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Many people who have invested their
hard-earned-money in an Xbox360 have not done so in-order to buy the
current games, but to buy the big games that are on the way.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was probably the first of
these titles and has enjoyed sales that reflect the huge
 amount of
hype that went with the title. Although not as popular as the
ridiculously anticipated Halo 3, Gears Of War is
arguably the game most people expect to make or break the Xbox360.
Developed by Unreal creators Epic Games,
using their own Unreal Engine 3, Gears Of War was not
playable at this years E3. Fortunately, the
Electronic Articles
writing team was able to view the title being demonstrated by Todd
Howard, executive producer of the game, behind closed doors.
Gears Of War is a Third-Person Action game set some way in the
future, were the world has been attacked by The Locust Horde - a
bunch of really angry-looking alien mutant bad guys. The user plays
as Markus Kane, a convicted criminal who just so happens to have
extensive military training. Despite its generic premise, Gears
Of War does look set to kick a whole-load of ass.
Each Level will have clearly distinguishable
multiple routes, each offering a different experience. For example,
in the demonstration Markus could respond to his friend Dom’s
question in two ways. Answer one
 lead the player through a
Tutorial-based sequence whereas the other allowed the player to
fight his way through the Level along a harder, but ultimately
quicker route providing the player with more freedom for individual
play-expression. Plot junctions like this are promised to occur
throughout the game, with multiple outcomes.
Gears Of War
also featured a wealth of other ideas Action fans may not have seen
before. Reloading with perfect timing gives a Damage Bonus, grenade
flight-paths are shown by a transparent arc and pressing the Y
Button after an announcement alerts the player to the subject matter
in a cinematic fashion. All theses ideas - whether innovations or
“borrowed” from peers - seemed to fit into the game well and are
likely to increase playability, as well as enriching the overall
experience.
One of the key areas highlighted was the use of
cover and the thought that had gone into it. Instead of the usual
sluggish execution of cover found in most games, players could jump
between cover at an astonishing rate. This was not only incredibly
cool, but also seemed to fit seamlessly into play and will no doubt
prove incredibly satisfying for players. The angle of the Camera,
especially while running close to the ground, gave a great shot of
the action and made Gears Of War seem very cinematic in a
similar manner to last year’s astonishing
Resident Evil 4.
As it stands Gears Of War seems very
likely to hit UK shores with at least a BBFC 15 Rating. Not only
were there dozen of bodies everywhere, but blood sprayed from
enemies in a manner that seemed far more
 realistic than is usually
on display. Add to this the vicious Chainsaw on the bottom of the
Rifle and you are looking at a game that is clearly not for kids.
Gears Of War is
probably the best looking game for the Xbox360. Character Models and
Levels were meticulously detailed and lighting was top-notch.
Enemies used cover and flanked the player and responded well to the
characters. Unfortunately, all this happening on-screen did cause
occasional dips in Frame-Rate, although it’s likely that a
combination of fine-tuning and pressure from Microsoft should fix
this before release. Some effects were also less than impressive,
but we’re banking that these will be improved as well.
Gears Of War is
shaping-up to be the game that tides us over until the Master
Chief’s third-outing. With it’s interesting new ideas and stunning
looks, the PlayStation3 is going to have to pull-out all-the-stops
to have anything to make us forget this superb looking title. |
