Gears of War is apparently amazing

[vovan]

Originally posted by El_Cid
Aren't all these kind of games? I thought that was the idea, lots of 'wow-band' graphics - one play through then onto the next game. Its the perfect publishing model?

Perfect publishing model, yes, but not all the similar games are like this, I think. For instance, like Asher said, you might sometimes want to up the difficulty and play again: I know I've done this with the Hitman games. Play once on easy and just destroy everything in your path to get a feel for the missions, then ramp up the difficulty and do it the proper stealthy way.

Also good multiplayer gives many action games a long life: think Quake 3. We still play deathmatch with roommates every now and again.

[Nostromo]

I usually play games like this on easy to get the hang of it, then try again on hardcore/hard. It's usually a much different game.

Halo 2 being a good example.

[Nostromo]

I also don't like the fact that games are getting shorter and shorter

And, El Cid, remember that the beauty of consoles is that you rent games.

[vovan]

Originally posted by nostromo
I also don't like the fact that games are getting shorter and shorter

I concur. That is especially a problem for next-gen console games with their steep price tag.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Asher
No, it looks fun to me.

Dull is Super Mario Sunshine, Zelda: Wind Waker

I know many people (such as my girlfriend) who never hear any press about video games who love those games.

[El_Cid]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker


I know many people (such as my girlfriend) who never hear any press about video games who love those games.

same with my gf. infact as i type this post i can hear the music from animal crossing(GC) - and she's been playing that game for over two years now!! I couldn't get into it, but i can see the value of such games . tell me if there are any 360(PS3?) games you think you'll be playing in two years and finding new things about/enjoying?

Originally posted by vovan
.......Also good multiplayer gives many action games a long life: think Quake 3. We still play deathmatch with roommates every now and again.

True, good mp can massively extend the gameplay - what concerns me with console/next-gen mp is that it rarely gets supported indefinately. Quake has been going since the dawn of modern on-line gameing, and as you say is till going strong. with the consoles the respective company 'locks' you into their decision on wether to support a game or not.

Originally posted by nostromo
I also don't like the fact that games are getting shorter and shorter

And, El Cid, remember that the beauty of consoles is that you rent games.

Renting(or buying secondhand for that matter) can't be a longterm sustainable option for the industry.
If by the publishing model they have decided to use(shorter game/less replayabilty vs super sexy graphics) they are eventualy going to be forcing more people to rent or buy second hand, then they are in effect digging their own graves?

Still if i was on the next-gen bandwagon renting would indeed become an attractive proposition, for the first time in my gaming life.

@Asher,
It may seem that most of my negative comments on next-gen/360(and eventualy PS3 when it happens) are simply due to some irrational hatred of games that you are always especialy fond of and often post about?
I'm sorry if it comes across like that - and i'm not into telling people what they should like etc, we've all got to decide whats best for us and what we like, which is how it should be.

But the more i've come to understand current console game dev(xbox/PS2/GC etc) and play the games(i own an xbox+GC+GBA), and the more i see and hear from next-gen consoles; well i get concerned we are all pasting ourselves into a corner, a corner that just doesn't look sustainable from the dev/publisher point of view.

Apart from super graphics it doesn't look to be advancing game development as a whole, and if anything it will be offering less quality gaming than we've had in the past, mainly due to the pressures of the graphics overheads. This just seems crazy to me?

So ultimately i'm just worried for gaming full-stop, especialy with the direction it seems to be heading in(graphics as the be all/end all), and especialy as companies seem to have put most(if not all) their eggs in the console basket. The PC as a dev platform is currently very niche, and games often get designed from the console perspective first and this attitude seems to be growing.

[vovan]

Originally posted by El_Cid
with the consoles the respective company 'locks' you into their decision on wether to support a game or not.

Well, I might be wrong on this since I haven't tried this myself, but I am told that you can play Gears of War over lan. Both me and my roommate have a 360, so if we had a second copy of the game, we could play MP without going through Live. It's probably not possible to do this over the Internet without Live though.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker




I know many people (such as my girlfriend) who never hear any press about video games who love those games.

I know many people who never hear any press about movies that love Adam Sandler movies and Sandra Bollock's romantic comedies...that doesn't stop them from being awful.

[Verto]

Not really related to GoW exactly, but my 360 started going kaput on me Ring of Death, I think it's called. Anyway, I took it back to GameStop and thankfully was able to get a brand new unit through their Product Replacement Plan I'd bought.

[Asher]

Eee.

Do you have GoW?

Maybe we should try coop.

[Verto]

Originally posted by Asher
Eee.

Do you have GoW?

Maybe we should try coop.

No man, the local game stores are still taking care of the preorders - Fedex didn't ship it out on time or something

[Asher]

I got it on launch day. Granted, I hit a Best Buy megastore in the downtown core, and even then I only managed to grab their last one. A bunch of us from the office went down together to get it.

[Asher]

The sound of this game are more impressive than the graphics, I think. Incredible in a 5.1 setup.

[Verto]

Picked up a copy today and played through the first level, I guess you would call it, with my roommate. Much better gameplay than I was expecting. I like how the movements/actions play out, the nice touches like reloading. Haven't gone online with it yet, gonna have to wait until tomorrow afternoon for that.

[Verto]

OK, so overall I would rate this game a 7.5 - 8.5 out of 10.

The graphics are good, very good, but not as earth-shatteringly good as all the reviews would have you believe. Comparing regular Xbox games to GoW (and other 360 titles) I do not see a HUGE difference. Not to say there hasn't been significant progress, but next-gen graphics are not as much a leap forward as some claim.

The gameplay itself is fun. The cover-and-shoot system is implemented fairly well, no big complaint...other than how some people act like this is some sort of revolutionary idea. It is not.

Multiplayer has been fine for me, I like the different game choices (although they are not all that different) and the maps make the 4v4 size seem not so small; I originally was skeptical of a game that maxed out with a team of 4, but after playing it, I would say that adding more players would have negatively affected the game.

As far as single player storyline is concerned, I haven't played it all the way through to say much about it, although I didn't buy this game for the plotline. (Didn't ever see the big deal about the Halo storyline, either..)

So, bottom line: a welcome addition to the 360's criminally small game library, a solid shooter with a nicely done twist. The emphasis on teamwork and coop gives it an added bonus for people who like playing with roommates, friends, etc, but Gears of War is definitely not worthy of all the hype being heaped on it.