Gears of War

Logan Booker tries out Epic's foray into the world of next-gen consoles, wars and gears.

Although the title may allude otherwise, Gears of War has nothing at all really to do with gears. It does, however, have quite a bit to do with war. In fact, if one could distil war into a game, and maybe throw a few gears into the mix, Gears of War would be the result. Not that you'd quaff a beverage with gears in it, but we're certainly inclined to play a game that does.

Epic is back
Gears of War will be the first title to use Epic's Unreal Engine 3, itself one of the first next-generation graphics engines to hit the gaming world. What exactly 'next-gen' means these days is up to the reader, but we like to think it's a combination of stunning visuals, artificial intelligence and, the most important component of all - gameplay. And Gears of War, wearing its specular-mapped UE3 mantle, manages to accommodate this triumvirate.



Gears of War is set on an Earth-like planet, long ravaged by war with creatures known as Locusts. Fighting the Locusts is made tricky as hell thanks to their unsettling ability to bust up out of the ground anywhere the heck they like - a great strategic advantage that makes human defences little more than trivialities. Travelling at night is a death sentence, and those that don't live under the protection of the army, or COG, survive as 'Stranded' in sparse encampments. The player takes the role of Marcus Fenix, a soldier who for reasons unknown (at least to start) has been dishounorably discharged from COG and is currently spending the better years of his life in a gaol cell.

The beginning of the game, or first Act, has Marcus busting out with the aid of an old comrade. Apparently everyone's been given a pardon, and it doesn't take long to figure out why as an explosion or two rocks the prison building and Locusts start appearing, appendages blazing.

There are five Acts in the game, each with eight scenes. With roughly five or so hours of gaming per Act, that's a good 25 hours of gaming right there. Although the game is fairly straightforward, from time to time you'll have the option of going left or right for a slightly different combat scene - but that's about it.



Third person?
Unlike Epic's previous titles, Gears of War is third-person - but more Resident Evil 4's 'over-the shoulder' than Tomb Raider's ubiquitous 'butt-cam'. And while it's all action, it's strategic action. Running around and shooting from the hip will end, mostly, in death. Combat is handled in free flowing 'scenes' and as you enter each scene your first action will be to find cover to hide behind, achieved by running up to pretty much anything and hitting 'A'. Once behind cover you can move between pieces of cover by moving the left analog stick in the direction you want to go and hitting A again. A little context-sensitive graphic will appear at the bottom of the screen beforehand to let you know what move you'll perform. Sometimes things don't always go to plan - we found ourselves more than once 'dancing' from left to right between two pieces of cover while attempting to go forward, but a simple tap of the A button will disengage you from whatever you're hiding behind.

Most of the game is played using this cover mechanic. Pressing the left trigger will make you pop your head out and take aim, while pressing the right trigger will let loose a few rounds. We found that aiming was next to impossible on the controller unless the sensitivity was turned right down, but obviously this is up to individual tastes. You can also spray and pray while hiding by whacking the right trigger alone.

Reloading is handled automatically, but if you feel the need for a mid-clip top up, hitting the left shoulder will start an 'active reload'. This will bring up a black bar in the top-left hand corner and a sliding line that traverses from one end of the bar to the other. Like a golf game, you're required to hit the left shoulder again at the right time - basically when the sliding line is within the small grey area of the bar - or else risk jamming your weapon. If you're particularly elite, there's a tiny bright white area in the bar that, if you manage to hit, will top you up with super rounds that do extra damage.