@ NorthStar
IMO the single player aspect of Gears of War was way too short, I played the game through within just a couple of evenings. Also IMO the game didn't offer much varierty, the light gun tank section of the game wasn't fun for me at all and I would have preferred more freedom to wander around the environments, you can't jump down from a higher level to a level below, right at the start of the game I was impressed by the visuals the building was damaged wide open and the outside environment looked really good but I wasn't able to even jump outside and fall to my death like I wanted to do, just to see a little more of the environment.
IMO Gears of War is a good game, but heavily overrated if you look at the game as a whole and not just at the flashy graphics. The story telling is weak, the AI isn't really smart and the main characters not being very appealing. One thing I found really odd, was running faster while crouching, not very realistic, well maybe only I noticed as I am a Physical Therapist. 
