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Finally, Gears of War has arrived, the game that was supposed to be the Xbox 360's first true "must have" - capable of delivering true next gen gaming in lieu of Halo 3. With the both the Wii and Playstation 3 finally arriving on the next-gen scene, Gears of War needed to be the game everyone hoped it was. It is. Sort of.
What Gears of War does well, it does very well. Graphically, it looks just the same playing as it did in the numerous demos - a big plus when you consider the rather sad nature of games developers flooding the market with trailers featuring only pre-rendered cut scene footage. Indeed, outside of a PC, nothing looks better than Gears of War - it's colour scheme is perfect, providing a wide variety of colour in very sombre dark backdrops. Like the graphics, the gameplay doesn't disappoint. Indeed the gameplay perfects third person shooting, and sets such a high standard that it seems almost unfair on everything that will have to follow Gears of War in the third person realm. When you add in a machine gun containing a chainsaw...the resulting game system gives you tense tactical action that can be quickly flipped into an all out bloodbath, if your so inclined, making the game not only challenging, but fun, something too many games forget.

So why sort of? Well, unfortunately, the guns, (bar the chainsaw add-on), are very samey with every other game that has entered this market - the usual suspects. There is an almost game ruining driving section (short but annoying) that is so out of place, it ruins the pacing. The games length belongings in the seemingly industry standard 12 hours per play through, for games of this and similar genres - and whilst exceptionally enjoyable, it does leave you wanting that little bit more, that extra mile. Occasionally, the exceptionally precise control system goes awry - whoever thought that binding the sprint button and the enter cover button to one button was a good idea, really needs to question there judgement, as trying to flee to a better position and accidentally entering cover on a nearby wall (which usually results in being maimed to death by pursuers) is rather depressing.
These flaws might lower the games overall success if it was not for the multiplayer - where the tactics and riotous fun carry over well, in a variety of modes that should suit most gamers.
Bearing in mind that Gears of War is the first game in a series, these minor oversights can be forgiven as teething problems. Heck, some people might even enjoy the driving section. When you play the game, the level of control and the depth of strategies you can employ even in the linear environments make you feel like your playing the perfect third person shooter. The game has sold well, and rightly so. It shows up the PS3 and Wii launch titles (in the same genre) rightly so. If you like shooters, it is a must have. The reality is, despite the focus on the games flaws, you won't care, as everything else about Gears Of War is so good, you only wonder what they can do with the sequel.
Next gen gaming has arrived for the Xbox 360, and in the realm of shooters - it has set the bar for the PS3 and Wii to follow.

Learn more about this author, Robert Barker.
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