THE Gears of War 3 Review
Was it a good story? Yes, it was. There were some surprising moments (you’ll know when you get to it) but outside of that, the entire story played out in such a way that it just felt rushed along. Where Gears 1 and Gears 2 gave you spectacle … Gears 3 gave you calm.
Visually it’ll be difficult to find any game on the Xbox 360 that rivals Gears of War 3. The game is beautiful. The textures, the character models, the landscape … it’s all just beautiful. Sometimes you can stop and stare at the world Epic has created. I also enjoyed the dialogue in the game at times. It was disappointing that rapper Drake couldn’t do the voice work for Jace but Ice-T’s Griffin more than made up for it. Still, the soundtrack shines so much brighter than the voices in the game. Using the Mad World song at a key moment in the game was brilliant. I’m still smiling over Act IV and how the story, design and sound all came together so perfectly.
Xbox Live Extras
The best part about Gears of War 3 is its multiplayer. Horde Mode 2.0 though is not included in that. The original Horde mode was so fresh and addictive that I believe I spoiled myself on it. It was the ultimate test in your skill and survival. I was looking forward to trying the new Horde 2.0 but found myself hating it. I suppose hate is a strong word but the mechanics of Horde and what we once knew Horde to be are dead and gone.
Horde 2.0 introduces a money system that takes so much away from the experience that it’s hard to enjoy. Each round you gain money from killing the enemy. This is supposed to be used to get ammo, build a defense and ultimately fortify any position against the wave of Locusts. What I was left with after playing Horde 2.0 was a question. Who the hell thought putting tower defense strategy in Gears of War was okay?
You’re supposed to be concentrating on surviving a wave of Locust and Lambent but what you end up worrying about is money and how much of it you have to build a laser defense system. Or you’re worrying about repairing an Augustus Cole decoy cutout. Or you’re worrying about if you have the proper level to even build/repair/upgrade. Yes, there are still plenty of Locust to kill and a Boss wave that is murderous with Brumaks but it isn’t Horde. Any fan of what Horde was about should feel the same about Epic killing off what was once an incredible mode.
I understand Epic may have felt like they were introducing strategy or more survival but what they ended up introducing was far more confusion than necessary. After every round it’s a scramble to repair, rebuild and survey how much money you can get from your teammates or which of your teammates is “hoarding” all the cash. The worst part is that these repairs or rebuilding will always be too much for you to afford eventually after using all of your money to get them in the first place. This system does not belong in Horde. I don’t want to buy ammo or buy weapons to fight with. Can you farm whatever the enemy drops? Sure but when that runs out guess what … yeah go buy some more if you have enough cash.
In fact, I suggested to a few people that they should’ve renamed it altogether and perhaps called it Defend and Repair Mode. Calling it Horde mode is a lie. Can it still be fun? Yes, when you’re playing with friends it can still be fun. But make no mistake the Horde you once knew no longer remains. I have a strange feeling that at some point Epic is going to introduce in-game cash DLC for you to buy so that you can instantly build your fortress. Or they’ll be introducing new defense upgrades for you to buy. (wtf)
There’s Beast mode though right? You get 12 levels to buy your way in as your Locust of choice which ends up being whichever Locust you can afford. I enjoyed playing as a Ticker and other various Locust but buying your way into a round makes no sense. In fact, this entire money element of Beast Mode and Horde 2.0 just makes no damn sense to me. However, I enjoyed Beast Mode moreso than Horde 2.0 believe it or not. But where was the option to play as a Lambent? DLC we’ll cover that I’m sure.
I never thought I’d say this but the best part about Gears of War 3 is Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill and all the other online aspects. Epic did a wonderful job on these modes and balancing out the gameplay during an online match. I can’t pinpoint one single thing that I didn’t enjoy in a game of TDM or KOTH. The versus aspect of the game was just wonderfully done and implemented.
Conclusion
Gears of War 3 wasn’t the epic end to the trilogy that I thought it would be. It was an epic compilation when you put all 3 games together but on its own, the final chapter wasn’t much of a story to remember at all. It didn’t include the “oh shit” moments that its predecessors did to keep you on your toes. But at least it gave you a resolution. Dom’s story was resolved. Marcus and his story was resolved. The Locust and Lambent story was resolved.
It was all neatly packed in such a way that I wasn’t left wanting more. Was that the point considering this was the finale? I think fans of the series will have a good experience with the game albeit one that leaves no lasting impression. For an end to a trilogy, Gears of War 3 did what it had to do and gave fans a pretty entertaining ride. But I feel like it could’ve been so much more.
8.0
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September 26th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
I’m really upset other review sites dropped the ball in Gears3 review. They all failed to mention the ammo change, which IMO, is a significant change.
While the game was good, it clearly should not receive these super high ratings, such as OXM’s 10! PLEASE
They should have made Horde mode adjustable to be a tower defense strategy or without it.
The campaign is pretty long but I felt they didn’t flesh out enough character development(COG AND Locust).
I find my cons in the game similar to those in Mass Effect 2 versus Mass Effect 1. Developers make changes based on what gamers said they didn’t like, but those changes end up being a detriment. Again, all in my opinion. Most people won’t even care for these things Deac wrote against.
September 26th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
well you can’t expect them to really say what they feel … most of the reviews naturally include a certain level of ass kissery as one of my dear friends put it lol … comes with the territory i guess to stay on the good side of PR firms who ship games and developers who only want to be told how awesome they are.
like you said, the game is good but anyone should be able to point out its shortcomings and the few things that significantly alter how it’s played.
and you’re right .. now way this is a 10.
September 27th, 2011 at 5:21 am
Check it out, 3 of my past 5 played games were Gears 3, Gears 2 and Gears 1 LOL
September 27th, 2011 at 5:38 am
What a fantastic quote I read today describing what’s OFF in Gears of War 3:
Tom Chick on the Quarter-to-Three wall describes what is off about Gears of War 3.
“Late in Gears of War 3, someone will say, ‘Bloody hell, they found the UIR! It’s a Gorasni ship!’ The line is delivered as if it’s something that matters, but Gears of War 3 hasn’t told me what a UIR is or who the Gorasni are. The line might as well have been ‘Bloody hell, they found the Boop-i-dee-bop! It’s a Whamble-di-dee ship!’ It’s an example of how Gears 3 cares about itself far too much to be arsed to care about me.”
September 27th, 2011 at 5:52 am
he’s right .. exactly one of the points i made. there are some who see it, others simply rushing to get a review out lol
September 27th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
If you dont know what a Gorasni ship is then you are not a true gears fan. Its a game. Not everything can be explained in a game. Read the books. I know what you are going to say , i dont want to read any books. Great but then dont expect to know everything about the universe. You can enjoy the game without knowing what a Goorasni ship is. Game doesnt deserve a 10 but it deserves a 8 because you says it deserves a 8 ? Lol . Reviews are personal opinions. You dont think its a 10 , fine but that doesnt mean it doesnt deserve it.
September 27th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
lol i’m the biggest Gears fan you’ll find so saying it’s a “hating” thing is stupid. anyone who knows me will tell you no different .. i invented the term COG TOWN for crying out loud .. i’m the only one to have organized a Horde Challenge etc … so to say i’m hating on the game is just stupid.
i’m telling you and anyone who wants to read a good review that Epic was lazy with the story. you don’t create ANY form of media with the hopes that your target audience has brushed up on whatever novels are out there. any good work of art (and games ARE art) should stand on its own without the need to go pillage through a novel. any respectable entertainment creator, movie director, developer etc will tell you that. you never simply depend on your audience reading a book to figure out what’s going on.
Halo is a perfect example. the games stand on their own and the novels are simply an enhancement to the games. but you can play Halo and not feel like you’ve missed anything because Bungie takes its time with the story. Epic on the other hand rushed through this one as I see it…almost as if they were just dashing through to the finish to get on to selling you DLC lol (j/k) but you know what i mean
i think the game was very good .. was it perfect? of course not. anyone who says so is bananas.
September 27th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
[...] So let’s take a second look at the game and dive into what my opinions are. How do they differ from Deacon’s view? [...]
September 27th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
I’m sorry if I need to read a BOOK to understand what’s going on in the game, then the game is FAIL in that regard.
September 27th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Ive never been a great GOW fan but I love what I have played and look forward to playing through it these next 4 days. To me it’s a 10 no lag that I have had on MP and the SP to me is just fun. That matters to me now I need some horde players lol
September 28th, 2011 at 9:05 am
I don’t think any developer of any form of entertainment creates a project with just the readers of the book in mind. To me that limits the fan base because there are those who haven’t read the books but is that a FAIL on their part? Of course not.
I haven’t read any of the Gears of War books or comics but I have enjoyed this Gears experience all the same.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:46 am
[...] Town is definitely thriving! Microsoft reported some numbers on the first week sales of Gears of War 3. My business is killing Lambent and Locust and let me tell ya … business is good. I [...]
October 4th, 2011 at 8:05 am
[...] Epic Games and Microsoft aren’t waiting for the dust to settle as they announce the pending release of the Horde Command Pack for Gears of War 3. [...]
November 17th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
[...] – Dance Central 2 $28 – Gears of War 3, Black Ops, Arkham City, Battlefield 3 $200 – Kinect Xbox 360 4GB $200 – Xbox 360 4GB [...]