Gears of War 3 Review
Played on Xbox One (base)
Developed by Epic Games
Released 20th September 2011
Played Co-op
Gears of War 3 was a massive success, regardless of how you feel about the game. While many people argued that Gears of War 2 was superior in quality, it doesn't disregard the over 1 million pre-orders it had, the 4 awards, crowning it as the best Action/Shooter game of 2011, and the game still receiving critical success in the form of 8s and 9s out of 10. Little did anyone know, this would be the final chapter in Gears of War's legacy, before its undeserving downfall.
Story
The story of Gears of War 3 continues the intense ending of its predecessor by taking place 2 years later. The world of Sera is in a worse condition than before with humanity taking its final stand against the Locust and a new foe - the Lambent. The opening to the game is fantastic and one of the best alongside The Last of Us, Uncharted 2, Metal Gear Solid and more. This fantastic, action-packed introduction doesn't last long though, as the remaining 7 hours of this 9-hour journey slowly fall in captivation. The game itself is brilliant and enjoyable, however, the story takes a considerable fall compared to its beginning. With a near 10/10 start and an overall 8/10 path that the player takes, the padded-out ending with a finalised closure feeling doesn't secure any increase in quality.
Gameplay
The gameplay has improved once again, making every cover switch and firefight more interactive and fun. The new main enemy focus is the Lambent and their ridiculously cool and horrifying design. Each new enemy in this game has a unique style in gameplay from the Drudge's unpredictable form-shifting to the Kantus bouncing off your shots as if they were Nerf bullets. The game did feel a little bit too easy on hardcore due to how obvious and powerful the weak points of enemies became, however, that certainly didn't stop the game from feeling fun and amazing. The weapons once again feel responsive and epic and while the concepts of the new weapons like the Butcher Cleaver or Digger Launcher were great, they either felt generic or impractical.
The AI has come such a long way, from being stuck on walls to this game. The AI themselves feel badass and useful but don't hog all the fun up from blowing enemies up. You can now also swap weapons with the AI and trade ammo with friends that you play in co-op with. There were fewer opportunities to commit to a methodical and tactical strategy, due to the layout of shootouts lacking that "puzzle" element, resorting to a more bare-bones "shoot whatever" style of gameplay, however, this didn't degrade my overall experience with the game. The haunting introductions of enemies are back from Gears of War 1 and while they aren't done to the same extent of great, they are still brilliant. The new amounts of brutal and new ways to whoop the enemies' asses are enjoyable. From minuscule things like kicking an enemy when you jump over cover, to executions on knocked enemies that range from punching them to death to roadie-running them with a Retro Lancer.
Bossfights
The bossfights of this game are decent. While there are some amazing fights like the Lambent Zerker sprinting and leaking toxic imulsion, or having to use a mech suit to gun down a Leviathan, the final boss feels cheap and unsatisfying when fighting. The final boss felt like a bullet sponge that didn't offer any music or visuals that stood out to me. So while some bosses were incredible and unforgettable, the most disappointing ones were the bullet spongey ones with nothing impressive about it, and that happened to be the most significant bosses, unfortunately.
Characters
The characters in this game have lost their torn human side. While some scenes contradict that, the majority just shows the characters to be more witty and badass grunts with at best, sighable dialogue. The rare scenes that do present the realistic PTSD and loved-one-lost attitude, are written brilliantly and the voice acting is top-notch like always (though overdramatic at some points).
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of this game is great. While the music does sound quite generic compared to its predecessor's chilling soundtrack, the visual aesthetic pops out the most. Gone are the locations that feel monotonous and repetitive as you'll not have to see an imulsion-filled cave once again. Instead, you can be presented with a tropical island that flashes its Locust inhabitants well, underwater horrors that can riddle you with nightmares, a night sky that conflicts with the Lambent glow and more. The lighting and sound effects are supreme as with every Gunker killed, it looks and sounds like an atomic bomb was dropped in a swamp. The creature design is my favourite part of the game, as it made me recoil in shock and awe at the twisted sights that you'll be shooting at.
Story- 8/10
Gameplay- 9.25/10
Bossfights- 7.5/10
Characters- 6/10
Atmosphere- 9/10
Great
With the third instalment in the series, Epic Games continues to outdo themselves with this really fantastic and enjoyable co-op shooter. Does it lack in a few departments? Sure, mostly with its cast of characters, but that in no way means that this game is far from brilliant.
