The third and most anticipated Gears of War hit shelves late 2011. The steroid-laced macho-men, who are the Cogs, are back to fight the lambent and save humanity. I feel the need to put a disclaimer here; I am a huge Gears fan. However, I'm not sure Gears 3 lives up the the hype and standard of previous Gears games (at least in terms of single player).
The first thing I noticed when I booted this bad boy up was how detailed and beautiful it is to look at. I applaud the time and effort it must have taken to render this game. However, I would advise anyone who plays Gears 3 to install the game on their hard drive to make it run smoother. I noticed when some of the bigger monsters came on screen the frame rate slowed down slightly.
Many people say that the Gears of War games are not that deep and have a weak story. I thought differently for the first two games. Gears may not have had the most complex story, but I have always been compelled and invested in all the characters. However, in Gears 3, I think it's the story that holds the game back. For the first time in the Gear's world I felt uninvolved. The game doesn't focus on the main characters the whole time. I can't tell you how much I don't care about Jace. He is probably the flattest character in the whole series. When the game does focus on the main characters, like Dom, it feels like the Gears of old, which is a huge plus. Also, it does a great job of bringing the nostalgia of the first Gears game to the audience; I almost cried at one point.
Where the game stumbles is in the weak story telling. In a game this epic and on this huge of scale, some of the missions felt small, pointless, and repetitive. I never felt like I was saving the world and I never really had a sense of urgency.
All that being said, it is still a Gears game and the mechanics and gameplay are as solid as ever. As usual, the player needs to use the unique cover system to fight their way past the lambent and locust.
So, for the single player story mode I would give Gears 3 a rating of 8.0 out of 10. It's still a sold game but lacks the heart of the first two.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer is a huge part of the Gears of War games, helping to cement the longevity of Xbox live. Many people complained about the multiplayer in the second game, however, I thought it was fine. This time though, Gears of War 3 has its own dedicated servers to help with host issues. While this helps, it's still not perfect. There will be lag in about 1 in every 50 games, which is still a great improvement but slightly annoying.
The new beast mode is a great addition. However, it is not as robust as horde mode. The retro lancer now has a bayonet like spear on the end, great for charging people.
Also, I love how stunning the maps look and how each one has their own vibe.
Something really smart was making the team death match mode based on the number of re-spawns. I've noticed that more online players pick each other up when they are down, truly embracing the "brothers 'till the end motto".
Overall, the multiplayer is some the best times I've every had. I've spent more time in the Gears of War multiplayer than anywhere else.
The multiplayer gets a solid 10 out of 10 from me.
Therefore the average of both the single player and the multiplayer is a. . .
9.0out of 10
On a side note, I think that the Gears of War franchise has some of the best trailers ever. I've put them here for your viewing pleasure.
