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Gears of War 3
Gears of War 3
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- Enthralling cinematic story. Experience the epic finale to the Gears of War trilogy
- Unparalleled gameplay
- One of the definitive multiplayer experiences on Xbox LIVE
- Gears of War 3 pushes the envelope for stunning visuals on Xbox 360
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about 3 months ago
Great game, great close to the trilogy,
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 (EDIT- later 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 MODE- this 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 WEAPONS- the 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…
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|about 3 months ago
Most complete Gears yet!,
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 Mode- I 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 2.0- If 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 Mode- I 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.
Multiplayer- Yes 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 9/25/2011- Hey 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…
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|about 3 months ago
For Me The Best Game Of The Serie…,
There is no much less to say about this that has not been already said but I will give it a try, amazing video game’s experience, exciting, emotional, and eminently satisfying campaign, beautiful locations enrich story and game play alike, excellent graphics, outstanding sound and hilarious dialogues, I really enjoyed the 1st and the 2nd ones, but this is for sure my favorite of all, the Gear of war franchise is definitely my favorite Xbox 360 game, I would highly recommend this game.
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