Tearing through Locust hordes with a Lancer chainsaw rifle is still as satisfying as it was five years ago when the Gears of War franchise cut its way on to the Xbox 360. Now the men of Delta squad are putting down their guns for one final hoorah in Gears of War 3.
GOW 3 doesn’t do anything drastically new. But the core “stop-and-pop” squad tactics is perfected with this iteration. And it still remains one of the best co-op experiences sitting on store shelves today.
The game reunites players with the gruff and buff Delta squad. Marcus Fenix takes the lead once again in order to find his father, who happens to be alive and could have the solution to end the drawn out war with the Locust. Not to mention, the new infected Lambent virus that’s quickly spreading throughout the human home world of Sera and the Locust population below the surface.
It’s noticeable that developer Epic Games is trying to tell a grand story and bring closure to the world they have created. For a game that has Michael
Bay-sized explosions and crude drill sergeant sass, it has some tender moments including a moving moment set to Gary Jules’ “Mad World.” It’s moments like these that make you want to find your favorite bro and just
hug it out.
Visually, GOW 3 stands above its predecessor. Lead game designer at Epic Games, Cliff Bleszinski has touted the Gears’ visual style as “destroyed beauty” and GOW 3 embodies that better than ever. You get to see large vistas of destroyed cities reminisce of the The Blitz aftermath in London during WWII. It makes each gun fight a joy to watch due to how detailed the architecture is set around you.
Though the level structure in some areas is one of the game’s downfalls. Since Gears is played mainly by getting behind cover and shooting — you can generally see when a gun-fight is about to happen before the enemies show up. If you walk into a room and there are blocks of crumbed wall facing you horizontally, get ready for another ambush. Which is a shame that this could not be blended in with the environment better.
Something that Gears has always struggled with since the beginning is maintaining an enjoyable multi-player experience. GOW 3 takes great strides to have a deep and rewarding multi-player.
Unlockables make you want to progress more and gain more experience. It’s a common hook in most multi-player games today, but it works. Horde mode returns from GOW 2. Taking on wave after wave of enemies with your friends offers a fantastic feeling of teamwork and strategy — that’s if your friends aren’t completely mindless.
New to the Gears multi-player is Beast mode. Like Horde mode, a group of player-controlled humans try and stay alive the longest round after round. The difference is the Locust are player-controlled as well. You get more money the longer you play similar to Valve’s “Counter-Strike.” Humans spend it on defences like barbed-wire while the Locust side spends it on more powerful Locust enemies. The ante is raised in each wave and by the final wave it’s a catastrophe of bloody mayhem.
GOW 3 is the best co-op game you can play that doesn’t include waggling Wii-motes and alcohol. It’s a game that offers just enough incentive to keep you playing more, but if you are just looking to sit down and play through the campaign with you a friend or three, you won’t be
disappointed.
