Review of Gears of War 3

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I've only spent a few short hours with the campaign and some of the Horde 2.0, but so far, this game is turning out to be exactly what Epic and Microsoft promised, an amazing close to a great game series.

Additions to the core campaign most people will like would be 4 player co-op. Always wanted that in the previous games, but the way they were designed it really only felt right with 2 players. This time every mission requires a team of 4, which means real 4 player co-op is possible and quite fun. Playing the campaign alone isn't bad, but as I've read in reviews and agree, it really is meant to be played with real people. Playing with the equivalent of bots allows you to enjoy the game but it won't be as rich of an experience in my opinion.

You still have the cog tag collection hunt, along with the little collectible bits of paperwork strewn throughout the game just as in previous games in the series.

Another cool addition, for those playing co-op, is the arcade mode. In this mode you still play the core campaign but everyone is scored. Depending on amount of kills, rescues and so on you get a score. It doesn't really do much but add a taste of competition to the 2-4 player campaign, but it definitely adds to the fun factor.

Horde 2.0 is a ton of fun. The addition of "buying" emplacements and so on really adds to the depth. For those that love the original Horde from Gears 2 though, the hardcore lovers of the mode, you might be a touch disappointed that it's been changed. For me, it's a change for the better.

There are a ton of other multiplayer modes that I just haven't gotten to yet, but I will update my review when I finally get a chance to play them.

Graphically this game is nothing short of amazing. Unlike previous games in the series there doesn't seem to be any screen tearing in the campaign (EDITlater in the game there was some minor tearing). I haven't experienced any in the Live modes I've played, but reserve commenting further until I spend more time with it. In the Beta there was screen tearing galore, so I'm hoping they focused on fixing it for release.

Music is Steve Jablonsky (Gears Of War 3 The Soundtrack). If you enjoyed the music in Gears 2, you'll enjoy it here as well. Orchestral, moody and pitch perfect for the scenes in which the music plays. I miss the Gears 2 title screen song, but hey, this is Gears 3 and it needs to be refreshed.

Sound effects and voice work are equally amazing. All the voice actors from the previous games make appearances here as well, including fan favorite Cole. Really high quality work.

Over all the game feels like a truly worthy upgrade to a truly classic series. I'll miss the further adventures of Marcus and gang, assuming we don't really see a sequel or extension (highly unlikely, right). It's like closing a chapter with friends.

Definitely worth $60. I bought the Gears of War 3 Epic Edition and love it, but the game on its own stands tall.

EDIT 9/21/2011 I've now spent a total of 10 hours in the campaign. This is me playing from Act 1-1 to Act 2-6 on my own, then playing through the same with my 65 yr old father. We were both having a blast with it. We also had a few people join the party and we went through part of Act 2 w/ 4 people. Despite the larger amount of people there were still plenty of Grubs to kill for everyone and still had some challenge to it. With 4 decent player characters though, even hardcore is a touch "easy."

BEAST MODEthis is one awesome addition to the franchise! You and a party of up to 4 other people (5 total) take control of the Locust and get to try and kill as many humans as possible. It uses a money concept similar to the emplacements and weapons in Horde 2.0 (which also feels a lot like the way it works in say, Call of Duty Black Ops zombie bits). You have to purchase your Locust and as you kill more people, you get more money, which enables you to buy better and better Grubs, all the way up to a Berserker, which is awesome! If you only have 30 minutes to play Gears and have some buddies on Live, this is a fast paced, frenetic jump of fun for sure!

NEW WEAPONSthe sawed off shotgun is the weapon of choice for many a multiplayer fan. I'm personally not big on the tactics used w/ the weapon in multiplayer but once you get the hang of it, it makes a decent up close weapon. In the campaign though it's not really a weapon you should be using. You have to get far too close to enemies to kill them, and in the case of the Drudges, you don't want to be near them when they blow up!

Retro Lancer isn't bad. The handling is different, the active reload timing is different and using it like a spear takes getting used to. It seems to be more powerful than the chainsaw Lancer, but they built it to feel like a prototype of the chainsaw version, so they did a good job making it feel like an evolution from the retro to the regular. Good stuff!

The Digger you fire a projectile towards an enemy, it burrows underground and pops up near the enemy and explodes. It can be pretty devastating if you can get it to hit.

That's all for this edit. Thanks for reading!

EDIT9/23/2011

Played more campaign last night. I now have at least 15 hours on the campaign. For those of you that have read the campaign is really only 10-15 hours, I've replayed Act 1-3 w/ my father over Live and we made it to Act 4 last night and watched the story bits every time which is why it is taking so long to finish.

After spending this much time with the campaign, I have to say I continue to be impressed. There is one level that I think will be the best in the game. It's Act 3 Chapter 1, which I won't name as I don't want to give anything away in my review, and it is simply astounding. It was frantic, it was hectic and 100% fun. I actually wanted to jump out and restart the mission when it was over.

And what happens at the end of Act 3 Chapter 6 is unexpected and for me at least, quite emotional. You'll understand when you get there and do yourself a favor, try not to read any spoilers on-line.

I'm hoping to finish the campaign tonight or early this weekend, at which point I'll stop editing my review.

With 15 hours into the game, I can still say that this is definitively the best Gears game of the 3 which is absolutely no small feat. With all the multiplayer modes, all of which are amazing fun and a decently lengthy campaign which can be played w/ up to 3 other people, there should be enough to keep you busy for some time to come. Definitely worth the price.

EDIT 9/24/2011-

Finished the campaign last night with my father. From start to finish I would say the game took 12 hours. This includes us dying, watching cut scenes, listening to dialog and so on. If you buy the game for the single player campaign, you might find this to be a bit too much money for too little time spent, HOWEVER, with the multiple difficulties and the ability to play with arcade scoring on, I'm sure you'll have fun going through at least 3 times, though subsequent play throughs will take less time given you'll skip cut scenes and dialog. So figure 6-9 hours per campaign play through, which means you will get 24-30 hours play time out of it, minimum.

The game is well balanced. There wasn't really any level or any section of the game where myself, nor my father, felt the difficulty spiked unevenly. Given this is Epic, I didn't think this would be an issue and it isn't.

The game is a ton of fun and with all of the multiplayer game types you can probably play this game quite a lot and never find yourself bored.

This will most likely be my last edit. Enjoy the game!

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This is the most COMPLETE game I have ever played. I honestly can't see myself thinking "hmmm. I wish they had this on this game!" Everything is here. Great campaign!Including that it is 4 player co-op online and 2 player split screen offline. Things like that make this game accessible no matter what. Which is why I love it. Played the campaign for about 3 hours and everything is set perfectly. Same great characters plus more, great action and everything is balanced to not give you the feeling that you're getting bored or doing too much. With all that said, I dont want any spoilers so I'll stop there.

Arcade ModeI believe this is another great addition. If you've play Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare. You'll remember their Arcade Mode. I loved seeing the points pop up as if I was at an arcade or even playing the multiplayer. I just loved that aspect of it and it also adds a level of competitiveness with friends. Thats about all this mode offers though, but still great fun.

Horde 2.0If you're a fan of killing, killing and more killing. You'll love Horde 2.0. Horde 2.0 adds more depth to the previous games Horde. I remember my cousin playing with me and using the shield to block off Locust. I wondered why I didnt think of that myself? Guess I'm just not as creative. lol, but now with kills and downs. You earn money to by things such as: weapons, barricades, decoys and bases. All of these things add a whole new level to the Horde. Making it so that now you and your friends can literally create a base and blockade to defend yourselves through the endless amounts of hordes. (actually i think the last level is 50 but it feels endless lol.) I can see Horde 2.0 adding a lot of replay hours to this game seeing as how fun it is.

Beast ModeI only played the first 12 levels of this on casual to get the idea of what it was. You can pick which Locust you want to be but you have to pay for it. So the points you earn killing go to the beast you are. The catch is you only get a minute to kill the however many survivors and you gain more time as you go on killing them and destroying their turrets and machines. I found this mode fun since I always wanted to know what it was like to be on the Locust side of the Horde. My only problem was that I found myself going back to certain Locust with guns since that's what I was comfortable with. I think that's only me though and others will have great fun with this mode.

MultiplayerYes Multiplayer. What everyones been waiting for. Honestly Im not going to spend much time of this review on it. Its everything thats been talked about or from Gears of War 2. I believe they added more modes (ie Deathmatch). Though from playing the matches that I have so far. It's smooth and responsive and I think thats most important. The guns are amazing. I truly think that they are balanced and you just have to find your match. I prefer the Lancer and Gnasher but others differ of course. The characters are better than ever. I say that because there is more of a variety of characters to choose from and unlock. As well as gun skins, badges and ribbons. This all gives the game much more replay value.

To end this off. This game honestly gives you your $60 worth! There are some "extras" (mainly gun skins) that you have to pay real money for. But they arent taking away from the game by any means. This game gives you great modes for however you feel and offers online and offline gameplay even with bots. Making it feel as if you are always connected and never missing out on more fun. Also the graphics are amazing just as any other Gears of War game. I would highly suggest this to any shooter fan seeing as this is the most complete shooter out there at the moment.

Update 9/25/2011Hey guys. Just wanted to update the review a bit. After playing this game for countless hours and getting some feedback in the comments section, I felt it would be good to update you on more of the details. I've played more into the campaign, Horde Mode and multiplayer. As another reviewer said the Beast mode is only 12 levels. Which is a real let down honestly. At one point it leaves you wanting more and another may make you happy that it's over. Once you unlock more Beasts and Locusts it gets easier if you have the money to spend. The Berserker is supposed to be blind but I found myself find enemies perfectly and destroying them with one hit. You start of with a minute to kill every survivor and there are more notable Gears characters that you have to kill as well. Along with the challenges, there will be more to bring you back to at least finish those out. Other than that this mode isnt as appealing as the others.

Horde 2.0 is crazy fun with friends. Having up to five players in the party stealing kills, setting up blockades and upgrading everything is a blast. Teamwork is needed to survive, this is no cakewalk. 50 hordes of enemies until the end takes a couple of hours, loads of patience and good teamwork as I stated. The more you level up your turrets, barricades, sentry guns and even a huge gorilla suit. You'll upgrade enough to where they cost less and defend better. You'll want these things to distract and protect you from the locust since in later waves (every 10 to be exact) Locust will gain 2x health, 2x accuracy and you take 2x damage. But this mode is great fun and adds a ton of replay value compared to the Beast mode.

MultiplayerI believe the multiplayer is very unique compared to other shooters. Specifially what caught my eye with this game is that if you arent good they arent necessarily trying to make it so that you are better or equal the playing field if that makes any sense. If you arent that great at this game, it's going to show. Unlike say Call of Duty where they give you perks and other tools to somewhat equal the playing field. Not to say they dont give you the tools to get better. As I state above, you can play with bots on or offline and at any of the 4 difficulties. So you can practice all you need to with certain weapsons, levels or difficulties all you need to before you jump right into the online world of Xbox Live. ANOTHER thing is that these bots arent aimbots. They actually feel more so as if you're playing human players. Just not as great becuase I have seen some great guys on xbl. Along with that, there are dedicated servers and you wont run into lag as much depending on your own connection. This is great. Matches run smooth making you want to play this multiplayer more. Also there are a ton of unlocks! Ribbons, Medals, Mutators, Characters. As you level up through all of the modes, you will gain these. Gaining them all is no easy task but its fun in the process and will be very very time consuming.

I didnt want to get too much in the campaign before but I have to note a few things. The 4 player co-op runs so amazing! I havent had any hiccups or disconnects with it and Im in Germany playing with 3 friends from all around the United States. The story is so much better than I expected. No spoilers for the people who have yet to play but this is a great follow up and and ending to such a great series. Im on Act 4 now and its about 5 acts. It's said that the campaign is about 10 hours and I've been playing on Hardcore for about 8 so I see the end coming soon. I just cant believe how much fun I've had though. They've fixed alot from previous games and the beta and it shows. Some things still dont work as need but I can see patches roll out to fix some of these. My biggest gripe is when you want to retro lancer someone and you charge at them. You have to charge from about 20 feet away. I guess that only makes sense to gain the momentum but I would like something other than to do just bump into them. But thanks to the other reviewers Stephen and Snake for the feedback as well. :)

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Gears of War 3 succeeds where other trilogy enders fail. Some people play for the online, and others play for the story, and as time goes by it seems games are focused more on the multi-player aspect while the single player seems like a second thought. I don't play online. To me, a great game comes from a story that is fun to play, and characters who are fun to be.

Gears of War 3 is the last game in the "Delta Squad" trilogy. The games lead characters have come a long way from the juiced up one liners from the first game. Gears of War 3 is more of a emotional story than the past games, and you may find yourself caring about Marcus, Dom, Cole, and Baird more than you would in any other game. They succeeded in making you care for the soldiers of Delta Squad. And that is what is missing in most games today and it was good to see that Epic Studios wrapped up the story is a mostly neat package. I say mostly because almost every question is answered in the final game.

Not only does Gears play great, but it looks and sounds amazing. Even with the volume on a normal setting, Gears 3 explodes in the sound department. Thats to be expected from a Gears of War game. Gears 3 looks incredible. For its time, the first game was a visual treat, but the environments were mostly small and grey. But not in the final game. The levels later in the game look amazing. Way more green and way more outdoor environments to curb stomp your enemy.

Gears of War 3 works on so many levels and I can't even write about all the multiplayer features like Verses and Horde and Beast Mode since I don't play online. As a single player game Gears does not disappoint. Great Visuals, Excellent sound, and a good story that will stay with you after the credits roll equals a game that is not to be missed. I look forward to more games in the Gears universe in the future.

Honest reviews on Gears of War 3

For the price you'll pay for this game, whether you buy it at launch or at the inevitable discounted price further down the road, you get so much value and entertainment for your cash that it would simply be a shame not to pick this up. I'm here to tell you that this game pulls out all the stops and I'll try to keep it short.

The graphics are gorgeous. I've read people's comments on forums saying that the Gears series is no longer impressive due to the usage of an "outdated" graphics engine. Wow, really? On more than several occasions, I stopped just to take in the surroundings because they were just that beautifully rendered. For what it's worth, this is the best looking Gears game yet.

The sound is top notch. My subwoofer definitely got a workout playing this game and the sound design is very, very nice. If I had to pick one thing to comment on, I love the echoing calls of the gas barges. You'll know it when you hear them.

Storywise, this one is the most consistent throughout its playthrough. There may be some melodramatic moments and a couple of bad line deliveries peppered throughout but not once did I roll my eyes or pray to myself that the game would end already. It was a fitting end to the series and the fact that co-op play has been bumped from two players to four make this a worthy purchase on that facet alone.

Horde mode, the 2.0 version. I'm going to tell you here and now that this is where you'll get your money's worth. I simply adore the fact that they took the original horde and shaped it into something that the fans wanted and would be satisifed with. It is very obvious that Epic took this mode, which was already great to begin with and took every suggestion and consideration to heart when crafting this new, updated version. I've sunk most of my playtime into this mode and with good reason. It's intense, it's violent, it's insane... and it's the best wave-based gameplay you're likely to encounter. The bar has been set incredibly high with Horde 2.0 mode.

Look, that's not even mentioning all the different versus modes and the all new Beast mode which lets you play as the Locust Horde in a sort of reverse Horde mode. If you're a stat junkie, I can't think of one statistic that this game DOESN'T include. The online play is absolutely delectable, with the games running off of dedicated servers this time around.

This game is nothing less than a thank you to fans of the series, old and new alike. At a time when games seem to be giving you much less bang for your buck, think of this game like a suitcase that you can't close because it's been overpacked. Normally, that's a bad thing but most definitely not in this case. Fans of the series, rest easy. Epic has closed out this trilogy with fireworks, flying colors... however you wanna say it.

Easily and most highly recommended.

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Update...I picked up the 3D pack for my mits 73" and tried GOW3 last night. Absolutely INCREADIBLE. The game is already great but going in with 3D brought me into the world of gears...the depth, the clarity was mind blowing. I spent a good 40 mintues just walking around in the game just see the textures and the way the ground had depth and feel and the characters looked at a distance, the airships really looked like they were flying, the bullet impacts had depth to them and could see them impacting the ground as I walked them into the enemy. Grenades looked like they were really flying...you get the picture...if you have the setup by all means give it a shot...if your on the fence about buying a 3D starter pack for your TV, GOW 3 IS THE REASON TO DO IT...simply AMAZING...and to think this was not a dedicated 3D game, but EPIC did an oustanding job....

I have played all three gears over the years and so far this one is the best imo. I was kinda worried at first as it started very slow kinda dragging it out but I guess that was to get the newbies going with the controls and feel. However, by Chapter I Act III it started heating up and has not let up since. I really enjoy the movie episodes it really brings the campaign together. The amount of detail is amazing and all the medals and ribbons one can earn is great. I really enjoy the Horde game, but my son is into the Beast and all are very fun, and the bosses are crazy tough. Many have wrote very detailed reviews on this game, all im going to say is if your on the fence or have never tried Gears Of War then jump in you will not be dissapointed. Although you can start with GOW3 to completely emerse yourself in the gears world you should pick up GOW 1 and 2 and when you get to 3 you will feel a part of the COG and then see how much effort was put into 3 to make it the best of all three!