Clash of the Next-Gen Titans

Gears of War. Resistance: Fall of Man. Two great next-gen shooters, but which one to buy? Here's the point-by-point breakdown.

The Scenario

Let's say you didn't pick up a 360 yet. In the year since it's launched, though, it's gathered some cool-looking games. But now, just as you might consider grabbing one, in comes the PlayStation 3 with a hot new title -- Resistance: Fall of Man. Is it worth getting a PS3 for it, or should you pick up a 360 and Gears of War instead? Both are visually intensive shooters with a big online component. Some have even gone so far as to call Gears of War the new Halo. But Resistance has up to 40-man multiplayer, something you don't recall being possible before on a console. So what is a shooter fan to do?

This is what you do: You let GamePro break it down for ya!

And as a handy reference, here is the...

The Storyline

Gears of War's storyline is B-grade schlock, complete with some of the most atrocious dialogue ("'Sup, bitches?") to grace a video game console since Zero Wing. The core setup ain't bad, with grisly subterranean monsters invading a war-torn future, but the writing, pacing, and climax are all great disappointments. In fact, parts of the game make so little sense (could somebody explain why I riding on this train, again?) that it almost seems like Epic slashed entire chunks of the game at the last second in order to make the November ship date.

Gears of War offers some creatively challenging opponents.

Gears of War offers some creatively challenging opponents.

Resistance, meanwhile, takes a different strategy for its story. Set against the backdrop of a faux documentary film dating from the early 1950s, the storyline emphasizes mystery and intrigue over macho stereotypes and trash talk. The setup is a little murky, with a mutant threat known as the Chimera attacking a WWII-era Europe, but the execution is excellent.

VERDICT:

Resistance by a landslide. Gears of War stacks cliche on top of cliche to achieve its B-movie flavor. Resistance shoots for more mystery, with better writing, dialogue, and pacing.

The Visuals

Gears of War sets new standards for next-gen console visuals. Environments, characters, and special effects all look mind-boggingly detailed thanks to the game's cutting-edge Unreal 3.0 engine. Even the real-time cinematics sparkle visually.

Resistance (pictured) looks good, but the Unreal Engine 3.0 is amazing.

Resistance (pictured) looks good, but the Unreal Engine 3.0 is amazing.

Resistance looks perfectly adequate as a next-gen shooter, with massive environments and sharp-looking monsters. But the relatively plain-Jane special effects and textures just don't match up with Xbox 360 shooters such as F.E.A.R. or Call of Duty 3, let alone Gears.

VERDICT:

Gears of War dominates this category handily, blowing away Resistance's PS2-on-steroids look. Resistance isn't ugly, but its visuals are disappointing for a PlayStation 3 game. In Gears of War, detailed environments, detailed characters, fluid animation, distinct atmospheres, sometimes moody lighting and some dramatic cutscene camera work practically set the bar for graphical presentation.

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