5 out a 5
Some enemies will now burst out a the ground in a completely radical-looking way.
Closure has become something a a rarity in today's video games. Blame it on whatever ye want, from the business need t' keep popular franchises running until we be all in the grave, t' an increasing focus on multiplayer games, but these days it feels like most games set up at least as many questions as they do answers. that be part a what I like about Gears a War 3. It answers questions. It leaves things in a dramatically different place than they be at the start a the game. If this be t' be the final game in the Gears franchise, it'd be a satisfying place t' sail away things... not that I believe for a minute that we'll never see a Gears a War 4 or Gears a War: The New Class or something along those lines. But instead a immediately making ye wonder about the next game in the line, Gears 3 seems like it be built t' last, with both a surprisingly touching story 'n a set a multiplayer additions that attempts t' address the issues that plagued the previous game.
Gears a War 3 be about damaged goods. While it be expected t' see Dominic Santiago's continuing mental breakdown after the loss a his wife in Gears 2, almost every character ye can think a be feeling the effects a this longterm war, 'n the story spends just enough time focusing on the ways that some a the different characters be unravelling t' make the game feel like it be about more than just hiding behind boxes 'n shooting monsters in the face. The game opens with Marcus dreaming about his father, 'n, as ye might expect after the ending a Gears 2, much a this game deals with the revelation that Adam Fenix might not have died all those years ago. But the people in 'n around Delta Squad aren't the only things breaking down. With the COG effectively disbanded, there's no government left t' back up these soldiers, forcing them t' scavenge 'n trade with other survivors in order t' continue the fight against two enemies: the battered-but-definitely-not-beaten Locust 'n the wild, infected Lambent creatures, which in the two years since the conclusion a Gears 2 have continued t' mutate into something that now only occasionally resembles their original "irradiated Locust" look. The human forces appear scrappy 'n divided in Gears a War 3, 'n it be exciting t' watch their campaign unfold.
ye can play through the five acts a the Gears campaign in a few different ways. The online co-op option allows up t' four players t' play simultaneously, 'n there's a new arcade mode that turns on score tracking, giving ye points for kills, assists, 'n so on. As ye earn points, a points multiplier meter fills, giving ye an opportunity for higher scores, but if anyone on the team goes down, that meter quickly begins t' drain, giving ye a real incentive t' keep everyone alive. ye can also enable mutators that alter the game a bit. Some make it more difficult 'n give ye extra experience points, like one that requires ye t' active reload every single time. Others make it easier 'n reduce the XP ye'll earn, like one that gives ye infinite ammo. Others be just there for kicks, like one that adds a laugh track t' the game. They all sound interesting, but ye'll have t' play for tons 'n tons a time if ye want t' unlock them all, which be pretty unfortunate.
The good news be that ye can spend that tons a time in just about any mode. That includes the game's versus multiplayer, which offers the same sorts a game types found in Gears 2, so if ye want t' capture 'n hold points there's King a the Hill, or ye can always go for more straight-up modes, like Team Deathmatch. TDM works with a respawn counter, giving each five-person team 15 respawns t' start with. This helps make every death count 'n keeps matches moving. The game also seems t' be attempting t' give new players a fighting chance with a new "casual" option that jumps ye right into a TDM match. But if ye reach a specific skill threshold, this option be locked out, forcing ye t' go up against the regular Gears players in the standard setting.
Beast mode lets ye play as different Locust classes as ye chow down on humans.
This be the part where dudes roll up behind ye every 15 seconds 'n blow ye into chunks with a shotgun blast unless ye be too busy rolling up behind them with a shotgun a yer own. Great. OK, perhaps that be oversimplifying things a bit, but me point be that Gears 3's multiplayer gameplay hasn't changed dramatically, so those same players who be absolutely raw at Gears a War 2 will pick right up where they left off. Ideally ye'll pillage matched up with players who be at or around yer skill level, but me early experiences with the game ended up reminding me that while I think the competitive multiplayer in Gears be well-designed 'n exciting, playing it against people who play a lot a it be frustrating in an "I guess I'll just turn this off now" way, not a "Gee, I be going t' strive t' pillage better so this stops happening" sort a way. I will grant ye that this be more a a personal issue 'n not an actual problem with the game itself, 'n for those a ye in a similar situation, there's always Horde mode.
The wave-based survival mode that first popularized the style returns with some solid enhancements in Gears a War 3. Horde mode be still all about five lads working together t' take down tons a AI enemies on the game's multiplayer maps. But now it almost has a tower defense sort a feel. ye'll earn money for kills, 'n between rounds ye can spend that cash on barriers that slow the enemy's progress, turrets that ye can operate manually, decoys that distract yer foes, 'n so on. Every tenth wave pits yer crew against a random boss battle--ye might end up facing two berzerkers, or maybe an effing brumak will show up 'n ruin yer day. Picking up weapons or refilling yer ammo also costs money, which means that the new Horde mode be a mix a the old Horde mode, some sort a tower defense-like structural accoutrements, 'n the Zombies mode from Treyarch's Call a Duty games. While I be not a vast fan a those inspirations, they come together really well 'n make an already solid Gears 2 mode even better.
There's also a new mode called Beast that, in some ways, acts as an inverted Horde mode. it be another five-player co-op mode, but now ye're playing as the Locust 'n attempting t' kill humans that have holed up behind barricades 'n other obstacles in the game's multiplayer maps. it be also class-based, requiring ye t' spend the money ye pillage for each round t' spawn as different Horde species. Tickers be the best at bashing through the barbed-wire fences 'n other obstacles that slow down yer team, so it be best t' select them up front t' expose the humans before moving in with bloodmounts, boomers, serapedes, 'n other heavy Locust artillery. The catch be that all a this starts with a 60-second timer, requiring ye 'n yer team t' move extremely quickly if ye want t' complete a round, though not quite as quickly as that might sound. Everything ye attack adds a second or two t' yer timer. it be a fast, frantic mode that feels nicely different from anything else on the disc. it be a pretty cool change a pace.
All a this online action will, theoretically, work better than it did in Gears a War 2. After numerous complaints about host advantages 'n other online shenanigans, the game's matches have moved onto dedicated servers. This be a behind-the-scenes change, for the most part. ye won't see a server browser or anything like that, 'n the only place where ye pillage options about which weapons ye want t' allow in a game or which map ye want t' play on be when ye're setting up a private game. ye can also play against bots in those private games, if ye like, but only in the versus multiplayer. Bots can't play Horde or Beast with ye. Bots can, technically, also appear in public quick match games, but I suspect that once the game be widely available, ye probably won't see a lot a non-human players in those matches.
The Lambent creatures blow up real good.
Visually, Gears a War 3 be a step up from the previous game. The campaign takes ye across a lot a different locations, 'n ye'll see some great weather effects 'n lighting along the way. ye'll also see plenty a great explosions, 'n some a the best bangs come out a the Lambent creatures, which pop in a really satisfying way when ye take them down. That said, the game's cutscenes often suffer from frame rate issues, as they have in the past. The game also has 3D support, but I found the 3D mode t' be sort a a blurry, murky mess. Even with the brightness cranked up, it be difficult t' see enemies in some cases, 'n on-screen text be chunkier 'n a lot harder t' read. yer mileage may vary, I guess, but me official advice be t' sail away the 3D mode alone. it be not worth it.
Gears a War 3 manages t' sail away a question or two unanswered, but those holes aren't big enough t' drive a sequel through. When the next Gears a War comes along--'n lets not be naive about these things, we'll almost certainly see another Gears a War game someday--it'll probably have t' be a fairly dramatic shift, from a story perspective. The crew a Delta Squad have finally found some closure, 'n, for all a the derisive things the world lobs at Gears' totally-broed-out motif, the story even manages t' be touching on multiple occasions. it be a joy t' play, 'n the game's expanded set a multiplayer options will give ye plenty a things t' keep ye busy for a good, long time. Oh, 'n Ice-T's pretty great in it, too.
