So one of the first things I did when I opened my brand new shiny Series S console was download every single Gears game. I had always known of the series, and dabbled in it in the past, but I haven't owned a 360 in at least a decade, and skipped the One. Naturally, this only caused my curiosity in the franchise to grow exponentially over the years.
I know this series is mostly played for its multiplayer, but I'm just going to focus on the campaigns for now.
Right now I've just finished Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.
Pros:
+Unique world design. I like how it doesn't take place on Earth, and how this technically alien planet has its own history, technology, and vibe to it.
+Super nostalgic mid 00's feelings came flooding back to me playing the campaign. Back to a time when "cover shooter" wasn't a genre yet (it was just this game) and the over the shoulder camera had only ever really been done in Resident Evil 4 before. Having lived through that time, what was old was new again.
+The updated graphics and cutscene direction were noticeable even for someone like me, who had only ever played half the campaign before, and only once back in 2006.
+I love the weapons, particularly how heavy the grenades feel. I really feel like I'm lobbing this huge, lunking object at my enemies, and it's really satisfying.
+Everything is super big and bulky and it appeals to the dumb caveman monkey inside of me. I like big armor and big guns. I shred enemies with my chainsaw gun. I stomp hard when I run. FEEL GOOD!
+Story is decently interesting, I mostly like the dynamic between the different members of Delta Squad.
Cons:
-The writing is even more juvenile in 2020. Marcus Fenix is what every trash talking, Mountain Dew guzzling bro gamer wishes they were. The characters are essentially football bros with guns in a fantasy universe. One of them is even literally a former football player. The "nerd" character is constantly made fun of. Sometimes this is amusing, but as my brother once wisely told me when critiquing these games, "it's funny, but to them, it's not a joke" which really resonated with me. The game is not as self aware as it should be.
-Campaign design is definitely dated. This was one of the first HD games to ever exist, so I give it some passes, but what was once technically impressive is now old and clunky. You can definitely feel how "vanilla" the cover and shoot gameplay is compared to newer games of this type.
-The campaign starts off pretty strong and stays strong until about the rainy factory level (Act III), but after that it gets kind of same-y until the very end on the train. All the brown and grey destroyed urban environments start to wear thin after a while.
-The game is basically the poster boy for brown and grey PS3/360 gen overcompensation for realism. Everything is mud or rust colored and it's kind of depressing.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with it, but I wish I had played it co-op, because the AI Dom is dumb as fuck. I was also reminded how this is essentially the game that heralded in the dudebro shootbang 360 gamer culture, and that leaves a sour taste in my mouth no matter how much fun I'm having, because I know if I had hopped on multiplayer when this was popular I would have jumped right into the middle of that mess.
Will return with my impressions of the games to follow.
I know this series is mostly played for its multiplayer, but I'm just going to focus on the campaigns for now.
Right now I've just finished Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.
Pros:
+Unique world design. I like how it doesn't take place on Earth, and how this technically alien planet has its own history, technology, and vibe to it.
+Super nostalgic mid 00's feelings came flooding back to me playing the campaign. Back to a time when "cover shooter" wasn't a genre yet (it was just this game) and the over the shoulder camera had only ever really been done in Resident Evil 4 before. Having lived through that time, what was old was new again.
+The updated graphics and cutscene direction were noticeable even for someone like me, who had only ever played half the campaign before, and only once back in 2006.
+I love the weapons, particularly how heavy the grenades feel. I really feel like I'm lobbing this huge, lunking object at my enemies, and it's really satisfying.
+Everything is super big and bulky and it appeals to the dumb caveman monkey inside of me. I like big armor and big guns. I shred enemies with my chainsaw gun. I stomp hard when I run. FEEL GOOD!
+Story is decently interesting, I mostly like the dynamic between the different members of Delta Squad.
Cons:
-The writing is even more juvenile in 2020. Marcus Fenix is what every trash talking, Mountain Dew guzzling bro gamer wishes they were. The characters are essentially football bros with guns in a fantasy universe. One of them is even literally a former football player. The "nerd" character is constantly made fun of. Sometimes this is amusing, but as my brother once wisely told me when critiquing these games, "it's funny, but to them, it's not a joke" which really resonated with me. The game is not as self aware as it should be.
-Campaign design is definitely dated. This was one of the first HD games to ever exist, so I give it some passes, but what was once technically impressive is now old and clunky. You can definitely feel how "vanilla" the cover and shoot gameplay is compared to newer games of this type.
-The campaign starts off pretty strong and stays strong until about the rainy factory level (Act III), but after that it gets kind of same-y until the very end on the train. All the brown and grey destroyed urban environments start to wear thin after a while.
-The game is basically the poster boy for brown and grey PS3/360 gen overcompensation for realism. Everything is mud or rust colored and it's kind of depressing.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with it, but I wish I had played it co-op, because the AI Dom is dumb as fuck. I was also reminded how this is essentially the game that heralded in the dudebro shootbang 360 gamer culture, and that leaves a sour taste in my mouth no matter how much fun I'm having, because I know if I had hopped on multiplayer when this was popular I would have jumped right into the middle of that mess.
Will return with my impressions of the games to follow.
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