Gears of War 3

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Product Description

Edition: Standard
From the Manufacturer
Gears of War 3 is the spectacular conclusion to one of the most memorable and celebrated sagas in videogames. Developed by Epic Games exclusively for Xbox 360, Gears of War 3 plunges players into a harrowing tale of hope, survival and brotherhood.
Product Overview
Product DescriptionIn Gears of War 3, players fight on as Marcus Fenix, the grizzled war hero and leader of Delta Squad. Eighteen months after the fall of the last human city, the war against the Locust rages on. Meanwhile, deep beneath the surface, a fearsome new threat is infecting the planet from within. With survivors scattered and civilization in ruins, time is running out for Marcus and his comrades as they fight to save the human race.
The Gears of War series is one of the most popular franchises in Xbox history, with more than 12 million games sold worldwide, an upcoming film, New York Times best-selling novels and more.
Product Features

• Enthralling cinematic story. Experience the epic finale to the Gears of War trilogy and fight alongside Delta Squad to rescue humanity. Discover the fate of Marcus and his surviving comrades in this immersive and emotionally engaging story.
• Unparalleled gameplay. Gears of War 3 builds upon the series' genre-defining gameplay and captivates players in an intimately intense action game. The latest chapter in the saga introduces new playable COG characters and fresh challenges with ferocious enemies.
• Explosive multiplayer action. One of the definitive multiplayer experiences on Xbox LIVE, Gears of War 3 features new cooperative and competitive multiplayer experiences for veteran players and rookies alike.
• Amazing visuals. Gears of War 3 pushes the envelope for stunning visuals on Xbox 360. Through the latest advances in Unreal Engine 3 technology, the game delivers improved graphics, animation and lighting that immerse players in the destroyed beauty of the rich environments.

Game DescriptionGears of War 3Developer: Epic Games, Inc.Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
About Gears of WarPublished by Microsoft Game Studios, the Gears of War franchise has won over 30 “Game of the Year” awards, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and redefined the third-person shooter genre for this console generation. The game has also inspired a full line of toys and collectibles, apparel, an upcoming film, graphic novels and a book series by New York Times best-selling author Karen Traviss. The Gears of War series is exclusive to the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system and its riveting multiplayer action makes it one of the most popular titles on Xbox LIVE. More information can be found at www.gearsofwar.com.
About Epic Games, Inc.Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and game engine technology, including the multiple million-selling, award-winning Unreal and Gears of War series, and the industry leading Unreal Engine 3 game engine, a four-time winner of Game Developer magazine's Best Engine Front Line Award and Hall of Fame inductee. More information about Epic Games can be found at www.epicgames.com. The information contained in this fact sheet relates to a pre-release product that may be substantially modified before its first commercial release. Accordingly, the information may not accurately describe or reflect the product when it is first commercially released. This fact sheet is provided for informational purposes only, and Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the fact sheet or the information contained in it.
Gears of War 3

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002I0H79C
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.6 x 5.4 inches ; 3.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 20, 2011
  

Product Features

• This item does not work outside US. We cannot guarantee compatibility. You can contact the call center for more information on compatibility.
• Enthralling cinematic story. Experience the epic finale to the Gears of War trilogy
• Unparalleled gameplay
• One of the definitive multiplayer experiences on Xbox LIVE
• Gears of War 3 pushes the envelope for stunning visuals on Xbox 360

 

Gears of War 3

 

Customer Reviews

I've only spent a few short hours with the campaign and some of the Horde 2.0, but so far, this game is turning out to be exactly what Epic and Microsoft promised, an amazing close to a great game series.
Additions to the core campaign most people will like would be 4 player co-op. Always wanted that in the previous games, but the way they were designed it really only felt right with 2 players. This time every mission requires a team of 4, which means real 4 player co-op is possible and quite fun. Playing the campaign alone isn't bad, but as I've read in reviews and agree, it really is meant to be played with real people. Playing with the equivalent of bots allows you to enjoy the game but it won't be as rich of an experience in my opinion.
You still have the cog tag collection hunt, along with the little collectible bits of paperwork strewn throughout the game just as in previous games in the series.
Another cool addition, for those playing co-op, is the arcade mode. In this mode you still play the core campaign but everyone is scored. Depending on amount of kills, rescues and so on you get a score. It doesn't really do much but add a taste of competition to the 2-4 player campaign, but it definitely adds to the fun factor.
Horde 2.0 is a ton of fun. The addition of "buying" emplacements and so on really adds to the depth. For those that love the original Horde from Gears 2 though, the hardcore lovers of the mode, you might be a touch disappointed that it's been changed. For me, it's a change for the better.
There are a ton of other multiplayer modes that I just haven't gotten to yet, but I will update my review when I finally get a chance to play them.
Graphically this game is nothing short of amazing. Unlike previous games in the series there doesn't seem to be any screen tearing in the campaign (EDIT- later in the game there was some minor tearing). I haven't experienced any in the Live modes I've played, but reserve commenting further until I spend more time with it. In the Beta there was screen tearing galore, so I'm hoping they focused on fixing it for release.
Music is Steve Jablonsky (Gears Of War 3 The Soundtrack). If you enjoyed the music in Gears 2, you'll enjoy it here as well. Orchestral, moody and pitch perfect for the scenes in which the music plays. I miss the Gears 2 title screen song, but hey, this is Gears 3 and it needs to be refreshed.
Sound effects and voice work are equally amazing. All the voice actors from the previous games make appearances here as well, including fan favorite Cole. Really high quality work.
Over all the game feels like a truly worthy upgrade to a truly classic series. I'll miss the further adventures of Marcus and gang, assuming we don't really see a sequel or extension (highly unlikely, right). It's like closing a chapter with friends.
Definitely worth $60. I bought the Gears of War 3 Epic Edition and love it, but the game on its own stands tall.
EDIT 9/21/2011 - I've now spent a total of 10 hours in the campaign. This is me playing from Act 1-1 to Act 2-6 on my own, then playing through the same with my 65 yr old father. We were both having a blast with it. We also had a few people join the party and we went through part of Act 2 w/ 4 people. Despite the larger amount of people there were still plenty of Grubs to kill for everyone and still had some challenge to it. With 4 decent player characters though, even hardcore is a touch "easy."
BEAST MODE- this is one awesome addition to the franchise! You and a party of up to 4 other people (5 total) take control of the Locust and get to try and kill as many humans as possible. It uses a money concept similar to the emplacements and weapons in Horde 2.0 (which also feels a lot like the way it works in say, Call of Duty Black Ops zombie bits). You have to purchase your Locust and as you kill more people, you get more money, which enables you to buy better and better Grubs, all the way up to a Berserker, which is awesome! If you only have 30 minutes to play Gears and have some buddies on Live, this is a fast paced, frenetic jump of fun for sure!
NEW WEAPONS- the sawed off shotgun is the weapon of choice for many a multiplayer fan. I'm personally not big on the tactics used w/ the weapon in multiplayer but once you get the hang of it, it makes a decent up close weapon. In the campaign though it's not really a weapon you should be using. You have to get far too close to enemies to kill them, and in the case of the Drudges, you don't want to be near them when they blow up!
Retro Lancer isn't bad. The handling is different, the active reload timing is different and using it like a spear takes getting used to. It seems to be more powerful than the chainsaw Lancer, but they built it to feel like a prototype of the chainsaw version, so they did a good job making it feel like an evolution from the retro to the regular. Good stuff!
The Digger - you fire a projectile towards an enemy, it burrows underground and pops up near the enemy and explodes. It can be pretty devastating if you can get it to hit.
That's all for this edit. Thanks for reading!
EDIT- 9/23/2011
Played more campaign last night. I now have at least 15 hours on the campaign. For those of you that have read the campaign is really only 10-15 hours, I've replayed Act 1-3 w/ my father over Live and we made it to Act 4 last night and watched the story bits every time which is why it is taking so long to finish.
After spending this much time with the campaign, I have to say I continue to be impressed. There is one level that I think will be the best in the game. It's Act 3 Chapter 1, which I won't name as I don't want to give anything away in my review, and it is simply astounding. It was frantic, it was hectic and 100% fun. I actually wanted to jump out and restart the mission when it was over.
And what happens at the end of Act 3 Chapter 6 is unexpected and for me at least, quite emotional. You'll understand when you get there and do yourself a favor, try not to read any spoilers on-line.
I'm hoping to finish the campaign tonight or early this weekend, at which point I'll stop editing my review.
With 15 hours into the game, I can still say that this is definitively the best Gears game of the 3 which is absolutely no small feat. With all the multiplayer modes, all of which are amazing fun and a decently lengthy campaign which can be played w/ up to 3 other people, there should be enough to keep you busy for some time to come. Definitely worth the price.
EDIT 9/24/2011-
Finished the campaign last night with my father. From start to finish I would say the game took 12 hours. This includes us dying, watching cut scenes, listening to dialog and so on. If you buy the game for the single player campaign, you might find this to be a bit too much money for too little time spent, HOWEVER, with the multiple difficulties and the ability to play with arcade scoring on, I'm sure you'll have fun going through at least 3 times, though subsequent play throughs will take less time given you'll skip cut scenes and dialog. So figure 6-9 hours per campaign play through, which means you will get 24-30 hours play time out of it, minimum.
The game is well balanced. There wasn't really any level or any section of the game where myself, nor my father, felt the difficulty spiked unevenly. Given this is Epic, I didn't think this would be an issue and it isn't.
The game is a ton of fun and with all of the multiplayer game types you can probably play this game quite a lot and never find yourself bored.
This will most likely be my last edit. Enjoy the game!

There's really no need to read this review, either you've played every Gears of War game for hundreds of hours and you absolutely love it, you've played some of the games and think they're OK, or you've avoided all of the Gears games. Nothing is going to change your mind, especially this game. By no means is GOW3 bad, but there is absolutely nothing different or new in this game. To me, it feels like a game that receives annual releases like Call of Duty and all sports games. The gameplay is exactly the same as the previous titles, except that it has less crazy and awesome set pieces and battles than in previous games. There are basically only 3 kind of cool moments that are memorable in the game, the Kraken battle at the beginning of the game that is really pretty basic fare, a flying beast battle at the end of the game, and a really fun but short semi-Tower Defense event where the horde are attacking your base. I also found the way that the Lambent spawn is annoying. Previously, the horde coming out of the ground kind of made sense, but now, I can't figure out how the lambent pop out of the stalks with weapons, it just doesn't make sense.
The story, like the previous iterations, is probably the weakest part of the game. I won't go into any spoilers (not that anyone would care), but it essentially boils down to just finding your father who has created a Deus Ex Machina weapon that will destroy all of the glowy creatures and perhaps the horde as well to end the trilogy. There definitely isn't as much glaring machismo in this game, but it's replaced with a bit of childishness, where I thought it was really awkward how Marcus kept talking to his Dad. It especially wasn't helped by the voice actor who sounded really weird in the dialog where he talks to his father or about him. Also, there isn't any character development, and they are all completely interchangeable, making me feel absolutely no emotion when certain characters die. Their deaths by the way were completely pointless, there was no real reason for them to occur, and for one they didn't even explain why it happened, other than for the developers to cut off possible loose ends. The big story reveals are really just obvious duds, and they end up adding more new unanswerable questions than answering old ones. However, no one plays the Gears of War games for the story, so take my complaints with a grain of salt.
The weapons are another thing I found annoying about the games, I almost feel like since they made one of the greatest FPS weapons in the chainsaw machine gun, they don't want to make anything that would trump it. Every other weapon of the game has multiple limitations artificially attached to make it so no one that plays the game will ever not be carrying the chainsaw gun. Most of these limits are obvious and seen in other games, like the kick-ass weapons having very limited ammo and reload times, but the artificial limitations are the most obvious in the new machine gun, with a bayonet instead of a chainsaw. This gun is the most unstable of any gun I've ever shot in a video game, where even if you try to fire it in bursts the reticle will be erratically moving all across the screen. The loading screen says the gun makes up for it by packing a bigger punch, but I didn't really notice any difference. It's a shame though, as charging with the bayonet out is pretty awesome. There is another new gun that is a modified rocket launcher that goes under cover, but it is very seldom available, and felt kind of gimmicky. My least favorite of the weapons is the sniper rifle, which is the worst iteration of it in any FPS. It only has one shot, and when reloading you lose your positioning. It's just really annoying, and I feel like if they can create all of the other weapons in the game, they could make a sniper rifle with a clip.
The multiplayer is the other big part of the game that I'm sure a lot of people would love, but I'm just not a huge fan of. Gears competitive multiplayer just isn't my cup of tea, I find it to be very slow, yet the cover based mechanics of the main game just aren't as applicable in multiplayer. It's also frustrating, where if you die a certain amount of times you run out of respawns. This is fine, as it makes sense that a weaker player doesn't bring down the whole team, but it it extremely annoying when you have to just sit there and watch other people have fun. Then if you get tired of it and quit, the game can punish you by taking away almost a whole level, and the levels take a decent amount of time to increase. For co-op play, the only real disadvantage to it is that the whole gameplay is so tied around the 4 player team, that when you're playing solo the AI can at times be frustrating. The most memorable moments are the times where you're supposed to be stealthy. For some reason, none of the AI characters will pick up a sniper rifle and take out the other guard when there are two of them. So it is practically impossible to get through those sections in solo-play without alerting the camp, and spawning a crazy amount of soldiers. Thankfully though, I didn't experience too many glitches with the partner AI.
So in the end, if you've liked the previous Gears of War games, I'm sure you'll love GOW3. While if you don't like the series, there's nothing that will change your mind here.