The planet is in peril
Gears of War amalgamates action with survival horror to bring a concoction of intense, stomach-turning third-person conflicts. Set in an era where humankind's epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde is top of the nation's agenda, Gears Of War promises a captivating story-line, unparalled graphics and, most importantly, fervent, intense combat.
You'll step into the boots of Marcus Fenix, a disgraced war-hero, and lead your troops into battle against the compassionless, cruel antagonists who dwell in the pits of this God-forsaken planet, named Sera. Your job is to rid the planet of these vile creatures using Epic game's revolutionary tactical combat system.
Click for larger imageGears of war utilises the famous Unreal Engine 3, which gives developers the power to create dynamic shadow and light effects, as well as sharp character animations. The game was first seen at E3 last May,and it looked fantastic. All environments are beautifully constructed, interactive and destructible, the HD visuals offer a truly stunning movie experience, and character models are polished and amazingly life-like, the incredible detail has to be seen to be believed; just check out the screenshots, which are all from in-game.
The story of Gears of War has been championed by Epic Games,and the game begins when the humans create a Coalition named the 'Coalition of Ordered Governments'. Their prime objctive will be to rid the planet of the hoardes of Locust. Marcus had been imprisoned for abandoning his post to search for his father, but now he's been called into action due to the mass invasion of the planet. You're immediately put in charge of delta company with three other soldies, including a pal of yours, Dominic. Sound like a basic premise for a war game? The difference with this story-line is that your character, Marcus, is reluctant to be involved, so the story follows his inner feelings and struggle as well as man-kind's struggle against the invaders. The game takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. where you'll feel empathy with your hero, and you'll want to do your almighty best to ensure the mission is a success.
Click for larger imageNaturally gamers will compare the likes of Unreal tournament to Gears of War, but developers say that there is a significant change in pace, developed in order to create suspense and heighten the game's story-line. Run and gun will not be the order of the day, in Gears of War you'll need a more tactical brain. You'll need to adapt your positioning and strategy by using the environment around you. Almost everything in Gears of War can be knocked over and used as a shield, including tables and statues. The A.I is said to be fierce, so you'll be bobbing up and down, poking your head round corners and in order to get that crucial head-shot. There also plenty of buildings and static objects that provide perfect cover.Run out in the open and you'll probably be blasted to pieces.
It isn't all shooting, Gears of Wars also features plenty of Locust 'animal' vehicles. You'll not only be able to steal your foes weapons, but it's rumoured that you'lll also be able to comandeer these vehicles to use against them.
Click for larger imageGears of War also boasts an exciting co-operative mode. Instead of watching your buddies steal all the glory by pinching all of the kills, the game offers 'parallel bridges', enabling you to go off and do your own thing until help is called upon.
On Xbox live there will be matchmaking options, world leaderboards, customisable games, and player achievements to unlock.
Gears of War is available on Xbox 360, there is currently no release date set.
