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| Gears of War |
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| Shooters |
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| Epic Games |
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| Microsoft |
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17th November 06 |
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7th November 06 |
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18+ |
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(M) - Mature |
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A War is Brewing
If there is one series which remains synonymous with the Xbox console then that is of course Halo. After garnering almost cult status when it launched with Microsoft’s console in 2001 the antics of Master Chief has seen the character leap into the shoes of an unofficial mascot of sorts. With the success of two games under their belts all eyes are on Bungie (the developers) to produce something even more thrilling in the forthcoming Halo 3. It’s rare if not unheard of unless you are Nintendo, to sell consoles and keep fans happy based on one game franchise. Ok well that might be a little harshly directed at Nintendo but my point is that gamers need games and as many well produced titles as possible. Not everyone likes Halo and surely to survive in such a competitive marketplace, Microsoft needs plenty of AAA titles to sway the masses into buying into its goals.
With the soon to be released Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii this holiday season means that Microsoft need to have some ammunition to basically shout out to consumers that their machine is every bit as viable an option as the then newly released Playstation 3 and Wii. The price is an important factor as is availability but Microsoft also needs to show off some games, which so far the Xbox 360 has built quite an extensive selection of titles to choose from. So, when happy shoppers are faced with a cheaper option with the Xbox 360 compared to the PS3, also means gamers will have a far wider choice of games to buy compared to the few launch titles the PS3 will present. This is all good news for Microsoft and of course the consumer; however there is an underlying problem in the mindset of casual gamers across the globe. The problem has undoubtedly been stoked by the spin Sony has used in the build up to the release of their console. It’s a sad truth and no matter how many analysts compare stats and specs, the average consumer still believes that the PS3 is a far more powerful machine capable of producing far superior graphics compared to the Xbox 360.
With a potential retail war this holiday season or Xmas in Europe, it’s clear that Microsoft are fully aware of the problems it faces once the PS3 and Wii launches; and so I present to you an Xbox 360 exclusive, Gears Of War! Hype is a good thing in some respects and although it can often breed disappointment it certainly helps in creating fever pitched levels of anticipation. Well I’m sure it comes as no surprise that Epic Game’s Gears of War has become one of the most hyped titles since the Xbox 360 launched last year. With early screenshots showing the game running on the new Unreal Engine 3 which looked every bit as good as anything the PS3 could muster (and this still holds true today) Gears of War is most definitely Microsoft’s not so secret weapon, so to speak.
I think it’s safe to say that for many people the definition of Next Generation gaming is clearly defined by the capabilities of the hardware and more importantly the graphics output. Well Gears of War certainly fulfils this criteria and looks far more impressive than any game seen on Xbox and of course any other console before it. In this respect the graphics deliver for all those graphics junkies; however the game play is up for speculation and until people have played the full game on finished code we won’t really know for sure if Gears of War is all show and no substance. Well, let’s take a closer look at Gears of War which may well turn out to be a very successful title for Microsoft and one that will appeal to masses of gamers across the globe. Cliffy B the Lead designer at Epic has already stated that they aim for the Gears of War franchise to continue beyond the first game.
A Brief History of Time
Gears of War is set on the fictitious world, Sera which has suffered millennia of conflict and bloodshed. With the world at war and impeding Armageddon, humanity saves itself and retreats from the fighting to create a more unified existence for the world’s inhabitants. Sera transformed and although laying host to numerous problems over petroleum and nuclear fuels, human rights and of course an underlying criminal element; things were a massive improvement on the impeding self destruction which the people would have faced. Over time Sera’s cities flourished and became classic examples of good living for many generations to come. This new found hope drove the people to success and a new world order was formed in Sera’s new found Golden Age.
Sera’s trouble seemingly had been thwarted, however with limited resources being drained, problems were starting to appear. An oil exploration drill discovered a new resource called Imulsion which is a phosphorescing low-viscosity fluid. With research from a Dr Helen Cooper, she was able to invent a Light Mass process which effectively turned Imulsion into usable energy. This seemed like a perfect solution to the energy shortages on Sera, however not everyone was able to benefit from this. The few nations that had access to Imulsion reserves suddenly had a cheap and limitless fuel; however this in itself caused a divide amongst nations as those without soon became envious of those nations with reserves.
Sera experienced a global market crash as Imulsion speculation skyrocketed. Politics and underhand deals revealed themselves and so Sera’s tranquillity abruptly came to an end as poorer nations began attacking the richer nations. Sera experienced 79 years of war as nations battled for supremacy over the Imulsion reserves; this war became known as the Pendulum Wars. 79 years of war is a long time and enough time for the people to turn the idyllic Sera into a decaying mess. However, as humans battled against human a new threat reared its ugly head, not from the stars but from beneath the surface of the world. A new enemy known as the Locusts formed underground, and mounted a massive attack on humanity. The initial attack which lasted 24 hours managed to wipe out a quarter of the human race. Humans were scattered and unorganised due to the in fighting of the last 79 years and so their only hope was to join together. This day became known as Emergence Day as the Locust revealed themselves, killed many and then took control of most urban, military and manufacturing centres.
The remaining Human forces retreated to an area known as the Jacinto Plateau which was a geological region of solid granite and a place where the Locusts couldn’t penetrate with their digging machines from underground. The Jacinto plateau was formed of natural fissures in the granite which the leaders decided to flush out and flood with nerve gas and so the Jacinto plateau became a safe haven for humanity as leaders gathered to determine what they would do against the Locusts. A tough decision was made as the leaders decided to unleash Sera’s own orbital-beam weapons onto the lands; effectively burning the Locusts but sadly destroying 90% of Sera’s surface including civilians who couldn’t evacuate in time. The Humans had won the Emergence Day invasion but at what cost, especially as many more Locust remained unharmed beneath the surface. The military leaders fortified the Jacinto region as the world was once more plunged into an even darker age that threatened the very existence of mankind.
From the darkness a new hero is born
Long before any wars the Coalition of ordered Governments (COG) was formed and only really existed as an obscure mindset of fanatic socialists. The COG was based on eight values of guidance and included Order, Diligence, Purity, Labour, Honour, Loyalty, Faith and Humility. During the Pendulum wars the COG established itself as a legitimate but small political party. After Emergence Day the COG were the only leaders willing to make swift decisions that were necessary for the survival of the human race. The COG ratified the Fortification Act which established martial law and in turn transformed the Jacinto Plateau into a huge fortress and safe haven for Sera’s survivors. The COG commanded much respect from the masses even though their methods were a little unorthodox and often breeched human rights; however the COG existed as a protector of the human race.
The huge fortress that was the Jacinto Plateau needed defending and with fewer and fewer capable men for the task the COG employed different tactics for its recruitment. The situation was dire and there was little time for politics as the Locusts could return once more for another wave of attacks. The COG began looking for soldiers and no-one was deemed incapable. The young, the infirm and even prisoners that were deemed irredeemable were recruited and this is where prisoner 098356-GX or Marcus Fenix was called, to become what is known as a Gear. Marcus Fenix was a solider who had performed well during the Pendulum wars. He was highly regarded yet imprisoned for cowardice and disobeying orders. Due to his excellent tours of duty he managed to escape the death penalty and after Emergency Day was recruited to become a Gear; this is where you the player step in as the leading character in Gears of War is Marcus Fenix.
The Locusts are bugs aren’t they?
Little is known about the Locusts as they had remained hidden from human eyes living in warrens deep underground. The scientists of Sera believed that they were some form of mutated native life forms whereas others viewed them as alien beings. Living beneath the surface of Sera in a seemingly endless network of caverns it seemed that the only real piece of information people had about the Locusts other than their sheer terror was the fact that they had an aversion to light. This became one of the human race’s few advantages that they had over the little known Locusts and was to be used at all times. The people of Sera concluded that the only goal of the Locusts was to wipe out all humans at all costs.
Reports from various surviving gears have indicated several Locust forms as they appear to utilise some sort of hierarchy. There are Drones who use numbers to take out tough opponents, although they have the intelligence to set up ambushes, lures and are well capable of sniping. Gears reported that Drones never lose their morale and run away from a fight. There have also been reports made by gears that three man teams operate pulse projectile gun emplacements that are extremely deadly.
Another reported Locust was a Brumak which is a staggering 12 meters in height and looks ferocious. Scientists who studied the DNA believed that Brumaks were in fact bred by the Locusts from smaller native apes. Brumaks have been reported to come in armoured, Drone carrying variants. Some reports have suggested that Brumaks are able to carry large energy cannons.
Berserkers are female Drones who use scent and vibration to detect enemies. Berserkers have been reported by gears as slow moving but very powerful and can even smash through walls. Berserkers have been reported to obliterate armoured Gears in one hit and the best advice is to simply run away if one is encountered.
There are no doubt going to be a number of other Locusts in the final game but already the Locusts look like a formidable bunch of critters. The team at Epic are looking to create an aged 18 plus storyline with Gears of War and aim for players to experience rather than simply play their game.
What is Gears of War?
Gears of War is a third person action game that offers an all new level of graphical finesse using the new Unreal Engine 3 technology. Speaking with Cliffy B (the lead designer at Epic) it is clear that the team aren’t simply upping the graphical stakes but also aim to redefine the cover shooter genre with Gears of War or Gears as it is commonly referred to. Here’s a quote from the interview we conducted with Cliffy B and Mark Rein last year.
Cliff B:”So we have a lot, as far as the cover deck its like the core of the game we have this whole thing where were doing cover and we want to change the paradigm of how people play shooters. Because I played most shooters right now and you’re the alien; by the way there’s no aliens (points to TV screen) and I’m the bad guy I mean the good guy and you’re running at me and were just shooting at each other and to me it just feels silly to me now. Because if you are actually getting shot at you get behind cover; you are going to get your butt behind a wall! There’s a couple of instances where this game will be context sensitive; jump across like a little gap or whatever but for the most part there’s no jumping in war. You don’t see video guys in Iraq hopping around like Mario right because there are bullets whizzing at their heads and they want to live and that’s the key difference as far as the Locusts; they are savages but they are intelligent savages. They use the same cover system that you use and they want to survive. So they are going to get their head down and they are going to try and move to another cover spot. And you’re going to continue to play this game of where you’re trying to flank the guy, get the drop on him and take him out before he takes you out. That is a far more interesting combat method than just running in and gunning like crazy. I’m hoping it will continue to establish the cover shooter as its own genre, much like the stealth game was with Splinter Cell and Metal Gear.
Continuing with the whole cover thing it’s like if we are going to do cover then lets go deep on it. So not only do we have like your straight cover where you can go from point A to point B , but your standing cover utilizing different heights as far as seeing your character doing it. But also have circular cover with your back against a pillar and circle around the pillar. Creatable cover where you will knock over the pillar or where you blow up the car, the gas tank and then it lands and you can take cover behind it. Destroyable cover like the visual language appears; if it’s wood then it’s not safe so if you’re behind like an armoire or whatever your enemy is shooting at you and will chip away at it and eventually destroy it.”
Gears of War will feature some squad element as well as comprehensive AI. This means that Marcus will be able to give basic orders to his unit although we have been informed that the AI will be very human like. Team mates will act according to the situation at hand and will take cover, re-load , shoot and heal themselves accordingly. Epic are keen to stress that unlike some other games which feature team AI, the teammates in Gears of War will not need to be “babysitted”. The Enemy AI is also of a high standard where enemies will re-group if overpowered and use the same cover tactics that you can use so players can expect unique intense gun battles throughout the game. No two battles will play out exactly the same as the AI reacts to events on the fly.
What about the multiplayer?
Gears of War aims to offer a cinematic, gritty and intense playing experience for the single player. However the team are also focusing heavily on the multiplayer aspect which is good considering the team have much experience in this field especially as they are responsible for the popular Unreal Tournament games. In Gears of War players can expect some co-op play through single player experience with an option to play via Xbox 360 Live. During co-op players will control Marcus and Dominic; the level design ensures that there will be moments when players will take differing pathways even though they remain in each others sight. This will offer an even greater level of replay and will no doubt be similar to what we have seen in Perfect Dark Zero’s co-op play on the Rooftops level. Not much has been said regarding the adversarial multiplayer modes but we can expect the usual assortment of modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and such like. With the whole cover shooter aspect of the game it will be interesting to see how this is converted for Live multiplayer especially if the destructive cover element is left intact.
Gears of War is a potential smash hit for Microsoft and one that could easily rival the Halo series in terms of popularity. However the team at Epic has to get things right in making gears not only look pretty but play intelligently enough to wow gamers across the board. With some single player levels being playable at this years E3 the general consensus that Gears of War looks great cannot be contested especially with the much talked about chainsaw melee attack gushing pints of blood. With a Holiday season release which we suspect will be around November 2006, Gears of War is set to take gamers by storm. The hype machine began last year and will no doubt continue all the way up to release. I’m excited for the game, the team at Epic are passionate about providing a unique gaming experience and so what can go wrong? Will Gears of War be a match made in heaven for gamers come November or will it simply fall into the category of another “Halo Beater” that failed? I personally believe the tag “ Halo Beater” is unfair as the two games are very different; however having seen Gears of War in action I can confidently say that regardless of whether Gears of War “Beats” Halo in terms of popularity, it will be one hell of an awesome game and will gain many fans around the world. Emergence Day is coming!
You can read the full Gears of War interview with Cliffy B and Mark Rein by simply clicking here.
You can view Gears of War screenshots by clicking here.
You can view Gears of War movies by clicking here.
Preview By: Robert Cram
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