d21lewis on 08 February 2012
First off, Gears is a beautiful looking, sounding, and playing game. Everything about the series that gamers love has been polished to perfection. At times, the attention to detail and lighting are jaw dropping. The story has some filler moments and doesn't flow as well as I'd hope but it reaches a very satisfying conclusion. The levels that feature a flashback to Cole's former glory, Dom's noble sacrifice, and the death of Marcus Fenix's dad are up there as some of my favorite memories from this generation.
What I didn't like was this game's lack of variety. People complained about the variety in Gears 2 (some times, people need to shut the hell up) and the developers listened. No more flying creatures. No more riding in tanks over icy environments. No more trying to survive inside of a giant worm. Four player co-op has been added and so, in an attempt to keep all four players excited at all times, the game has become battle after battle after battle. This is insanely fun with four people online but not as engaging when playing solo.
Two player split-screen, four player online co-op campaign, horde mode, and a slew of other features make the game a must buy and a great value. To fast of a pace and a lack of those slow moments and variety from Gears 2 make it a little of a let down. The best looking and best playing game of the franchise but not as original as the first and not as absorbing as the second. It's the "Return of the Jedi" of the series.
9/10
