Hands-On: Gears of War blows us away
Bro Buzz and Lunchbox become believers in Microsoft's and Epic's outrageously entertaining action shooter after engaging in an exclusive hands-on gameplay session.
When you leave a gameplay session and your head, hands, and body are tingling, you know you just tapped into something special. Particularly in the adrenaline-fueled environment of E3.
This is just what happened earlier today. Bro Buzz and I walked into Microsoft's booth for an exclusive 20-minute Gears of War hands-on session with 15 other gaming journalists. When we emerged, we were true believers. Rest assured, when it's released later this year, this will be the preeminent multiplayer action shooter on the Xbox 360.
If you're familiar with Counter-Strike, you know the basics of gameplay. Two teams square off in mano-mano battle. The team with the last guys standing wins. Matches last between 2-5 minutes, which means you can engage in repeated showdowns.
The action is fast and furious, more so than any other game we've seen. Cover is key here; as you play, you'll sprint from burnt-out cars to walls to corridors. The key is to stay low by pressing the [A] button on the Xbox controller. From here you can use the Left Trigger to stop and pop.
Weapons range from rocket launchers to assault guns (with built-in chainsaws for up-close confrontations) to frag and smoke grenades. When fired, weapons emit satisfying visual and aural effects, which heighten the level of immersion.
One really nice touch in the game is that there is no health meter. You can recover from damage by resting, but it takes a while to fully recuperate. In the meantime, youll be vulnerable. The level Bro Buzz and I played did an excellent job of centering the action in a few key bottlenecks. There were very few locations where you could camp out with impunity. This means that tactics--individual and team--are critical.
Not surprisingly for an Epic Games production, Gear of War's graphics are ridiculously excellent. Textures are sharp and rich, and the character graphics feel oversized in a way that heightens the intensity and the fun factor. Equally impressive, the game is extremely fast. Even in the early state the game is in, frame rates were extremely high. This results in an extremely frenetic pace.
We can't wait to see the final product. Stay tuned for more coverage!
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