Review: Gears of War 3

Rating: M (Mature 17+: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence)
Genre: Shooter
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studio
Developer: Epic Games
Release Date: September 20, 2011

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It’s been fifteen months since Delta Squad sacrificed Jacinto to flood the underground Locust tunnels, but the threats of the Locust and the bastardized, imulsified versions known as the Lambent are still very alive and well. The remaining Gears are trying to survive on an aircraft-carrier-turned-mini-farm, but of course there’s no gaming fun in a peaceful existence, so it’s not long before the ship goes down in Lambent flames…right after Marcus learns that his father is indeed still alive.

To say that the first Gears of War was a bit lacking in story is a gross understatement. The second game was vastly improved, and this final game was light years of improvement even upon that. Instead of Delta squad sort of falling into various missions throughout the game, this time they have a clear mission: rescue Adam Fenix from a stronghold known as Azura and help him implement his weapon that will “solve” the Lambent problem. They don’t know what or where Azura is or how they will get there, but at least they have some direction as to where they need to go. It’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster for all involved, and the ride is a bit longer than it has been before, but the story is a brilliant sendoff and closing chapter for the series.

Of course, the storyline isn’t the only improvement for Gears 3. This time, the action always occurs with parties of four, which allows for four-player co-op for the first time in the series. One of the best parts of this new feature is that the groups of four are not always the same, so players, even those playing as “Player 1,” will have the chance to play as different characters. Different characters don’t have different abilities, so the experience isn’t that different, but at the same time, it’s refreshing to occasionally play as someone other than Marcus or Dom. For me personally, I was ecstatic to be able to play as Anya and Sam, just to have something different from the usual four Delta Squad members.

Even though the story is bit longer than it has been in the past, it doesn’t mean you won’t easily burn through it in a week. This is one reason why Gears 3 has an incredible number of multiplayer options to partake in, and there’s now an additional mode for the campaign that does encourage more multiple playthroughs of the story. It’s called Arcade Mode, and the basic premise behind it is to rack up as many points as possible to post on actual leaderboards. Obviously, this is not how you want to play your first round through the campaign, because in order to successfully earn enough points to even be considered on the leaderboards, you have to find clever ways of extending firefights. In many ways, this mode is similar to Bayonetta or Vanquish‘s style of arcade-play.

There is also a new fun mode in multiplayer–aptly called Beast Mode–where players can be Locust or Lambent to fight off hordes of Gears. Again, sometimes it’s nice to be able to play as something else other than Marcus or Dom, even when it’s a seriously disgusting-looking creature. And in all honesty, these seriously disgusting creatures have some pretty fun moves.

It was also refreshing to have new environments, and therefore, new colors, in this story. Since the campaign didn’t always take place at night or underground, we were treated to more than the typical brown sheen found in Gears of Wars games. For starters, the opening sequences take place on a ship in broad daylight in the midst of a vegetable garden. The final scenes occur on a beautiful island with a five-star hotel. Words cannot express how nice it is to play a gory shooter with more colors than brown, black, and red.

The gameplay itself stayed about the same with one major new addition: the ability to swap weapons with teammates. Granted, this doesn’t happen often with the multiplayer modes, if at all, but when playing the campaign, it is sometimes a God-send to be able to trade out a weapon with an AI companion. For example, if you are playing solo and you want to play that one scene in Act 3 stealthily, you have to have the Hammerburst rifle, something Marcus will most likely not have. However, Dom most likely will. Trade your Lancer with Dom, and voila! You should be able to complete the stealth option with ease.

In the end, I have absolutely zero complaints about Gears of War 3. It’s by far the best game in the series, and quite possibly the best third-person shooter I have ever played. It will come as little surprise if Gears of War 3 wins numerous Game of the Year awards, as it most certainly should have a nomination in every venue that hosts one. Even if you’ve never played a Gears of War game before, there is plenty in this title to catch you up on the main story, get you excited to kill plenty of Locust, and make you just as emotional as any longtime fan of the series.

Available on: Xbox 360