The Video Game Critic

Wow.

I picked up Gears of War today since Target was selling them for $40 bucks, and I just played through the first little training bit... holy cow. I know some of you folks have been at that game since it came out, but I can already see how this game is a killer app. It looks freakin' incredible. Gameplay seems spot on also. Love the use of cover.

Also received Wii-Madden for Christmas, which I've heard lots of good things about.

-Rob

I am probably in the huge minority with this one, but I think Gears of War is overrated. 

I played it for the first time this past Monday and I was expecting it to be this revolutionary game.  What I found was a game in a generic theme/setting that does everything really well. 

Don't get me wrong, its a great game, but it didn't make me go crazy.  The cover system is fantastic, but its the only orginal aspect of the game that I enjoyed. 

Gears of War is one of those games that looks so good many people dismiss the faults of the game.  When you strip away all the glitz and glamour of the game all you are left with is a typical shooter. 

I played the game for about 3 hours and the story is awful (which doesn't bother me) and the crude language seems forced.  You are constantly ducking behind things and plugging away at locusts.  Many people claim this is a revolutionary title, but I beg to differ.  While the cover system is great, its novelty wore off after the first hour or so.

It may sound like I'm being harsh, but I'm really not.  People claim that this is game is a killer app and I still agree with that.  I think it was so hyped up to me personally that it couldn't possibly live up to it all.  Maybe my opinion will change, but as of right now I still think the game is overrated.

You know you can say that about any game though, strip away the glitz of zelda and you have a dungeon crawler, take away the glitz of halo and you have a generic FPS. 

It's possible that I might completely agree after playing the game more. I also felt like this after playing other Epic games, as they tend to make a flashy first impression, only to reveal little depth later on.

I would already agree that it isn't revolutionary. The cover system works really well but that sort of thing has already been used in other games. I don't really need a game to be revolutionary if it is well done, however (Twilight Princess is by no means innovative, yet it is a fantastic game).

I hope you are wrong about the story, as that is something I value. The voice acting seems solid so far, however.

-Rob

Wow.

I picked up Gears of War today since Target was selling them for $40 bucks.

Yeah, Target was having a one day sale where they were heavily discounting a number of video games and related stuff. Always glad to be able to buy a new 360 game for less than $50!

-Rob

It's possible that I might completely agree after playing the game more. I also felt like this after playing other Epic games, as they tend to make a flashy first impression, only to reveal little depth later on.

I would already agree that it isn't revolutionary. The cover system works really well but that sort of thing has already been used in other games. I don't really need a game to be revolutionary if it is well done, however (Twilight Princess is by no means innovative, yet it is a fantastic game).

I hope you are wrong about the story, as that is something I value. The voice acting seems solid so far, however.

-Rob

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I agree with pretty much everything you said...

The game makes a fantastic first impression, but its shortcomings become more apparent after a little bit more time is put into it.  Like I said, its still a great game, but I don't think it lived up to all the hype.

As for the story I can't really comment...I only played 3 hours of the game and it seems to be pretty blah.  They really don't take the time to flesh out any of the characters and Fenix is about as hollow as your typical 80's super action hero (van damme, stallone, arnie).  I don't mind though because I don't expect good plots to exist in shooters like this.

If you want a story play an adventure game. The game lived up to the hype, it is simply amazing. It doesn't have any shortcomings.

If you want a story play an adventure game. The game lived up to the hype, it is simply amazing. It doesn't have any shortcomings.

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If you read the last line of my post I said I didn't mind the lack of story...you are 100% correct about shooter not needed a heavy plot.

Though you think Gears of War is perfect I do not.   In my opinion it has quite a few short comings.  The game gets more praise about its graphics than the gameplay and thats a fact.  The longer I played it the less I noticed the graphics and the more I noticed stuff that pissed me off.  Don't let it bug you...if you love it thats fine.  I merely gave an opinion of the game.

Like I stated, I am in the minority about this.  I still believe the game is a killer app and I still think everybody should play it. 

I read your post twice now and I can't see any real complaints, just you saying it doesn't live up to the hype.  What exactly about it makes it less great than everyone says?