I only have one night under my belt with Gears of War, but it was a really fun night. The single-player game is very cool. I've yet to play online co-op but Timo and Termas had a good time with it last night. Multiplayer options are limited. One example is that you can't enter into a match as a team. You can choose sides in the lobby and eventually get your friends on the same team, but it's not as elegant or clan-friendly as Halo 2 (why nobody copies the H2 interface is baffling). The upside is that the randoms we played against were pleasant and you couldn't hear them talking during gameplay. Strategy is a big part of the game especially when it comes to reviving fallen teammates. The chainsaw and curb stomp moves are gruesomely satisfying. I look forward to playing GOW with more of the clan. [Comic from PA]
2 comments:
The core of this game is a fantastic story mode. I will not call it single player, as you can pull a friend in to join you at any time during the campaign. Having run part of the story solo, and then co-op with Termas, I was happy to see the game experience identical for each mode. No skimping of content for the co-op mode. A nice feature is that the guest player can leave, and the computer will take his place without stopping game play.
So far the story is as rich as the graphics are beautiful. The dialog is well written, but earns this game an M for mature as much as the gore of the chainsaw. Solo I was playing at the Hardcore level, and it was HARD. Rich and I played on casual and were challenged at times, but overall had little trouble. There is an insane difficulty level, and my guess it that it may be almost impossible solo, and will require excellent teamwork via co-op to survive.
The multiplayer will not push H2 off the top of the hill, due to limited player count and the other shortcomings that Free listed on this post, but in my opinion this game is worth every penny.
Some clear winning points of Gears in the two nights I've had the chance to Stomp some heads. Taking a 'bad' guy out and getting him to the ground for the stomp or chainsaw is awesome. Doing the damage or setting up a team mate is equally
as gratifying. Nothing better than good team work being rewarded with a "Free, go stomp that guy". Or is there?
Last night I got to do a sickly gratifying finishing move. I was able to take an opponent down and switch to frag grenades. With the helpless opponent on the ground I walked up and hit melee(B). The grenade 'drop' into the dude and I watched him explode. I am told you can do the same with a smoke grenade but it won't kill them. The dude will be tag and smoking.
Another is sniping. The opponents head explodes with a head shot. Enough said.
"Perfect Reload" can mean the difference between a win and a loss. You can time a reload with a bar that starts sliding across the Active Reload Meter. It is like a golf game when you hit that sweet spot. Your reload is faster than normal plus you get a little bit more damage in your ammo when you do this. You can chose not to work the Reload feature and just have it take a few more seconds. If you do try the Active Reload and miss the sweet spot your gun will jam for a split second, taking longer to reload.
I look forward to playing Co op. Some of Act 1 and Act 2 have simply freaked me out. Narly story and game play.
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