Gears of War Critic Reviews

Gears of War is truly a breakthrough: The absolute finest game of its kind. The bar has definitely been raised. What Halo did for first-person shooters, Gears does for third person - it's that good.

Each stage is memorable...They all combine for an unforgettable adventure through 36 hectic, desperate hours of a group of soldiers' lives...A visual and visceral masterpiece.

Huge, muscular combatants move like giant men wearing heavy gear, fine details are everywhere, and splattering blood never looked so beautiful - and we mean that in an uncreepy, non-Hannibal Lecter kind of way. It just looks incredible.

I'm smitten with Gears of War and all its glorious, horrific violence, blood and anarchy. Move over Master Chief, 'cause Marcus Fenix will kick your bony ass all over town.

It's all about the gameplay, and Gears of War delivers in that department so completely that it wouldn't matter if you were playing the game in 16 bit graphics. But you're not. And Gears of War's glorious presentation - everything from the sound effects to the art direction to the awesomely dark storyline - only enhances what lies at the heart of Gears' destroyed beauty: the gameplay.

The single impression that I've consistently had about this game since I put the disc in my 360 was one of total and absolute awe and shock. Gears of War doesn't just raise the bar for what we expect from next-gen games, it doubles its height.

No longer a covert operation, Epic's sci-fi shooter Gears of War has finally emerged, and it's pretty much everything we hooped it would be, as well as a few things we didn't expect.

We'll just come out and say it: Gears of War is better than "Halo"... It's a fantastic-looking, riveting, fire-first-ask-questions-never third-person shooter that manages to show you things that you've never seen before on a console.

Played with a friend, on Hardcore, Gears of War is simply an astounding game. Yes, it has the best visuals ever to grace a video game, but it's how these are used to create an intense shooter that make it so good.

Combining the excellent gameplay with superb level designs, non-linear battles that allow you to use any weapon or cover at your disposal to eliminate threats, as well as completely unique storyline elements is what really makes Gears' solo mode shine brighter than any of the grim graphics in the game.

As long as you're not too distracted by the superb graphics, you will discover that Gears of War is a classy, imaginative shooter with plenty of gritty action.

An astonishing shooter.

The loftiest of production values married to one of a kind graphical fidelity, all wrapped up in astounding, innovative and exciting gameplay that shooter fans will die for make GoW a true AAA title that not only lives up to, but surpasses its massive hype.

The dark storyline isn't fantastic, but the way it's presented certainly is. Gritty characters with a rare touch of humanity, intense combat that will leave you breathless, and some great multiplayer modes are sure to keep you hooked until the inevitable sequel comes along.

There’s not much left to do in games after this.

A lot of Gears is derivative, from the Pitch Black light gimmick to the sassy black sidekick to the "Saving Private Ryan cam" to the way the score apes James Horner's Aliens soundtrack. But Gears of War feels like a game built out of homages rather than creative bankruptcy.

Some games nail the gameplay mechanics, others have an amazing art style, some are incredibly fun to play, and yet others are amazing technical achievements. It’s rare that a game has all of those qualities, but Epic Games’ Gears of Wars does.

Unsullied by over-complication and masterfully focused, Gears of War aims to offer the most bang per buck yet seen in a videogame, and we're glad to say it does just that.

Gears Of War couldn't feel more vital. Some will see the future, some will see the past; we just see a truly great game.

The camera is so good in Gears of War that I never once thought about it while playing. I can't recall a single instance where it did not frame the action right, or hide anything I should have seen.