Gears of War: Multiplayer review
Gears of War is the definitive Xbox Live title. Versus play consists of the two sides- the COGs and the Locusts. There are 3 different game modes- Warzone, Execution, and Assassination. Warzone is basically what the name suggests- battle ‘til the end until one team remains victorious. In execution mode, you must wipe out the enemy team by executing them. This can be done in several ways- decapitation, curb stomp, or chainsaw. In Assassination you must eliminate the leader of the opposing team (Colonel Hoffman- COG’s and General Raam- Locusts.) Whoever succeeds in eliminating the leader then becomes the leader for the next round.
What makes Gears of War’s online component stand above the rest is the need for tactics. Success depends upon 3 key things. Knowing the maps and being aware of the environment, anticipation for what the opposing team may do, and good team play.
There are an excellent selection of maps, all of which are superbly designed. My personal favourites would be ‘Canal’ ‘Gridlock’ and ‘Old Bones.’ Some maps are larger than others- but all work great. There really isn’t a bad map in there, the maps are that good.
The gameplay itself is smooth and fluid, with no hick-ups or lag whatsoever. Gears of War also provides some of the most satisfying gaming moments online- you really can’t beat sneaking up on somebody and ripping them up with the chainsaw bayonet, or shooting them down- them to be begging for mercy on the floor- only for you to decline their request and stomp their head into the ground.
That’s not all though. The game also features one of the most brilliantly integrated co-op modes. You could be playing a singleplayer game by yourself right, but then your friend gets online and wants to play with you. What do you do? Send him an invite straight into your game of course. There’s no need to exit your current game, your friend will just join on in as Dom- and help you kick Locust ass. The co-op in this game works really well, whether you’re playing via Xbox Live, System Link, or split screen local- it shines perfectly. In fact you could say that the game was actually designed with co-operative play in mind from the off. Lovely stuff.
All in all, you need this title and you need Xbox Live. I would even go so far as to say this is one of the best online titles on any platform ever. You won’t be disappointed.
Gears of War review breakdown-
Singleplayer: 7.5
Multiplayer: 9.5
Overall: 8.5
6 comments:
I agree, it was very good when we played it yesterday on that map with all the pillars, i especially loved the part where i got 3 consecutive chainsaw kills in the same round, one after another! lol.
Yeah I did exactly the same thing. I was on my own vs 4 other guys- and I waited for them 1 by 1- and took them out with the chainsaw. Unfortunately the last guy came out with the third, so he got me with the Shotgun.
I like the co-op features a lot. The actual multiplayer part I can take or leave. Of course all the levels look lovely and the frame rate is excellent, but there's not as many options as say PDZ, which is over a year older.
Yeah but a great number of people thing PDZ sucks...which to be fair it does. If you like PDZ, of course thats your personal choice- but I don't think many people would take PSZ over Gears anyday.
I like PDZ you know!!
Comparing the two is obviously silly, my point was just to note the lack of options in GoW.
Yeah- but what options do you want? I think if you were able to tinker around with the set-up, it may spoil an otherwise finely balanced game. I also like the 3 game modes. I think they all work well- can't really think of anything I'd really like to add tbh.
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