Gears of War First Impressions
Posted by Kyle Heon Thu, 09 Nov 2006 02:07:00 GMT
OH MY GOD!
That really sums it all up. I only have about two hours into the game but it’s absolutely stunning, in just about all facets. At first the controls seem a little klunky but that is probably due to the fact that I expected them to behave like Halo’s. Gears of War is a different animal entirely. While the two games share a sci-fi theme, that’s really where the simularities end.
Visually I don’t believe I’ve seen anything as beautiful. The post-apocolyptic world just teems with atmosphere. Most of the world is destructable, for instance if you hide behind a sofa or breakable item (a car maybe), it will begin to fall apart and no longer provide you protection. This is a game that makes you love your HDTV.
The sound packs quite the punch. My subwoofer is constantly rocking the house as I play. Explosions from near an far add realism to the war you are in. Bullets whiz by, structures crumble and topple over, and your squad bark orders (flank right) and point out ambushes. At times it’s over-whelming, but having your squad mates point out what you don’t see helps save you, many times.
My only real complaint is that at times, in the fray, it’s very difficult to tell who is friend and who is foe. When you are zoomed in for a shot, the reticle does turn red, but if you aren’t zoomed in, you don’t even have a reticle. I’m honestly not sure if friendly fire even hits, but your squad definetly doesn’t care for it.
I’ve almost made it through Act I, calling it a night after getting to the Beserker. I suspect that tomorrow night I’m going to struggle to get past this boss as I learn how to effeciently use the “run” command.
If you own a 360, this is a must buy game. It is best experienced hooked up to an HDTV and a 5.1 theater setup.