I tried so hard to like this game...
Gameplay: 7.5
Graphics: 8
Audio: 6.5
Story: 7
FunFactor: 6.5
I'm an avid PC gamer, and I like a variety of PC game styles. However, Gears of War is obviously a port designed primarily for the console crowd. That said, I really tried to give this game a chance. It has received great reviews and many players seem to like it, but I just couldn't enjoy this game.
Overall, the game just didn't draw me in. Here's a few of the noticeable characteristics that I didn't particularly care for. First, the motion system, while attempting to immerse the player, succeeding only in giving me vertigo. While there was a good variety of weapons, the weapon sounds were hollow and the weapon feedback was lacking, both in firing and in target impact. Occasionally, I would get blood splatter to let me know I was hitting the target, but little else in the way of physics. While the voice dialogue was acceptable, redundant cut-scenes rendered the voice acting annoying rather than engaging. In addition, the fact that you can't skip the cut scenes is unacceptable in PC games. Most cut scenes occurred after a checkpoint save and the game wasn't smart enough to save again after the cut scene. So after watching a scene for a few minutes, if you get killed in action, the game loads to the save prior to the scene. Yes, that means you have to sit through the whole scene again, and again... and again. That leads me to the next point as to why there wasn't a quicksave feature in the game. I marvel that some games still use the checkpoint save alone as opposed to an integrated quicksave feature. Finally, for all that's been said, the story and characters were somewhat juvenile.
Maybe that's what I'm missing. Perhaps this game is developed and targeted for younger audiences and just doesn't connect with gamers of mature tastes. I recognize that this is a gross generalization and may not be fair. But if you like game series like Half-Life, Crysis, Fear, Fallout, or Bioshock - among others, then there is a possibility that this type of console based gameplay won't appeal to you.