Better use that cover.

The atmosphere in Gears of War is fantastic. The environments manage to be fairly varied while still conveying the feel of a world that has borne the brunt of a long and brutal war. The Locust AI does a good job of conveying a sense that you’re up against something that is at once monstrous and intelligent. Your enemies are just as adept at using cover as you and do a pretty good job of maneuvering to get better shots at you and your squad.

In addition to the single player campaign, the game also supports multiplayer gaming. Co-op play is supported for the campaign, and if you see a friend go online while you’re playing you can invite him or her right into your game. There is of course competitive multiplayer gaming, with both ranked and casual games supported. Up to eight players can compete in one of three game types, Warzone, Assassination, and Execution. The first is team deathmatch, the second a team deathmatch variant in which one player on each team is the leader and you must kill the opposition’s leader to win, and the last is similar to Warzone with the exception that you can respawn into the current match when killed. The biggest downside to the multiplayer is the four to a side player limit, followed by the lack of game variants. Otherwise the multiplayer gaming is excellent, with maps that are well-designed and action that can get to be pretty intense.

There’s really no reason not to go out and get Gears of War unless you truly do not enjoy shooters. My minor issues or disappointments with the game are probably inflated a bit by the fact that the rest of the game is so good. That fact that there’s not all that much wrong with the game has me already anticipating the inevitable sequel.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 94%. Gears of War is one well-oiled machine.

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