The Gears of War series has long been my baby. The original Gears stole my heart with its intense cover-based action. I admit the game’s plot was ridiculous and over the top, but I didn’t care because the set pieces were so challengingly fun. In fact, I liked it so much I decided I needed to honor the game by beating it alone, on insane difficulty to prove myself a true “Gearhead.” Once I accomplished that feat, I did it again; to make sure the first time wasn’t a fluke.
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| Gears of War 3's Dom Santiago with a Pendulum Wars Lancer. Image property of IGN. |
When Gears of War 2 came out I beat the entire campaign in one sitting, the day I got the game. But Gears of War 2 wasn't the game I had been hoping and dreaming about. The combat was much cleaner, but the game itself didn’t improve upon its predecessor. It just added more weapons, a plot that made perhaps even less sense (which I thought impossible), and took away the atmospheric night sequences in favor of a bunch of annoying underground bits. The new enemies were okay, but I missed having to use propane tanks to negotiate dark terrain, even if it was a bit of a pain in the ass in the first game. And what happened to Berserkers? The most terrifying enemies from Gears of War were missing in the sequel. Lastly, the host advantage hasn’t been fixed from the first game, making online play frustrating at best.
Horde mode was the saving grace for Gears of War 2. It is so fun and challenging that many other games like Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2 and Bungie’s Halo: ODST copied the formula for their own. Without Horde mode, I might consider calling Gears of War 2 an utter misstep for the franchise.
So where does that leave Gears 3? I’m trying hard not to read or watch anything about the final installment in the series, but I like the idea of one final stand against the Locust. And Lambants, I guess. Jesus, the plot is just bananas. Totally off the reservation. Oh well, Gears 3 should still be fun. “Beast mode” looks silly, but I won’t complain too much as long as regular Horde mode is still available. I’m crossing my fingers for more fun, intense firefights, fewer unnecessary vehicle sections and an epic finish to a series that deserves some credit for revolutionizing the cover-based shooter. And there better not be a cliffhanger ending. I hate those. If they leave the door open for another game I swear I’ll break the disc. I’m not even kidding. I hate that garbage.
Video property of IGN.
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