Sunday, October 2, 2011

Gears of War 3 Review

It's taken me a couple weeks, but I've finally been able to finish the Gears of War 3 campaign, play a lot of the multiplayer, and try out the new Horde and Beast modes.  I'm going to split up this review into categories and give scores based on each of those, then average the scores for a final one.  So, here it goes...



The Campaign:

Gears of War cannot be summed up without discussing the campaign.  While a lot will just discuss the multiplayer, the series' campaigns cannot be ignored.  Fighting for human salvation has to be one of the greatest things to fight for and the Gears 3 campaign was able to wrap everything up and give a very satisfying ending to the series.  It provides an emotional ride with incredible story elements, new locust monsters to fight, incredible graphics, and a journey to finally put everything to an end and save what's left of the dying human race.  Without spoiling anything, I'm just going to say that this was one of the greatest campaign's I have ever played.  Play the Gears of War 1 and 2 campaigns because without them, this campaign will still kind of make sense, but won't be nearly as satisfying.  Knowing what Marcus and his gang has been through makes this the most emotional campaign to date seen in any other shooter games, such as the Call of Duty series or Halo series.  Maybe the Halo campaigns brought a lot of emotional bends in them, but I felt more from the Gears series.  Whoever thought that video games can't be emotional are about to be proven wrong.  Anyway, to wrap things up, the Gears of War 3 campaign should be played by everyone and if you don't play it, then you're missing out.  It was of the greatest journey's experienced in video game history.

Score:  10/10



The Competitive Multiplayer:

Read the post before this one and that pretty much wraps up how I feel about the Gears of War 3 competitive multiplayer.  With great maps, new dedicated servers (slight lag is still seen every now and then), and some enjoyable new weapons, Gears of War 3 is by far the best multiplayer experience in the series.  I've played it for hours and I'm still not tired of it.  With ribbons, medals, characters, weapon skins, and more to unlock, this Gears has implemented more things that make the multiplayer all that much more enjoyable.  In Gears of War 2, a ranking system existed (the fight from level 1 through 100), but ranking up came with nothing (only a minor sense of satisfaction).  In Gears of War 3, the same ranking system exists (earning levels 1 through 100), but now unlockables come with that.  Need I say more?  The Gears of War 3 multiplayer has been made far more fun and enjoyable than its two predecessors.

Score:  9.5/10



The Horde and Beast Modes:

Sure, Horde has been seen in Gears of War 2, but now it has new elements that make it more fun than the one seen in its predecessor.  Gears 3 has Horde 2.0, a mode that includes a currency system that allows you to buy barriers, decoys, turrets, and more, and upgrade them too.  What's even better is that you have to unlock these things by playing more Horde and earning more money.  For instance, at first you'll only be able to buy barriers and place them where you want, but as you play more, you'll unlock upgrades for them and unlock more things to buy such as decoys.  It has pretty much a raking system of its own.  What else is cool?  There are medals and ribbons to earn for Horde modes as well, so there it plenty to do and stride for.  Also, boss rounds are now included, which makes Horde harder and more fun as well.  There are 50 waves, same as that in Gears 2, but getting through these waves has become harder.  Don't fear though because you'll now have the tools to get through these waves just fine.

Beast mode is new in the Gears of War series.  This mode puts you on the opposite side, where you will now be locust monsters instead of humans.  This mode works similarly to that of Horde; there are only 12 rounds though, instead of 50.  Still, it makes for great fun.  There is a currency system in this mode as well and more powerful locust monsters unlock as you gain kills with the ones given to you.  You spend money on the monsters and earn money by getting kills with them.  So make sure you spend the money wisely and gain kills with the monsters you choose to purchase.  There are four "ranks" of locusts, and if you're lucky enough to unlock the last set, it's by far the best.  The Berserker, while very expensive, is the best of the bunch.  There is nothing more satisfying then causing the humans mayhem with this monster.  It's attacks are very strong and is very hard to take down.  This may all sound confusing, but trust me when you start playing it, it's very easy to get the hang of.

Score:  9/10



Gears of War 3 is by far the best in the series.  They have made improvements in pretty much every aspect from the other games and have included more.  So, pick up the game; it's definitely worth the money.  This will definitely be a top contendor for best XBox 360 game of the year.

Overall Score:  9.5/10

1 comment:

  1. Gears of War has always been a game where I don't know how I end up purchasing it.

    The first game I was uninterested in buying until literally 4 days before it came out, when I saw the Mad World trailer. I played it for a 2 or 3 months and got tired of it. I decided that I did not enjoy it enough to warrant purchasing the 2nd game.

    However, there I found myself on the week of release purchasing the game. A similar thing happened with the 2nd game, but I played it even less than the first.

    So as the third games release drew nearer I found myself wondering if I would end up purchasing the game. I knew in the back of my mind that I had a very slim chance of getting the game as I have largely stepped away from playing xbox, and in doing so have removed myself from most of the hype. Needless to say I have avoided spending the money so far...

    I know people love the game, and I would love to read the review, but I haven't out of fear that next thing I know I will be sitting in front of the tv with the game in my hands wondering, for a third time, why I spent $60 on this game.

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