17 Sep, 2011
Developer: Epic Games
Producer: Microsoft Studios
Platforms: Xbox 360
Release Date: 20th September, 2011
In Ten Words Or Less: The definitive Gears experience – rampant, game changing and epic. Essential.
Family Friendly? Gears 3 is just about the most un-family friendly experience you can have on a console. Strong, gory violence accompanied by foul language. It’s the most justified use of the 18 BBFC certificate on a videogame to date.
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It’s quite the challenge for any developer to get a trilogy right; just ask Bungie. Faced with this behemoth though, Epic has managed to deliver on just about every level, with a game that lacks innovation, but makes up for it by honing the tried-and-tested formula to a genre-defining level. It’s a daunting prospect for any developer to try and match two of the biggest selling games of all time, but match it they have – and in many areas, they’ve bettered it.
The bulk of Gears of War 3, and every entry before it, is the campaign offering – and what a campaign it is. Spanning a good twelve hours, the story barely ever takes its foot off the gas, leaving a single-player offering that is diverse, well-rounded, and – most importantly – complete. Every question you’ve ever had of the universe surrounding Sera is answered one way or another, almost all of them with incredible conviction. The level of fan service Epic offer is fantastic, with returning faces and nods to earlier events in the series. Oddly enough, that same devotion to the fan base is possibly one of the games only flaws, going out of the story’s way to pad out the back story of a particular character. It’s something that on one hand is dealt with reasonably early on, meaning that from there on it’s an all-out blast to the finish line, but also results in an opening act that lacks the pace of the previous instalments.
Emotionally, the game also begins to deliver. Key events are often accompanied by genuine, human responses, from both the characters and the player. The script is still ludicrous in places, but it’s counter balanced by some long overdue sympathy and the glimpse of a human side to Marcus Fenix. Epic will be the first to admit that Gears never intended to tell a magnificent tale, but the final effort in the trilogy suggests that at the very least, the story is coherent, with sufficient twists and tragedies to keep us gripped to the conclusion.
Whilst earlier games were littered with set pieces, Gears 3 contains more memorable skirmishes from corridor to corridor than its predecessors. The action is paced perfectly, with downtime only occurring when it’s either necessary for plot development, or to build adequate tension for a later encounter. That’s not to say that the game doesn’t have some absolutely stellar scripted moments though; full blown last stands, fort sieges, trench warfare, gargantuan boss fights and too many spoiler-ridden epics to even hint at are all present, much to the satisfaction of us all.
The original Gears was a benchmark in all senses of the word, but especially in terms of visual presentation. It was the first game to truly demonstrate next-generation graphics, and even at such an early stage in the consoles life, it pushed the hardware to the maximum. Gears 3 is again a shining example of what is capable with the Xbox 360, with huge draw distances, dynamic lighting and stable frame rates during even the most frantic of encounters. Even the naysayers of the series have to admire some of the work here, as the pallet deviates from the usual range of browns to offer some incredible deserts and beaches. This isn’t quite the case during cutscenes, which suffer from some notable compression, but never the less, it’s a staggering achievement.
For Epic though, it’s simply not enough that Gears 3 is the best looking title to grace the 360. For each breath-taking landscape, there’s an equally detailed corridor or passage, trench or slaughterhouse. This game isn’t just good looking for the sake of it though – every object has a story to tell. Walls are adorned with lambent and bloody hand prints, sofas are lifeless and bullet ridden. The floors are scarred with gashes where human fingernails have desperately searched for an exit. As has always been the case with the series, both the tension and immersion on offer here is unparalleled.
The AI has received a serious upgrade both mentally and physically also. Enemies such as the Boomer that were previously limited to slow movement can now cross cover and melee at close range. New enemies rear their head in the form of the Lambent, offering a shape shifting element to gameplay. It’s no longer enough to pop out of cover briefly to aim for the head, or to sit behind an indestructible sand barrier and blind fire through the 32 chapter campaign – encountering the Lambent requires strategy and split-second decision making. This is only amplified further with the introduction of new enemy types on the Locust side as well, making each encounter fresh and exciting.
The world of Sera lends itself beautifully to these new encounters also, with even the tightest of corridors having parallel partners, ready to be exploited by the first side prepared to flank. The combat zones in general are much more open-air, allowing for a wider variety of weapons to be effective. The new sawn-off shotgun and retro Lancer are perfectly useable additions to your already expansive armoury, but it’s the new heavy weaponry that really makes the difference in a fire fight. The two-handed One Shot is the ultimate sniper rifle, taking just about anything out in, well, one shot. The new chain-fed machine gun is also mighty, with the Vulcan requiring a partner to operate. COG operatives really are spoilt though in the wake of the Silverback – a gun touting, surprisingly agile mech suit that can be anchored to provide cover at the touch of a button.
The multiplayer suite that accompanies the campaign is even more comprehensive, with the usual game modes, expertly engineered maps and a horde of other options besides. The real pulls to the game aren’t the competitive side of Gears though – the Horde mode introduced in the second game has been repeated and refined by just about every other shooting game out there. It’s a simple premise – hold out against wave after wave of various enemies, increasing in number and difficulty as you go along. Horde 2.0 sees the addition of fortifications and upgrades however, allowing the player to dig in and stall the Locust in a wide range of other ways, from laser fences to gun placements, decoys to heavy artillery. It’s still addictive, and it’s still brilliant.
On the flip side of that coin, however, is the new Beast mode. Essentially, it plays very much as Horde does, but instead of holding out against the Locust, you play as the Locust. The points you earn from demolishing fortifications and killing both Stranded and COG forces can be redeemed against higher classes of Locust, starting with the humble Ticker and culminating in the mighty Beserker and Armoured Kantos Priest. It’s a fantastic addition to the already mighty co-operative repertoire.
The real co-operative challenges come from the campaign. Single player is all well and good, but nothing brings the adrenaline home quite as well as combining your efforts with that of real human beings. In the past, Gears has only supported two-player campaign, but now you have access to four. The difficulty scales admirably in the wake of the additional human players, but as is always the case, four-player Insane is not quite the same challenge as attempting the same feat on your own. The game also comes with an Arcade mode, allowing for scoring opportunities and, ultimately, bragging rights throughout the campaign.
To cut a thousand odd words short then, Gears of War 3 is the ultimate third-person shooter. It’s not a giant leap forward for the series so much as it is a perfect refinement of a formula that simply hasn’t been bettered. Perfectly balanced, hugely entertaining and with replay value in spades, this is one of the first must-haves of 2011. Fans of the series and newcomers alike, rejoice – Epic Games have got it right. Again.
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Verdict: Essential.
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