Gears of War 3 Review

The "Gears of War" trilogy has spanned over nearly five years. "Gears of War" was one of the first big 360 exclusive titles. It's campaign became legendary as well as it's online multiplayer experience. Then came "Gears of War 2" which was one of the top games of 2008. No one will ever forget the moment when Dom found Maria. After playing "Gears of War 3" I have to say that it lived up to the legacy of it's two predecessors and exceeded it in some ways.

Campaign

Similar to the first two installments, the Gears of War 3 campaign is full of intense action, one-liners, and heart wrenching moments. There are a few new weapons, like the Vulcan machine gun and a sawed-off shotgun, and most of the old ones that players have come to love. Marcus and the rest of the gang must fight their way to a city protected by an artificial hurricane where Marcus' father, Adam, and his secret weapon are located. They must fight the Lambent as well as the Locust and there are many twists and turns along the way. The campaign's writing is phenomenal (the voice acting... not so much) and from the moment I started playing it I didn't want to put the controller down. This campaign was my favorite part of Gears of War 3 and probably my favorite campaign out of all three installments.

Horde

Gears of War 3 features an entirely revamped Horde mode with many similarities to survival modes from franchises like Halo and Call of Duty. Players now earn money by killing enemies and completing bonus challenges. They use that money to purchase barriers, weapons, turrets and decoys that will help the fight the horde. Every tenth round is a boss round where players have to fight a random pick of the strongest Lambent or Locust enemies such as Berserkers. These changes have made horde mode more interesting and strategic and can make the experience very entertaining in co-op mode

Multiplayer

I have never been quite as interested in the "Gears" mutilplayer as I was in other games like Modern Warfare 1 & 2 and Halo 3, but once in a while if I'm bored or my friends ask me I'll play it. The things I enjoyed about the multiplayer modes in the previous two games are all included and in some cases improved in Gears of War 3. The cover based system and controls have been improved and many of the maps are larger and more fun to play on. The only negative that really stands out when I play online multiplayer is the sawed-off shotgun. The Gnasher shotgun is already very powerful and deadly at short range, so I don't understand why the sawed-off was included in the multiplayer modes. It's overpowered and can make a match miserable. My biggest hope is that it's power is adjusted in the next update.

Overall

Gears of War 3 is a fantastic game and for players who enjoy shooters with substance it is definitely worth the money. If you're worried about playing online multiplayer, it might be wise to wait until the game is updated to see what changes are made.

E3 2011 - Microsoft Press Conference

All eyes were on the Kinect at this year's Microsoft Press Conference at E3. Dozens of upcoming games including Madden, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, UFC, Fable the Journey, and Forza Motorsport 4 will be Kinect enabled. Mass Effect 3 will also be Kinect enabled. Players will be able to control character reactions via voice commands. Xbox will also be the only console offering Minecraft, which will also be Kinect enabled.

Microsoft also unveiled the (new) New Xbox Experience which can be controlled by voice commands using the Kinect. Youtube, Bing, and Live TV are also coming to Xbox Live.

Other games including Modern Warfare 3, Tomb Raider, Gears of War 3, and Halo 4 (yes it's official) were shown during the Press Conference. MW3 DLC will be coming to Xbox Live first, as always. The new Tomb Raider reboot had amazing graphics and the "Horde" game mode will be returning in Gears of War 3. Halo 4 was also announced as a trilogy, leading me to believe there will definitely be a "Halo 5" and "Halo 6."