Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Great multiplayer"

Five years ago the original Gears of War released to commercial and critical success. It was a game that tasked the player with shooting through hordes of enemies in a game world known as Sera where humanity was pretty much screwed. That game would go on to become the blue print of how a cover-based third person shooter was supposed to work. It's been 5 years since and the third game in the series portrays a game world where humanity is still quite screwed. You still shoot your way through hordes of enemies while taking cover, and what was once the trendsetter is now just more of the trend.

Gears of War 3 is the third game in one of this generations more influential franchises and, for better or worse, it's a familiar experience. The stop-and-pop gameplay that put the series on the map is still in place. With only some new additions to the weapons list as well as new foes being the significant changes to the action. Yet this is also the first time the series can lay claim to being a more complete package. Besides delivering the franchise a final act (from a story standpoint) Gears of War 3 also delivers the franchises best multiplayer simply on the premise that it actually works this time.

The multiplayer ships with 10 maps, and 6 multiplayer modes. Including franchise staples such as Execution-where the player has to get up close to get kills, and Wingman (2v2v2v2). Newcomers include a Team Deathmatch mode with a Gears of War twist. Both teams share a pool of 15 extra lives, and when that number depletes the remaining members of the team all have one life each. It makes coordinating as a team a premium, as you just won't be allowed to let one or two people cost you lives. It all amounts to a team oriented shooter with some strong close quarters action. The addition of dedicated servers in public and ranked matches eliminates old franchise skeletons such as host advantage, and provides the series the smoothest net code it has ever had.

Some multiplayer annoyances are still there. Such as how it's still focused on close quarters combat, and the shotgun still reigns supreme. Ranged weapons like the Lancer and Hammer burst just aren't as effective as trying to get close and obliterating them point black with the Shotgun. The game also brings some newer annoyances such as the balancing of two key weapons. The new sawed off shotgun is almost too effective as even a blind fire shot at close range can kill an enemy, and the rocket launcher known as the Boomshot is far too accurate. Yes a lot shooters have powerful and accurate rocket launchers, but most of them let you get away with killing your enemies from a distance. In Gears of War all the dirty work is done in close quarters. It makes picking up the Boomshot almost a priority on some maps, and in the elimination modes(Warzone and Execution) it makes it the most important pick up on the map.

The competitive multiplayer is by far the game's best asset, but that's not to say the campaign is slouching. With the addition of four player co-op this can easily make a claim to being the best campaign the franchise has had. The campaign picks up after Gears of War 2 as humanity has sunk its last sanctuary known as Jacinto to flood the Locust out of their homes beneath the surface. While this action crippled the flood it ended up opening the door for a new enemy in The Lambent. With their ability to explode, and mutate into even more deadly creatures they liven up the Gears of War action. As well as providing a nice change of pace from the traditional Locust of series past. It is however disappointing that you are not given many scenarios where you fight both of these enemy types at once.

The campaign is a five act romp of going from one environment to the next where you take cover, and shoot everything in sight. With on rail segments and the new mech-suit the Silverback being the change of pace moments in the game. It's all entirely satisfying due to some pretty good level design which has a nice mixture of more claustrophobic closed areas where the enemies are funneled in right at you to more open spaces to give you more breathing room to coordinate with your allies.

Ultimately the game is very similar to its predecessors. The basic formula of cover, shoot, and move forward that the series kicked off with is still the primary formula for success here. You are still progressing in a linear fashion with only one real way to progress through each act. From a combat standpoint you don't have many options, and it doesn't help by the end of the third act you've seen all the games major gameplay ideas. Boss fights such as the Lambent Berserker are far too drawn out to be satisfying, and a later segment that has you fighting a more drone-like enemy over stays its welcome. It all makes the campaign a solid experience, but one you're going to want to end already by the time you hit the final stretch in the game.

Don't expect much from the story as it's still as much of a meat head centric series as it has always been. The attempts at trying to tug at your heart strings are however, better done here. As even characters like the Cole train get some added layers when he visits his old stomping grounds. The plot focuses on Marcus Felix trying to find his father, and ultimately with how the human side needs to find a way to stop the lament. The climax of the game does provide some closure on the Gears of War storyline, but the story still continues to be the weakest element in the Gears of War series.

If you're looking for a less plot centric cooperative experience, and more survival you have Horde 2. The biggest new additions are fortifications. These can range from fences to turrets or even decoys. Each kill and each round nets your group some cash which you can spend on building your defenses. Given how enemies become stronger every 10 waves it provides a new layer of strategy. A lot of times it's better to save your money, and build your defenses for the later waves. Especially considering now on the 10th wave you have a boss fight wave. These can range from something like the Lambent Berserker to even more deadly beasts like the Brumak. There is also a new beast mode that lets you control the Locust, but that's a significantly shorter mode (12 waves), and simply isn't as fun or satisfying as horde.

All things considered Gears of War 3 is a damn good multiplayer package, but it's hard not to fault the game for playing it too safe. Given the numerous cover based shooters released in the 5 year span between Gears of War releases it's easy to see how the series went from being King of the Mountain to being more in the same field as its competition. I digress however, and can easily say this is the best competitive MP experience in the genre. As always the visceral action of the franchise can carry this game even through the most formulaic of scenarios, and chainsawing your foes hasn't gotten old since 2006. Because when it really comes down to it, chainsawing your enemies is worth it, always.