I bought Gears of War 3 the day it came out. No preorder (I don't preorder games in this US economy because I was able to pick up Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops the week they came out with no preorder). I play it's multiplayer everyday.
I love Gears of War 3, but it is not setting standards in terms of balanced, skill-based gameplay. Instead, it is more reminiscent of every other shooter where there are a couple of insta-gib weapons from the get go. In the case of Gears of War 3, the noob cannon is the sawed-off shotgun just like Modern Warfare 2:
As for multiplayer, outside of Horde, Beast, and Casual Versus, it is a shotgun fest just like the 2 previous games. Also, the Retro Lancer is quickly becoming a weapon of choice over the Lancer and Hammerburst for many characters.
As for setting a standard, if you prefer to run-and-gun in shooters and like up-close, in your face multiplayer, then Gears of War is for you as it is for millions of other players.
Great game overall, though I have a few quibbles with weapon balance. Nothing game-breaking, but still a bit cheap.
