Gears of War

Gears of War was the ultimate non-Halo game for Xbox 360 when it was released in November 2006.  Halo 3 was still almost a year away and when gamers finally picked up Gears of War they seemed to forget all about Halo.  The stop and shoot gameplay, brutally detailed graphics and unforgettable gameplay moments allowed 360 owners to give their thunderous approval for a new shooter not called Halo.   It seemed everyone with a 360 had a copy of Gears of War and they loved it.  Now a year later the once exclusive title for the 360 makes a tremendous showing for PC gamers.

If you don’t already own a 360 then let me explain a few key ingredients of Gears of War.   First of all this isn’t a First Person Shooter, instead Gears is a third person shooter.   The game isn’t a run and gun shooter either.  Instead using cover is crucial to the gameplay and your survival.  Epic calls it a tactical shooter where you have to think first before you try to unload your shotgun shells at the enemy.  You take cover behind fences, benches, crates, etc, wait for the enemy to pop up from cover and then start firing.  You move from cover point to cover point with a quick button press.  Gears is also a glorious depiction of brutality.  Blood is flying, cities are ravaged and heads are getting crushed with a quick curb stomp.   Last but not least is the Chainsaw Bayonet which is quite simply one of the most brutal weapons you will ever play. 

The story of Gears of War revolves around Marcus Fenix and the Locust Horde.   One day the Locust Horde started attacking every major city around the globe, destroying cities and killing countless number of humans.  This day was called Emergence Day.   The Humans fought back, eliminating some of the Horde and the cities taken over by the Horde.  Most of the human survivors were located at a fortified center which was soon attacked by the Horde.  Marcus Fenix disobeyed orders to leave the facility in hopes of saving his father.  Unfortunately Marcus was too late and was sentenced to 40 years of prison for disobeying orders.  But now the jail keeping Marcus is now being overrun with Locust and Marcus is broken out to help in the battle against the Horde.

One of the first big differences between the 360 version and the PC version are the controls.   As with any PC shooter we get the standard keyboard and mouse controls with the PC version of Gears.  For me the keyboard and mouse controls felt great and help during gun combat.  The precision you get with a mouse and keyboard felt perfect when playing Gears of War.  Hitting enemies peaking out or hiding behind the cover just felt easier using the keyboard and mouse instead of the controller.  Yes if you want to use the 360 controller for Windows you can on the PC version of Gears.  The same button layout as the 360 version is present which works great as well.

Now one part of the keyboard and mouse layout I didn’t like was the melee combat.  Melee combat is assigned to the “F” key, which as you know or will know by looking down at your keyboard as I type this, is located right next to the D key.  Since you control your movement with the W, S, A and D keys you might run into problems trying to initiate a melee attack because you’ve moved or the enemy has moved while you try pressing the F key.  With the controller layout it felt easier to move and initiate the melee combat since you move with the analog stick.  Now I might be nitpicking this issue but I would hate to see PC owners missing out on the satisfaction of pulling off a chainsaw attack during the game.  You have to press the F key to start the chainsaw up and continue to hold it down until you connect with the enemies flesh.  Then admire the blood as it literally drips from your monitor.  Ahh yes, the chainsaw attack.  Gruesome, brutal but yet so satisfying. 

The majority of the PC version is still the same as the 360 version but with some new additions.  The single player game includes five new campaign chapters that pick up the game after the original ending.  Thankfully the game lets you jump right to the fifth campaign chapter so you don’t have to play through the entire game to get to the new material.  Additional new features are the three new multiplayer maps and a new multiplayer game type.  All of the multiplayer maps from the 360 version are included along with the three new maps.  The new multiplayer game play mode is King of the Hill, where you have to control capture points on the map and maintain control of the capture points.  The longer you control the capture points the more points you will earn.  The team with the most points will win the game.   Another huge feature, that wasn’t in my version of the game, will be a Game Editor which will allow you to mess around with the Unreal 3 engine to build your own custom maps for the game.

If you missed Gears of War when it was released a year ago for the 360 now is a perfect time to dive into the experience that is Gears.  Even a year later Gears of War is still an excellent shooter that doesn’t try to fit into the typical FPS mold most of us are familiar with.  The game is heavy on giving you big moments in the game filled with cinematic moments and bosses that will leave you speechless (and sometimes yelling at the screen in anger that you didn’t take them out).   The cover and shoot gameplay will force you to play smart instead of running and gunning.  You might have to play some parts over again because the AI is smart enough to never play the same way twice.  Gears of War was a ground breaking game when it came out for the 360 and now PC owners can find out what all of the fuss was about. 

Gameplay 9.1 

The cover and shoot gameplay still feels fresh even a year later.  The keyboard and mouse controls help in getting an extra precision that is hard to duplicate using the Xbox 360 controller.  I just wish the melee combat control was easier using the keyboard and mouse layout.  

Graphics 9.3 

Visually this is still an amazing looking game that should blow you away.  All of the characters in the game are busting at the brim with details from their facial details to their suits. 

Sound 9.0 

The soundtrack to this game is simply amazing.  The music does an amazing job of complimenting the action in the game with a booming soundtrack.  The voice acting in the game is still solid but does feel a little bloated a year later.

Difficult Medium/Hard 

Gears can be a tough game with some great AI that will keep you challenged and playing some areas over and over again.

Concept 9.4 

Gears proves that you don’t have to be a first person shooter to be a great shooter.  The third person view and cover & shoot gameplay makes Gears of War feel almost completely new and fresh even a year later. 

Multiplayer 9.7 

The game is full of multiplayer options that should please some of the most hardcore online multiplayer fans.  All of the maps from the 360, including the downloadable maps, plus three new maps are included along with one new multiplayer gameplay mode.  Even the campaign mode offers a co-op feature where you and a friend can play through the entire game online.  The game also supports the LIVE online service which functions the same as Xbox Live.  LIVE lets you see if your friends are online, what games they are playing and submit game requests to them to play an online with each other. 

Overall 9.3 

Gears of War on the PC is still the same ground breaking game it was a year ago just now on the PC.   The same innovative gameplay and breathtaking events are included along with five new campaign levels exclusive to the PC.  Online multiplayer is a treat with all of the online co-op for the campaign mode plus all of the maps from the 360 version plus three new maps.  If you’ve never played Gears of War before then you owe it to yourself to play the game.