Developed by Epic Games, Gears of War is a 3rd person tactical shooter and represents a departure from the style of their previous Unreal Tournament games. Unlike the UT series, GoW is very much focused on cover. If you aren't in cover, then you are probably either dead or dying. However, unlike other tactical shooters, the game is very fast paced and plays out like an action movie. This game is easily one of the best action games ever made.
Story
GoW is set in the beautiful world of Sera. Unfortunately, Sera has been at war with the Locust, a race of subterranean creatures intent on the total annihilation of mankind, for the past 14 years. Humanity has not been faring well in this war and post-apocalyptic is probably the best description for what Sera now resembles.
You take on the role of Marcus Fenix - a Gear in the COG military (COG being the Coalition of Ordered Governments). Marcus starts the game in jail, having been court-martialed for deserting his post in a futile attempt to save his father. However, as mentioned above, humanity has really not been faring well and the COG needs all the help it can get - including from traitorous soldiers.
The games campaign starts as you are freed from prison by your old war buddy - Dominic Santiago.
The game itself focuses on the COGs desperate attempt to win the war against the Locust with some funky new missile technology. However, before the missiles can be used, the COG needs targeting data. Which is where you come in. Your job is to basically find and deploy the Resonator, which will map the Locust tunnels. Naturally, things aren't quite that simple.
All told, the storyline is nothing special. Its just serves as a backdrop for all the shooting action to follow. Story has always taken second fiddle in action games so I suppose its no surprise that GoW didn't buck the trend.
Gameplay
Although the storyline isn't much cop, the gameplay is superb. The basic mechanics are very much "stop and pop" and you spend most of your time running from cover to cover, occasionally popping out to shoot at the Locust. Although cover mechanics have been used in various games before, none of them (or at least, none of the ones I have played) have managed to pull it off quite so well.
The games AI is good enough that you really feel that you are taking your life into your own hands when you pop your head out to shoot. As such, you are constantly on edge when you play this game.
Unlike other shooters, GoW also makes the reload into a minigame. Pressing the reload button activates the Active Reload system. Basically, its a timing minigame - if you can stop the moving bar in the Active Reload zone, you end up reloadng faster (and your bullets can also do more damage if you get a perfect Active Reload). However, if you mistime your reload, you end up jamming the gun which means you take even longer to reload.
The Active Reload system is a great idea and adds even more adrenaline when you play. The Active Reload isn't difficult to pull off - however, when you are in the thick of combat, with bullets and explosions going off around you, it becomes very easy to screw up the reload. Which really makes you sweat as you are stuck with an empty gun until you can unjam it!
The game also offers multiplayer co-op. Basically, one of you takes on Marcus Fenix (the protagonist mentioned above) while your friend (either sitting next to you or playing over Xbox Live) takes the role of Santiago (the guy who busts Marcus out of prison). The co-op aspect really adds another dimension to the game where you can setup traps for the Locust - with 1 guy drawing the Locusts attention while the other guy runs and flanks them.
Graphics
The graphics in this game are superb. While I don't have any screenshots to show you, you can easily find lots of them online. Whats amazing is that the game looks even better when you see it in motion. I have no idea how they managed to get such detailed graphics to run in realtime - but it definitely raises the bar for other X360 games.
The graphics themselves are very visceral. One of the main weapons that you use throughout the game is the lancer - which has a chainsaw in place of the bayonet. After any battle involving the chainsaw, you can expect to see body parts lying all over the place (with some of them still pumping out blood!). The graphics showing the chainsaw in action are especially gory. As you cut the locust in half, blood sprays everywhere (including a nice big red splatter on your screen!) - the animation for this is superb and never gets old!
Sound
The sound, as in any shooter, is incredibly important. Luckily, GoW gets this spot on as well. When you fire your gun, or rev up your chainsaw, the accompanying sounds really make you believe that you are holding a lethal piece of weaponry.
In addition, other sounds are also done extremely well. Wander past a dead corpse and you can hear the flies buzzing around. Your teammates are constantly talking and giving feedback on either what they are up to or where the enemy Locust are. Similarly, the Locust are constantly hissing and doing the exact same thing your squad are - ie giving feedback on where we are!
Summary
Released in November 2006, the game has already won numerous awards from the mainstream gaming press - and with good reason. If you like action games and own an Xbox 360, you owe it to yourself to buy this game.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
I feel the F.E.A.R.
You may recall that I had the chance to play F.E.A.R. a couple of weeks ago when I was in Singapore. My impressions on the PC version are here. Well, this week, I went out and bought the X360 version of F.E.A.R. and I thought that it would be interesting to compare the two.
The first thing I noticed when I started playing F.E.A.R. on the X360 is that it seems a lot brighter than on the PC version. When I was playing on my brothers PC, it was so dark it was almost impossible to see anything. In fact, it was so dark it became unrealistic. Having said that, the X360 version is probably a bit too bright so they seem to have overcompensated.
Also, from playing the game, its quite obvious that it started as a PC game before being ported to the X360. The controls feel a bit twitchy - the kind of twitchiness that you expect from a keyboard/mouse control scheme. However, having played lots of FPSs built specifically for consoles, you become used to something a bit smoother. Ordinarily, this would make aiming in the game really hard - however, the developers have got around this by giving you auto-aim. Basically, even if you are off just a little with your aiming reticule, you will still drill the guy.
From reading the above, you may get the impression that I don't like the game. However, there is nothing further from the truth. What the X360 version has managed to retain, and also what makes this game standout, is the atmosphere. The game is just as creepy and scary on the X360 as it is on the PC. In fact, considering how I play, its actually scarier!
To understand this, let me paint you a picture of how I played this game in Singapore. It was during the day, in broad daylight. I was hunched over a mouse and keyboard and staring at a 19" monitor trying to pick out movement in the sea of black on screen. Meanwhile, my brother is sitting behind me snickering at each time something went bump on his stereo speakers.
This is how I play the game at home. Its night and the lights are switched off. I am alone in the dark. The only source of light comes from my 42" plasma TV. Meanwhile, eerie music is playing constantly from my Sennheiser earphones (How come I didn't notice the music in Singapore?). A lot scarier I'm sure you will agree! Just for those who aren't convinced - a brief gameplay example below - bear in mind that I am sitting alone at night, with the lights off and with a fantastic set of earphones constantly playing scary music!
The first thing I noticed when I started playing F.E.A.R. on the X360 is that it seems a lot brighter than on the PC version. When I was playing on my brothers PC, it was so dark it was almost impossible to see anything. In fact, it was so dark it became unrealistic. Having said that, the X360 version is probably a bit too bright so they seem to have overcompensated.
Also, from playing the game, its quite obvious that it started as a PC game before being ported to the X360. The controls feel a bit twitchy - the kind of twitchiness that you expect from a keyboard/mouse control scheme. However, having played lots of FPSs built specifically for consoles, you become used to something a bit smoother. Ordinarily, this would make aiming in the game really hard - however, the developers have got around this by giving you auto-aim. Basically, even if you are off just a little with your aiming reticule, you will still drill the guy.
From reading the above, you may get the impression that I don't like the game. However, there is nothing further from the truth. What the X360 version has managed to retain, and also what makes this game standout, is the atmosphere. The game is just as creepy and scary on the X360 as it is on the PC. In fact, considering how I play, its actually scarier!
To understand this, let me paint you a picture of how I played this game in Singapore. It was during the day, in broad daylight. I was hunched over a mouse and keyboard and staring at a 19" monitor trying to pick out movement in the sea of black on screen. Meanwhile, my brother is sitting behind me snickering at each time something went bump on his stereo speakers.
This is how I play the game at home. Its night and the lights are switched off. I am alone in the dark. The only source of light comes from my 42" plasma TV. Meanwhile, eerie music is playing constantly from my Sennheiser earphones (How come I didn't notice the music in Singapore?). A lot scarier I'm sure you will agree! Just for those who aren't convinced - a brief gameplay example below - bear in mind that I am sitting alone at night, with the lights off and with a fantastic set of earphones constantly playing scary music!
**************************************************
I'm walking down a long corridor towards an open door. A single fluorescent tube on the ceiling is the only source of light. A loud rattle in my right ear startles me and I spin right to track any movement - nothing, it was just an empty can which I had bumped into. Gathering my nerve again, I keep walking forward towards the open door.
Blam! Suddenly the door slams shut on its own and the lights go out. I am literally pitched into darkness. I turn on my flashlight, but the small circle of light it provides is only enough to illuminate the door. Fearing a trap, I quickly spin round, my finger next to the trigger on my 10mm HV Penetrator. If it's a trap, I swear they will regret it when I nail them to the wall with 10mm nails!
At first, I see nothing. Or at least, nothing moving (the human eye is designed to spot movement so at first, nothing registers). Wait a minute. Whats that? In the distance, I see what looks like the silhouette of a small girl with long hair. Alma!
Crap!! The last time I met her, she blew me through the window of a building while flinging me 30 feet through the air! I need to get out of there and fast! I spin round again and dash the last couple of steps to the door - my only hope of survival is to escape.
Except the door is locked .....
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Ethics
I meant to post this last week - even had it drafted. But for some reason, I forgot. Dunno why. Anyway, here it is - a week late. :p
You are probably wondering what ethics has to do with games. Well recently, there was a storm on Kotaku. You can read more about it here.
Basically, Kotaku had a rumor about the new Playstation Home function (which has now been confirmed as true). They went to Sony to see if Sony had any comment. Sony asked them not to run the rumor. In fact, Sony even went so far as to say that if Kotaku posted the rumor, Kotaku would be blackballed ie no longer welcome at Sony events, would have to return their debug PS3 etc.
Kotaku went ahead with the story and clearly labelled it as a rumor. And true to their word, Sony blackballed Kotaku. When the masses found out, there was a (another) huge uproar of negative press for Sony. Enough such that Sony got back into contact with Kotaku and resolved their differences ie, Kotaku are no longer blackballed.
Now, I am aware that this kind of stuff happens all the time ie big corporations trying to force the press to say what the corporations want. After all, this is the job of the PR guy - trying to manage press about their company. In this regard, I understand why Sony tried to do what they did (don't agree with it but I do understand - personally, I think they should just have said no comment). However, it is the comments following this incident which really depresses me.
First off - imo Kotaku absolutely 100% did the right thing. Journalistic integrity is critical and if I ever find out that one of the news sources I read caved in to such demands from corporations - I would stop reading that news site - permanently. If I can't rely on the journalist, I can't rely on his news either.
However, if you read some of the comments - there seems to be a lot of people who believe that Kotaku did the wrong thing - that Kotaku should have caved into Sony and not printed the rumor. I just don't understand this. It seems to me that to not stand up for journalistic integrity in this case, is to basically say that news should be a form of advertising.
I don't know where these people are - but this utter lack of ethics and integrity is a very damning evidence of the state of society. As I said above - depressing.
You are probably wondering what ethics has to do with games. Well recently, there was a storm on Kotaku. You can read more about it here.
Basically, Kotaku had a rumor about the new Playstation Home function (which has now been confirmed as true). They went to Sony to see if Sony had any comment. Sony asked them not to run the rumor. In fact, Sony even went so far as to say that if Kotaku posted the rumor, Kotaku would be blackballed ie no longer welcome at Sony events, would have to return their debug PS3 etc.
Kotaku went ahead with the story and clearly labelled it as a rumor. And true to their word, Sony blackballed Kotaku. When the masses found out, there was a (another) huge uproar of negative press for Sony. Enough such that Sony got back into contact with Kotaku and resolved their differences ie, Kotaku are no longer blackballed.
Now, I am aware that this kind of stuff happens all the time ie big corporations trying to force the press to say what the corporations want. After all, this is the job of the PR guy - trying to manage press about their company. In this regard, I understand why Sony tried to do what they did (don't agree with it but I do understand - personally, I think they should just have said no comment). However, it is the comments following this incident which really depresses me.
First off - imo Kotaku absolutely 100% did the right thing. Journalistic integrity is critical and if I ever find out that one of the news sources I read caved in to such demands from corporations - I would stop reading that news site - permanently. If I can't rely on the journalist, I can't rely on his news either.
However, if you read some of the comments - there seems to be a lot of people who believe that Kotaku did the wrong thing - that Kotaku should have caved into Sony and not printed the rumor. I just don't understand this. It seems to me that to not stand up for journalistic integrity in this case, is to basically say that news should be a form of advertising.
I don't know where these people are - but this utter lack of ethics and integrity is a very damning evidence of the state of society. As I said above - depressing.
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