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Gears of War
Gears of War is the latest squad based
third person shooter from Microsoft that uses the powerful Unreal engine
by Epic games to give players one of the most unique gaming experiences
since the advent of Halo on the XBox. Gears of War on the XBox 360 is
not your stock standard squad based third person shooter and features
one of the most intensive storylines, magnificent graphics and gameplay
to really shake the industry.
Features
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Engaging, cinematic
story: In this epic tale that plays out like a Hollywood
blockbuster, lead Marcus Fenix as he pits advanced human technology
against the overwhelming Locust Horde.
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Fire team co-op: A.I.
teammates are indiscernible from human players.
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Voice recognition
and real-time lip synching heighten the immersive experience.
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Unprecedented
visuals: Unreal Engine 3 technology brings out the smallest details
in the largest battle. Experience a rich, dynamic world where
characters come to life.
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Intense,
hyper-realistic combat: The battlefield is a lethal place. To
survive, suppress your enemy with blindfire, take cover in
interactiveenvironments, or use weapons and teammates to outwit your
foes.
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Xbox Live® action:
With the next-generation of Xbox Live, experience
individualized matchmaking, view player statistics, earn player
achievements,
customize games, and build and personalize gamer profiles.
The story of Gears of
War takes place on a colonised planet that is similar to Earth and when
the battle scared history of mankind believe that their trials and
tribulations are over, the Locust, a strange alien race start to spew
forth from the ground and declare war on the ancestors of planet Earth.
In its essence, Gears of War is your traditional first person style
shooter that is set in third person and the gamer must embark on a
variety of different missions while taking on the forces of the Locust
that range from your basic human-size grunts to huge behemoths.
Graphically and
technically, Gears of Wars is one of the best looking games on the XBox
360 that even though it appears that it is pushing the limits of the
console, the machine does not even shrug at the highly detailed gaming
environments. The attention to detail on everything from the facial
expressions of the characters to the textures on the brickwork is
perfect and match that with an almost infinite draw distance and the
first level will have you in awe.
As with the graphics, the musical score and sound effects are amazing
and sound brilliant through our Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound setup.
The sounds of weapons and all the background ambience almost make you
feel like you are on an alien world, far from the planet Earth. The
voice acting of the game has been professionally implemented and sounds
like your traditional Hollywood science fiction epic such as Aliens or
Starship Troopers and that is also the same feeling you will get while
playing the game.
Although the game supports a great single-player experience, there is
also a great multiplayer option that allows for XBox Live and if you
wish to complete the campaign mode with a friend, then there is also an
option for that. I must also commend the developers on the level designs
that are sometimes so complex, it really makes you wonder how on Earth
they created this amazing gaming environment. Another interesting
feature of Gears of War is that if you're having difficulty on a certain
level, a friend can join in your game (even online) and assist you with
the level that makes for some brilliant co-op fun.
As to the game is a squad based shooter, you must work with your squad
to break through the ranks of the Locust and allows you to perform
special maneuvers such as flanking the enemy that makes for some really
intensive gameplay. The artificial intelligence of both the enemies and
your squad is almost human-like in their behaviour but with that said;
don't rely on your squad to complete all the missions. If you get
injured on the field (or if you squad members are hurt), you can get
healed by other members of your team, even if you are almost dead, be
warned though, the further you are away from squad members, the less
likely you are to be revived.
The control system of
Gears of War is perfect, although I must admit that it take a little
while getting use to the "blur" effect, especially when turning. However
once your brain acclimatises to the game, you should have no problem at
all with the gaming environment or interface. There are also a variety
of weapons in the game that also sports the trusty chainsaw for those
closer encounters of the fourth kind. Rifles, guns and rocket launchers,
Gears of War definitely has a weapon for you.
In conclusion, Gears of War is a brilliant game on the XBox 360 that
features a true next-generation console gaming experience with
extraordinary graphics, perfect gameplay and a storyline that will sure
to immerse you into this amazing universe. Great stuff!
The Story behind Gears of War
Sera has endured millenia of conflict, teetering on the brink of a world
war that guaranteed Armageddon.Humanity pulled back from this act of
self-destruction and evolved into something nobler. For a time, the hush
of peace blanketed the land. There were still problems: skirmishes,
crime, debates over liberties, and a demand for energy that outstripped
Sera's reserves of petroleum and nuclear fuels. There was, however,
hope. Sera's cities became sparkling examples for future generations
that this was a new Golden Age.
...or so we all thought.
IMULSION: Discovered by an oil-exploration drill, is a low viscosity
fluid that was only a scientific curiosity until a way was discovered to
convert a portion of it's mass directly into energy. It was a perfect
solution for an energy-hungry world. The few nations lucky to have
Imulsion reserves were suddenly the owners of cheap, limitless fuel, and
the envy of other less-fortunate nations on Sera.
THE PENDULUM WARS: Hydrocarbon energy was ultimately abandoned in favor
of Imulsion. Soon thereafter the world economy crashed due to rampant
Imulsion speculation, and as expected, humanity reasserted it's true
nature. Under the guise of thinly veiled politics, Imulsion-poor nations
attacked those with abundant reserves. For 79 years, nations battled one
another for possession of the miraculous energy source.
EMERGENCE DAY: As humanity fought on the surface of Sera, a new enemy,
the Locust, gathered underground and launched an attack unimagined in
our worst nightmares. On this day, humans ceased fighting one another...
they had to. Within 24 hours, one quarter of the human population
perished in the locust onslaught. Human forces rallied, but divided by
decades of fighting in the Pendulum Wars, it was too little, too late.
The Locust captured most urban, military, and manufacturing centers. To
deny our enemies this overwhelming advantage, humans did the
unthinkable.
Human forces fell back to Jacinto Plateau, a geological region of solid
granite the Locust could not penetrate. From this haven, human leaders
unleashed chemical and orbital-beam weapons that burned the
enemy...along with the Locust-occupied cities...and civilians who could
not evacuate. Humans won the E-day invasion, but 90% of Sera's surface
was left a wasteland. The Locust, secure in their underground warrens,
survived.
OUR LAST STAND: Humanity
has been backed into a corner...although some might say that we painted
ourselves into this spot. If we hadn't fought each other so hard for so
long, would we have been better prepared to face the Locust Horde? Would
the nightmares that boiled out of the ground on Emergence Day have faced
a strong, united mankind?
...Or would we have all been killed that day if we hadn't been hardened
by decades of conflict?
Funny that it took our near-extinction to get us to fight together as
brothers. So, there's hope that we might have learned something, after
all. I just hope it wasn't too late.
(Journal entry found on COG GEAR / Morgue Ref No.:086330-KX) |
