The new standard for action games.
Let's just get this out of the way... this game looks incredible! On all fronts, Gears delivers with impressive visual quality that hasn't been seen in this, or any other generation of games. Thank God the frame rate doesn't suffer either! Gears has now set the bar for next generation graphics, and it's about damn time too.
The sound is just as good as the visuals, supporting every beautiful action with a just as beautiful sound effect. The musical score is just as fantastic, and I think we can all sigh in relief that they didn't go down the route of that disgraceful trailer.
Gameplay....oh how I have missed you so...Gears of War has brought back the fun of action games. You just don't get bored, it's that simple. The campaign itself is very rewarding and paced well, giving you plenty of opportunities to kick ass and take names as you progress. The online is very well fleshed out and more than a little addictive. Oh, and did I mention those ever so rewarding chainsaw bayonettes? If not I apologize and will mention so now...CHAINSAW BAYONETTES ROCK!.
This is one of the rare games of this new generation that is actually so well packaged and put together that it easily recommendable to purchase. The campaign alone makes it worth the buy, and like I mention before, the online play is along the lines of a crack addiction once you have played a few games.
Overall Gears of War is a phenomenal success. It completely achieves what it has been promising to do for so long, and then some. If you are even minutely interested in action games, or just looking to see the best use of a chainsaw in the history of video gaming itself, than Gears of War should be on your shelf as soon as possible. CHAINSAW BAYONETTES FTW!!!!!