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QJ Review - Gears of War

Posted Nov 10, 2006 at 11:47AM by Pranav T Listed in: Reviews, Gears of War, Games, Opinions & Analysis Tags: Epic Games
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Gears of War


I generally don't review games for the sole reason that my tastes are a bit quirky. I tend to have very limited choices and only play something which I feel is good. And believe it or not, playing shooters on a console is not something I've always been excited with. Somehow, controlling the crosshair with two analog sticks doesn't feel as good and as intuitive as my trusty mouse. But this one's an exception; a mighty exception at that.

You see, Epic Games' Gears of War doesn't just suck you into itself, it chains your balls to the couch and commands you to sit in front of your TV and play it, something which I've felt in only a few rare games. And after having looked at all the pre-release hype, I must say that it was one of those games which was actually worthy of all the praises which were showered.

Controls: Like I said, I've hardly played any shooters on my consoles. But unlike most other console shooters, the controls felt quite natural here. One of the things I liked here is that the crosshair isn't shown by default. That's the reason why most of the console shooters feel kind of icky, atleast to me. You can activate the crosshair by pressing the Left Trigger, at which point the camera moves closer to your character's shoulder. It's very intuitive once you've played for a few minutes. Secondly, I've personally liked the fact that the A button does most of the work. While some might find it annoying, I like it because I don't have to remember different combinations or having to scramble in the middle of a fight trying to hide behind cover. Go near any solid object and pressing the A button sucks you into cover, a very useful thing indeed.

Your crew


Gameplay: The most important component of any game, it's what differentiates great games from has-beens. And while Gears of War, being a shooter, might not bring a lot of new things to the table, it does its stuff well, or should I say, almost perfectly. It's the thing which chains your nuts to the couch and forbids you from going anywhere. The gameplay, while being pretty linear, is perfect for the kind of experience that they were aiming for. While the environments can be huge, you're still a part of a small team taking down the Locust army one beast at a time. There's no way you can venture out into the open and take down the army Rambo style. At most, you'll kill a couple of beasts before being owned by the Locust. And that's where most of the great gameplay comes from. Taking cover behind every object, aiming the reticule at a foe's head and putting some hot lead into those big heads is where most of the fun lies. It makes you feel like you're a part of something big, but on a small scale.

As the game goes on, you'll find yourself being creeped out once in a while because of the ghoulish environments. Add in the nightmarish sounds from those screaming wretches and the game feels like a horror movie. And the night-time levels, well, they take the game to a whole new level. While the enemies don't change much, there's one big addition- the swarming mass of bat-like creatures which rip you to shreds as soon as you venture into darkness. This is enough to make you think twice, maybe even thrice before taking a step in any direction. You have to look for propane tanks which you can blast so that there's light before moving forward. But it's a welcome addition because sometimes, your foes forget that same fact and make a charge towards you. It's quite fun to see them being lynched by their own "army", so to speak.

Drone squad


At this point, you will notice the AI, which is easy at best on the Casual difficulty level. Crank up that setting and you're guaranteed to increase the game-play time from a few hours to atleast a couple of days. And on insane difficulty, you'll probably need a human friend to help you fight the Locust in Co-op mode. This is where my first grouse is- your dumb partners. It's very frustrating when you're in the middle of a fight and you notice that all 3 of your friends are lying down and asking for help after running foolishly towards the horde. Do you go back to help them and risk getting killed yourself, or do you take it upon yourself to fight all of them without their help? And during the night-time levels, it only gets more frustrating when Dom (your partner) just walks into the dark and gets lynched by the Locust swarm. At this point, it's foolish to try and help him - You'll be killed within no time; your best bet is to try and fight alone till the next checkpoint.

Onto probably the most fun thing in this game- The chainsaw. You know what? I want that damn weapon to be in every action game I play. It is THAT much fun. The raw sadistic feeling you get when you're about to destroy your enemy with that scary piece of machinery beats anything I've played in a while. Obviously, if you miss, you can simply fire your machine gun and finish them off.

The chainsaw


This brings me on to the weapons in this game. Most of the weapons are nothing special; they do their work unobtrusively. But there's a bunch of great additions, first of which is the Machine gun + Chainsaw which I was talking about. Another weapon worth special mention is the Hammer of Dawn, a small machine which focuses a tiny laser beam on your unlucky foe. What follows is again one of those pure unadulterated sadistic moments where you can simply burn down your enemies into ash. And lastly, you have the torque-bow, which is nothing but an explosive arrow fired from a bow. People who've watched Rambo III will instantly remember Stallone shooting an explosive bow at the Russian chopper and bringing it down instantly. Unfortunately, you don't get much use of it in this game since it's introduced at quite a later stage in the game.

The one thing I liked about this game is that there's hardly any sign of a conventional HUD obstructing your view. In fact, minimal screen-space is used by only showing the ammo counter and a small reload-meter below it (More on that later). In fact, there is no health-bar at all. You just keep playing and gunning down the locust army. The only sign you get that you're gonna be history in a few moments is a red colored Gear icon which shows up at the center of the screen when your health seems low. Again, the forgiving health-recharging system means that a few moments behind cover and you're good to go again. The reload meter is another cool addition to an already-awesome game. The way how it works is pretty simple. When you're reloading your gun, the slider moves from the left to the right. Press the reload button again at the right time and your reloads are fast and with more damage potential. Press it at the wrong time and you jam your gun for a few extra seconds. In tight areas with multiple enemies, a proper reload can mean life, and a jammed gun can mean a lot of bullets in your head.

One enemy I must talk about is the Beserker. Although it doesn't have sight, it can smell and hear your presence in the vicinity. And trust me, you don't want to be anywhere near that thing- It will crush you before you can even realise what's going on. Just say your prayers and get ready for a couple of restarts from the last checkpoint.

Drone close-up


Graphics: Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said before? In simple words, this is currently THE most beautiful looking game on the Xbox 360. The huge environments give ample opportunity to the Unreal engine to show its beauty and power- something which it does enviably well. Everything from the characters to the cities and environments is huge. You and your friends are hulking beasts who look like they'll explode at any moment because of all that muscle. While your whole body is covered with armor, the head is left uncovered- perhaps because of the lack of fear, or in my opinion, plain stupidity. Again, playing in the night-time stages feels so creepy because of the great atmosphere which is a result of the Unreal engine. But the true beauty of the game is during the day-time when the great lighting effects show off the environment.

Sound: Another one of those things which Epic got bang on target. The freaky sounds of those wretches and their friends are the stuff of nightmares. On top of that, every time those locusts dig up and come out of the emergence hole, the sound effects do their best to let you know that you're in deep trouble. And then, there's that chainsaw which I can't seem to get my mind off. All that blood-spurting and great action would go to waste if the sounds were not upto the mark. Fortunately for us, that isn't the case.

The boomers


Multiplayer: While being limited in the number of modes it offers, it's probably one of the most fun experiences you'll get in this generation. People were afraid that the moderate to small sized levels would not be as much fun as Halo 2, but playing the game for a while, it's now obvious that this is a great thing. For one, most of the weapons are geared towards short-range assault-type gameplay. Second, the basic gameplay is built around taking down enemies with as much stealth as possible. With bigger maps, it would only be less fun than it is now. I haven't yet fully experienced all the multiplayer modes, so I'll reserve my final judgment when I can get around to spending time with it.

Conclusion: Yes, the game is awesome. Yes, I'm hooked. And yes, it's the game which I'll be re-playing this weekend. Is it one of those killer games which forces people to buy the console? Looking back at my own experiences and the reviews it's getting from the other places on the internet, I can only say yes. The greatest fun in this game comes from the co-op campaign mode which it offers, and does so well. I'll probably be inviting my friends over the weekend, ordering a few pizzas and some beer and have a great time fragging the hell out of my opponents. I won't put my word on whether it's innovative enough. But in the fun department, this game shines! And the best thing for you to do next would be to get your ass off that chair, make your way to your nearest game retailer and buy this amazing game. It really is THAT GOOD!

Gameplay - 10/10
Controls - 9/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 10/10
Multiplayer - 8/10 (From my limited experience)
Fun factor - 10/10

Final score - 57/60 or an awesome 9.5/10!

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35 Comments


Sort by:
   by Mr Funbags (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » Its Overrated
Its cool and all, but it doesn't really blow me away.

I played for about an hour or so and am stuck on the "run away from the monster" part. Its really frustrating and stupid.

Anyhow Im not hating just cuz im stuck, I just dont think that switching from FPS to over the shoulder counts as "revolutionary gameplay". Just cuz you duck for cover and play little shooting gallery its not so special.

I think its OvErRaTeD for sure..... perfect 10 scores.... wtf.. suck my funbag microsuck.


   Re: drumercalzone09 (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » Grenades
You have to blow the doors open with grenades. Then run around outside until it stops.

   Re: lol (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » not revolutionary
he never called it revolutionary. all he said was that it was great fun.

and hes right!! teh game *****ing rocks!! :D

   Re: Torx (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » Get him to run into the doors
if your on the beginning berzerker part..
you dont even need grenades.. just stand in front of a door, jump to the side when hes running towards you to get him to knock the door out..
go outside, avoid him and use the lazer thingie

   Re: mike (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » drumercalzone09 ur taking hard way out
just stand near the doors and when he charges at you side roll out of the way and he knocks the door down for you

   Re: RxM360 (Unregistered) - 2006-11-13
 » overrated
Just because your stuck on a level, and frustrated your already giving up to easy. You just need to think hard on how to kill the Berseker. Follow the objectives. But please, don't put the game down. This game deserves a 10 hand down.
   by Josh (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » Hell yeah!
I agree with you 100%, this game is a must have. It was well worth the wait and all the hype. For those of you who own a 360 and are of age do yourself a favor: BUY GEARS OF WAR, IT'S WORTH $60.00!

   by DoctahhDooom (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » sadly
Im broke

seriously no one hires me, Im still giving it my all though!

this *****n sucks.


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   Re: xbox 360 owner (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » amen brother
me to...but i will rent it for 7 dollars since its a short game...
   by A hole (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » what a waste..
. of a verbatim disc.
No not really, glad I only paid a few quidfor it. Waht an over rated game.
Oh well, back to PES6

   by jack (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » ok
Multplayer seems boring after awhile and plus games too short, i should have rented first

   by ralph (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » Overrated
QJ has no credibility. This game is totally overrated. Once PS3 hits, everyone will see the reality of the situation. This game will be seriously outshined by Resistence and its 40 player online play.


   Re: pspsmallz (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » i feel yeah
the first game ill buy when i manage to buy a ps3 next year is going to be resistence, that game just looks like a perfected fps

   Re: t00n (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » idiot
You sir are a moron. Play it 1st

   Re: Vecha - 2006-11-10
 » haha
so spending 600 bucks for one game? Feel sorry for you.

you can spend that amount for the 360 and wii for twice as many games that are coming for the ps3.

   Re: RxM360 (Unregistered) - 2006-11-13
 » Overrated
You are one of those PS fanboys that have NO clue about video games. Remember, you cant even compare Resistance to GOW. GOW was built from ground up with Unreal Engine 3. Resistance was made by the same peole who made Rachet and Clank. FYI, Resistance will not even come close to the graphical power of the 360 and URE3.
   by Bobby (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » To:Mr.FunBags
If you weren;t so *****in stupid you would know.You dontr run away from him you have to lure him outside so you can use hte hammer of dawn on him and kill him, *****git.owned

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   by mike (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » to bobby
your gay and suck in bball

   by PSPS1PS2PSPPS3 - 2006-11-10
 » to ralph
You are a very amusing fanboy lol thanks for the laugh

   by Shatterdome - 2006-11-10
 » EVERYGAME IS OVERRATED!
WTF did you expect ? Seriously, if you think 40 player online is revolutionary, then you are an idiot....theres plenty of FPS's doing 64+ player....

Also with that many people it's just a faceless free for all....generally people are too stupid to use tactics, even when everyone is given a headset...what about Resistance where you have to provide your own and may not even support it ? That will make it even more of a random run around and try to kill as many ppl as you see......good fun....


GoW is freaking awesome, and if you fail to realize that, you are stuck in the past....not all shooters need to be FPS, and for the system of duck and cover, first person view would just suck ass......

Anyways, I wasted enough of my breathe.....anyone with half a brain and a 360, buy this game.....period.

   by darksaber (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » tactics
i like the tactical part of this game. you can't be a dumbass and get away with it as much as you can with other games. also, its better that there are less people cuz it adds more to the game when u have to decide what tactics to use;swarm, flank ect. ect. along with satisfaction when ur plan works.

   by Shadow502t (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » Berserker
Just to clarify, the Berserkers are female... so technically you need to lead her outside etc. etc.

Big, bad, Locust with PMS.

   by RazeR (Unregistered) - 2006-11-10
 » my own coop review
before i go on to my own little reviewto let me say something first to all the sOWNy F*** Boyz out there thingking that resistance will be the perfect shooter, play the damn thing first! 40+ people online = LAG, CAMPERS, HUGE MAPS, and long AZZ time waiting in the lobby to play the next game, which equates to BORRING where is the innovation there? what makes a game great is its replayability. think halo2, but if you insists that 40+ is great. play socom 3 and let me here what you sOWNy F*** boyz think. resistance will be just SOCOM with better grafx. i know this becoz i own 2 ps2's and play SOCOM or should i say used too after SOCOM3 came out and it just became stupid.

anyway, i played GOW COOP with a ARMY BUD today for 5 hours and let me tell you this, i want to play more. COOP is incredibly FUN. both of you can't just start running and be like arnold in COMMANDO and just wipe the LOCUSTS out. COOP requires tactics and planning before attacking a certain area. you might be up in a roof shinning a light for your BUDDY so he won't get killed by those flying bats while he attacks and makes his way to the other building to take out the LOCUSTS and turn the light on for you. COOP requires alot of communication and just like PRANAY said its more fun playing hard core or INSANE. playing COOP was like being in an actual fight with your bud walking staggered on a hallway not knowing what lurks behind the doors. i give this game COOP mode 10/10. worth every single penny and gas drving to gamestop.

and for MR. Funbags think before you react in the game so that you wont get run over by a HUGE FUGLY ASS berserker on her PMS. or might as well just go on all four so she can ram you UP your ass all the way out the building so you can use the hammer of dawn.

   by Dragoon - 2006-11-10
 » I totally agree.
I bought Gears Wednesday, had a friend over yesterday/today and we did the whole thing through Co-Op Hardcore.
4-5 Hours of gore.. 10-foot projected picture on my wall, Dolby Surround Sound.. It doesn't get much better than this.
The online play was sweet, too, though I have not played it enough to voice my opinion there yet.

This game is pure awesome, and anyone who DOESN'T own it fails at life.
Definately deserves at LEAST a 9.5.

   by MGSROCKS1 - 2006-11-10
 » Its pretty good
I don't know if it deserves 9.5. I think its more of 8.75.

   by Vietone - 2006-11-10
 » Game is a short hype
This game is fun to play at first but the fact is, the game is one of those games thats fun for a week or 2 and then you play something else.

I own the game, beat it, and it left me unsatisfied. The flaw of the simplicity of the game is that your limited in how much unique experiences you can encounter. From the looks of things, they just ran out of new things to do.

The control scheme IMO, is just too simplistic. This game isnt for the Hardcore gamer, you just dont have the control you are use to having with other games.

FPS fans will leave this game with dissatisfaction. Other gamers may enjoy this style of game play for a short while, move onto better games or just go back to the old games.

This game is over-hyped, its not even close to being better then the best shooter game on the Xbox, that being Halo2, and with that said, GoW, which is a good game, wont ever be legendary.

   by 360 (Unregistered) - 2006-11-11
 » 110%
this game is worth getting an xbox360..

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   by otacon - 2006-11-11
 » AWESOME
It's rare a game like this comes along. It is very inivative and unique. 9.5 out of ten is a great rating for the game. And it kicks the hell out of Halo2's campaign which was a horrible campaign. But even still it's multiplayer is like 3rd in my book.

   by RazeR (Unregistered) - 2006-11-11
 » not FPS
well, GOW is not a FPS... so don't compare it to HALO2... i love halo2 and i still play it online to this day. GOW is a totaly different experience and is very different from any other shooters. it does not matter what anybody say, GOW is already legendary because YOU already bought it and it is already second to the highest grossing release which is HALO2.

   by MAKAVELI THE DON (Unregistered) - 2006-11-11
 » MAKAVELI THE DON
MAKAVELI THE DON

   by Shini (Unregistered) - 2006-11-11
 » -_-
The only people who think its over-rated are those that have not played it...most likely bedcuz they are PS3 fanboys that thing Resistance has a chance of being better...which isn't gonna happen. Gears of War=Game of the Year....watch.

   by BrokenWing Mike (Unregistered) - 2006-11-11
 » Agreed
by RazeR (Unregistered) - 6 hours ago
» not FPS

well, GOW is not a FPS... so don't compare it to HALO2... i love halo2 and i still play it online to this day. GOW is a totaly different experience and is very different from any other shooters. it does not matter what anybody say, GOW is already legendary because YOU already bought it and it is already second to the highest grossing release which is HALO2.


Definitely agreed. Halo 2 is an awesome fps if not the best fps out there. Gears of War is an awesome 3rd-person tactical horror shooter, if not the best 3rd-person tactical horror shooter out there. lol

Saved $200 by buying a 360, and not one ounce of regret.

   by Josh (Unregistered) - 2006-11-14
 » Resistance, huh?
PS3 fanboys think Resistance will be better than Gears of War... wow. Have fun playing with that *****ty six axis controller. By the time a match is over, you'll have carple tunnel! 40 players online = one big ass camp fest. Gears of War itself takes PS3 to school.

   by Christopher C. (QJ. NET Staff) - 2006-11-21
 » Great Review
Nice Job Pranav, agreed on all fronts, this is easily the best 360 game out there (in my opinion) and totally deserving of an almost perfect score.


   Re: Jack (Unregistered) - 2006-12-02
 » rating
off topic- would gears of war be suitible for a fourteen year old.


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