Personally for me the first act was an let down but everything after it was great :). I have some gripes with the game but don't want to spoil anything;

So far I've played the first act and some MP.

Looks like they have added more kick to the retro lancer when you hip fire so that was an improvement from the beta. I also like that they have execution as a standalone option. personally I enjoy the death match more since I can't stay alvie longer than thrity seconds. But for those that have a nack at being a badass at this game it's good that epic has kept execution as an option.

The MP in general is much smoother than gears 2. It's faster so you don't need to wall bounce just to get across the map...and the servers have helped with hit detection which was always the biggest problem with gears 2.

So far i've played everything except the campaign and I have to say it's a really amazing game. Best Gears by far!

VG247

Microsoft looks set to play on the principle of herd mentality by displaying the number of players online during its Gears 3 TV adverts in a bid to entice you in. Herd 2.0, anyone?

Microsoft’s UK TV adverts for Epic’s Gears of Wars 3 – screened between September 23 and October 3 – will carry live stats displaying the number of players online at the point that the ad is aired. Presumably in a bid to convince you that you should be doing what lots of other people are doing.

Microsoft UK Xbox marketing director, Stephen McGill, said that the publishers advertising spend for Gears 3 will be “…on the scale of what we did for Halo Reach and Halo 3 — television is the main centrepiece of the campaign.”

Thanks, Joystiq.

http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/21/gears-of-war-3-uk-tv-ads-to-display-live-in-game-stats/

My only gripe right now (I've only played beast and horde) is the scoreboard on Thrashball. I died twice last night because some genius on my team shot the scoreboard down right on top of me. I think when this happens, the person who shot it should be penalized instead of the person underneath it. Why should I be punished because of someone else's dumb decisions?

I'm not necessarily saying this but some might say that hanging out under the scoreboard is a dumb decision...lol. I think it's one of those things where after a while, everyone is going to be mindful when they are around it.

Finished the campaign yesterday; played it on "normal" solo, to unlock Insane, which I will play co-op with friends.

Campaign wise (spoiler free): the story is cohesive and draws the Delta storyline to a conclusion that answers almost all of the questions 1 & 2 raised. I think having read the books (I haven't) will probably provide a richer appreciation of some parts of the story as the newer characters (Sam and Jace) seemed to have established relationships that are not explained in the campaign. Minor quibble though as having a satisfying conclusion is most important.

Game play wise I think the controls have been refined to a point of perfection, and you'll need it as the set battles are frenetic. Acts 1-2 are good, introductions, Acts 3-5 are incredible. NPC AI is pretty good, as they will lay down cover fire and pick you up when you are down (even if you get stuck away from them). Enemy AI is decent too, though they can be easily distracted by your teammates.

I also played Horde 2.0, which much like the campaign, is a refined version of the Gears 2 version. Building your stats in horde opens up new upgrades which makes the experience a little more addicting.

I haven't played beast yet (will tonight); as for MP, I played the beta and loved it, so I can't imagine it's gotten worse. Looking forward to my first foray into MP tonight.

As an unrepentant Gears lover I can tell you that I am only disappointed by one thing, in the story, which I won't spoil. Otherwise, the game is everything I have hoped it would be. Hell yeah.

Just wondering if anyone has seen any early reports on estimates of how well Gears 3 sold day one?

If your disappointed happened to be the thing at Act 3 end, then I feel your pain. I screamed at my TV. Unexpected though and brilliant.

I just finished Act 3 and I agree completely. I never thought any Gears game could be that intense and moving. I had hair on the back of my neck standing up after. Just Wow.