A Great Opening Stanza that Leaves me with High Expectations for the Sequels
It is true what is said about Gears of War, the game shines with its set pieces and game play. While the campaign portion of the game is decidedly short, I finished the game in less than 10 hours, which is quick for me. The story never really came together either, but from what I understand, the game is a trilogy, so I am expecting the rest of the story to come together by the end of the final game.
The main set pieces occur on pretty regular intervals, but none post impossible challenges, as the main challenges involve keeping your AI companions alive. The graphics and details of the set pieces, and overall environments are very well done. There are no instances of walking through things or getting stuck between walls or holes. I am also pretty sure that the on-line multiplayer is what the main draw of this game, unfortunately, at this point, I think the anticipation for the third, and final part of this series will make playing the online game unnecessary (as I write this review, the third Gears game will be out in less than a month).
Overall, I was slightly unimpressed by the lack of story, but thankful for the consistency with the game play and logic. Each weapon had different uses and weren't gimmicky in any way. While I have always loved the idea that you can upgrade a certain weapon, in some cases, it is nice to just go through a game without having to worry about those extras. Considering this game was made some time ago, I have to give it a high score based on the fact that I didn't play it sooner. If I had played it five years ago, I probably would have given it a much higher score, but after playing so many games, I can't rate it any higher.