Welcome to the obligatory opening paragraph, wherein I wax poetically about how much hype Gears of War has received over the past year. It seems you can't read one review that doesn't discuss the hype-factor, which is ironic, since there is no one to blame but the game magazines and online publications that created the hype in the first place. The ultimate question every reviewer is required to ask is, “Does Gear of War live up to the hype?” The answer is, more often than not, “Yes.” But really, what was the hype? That Gears of War would look great? That it was bloody? Had a lightning-fast game engine? Those aren't statements of hype so much as they are statements of fact. True hype would be something like, “Gear of War will be the greatest game ever created.” Does it live up to that? No. But that doesn't mean it isn't awesome.

Prison Break

Gears of War, the latest technical showcase from Epic Games, finds you assuming the role of Marcus Fenix, a grim and morose muscle-bound soldier who, for reasons that are never quite clear, begins the game as a prisoner on the planet of Sera. It seems you've been branded a traitor for deeds unknown, but no matter. If you're playing Gears of War for the story then you picked up the wrong game. As is true for too many action games, the story is just a thin thread that serves no other purpose than to help separate the action sequences. There was probably a better story in place when Gears of War was on the drawing board, but there's this overwhelming feeling that huge portions of the game were cut in the interest of getting the game on shelves by the promised shipping date.

Once your cell has been opened by an old war buddy, you quickly find yourself once again enlisted in the Coalition of Organized Governments as a member of Delta Squad. It seems that the local inhabitants of the planet Sera, subterranean nasties known as the Locust, have decided to launch an attack on the invading humans. So whatever traitorous act that found you imprisoned is deemed inconsequential in the face of kicking Locust ass. And that's just what you'll be doing for the rest of the game.

A quick tutorial gets new players up to speed without boring the hell out of you and before you know it, you're playing around with some of the key concepts of Gears of War. Namely, duck-and-cover. Just about every object in the game world can be used for duck and cover purposes, and it's a feature that isn't optional as part of your overall strategy, it's all-out mandatory. Firefights in Gears of War, especially at the higher difficulty levels, are not a simple matter of firing a few rounds and killing your opponent. On the contrary, gun battles are long engagements that require you to stay hidden while taking fire, popping up when you have a good opportunity to dish out some punishment, and hiding once again in order to change clips. What makes the gunfights so entertaining is the better-than-usual AI of the enemies. They seldom just stand around and take punishment like so many other games. Instead, they'll employ the same tactics as a human player, running around and seeking cover, as well as using their cohorts to slowly form an envelope around your position.

One of the new developments that Gears of War offers the shooting genre doesn't seem like much on paper, but in practice it becomes a new standard, and that's the reload system. Gone are the days of just hitting a single button to reload your gun. Instead, a lightning-fast mini-game has been created that requires precise timing in order to pull off a successful reload. It's basically the same system you find in golf simulations that have you pressing the button at just the right moment. The better your timing, the faster your reload. If you hit the sweet spot perfectly, you'll even be powered up for a short duration, dealing out extra damage. However, if you miss the sweet spot, which is pretty easy in the middle of an intense battle, you'll blow the reload altogether and essentially jam your gun, costing you precious moments that find you defenseless while you smack your gun around.

There's a nice assortment of weapons in Gears of War, exactly what you would expect from an Epic game, and each requires it's own specific tactic that must be mastered for maximum death-dealing. There's the standard Lancer, which is a basic machine-gun with a chainsaw bayonet attachment for close-quarters sawing, as well as shotguns, a crossbow that fires explosive bolts, rocket launchers, grenades and a sniper rifle. While most of the weapons don't push the genre into new territory, the bayonet alone makes Gears of War worth the price of admission. It is just so satisfying to saw someone in half like a psychopathic David Copperfield. It looks brutal, sounds brutal, and is just so viscerally satisfying that you never get tired of using it.

Blood & Guts

Gears of War uses Epic's new Unreal 3 Engine and I can't say enough positive things about what this sucker is capable of. Lightning fast, even with all hell breaking loose on screen, running at 60 frames-per-second with nary a slowdown to be detected. It's a technical marvel and represents a huge leap forward for the 360. Gears of War has single-handedly set a new graphics standard by which all other games will be measured, much to their detriment. Set design and artistic direction of the entire game is beautiful, even when there is no intention of displaying something pretty. On the contrary, the world of Gears of War is run down and beat up, a ghost town full of carnage and crumbling buildings, a world whose better days have long since passed. The Unreal 3 engine renders these environments perfectly. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that the palette of Gears of War is brown...without remorse. You can't help but want to see what this engine can do with a wide palette, so hopefully we'll get some varied environments in the inevitable sequel.

The campaign for Gears of War is fairly short and linear, despite a few pathing options, and while the story is never really fleshed-out, I felt satisfied with the ending and was left wanting more. The fun of the campaign is increased exponentially when played co-op with a friend. While the AI can be dumb as a rock at times, shooting at invisible enemies or, as is more often the case, charging pointlessly into a mob of foes, a human cohort removes these hassles, for the most part. Having a human partner allows you to plan out attacks far more effectively and successfully dispatching a particularly nasty group of Locust is quite satisfying when conducted with a coordinated attack.

So does Gears of War fall flat anywhere? Surprisingly, it does, and in an area that is historically the strength of Epic Games: multiplayer. Perhaps I've been spoiled with their previous efforts like Unreal Tournament, wherein there are so many options and variables for hosting a game, that what Gears of War offers just feels extremely sparse and limited. You get three game modes, none of which are drastically different than the next. 4v4 matches are the standard, no matter what mode you find yourself in, and while billed as a team game, the unfortunate reality is that most players will go it alone and forsake their team members. Multiplayer maps tend to be on the small side, making matches a pretty quick affair with some ending within a minute. Each round, no matter the map being played, seems to follow the same pattern: mad dash for the choice weapons, proceeded by firefights and copious amounts of chainsawing and grenade tagging. If that's the extent of the depth you want in a multiplayer game, then you're going to be real happy. But I found the available options to be pretty weak and soon grew tired of multiplayer altogether. This is all very surprising too me, as Epic is known for creating innovative multiplayer modes, none of which managed to find their way to Gears of War. On the upside, Epic has a long history of supporting their games with future add-ons, so there is little doubt that the currently sparse multiplayer offering will get a much-needed shot in the arm down the road.

Details of War

In the end, Gears of War isn't perfect, but it does what it does so incredibly well that you just can't help but love it. Graphically, it is easily one of the finest achievements ever and wears the Killer App crown for the Xbox 360 well. There are a few stumbles along the way, like the misguided inclusion of a level that requires the player to drive a tank-like vehicle while shooting flying Kryll with a spotlight. This particular segment plays horribly and feels tacked on. It should have been cut altogether. Players may also have an issue with the inability to jump, something that we've all grown quite accustomed to from just about every shooter ever made. For the most part, you'll seldom notice the lack of jumping, but there are moments where you definitely miss the ability.

But my complaints are all minor when weighed against everything that Gears does right. We're seeing the birth of a new franchise that will be with us for a long time to come and I can't wait to see how it evolves.