Reviews// Gears Of War (Xbox 360)

The Hammer of Dawn is a fascinating weapon, at the same time satisfying and frustrating. It only works in the open, and when you have a satellite uplink. It lets you paint a target with a laser, and then calls in a laser air-strike. While you’re target-painting you can’t move, and if you’re too close to your target, you’ll get laser-fried.

The Berserkers are blind, but hunt using smell and sound. So, to take them down, you have to lure them outside, stealth move (by clicking and holding the left-stick), call a Hammer of Dawn strike and repeat the process.

The real tactical fun starts when it gets dark. That’s when the Kryll come out – vast droves of bat-like creatures that will rip you to shreds in milliseconds. Luckily, the Kryll are afraid of the light, and there are gas canisters you can shoot to illuminate dark areas. The Kryll at least have the decency to take down any Locust who strays into dark areas.

Ammo becomes more of an issue as the game progresses – it’s vital to scavenge it from dead Locusts. You can only carry three weapons – single-fire, automatic fire and heavy – plus grenades. My advice is to steer clear of the shotgun – it’s rubbish.

There are a few mini-puzzles, along the lines of winding a wheel on a barge to cross a river, or repeatedly pressing [X] to push a wrecked car which you’re using as cover – but they are all pleasantly obvious and not at all arcane. The game cleverly draws your attention to points of interest by encouraging you to press the [Y] button and diverting your viewpoint.

Squad Combat
As I mentioned, most of Gears of War is spent operating as part of a four-man squad. However, there are times when the squad splits into two pairs, and you’re given a choice of left or right path. Squad AI is pretty impressive, although you can issue orders (regroup, cease fire or attack) by holding the left bumper and hitting a button.

Despite their jockish, gung-ho - and in general, distinctly American - nature, you develop a feeling of comradeship with your squad-mates, some of whom get picked off, but are instantly replaced. If your guys take hits, you can revive them, but you have to stand to do that and consequently become vulnerable.

The AI isn’t perfect – squad-mates can get in your way, and sometimes Locusts get close to you but seem to lose their nerve when they should be taking you down. Your CoG (Coalition of Ordered Governments) squad-mates aren’t the only humans you meet, either – the disenfranchised Stranded (who are suspicious of the CoG) make a generally welcome appearance as you progress.

Multiplayer
Over Xbox Live, there’s no doubt that it’s all going to be about the co-op CoG versus Locust battles. Which are utterly compelling, and demand intimate knowledge of the (excellent and varied) maps, plus plenty of communication as, once you’re wasted, that’s it – respawning is for wimps.

The Look
Gears of War’s look is certainly distinctive, although not everybody will be completely enamoured by it. At times, it’s almost monochrome, and it certainly doesn’t bust free from the fps stereotype of grimy greys and blacks.

The comic book-style blood spattering adds a welcome splash of colour (although not perhaps that welcome if it’s your blood), and the lighting (especially when it gets dark) and visual effects are stunning. Looks-wise, Gears of War will appeal to young adult males with a Gothic bent, but the art direction really isn’t the game’s strongest point.

Another annoyance is the way in which you can move during cut-scenes or radio communications, but only at a crawl, and you can’t use those periods to perform useful actions such as reloading or selecting a new weapon.

SPOnG Score: A


Conclusion
SPOnG – in the guise of this reviewer - loves it. Of course we do. Gears of War truly does drag the fps into the nextgen era, and provides one of the most intense and immersive gameplay experiences you will ever encounter. Without a doubt, it propels CliffyB into one the realms of games industry superheroes, and it’s a must-buy for any Xbox 360 owner. It will give Xbox 360 owners bragging rights over early PS3 adopters until well into 2007. And, of course, it will be huge on Xbox Live. True next-gen gaming has, at last, Emerged.