Gears of War (18)
Verdict: Beautiful, grizzly and innovative.
For Xbox 360.
Rating: 4/5
The chainsaw has always remained a satisfyingly grizzly favourite with its familiar ‘chug chug chug’ sound singing a kind of rhythmic elegy. Imagine the glee when I discovered the default gun in Gears of War came with a screen soaking chainsaw bayonet.
Falling somewhere between Ghost Recon’s blindfire filled, squad based gameplay and Halo’s balanced sci-fi combat and weaponry, Gears of War is a gorgeously grim looking game full of stunningly decayed gothic architecture, urban desolation and industrial cliché. Combined with handheld camera style work, GoW sets the graphical bench mark for future 360 titles and certainly keeps the PS3 on it’s toes.
Ignoring the Casual difficulty setting, GoW set to Hardcore is transformed from an easy run and gun game to a desperate battle for survival where life is fleeting and the enemy is unrelenting. Relying on AI buddies can at times be frustrating but help exists in the form of reviving co-op play in split screen or online and nothing since Halo has been so much fun and so well integrated into the experience.
Online features are surprisingly minimal with only three game types on offer and ten maps to choose from but what this lacks in numbers it makes up for in purity and balance as each game is an intense tactical shoot out and team based battle. The one-hit-kill of a sticky grenade and the unstoppable fury of the chainsaw can tip the balance at times but quick fire rounds keep revenge fresh in the mind.
As a flagship title showing what the 360 is capable of, GoW does it with great verve and confidence. Despite the arguably repetitive gameplay, weak close combat and a relatively short, anti-climatic story, the levels are varied enough to keep things going and the intense action, brevity of life and immense fun to be had in co-op and multiplayer will keep you coming back for more. Genius and innovative touches like the tense weapon reloading ensure it stays one step above the competition.
Shsh, do you hear that chugging sound? It’s drawing near...