people have mentioned the game is short but for gamers like myself who don't get the chance to play all that often it is perfect, you can drop into the game play a checkpoint or two then leave it till next time and not feel like it is going to take you the rest of your life to complete, which I can not say about HL2 which I felt was too long.

Co-op on this game is excellent also though I have yet to try MP online (will do this one night very soon)

So not a 10 quite but on the whole I am loving this game so a nine for me.

[Vellocet]

Might get something done about the mp issues if everyone posts on this thread:

http://forums.xbox.com/8087547/ShowPost.aspx

[Phelan]

I gave it an 8 because it was just so entertaining to play.

Whilst I thought it was great to play, I found there were some niggles that I wished had been ironed out. I didn't like the hand holding throughout. Even on Hardcore it pretty much spelled out what you had to do every step of the way. The AI was faulty in places and your COG team were just too aggressively gung ho and subsequently got themselves killed all the time. For a game that declares its about the strategic use of duck and cover, I was suprised that they didn't instill the same philosophy in the AI!

The A button that does everything irritated me at times as well. I thought it could have done with a seperate button for the roadie run. It was a pain trying to run away from danger only to find yourself stuck on the side of a wall and exposed to gunfire. This was most apparent in the fight against RAAM.

This brings me onto my final grievence. RAAM was very hard to beat but only because he was nigh on indestructable compared to anything else you'd tackled throughout the game. I would have prefered RAAM to have better AI and be more cunning and use cover etc and have a more tentative shoot out for a finale. RAMM just seemed to walk a path firing his big weapon like the games of old. Abit of a let down for a finale I thought.

Despite these faults I still enjoyed the game massively hence the score. If the above had been different then It would have been a perfect 10 from me on all counts.

[po_man]

Originally Posted by daveon

My only gripe is the AI of your team mates can be a little off at times, for example DOM running into the dark when you have been told you will die if you do.

Isn't there a button to re-group your team mates GRAW style? So when your team mates run off, you can peg them back.

Originally Posted by daveon

A number of people have mentioned the game is short but for gamers like myself who don't get the chance to play all that often it is perfect, you can drop into the game play a checkpoint or two then leave it till next time and not feel like it is going to take you the rest of your life to complete, which I can not say about HL2 which I felt was too long.

Absolutely agreed. I love playing games but i really have to find time slots to play in so a game like GoW is perfect because you can just pick it up as and when. I can understand how this would be annoying for others who prefer a lengthy campaign mode and have plenty of time. You can't cater for everyone unfortunately