Product Description

Gears of War thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind's epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. players live and breathe the role of Marcus Fenix. A disgraced former war hero, Marcus seeks Personal redemption as he leads his fire team against an onslaught of merciless warrior fiends. Gamers immerse themselves in an experience so intensely emotional and gut-wrenching that playing will be like controlling a blockbuster action movie. Control Marcus Fenix and his fire team as they pit advanced human technology against the overwhelming and horrific Locust Horde. Limited Edition features: Destroyed Beauty, the Gears of War hardbound art book; "Art of Gears of War" trailer; an inside look at the making of Gears of War; Mini-doc -- "Gears of War: The Race to E3."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5223 in Video Games
• Brand: Microsoft
• Model: 26261
• Released on: 2006-11-21
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.50" h x 5.50" w x 7.50" l, 1.04 pounds

Features

• Next-generation visuals - Experience beautifully rendered interactive environments and lifelike characters
• Engaging and disturbing cinematic story - Massively scoped worlds, memorable characters and an epic story line play out like an intense and unsettling blockbuster action film
• Fire team co-op action in all game modes, levels and scenarios; gamers will experience richer cooperative gameplay than ever, through unique characters that require cooperation to survive
• To survive, gamers can create and take cover using interactive and dynamic environments, suppress the enemy with blindfire, and use their weapons and teammates to outwit and outfight their terrifying enemies
• Next-generation Xbox Live action - Gamers will be able to experience individualized matchmaking, view player statistics, earn player achievements, customize their games, and build and personalize their gamer profiles

Customer Reviews

Wow, just WOW!
Ok, I have the CE version (yes, the tin + the book + the dvd's are well worth the extra $10. I just finished ACT 1 on hardcore in co-op mode with my buddy and I have to say, its the greatest action game Ive played since Metal Gear 1. The berzerker at the end of act1 might go down as top 10 fun boss moments in gaming history (just get there, you will see).
Anyways, here are some reviews from the net..

GameSpy (5/5) - "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Gears of War is the best-looking game I have ever played. It's a truly stunning achievement in terms of visuals, presentation and sound. Never before have I been given so much to look and marvel at while actually playing an adrenalized shooter. It's a fantastic achievement, and it's also easily the best reason to own an Xbox 360 to date. Now that that's out of the way, I also need to hammer home that while the single-player game is a good amount of fun, Gears' real hook is the superb multiplayer game. You'll be all done with the main story after eight or so hours, and even though there are three difficulty levels to play through, the legs of Gears is certainly in abusing foes online."

TeamXbox (9.6/10) - "Unlike many "event" games that come and go, Gears of War lives up to the hype surrounding it, and while it's not perfect, it's impossible not to want more. While the storyline is lacking in a few areas, the gameplay itself is exciting and intense, although hardcore players might want to up the difficulty a bit. For many, the game's strength lays in its multiplayer options, both cooperatively and competitively. If you can keep from letting out a whoop after you curb stomp a buddy, you're a stronger man than I. Finally, the Xbox 360 has the killer app that everyone's been waiting for, a game that should be shown to anyone who doubts the system's power."

360.IGN (9.4/10) - "Gears of War is a must-have game, pure and simple. Epic has effectively created a new gaming universe, and the rich story of planet Sera holds its own with the likes of Hyrule, City 17 and the Mushroom-friggin'-Kingdom. A game so gorgeous, both visually and audibly, that is this fun to play comes along only a handful of times a console generation."

GameSpot (9.6/10) - "Gears of War is a game that capitalizes on all of the promises made by the next generation of gaming. It looks more than a few steps beyond what consoles have been doing to this point, and the gameplay is supremely fulfilling from start to finish in all of its various modes. While there have certainly been plenty of similar shooters before it, the game's great weapons, amazing graphics, and absolutely thrilling action make it stand out from the pack in a big, big way."

EGM/1Up (10/10) - "I can go on and on, but you really need to play this visual and visceral masterpiece for yourself. When you do, you'll find plenty of minor problems, just like I did...but you can always find reasons not to give a game a 10. And while I was playing Gears of War, all I kept running into was reasons to give it a 10."

Game Informer (9.5/10) - "Gears of War is, without a doubt, the must-play Xbox 360 title of 2006. I have some minor qualms with the single-player game, but as a co-op or multiplayer game it's a treat unlike any other. The gameplay is fresh, and the graphics are simply stunning."

Eurogamer (8/10) - "In a sense, Gears of War lives up to expectations in that it's one of the most intensely beautiful-looking games ever made, but is one that plays by the rules in the gameplay stakes. If you want to gorge on a next generation audio-visual feast then Gears of Wars is a king's banquet. But what of the gameplay pudding that Peter Moore so often reminds us that he likes? The proof, he says, is in the eating, and in this case Gears of War sticks to a well-worn recipe."

Yahoo! (4.5/5) - "If you've been wondering why you lined up all night for an Xbox 360 this time last year, agonize no longer. This is the kind of game that sells systems, and if you have the merest action-loving bone in your body - and you can handle the gore, bad language, and short-ish play time -- it's pointless to resist. Gears of War is the best 360 game of 2006."

Games Radar (10/10) - "We were wary of Gears of War and its hype-fueled debut, but actually playing this magnum opus has shoved all doubts from our extremely critical minds. If you own a 360, you owe it to yourself to buy this game (and an Xbox Live account... and broadband internet service if you don't already have either of those). If you like guns at all, you owe it to yourself to buy a 360 just for Gears of War - you will not be the least bit sorry."

X-Play (5/5) - "It's bitchcakes"

GamePro (4.8/5) - "Gears of War may be big and dumb, but it's fun - the video game equivalent of a Jerry Bruckheimer film, maybe. Even calling Gears "fun" doesn't quite seem to do it justice. The game glows in a revelatory way we haven't seen since God of War and Resident Evil 4. If nothing else, it's infinitely more engaging and suspenseful than this year's crop of by-the-books FPS games, and is likely to sell more than a few consoles for Microsoft."

GameTrailers (9.1/10) - "Gears of War is fairly short, and with no vehicles in the multiplayer, its overall longevity could become an issue without adequate post-launch support. But what is here is some of the best gaming to be had this year. The attention to detail--from the heat waves that emanate from discharged weapons to the ultra-gory executions--help it to ascend above the status quo. It borrows many ideas from other games, but manages to perfect almost all of them. It's all the little things that add up to make Gears of War an experience like no other, and one that every adult with an Xbox 360 would be a fool not to experience."

GameBrink (97/100) - "From the amazing experience that is the single player to the well balanced and extremely fun multiplayer to the visuals and beyond Gears is the best game of the year hands down."

Computer & Video Games (9/10) - "For single-player, the pacing is spot-on. You're never doing one thing for too long and there's plenty of variety in the gameplay. One moment you could be attacking a room full of Locust, the next you're defending it from a counter-attack through the front door, navigating around a gun turret or holding a town square as the appearance of emergence hole after emergence hole drops the white blokes all around you."

DailyGame (9/10) - "With this package of graphics and gameplay nuances, Gears of War should have no trouble carrying the Xbox 360's load for the holiday season. Its campaign is both short and unsatisfying from a storytelling perspective, but the actual mechanics of the game and the overall experience are fantastic. It even does a good job of mixing-up its gameplay, not just with the multiple paths, but by including vehicle sections, on-rails segments and turret sequences. Gears of War doesn't break any barriers or push any envelopes totally off the edge, but it does enough to make for an addictive, memorable experience. And for a third-person shooter, that's quite an achievement."

Move Over Halo, Gears is Here.
Gears of War - Circa 2006


GOOD:
- Intuitive cover system which is a great fresh way to approach the overcrowded Action / Sci-Fi / Shooter Market. The Cover systems works well and is easy to pick up it also makes for a fun realistic gameplay experience.
- Intense multiplayer versus action either online or off online with either spilt screen, or system link.
- Great Co-op Gameplay allows two players play through the game from start to end. A co-op player can come into the game at any time and leave at any time.
- Gorgeous graphics, that even look better then the likes of Halo 2, Elder Scrolls 4, and F.E.A.R. (which is saying a lot).

BAD:
- Some might consider the plot Underwhelming.
- No buddies or parties in ranked matches only in player matches (non-ranked games).
- Game is considered short to some.

IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- A Sci-Fi First third Person Shooter (Camera behind the player) with quick pacing (Although slower gameplay) with an emphasis on shooting behind cover.
- Cover Play's a big role in the game much like in Full Spectrum Warrior or Kill Switch
- A slower-paced shooter, focusing on sound tactics rather than brute force.
- This game is not meant for kids or the immature, this game is gory/bloody/violent and has many fowl words. Although you can turn off most of these features
- Co-op and online versus is the big draw here.

GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Unreal Championship 2 (Xbox)
- Resident Evil 4 (Game Cube/PS2)
- Halo 2 (Xbox)
- Full Spectrum Warrior (Xbox)
- Kill Switch (Xbox/PS2)

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- Many of the game's achievements are in references to movies, and Internet Meme's. For example getting 100 kills online with the Bow & Arrow will net you the "Nuge" Award which is in reference to Ted Nugent (the 70's Rocker) who is known for his love of Archery.
- In the limited collector's edition you will find an art book "Destroyed Beauty", a bonus DVD with the video "The Making of Gears of War" documentary and it comes in a tin case.
- There are 6 new maps for this game two of which are free. The Free ones are Raven Down and Old Bones; the other four maps (called Bullet Marsh, Garden, Subway, and Process) will be free in September (2007) but right now they cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10.00 USD)
- Annex is the new gameplay mode for Gears of War, it automaticaly downloaded to your game once you log you copy of Gears of War on Xbox Live (even if you have a Sliver Account) this new gameplay mode which requires teams to capture and hold certain areas of each map plays much like a King of the Hill gameplay mode from other First Person Shooters.

Lives up to the hype in every way
I'm just going to give you the nitty gritty:

- Graphics are better than just about anything else currently out there. Pretty enough to make you stop and take in the visuals at some points. If you've seen the "Mad World" trailer, then yes, the graphics are THAT GOOD.
- It's loud, has great music and gritty voice acting
- The game is fun in every sense of the word
- Single player is great and the online multiplayer is even better. So good in fact that it's the first game to finally knock Halo 2 off of the top of most played Xbox Live titles online and Halo 2 has been at the top since it's release... what does that tell you?
- The collector's edition is actually worth the extra ten bucks, with a nice tin box, a cool little hardcover book and an informative bonus DVD
- Note to those concerned parents: this game has plenty of foul language and is pretty damn violent. While this is perfect for people like me, a 32 year old gamer, your precious six year old would probably be better off NOT getting this under his Christmas tree. Consider yourself warned.

I have no complaints and it's crazy to think that after all the hype from the past year and a half, the game actually lived up to it. I'd recommend this but if you have an Xbox 360, I'm sure you already have it so I won't bother. But if you don't have a 360, this game is reason enough to buy one. Highly, highly recommended.