Gears of war popshot1/17/2024 ![]() ![]() Keep in mind that the use of cover is what Gears is based on, and running out in the open ala "insert arcade shooter here" is a one way ticket to the blood-red game-over screen. After playing through the first of five single-player acts, you should have the system down. Among the greatest kills in gaming history.Īlthough the system works very well, there is somewhat of a learning curve, enough that some people will find it frustrating. From there, you can blind fire, you can pull down the L-trigger to pop out of cover and then fire, or you can perform a variety of evasive maneuvers like SWAT turns and rolls. You will be sucked right into cover, safe from enemy fire, for the moment. To get into cover, you simply run up to a wall, a ledge, a wrecked car - whatever - and hit A. The core gameplay mechanic of Gears is the cover system. Unlike in Halo, where you can circle strafe and jump eight feet in the air before planting an energy sword into an enemy's face, you have to work for this chainsaw kill. But as you sneak around a corner and see an unsuspecting enemy with his back to you, you quickly run up, hold down B and rev the chainsaw bayonet, carving up your opponent in a bloody mess faster than you can say "Thanksgiving Turkey." The "vroom-vroom" sound of a purring chainsaw is both a glorious thing and frightening thing. At first glance, there's nothing particularly special about the fully-automatic weapon - the bullets don't do much damage and it isn't particularly accurate at long range. Vroom Vroom The COG Lancer Assault Rifle goes down as one of the great weapons in gaming history, right alongside Link's Master Sword and Master Chief's sighted-pistol. Any insight into the story of the war or into our protagonist's past will have to wait for the inevitable-but-as-of-yet-unannounced Gears of War 2. Gears is light on story, but presents a very immersive and compelling atmosphere that sucks you right into the planet Sera. And eventually, you'll fight in large, open battlefields, taking on large numbers of Locust at one time before taking on the evil Locust general. Along the way, you will fight through "survival-horror" missions, designed simply to scare the crap out of you. Chapter one in the Gears of War saga is all about one simple goal: to get to an underground mine and deploy the Resonator, a COG device that will map the Locust tunnels. (Resolutions are reserved for sequels, unless you're Halo 2.) No, we never learn what happened to Marcus's father, even though one mission brings us back to the old Fenix estate. The effect is a sweet introduction to the world of Sera and to Marcus, just enough to pique our interest, but not enough to give us a resolution. Epic chooses to show instead of tell, using superbly directed cinematic sequences and bits of informative dialogue between Marcus and his fellow COGs: old mate Dom, cocky Baird, and former Crashball star Cole. It's the manner in which Epic introduces us to Sera that is so fascinating. Without giving too much away, Epic does touch briefly on Marcus's father and Marcus's "sham" of a court martial, but this shallow story is a simple vehicle to drive the action. ![]() If fact, the only place you'll find the story tidbits above are in the instruction manual - Epic assumes you already know all this. Yes, Gears of War is a bit light on story. As alien creatures take over Marcus's prison, an old friend opens the cell door, gives Marcus a gun, and asks him rejoin the fight. Fourteen years passed, and the Locust have closed in. As the battle slipped away, COG soldier Marcus Fenix defied orders to try and rescue his father. The soldiers of the Coalition of Ordered Governments, or COG, fought valiantly, but failed. The loss of life was catastrophic, or so it appeared in the opening sequence. And on a sunny Sera afternoon, the Locust emerged. Underground monsters, of superhuman size and strength, with filthy complexions that could rival the ugliest of teens, the Locust are fearsome creatures. The population did not know that underneath every major city, the Locust Horde was digging. Emergence Day Gears of War takes place over the course of 36 hours on the planet Sera, what was once a civilized human planet of cheerful sidewalk cafes and flower-filled parks. ![]()
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