Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360) review

It has been said that war never changes.  While the truth behind that statement may be up for debate, one thing is certain: the gears continue to turn.

Eighteen months after the conclusion to Gears of War 2, humanity is left scrounging with no place to call its own.  Since the sinking of Jacinto, humanity’s last city, colonies have been forced to find or construct new communities for refuge.  The remnant of the COG (Coalition of Ordered Governments) forces float about at sea, assuming their adversaries, the bug-like locust, were completely destroyed when their tunnels flooded along with Jacinto.  Humanity is reminded of another adversary they face as the lambent stalks rise out of the ocean as far as the eye can see.

The ladies are no pushovers Gears 3.

Gears 3 opens with Marcus Fenix and his friends being called to the deck of the ship for an assignment.  The toll the war has taken on the inhabitants of Sera is clearly visible on the faces of Dom, Fenix’s right-hand man, and the rest of the crew as they make their way to receive the news.  When they meet up with Anya, now primed for battle herself, they find out that there may still be hope to rid the world of the lambent and find Marcus’s presumed-dead father, Adam.  Thus begins the adventure to once more rid the world of the lambent and return humanity to prosperity.

Through the course of the story campaign, players will get to take on the mantle of several soldiers.  Parts of the story are told from different perspectives.  While it may seem a bit disjointed at first, it helps drive the narrative and give the player a better overall picture of the situation at hand.  While not every character can be as fleshed out as we’d like, Epic has done an excellent job of trying to catch everyone up to speed on the relationships and feelings of all of the main characters.  It can be harrowing to see the state of soldiers who’ve held the fate of the world on their backs foraging for supplies.

Missions vary from one to the next, changing up not only primary objectives, but also shifting the aesthetic of the scenery.  Blues and greens are now prominent in a series most often noted for its multiple shades of brown and gray.  The graphic fidelity is excellent, though texture lagging into view due to the limits of the Unreal 3 engine are a bit jarring when you’re so deep into this world.

The Brumak is one of several boss enemies you'll encounter in Horde mode.

For the first time in the series’ history, four-player cooperative play is available in the campaign.  It’s an incredible experience sitting down with three other friends and working your way through this epic story.  The four player isn’t only available through the campaign, though.  It’s also readily available through all of the other game modes, which include an Arcade version of the campaign which keeps scores (akin to Halo 3), the powerhouse Horde mode, and Beast mode, which allows players to take on the role of the locust in a bid to take out all of the humans.

Horde mode is back and better than ever in Gears 3.  On top of fending off wave after wave of locust, a few changes have been put in place for the better.  Defenders can now earn money and build defensive emplacements to help fortify their map.  These emplacements include everything from barbed wire fences to automated turrets.  Another addition comes in the form of a “boss wave” on every 10th wave.  On top of a harder set of enemies, players will have to face some of the locusts more devastating units including the brumak (a giant gun-wielding titan), lambent berserkers, and armored kantus riders.  All in all this makes for a frantic cooperative experience.

The multiplayer versus mode is back and packed with a ton of content as well.  There are several new maps, each with their own specific twists and environmental hazards.  If team deathmatch isn’t your thing, you can always try out one of Gears 3‘s other versus game modes, too.  Try Capture The Leader, Warzone, Execution, King of the Hill, or Wingman, each with their own twist on the competetive Gears world.

Content

Gears of War 3 is rated M for Mature by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, and Strong Language.  The game prominently features the dismemberment through its chainsaw melee combat.  Add to that the other visceral “executions” you can perform (including punch someone’s head until it explodes), and you have strong reasons this game should not be in the hands of younger audiences.  The Strong Language is also well earned, with intense profanity commonly making its way into both the story scripts and player banter throughout the game.

Conclusion

All in all, Gears 3 is an excellent game.  It helps bring closure to an epic campaign that has spanned two previous games.  It brings back and improves on the popular Horde mode, introduces the new Beast mode, and packs quite a bit of bang for your buck with the competitive modes.  Add to all of that a progression system that will net you experience and unlocks over every game mode, and you’ve got a great game that will bring you back for more for quite some time to come.  There are also plans to release multiple DLC (Downloadable content) packs to extend the gameplay.  If you’re old enough to consume this title, or feel your child is mature enough to handle it, you’ll find that the experience contained within is well worth the money.