Gears of War 3

So here we are……..the end of the road for Delta Squad. This time out Marcus is looking for his dad, Santiago has grown a full blown hobo beard, Cole has shaved his head and Baird, well he is still good ol’ cocky Baird.  Delta Squad has a few new additions as well, Anya, Jace, and yet another Carmine. These new additions really help you to understand what the characters are going through and that the COG forces are really stretched and are struggling to save humanity itself.

The lambent have taken over from the horde, but for how long Im not too sure, I have a funny feeling the horde are back somewhere in the game, I’ve yet to see them yet. (Im only on Act I Chapter 4). This time it’s even longer with each act consisting of 6 Chapters and there are 5 Acts.

Delta Squad

Anyway, so what has been improved on this year? Well funnily enough the graphics look 10 times sharper than usual, the visuals in the videos are excellent and some of the best on 360 and in game visuals are top notch too. After playing LA Noire with EA’s new technique of making sure the characters say the words with its mouth rather than just making there mouth move, no game has really touched the same ground as it stands on, although GOW this year isn’t using the same technique, it doesn’t fall to short from it, the lip sync is very good and its nice to see EPIC giving it a good bash and trying to make the characters seem more real. The expressions on their faces are excellent and you can truly tell how they feel and what they are going through.

Marcus Fenix

One of the largest features they have improved on and it may sound mundane from the start, however it really helps your experience, there is now a new menu system in which you can look at what level you are depending on how well you have done in previous campaigns (GOW 1 & 2) and depending on how well you have/are done/doing in GOW 3’s Campaign and Multiplayer depends on how much XP you have, (the Highest Level being 100 an d lowest level 1). Not only does it hold this feature but you can see how far you have progressed to getting your achievements, you can see the Medals and Ribbons you have attained in doing certain things in multiplayer (i.e. Get 2 Quick Kills : The Double!). This feature is an excellent addition and pops up on the screen when you have completed a particular task. As an added incentive players that have completed certain achievements and previous campaigns in GOW 1 & 2 are rewarded very well, I personally love this feature as it shows to other players what you have done, without looking at your achievements (I.E. complete campaign on highest difficulty and receive a particular Gun Skin or even a costume such as Cole wearing his thrashball uniform instead of cog uniform). Also in the menu system is the ability to quickly track where you are in the leader boards for all those people that want to game competitively. All in all there is something for everyone.

There are some new guns in the game, some of them I have no idea what they do as I have had no experience in wielding them:

Retro Lancer (with a Charging Bayonet)

Sawn-Off Shotgun

One Shot (The Ultimate Sniper Rifle)

Incendiary Grenade

The Digger Launcher

The Multi-Turret

Xbox 360 Cover

The multiplayer part of the game has continued on its brilliant route of being some of the best online experience in gaming. A few old maps have returned with great relief, one of my favourite maps of all time has returned; Gridlock except with a twist, it’s at night.

 There are now 6 game modes online:

-          Team Deathmatch

-          Warzone

-          Capture The Leader

-          King Of The Hill

-          Wingman

-          Execution

EPIC have also brought back casual mode for people to get used to the way GOW is played online.

Another mode has been added for online which is called Beast mode, which requires you to team up as the Horde/Lambent to take on Waves of COG Soldiers and heroes, so essentially it’s the same as the returning Horde mode except you are the horde rather than the COG, which I think is a nice twist to the mode.

I won’t be speaking much about the campaign as everyone knows what the campaign is about and what it has to offer, however I will say one thing and that is, from what I have seen it is ironically EPIC.



Anya



So overall, so far from what I have seen, it is an excellent addition and easily the best from the GOW Series, hopefully the ending will be as epic as the beginning. The graphics are outstanding and the new additions to the game modes and weapons are excellent and welcomed with great respect. I am really looking forward to playing the rest of the campaign and getting some good hours online.

Graphics: 9/10
Storyline: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Replayability: 10/10
Overall: 9.5/10