Review – Gears of War: Judgment (Xbox 360)

Mar 252013

Gears of War has become the poster child for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 ever since the original’s release way back in November of 2006. With this generation of consoles quickly winding down, it’s only fitting that Epic and Microsoft release one last Gears of War before focus shifts to whatever the next Xbox will be named. But still, even with that “fitting” nature, many people still wondered if Gears of War Judgment was necessary. But more importantly, with it now being a direct spin off from the previous games, would it acquire the same passion and care that the last three installments so eloquently flaunted?

The Locust invasion story has never been a particularly fascinating one in the Gears universe. It’s been the constant string tying all four installments together but the storytelling mostly relied on your care for the main four COG members: Marcus, Dom, Baird, and Cole. With the ending of Gears of War 3, it was abundantly clear that Marcus and Dom’s stories were over, meaning placing them in a subsequent sequel would feel forced and unnecessary. To avoid that, Epic and People Can Fly decided to delve into the previously untold backstory of Cole and Baird. It’s been alluded to that they were on trial before meeting up with Marcus and Dom but the actual ins and outs of that trial have never been elaborated upon. In Gears of War Judgment, all your questions regarding that trial are answered, although the answers may be much less interesting that you had once thought.

Judgment introduces two new characters that join Cole and Baird on their journey, Padduk and Sophia. These characters are given slight backstories but never anything that propels them up to what you already know about Cole and Baird. Despite some of People Can Fly’s efforts, Cole and Baird are the two characters you ultimately care about. I’ve always had a slight admiration for Baird, though I understand that isn’t the popular opinion regarding him. That being said, him and Cole are especially reserved this go around, never really exerting their standard “hoorah” bravado. The actual story is told almost exclusively in flashbacks from the four characters, with you taking control of that character each time they give their “testimony.” Sadly, the trial itself is incredibly uninteresting and never becomes anything more than a platform to propel the next gameplay section forward.

The Unreal Engine has been a staple of the Gears series for years, and it’s beginning to show. The same grimy nature of the enemies and busted buildings still exist. On top of all that, the color palate remains rather bleak, apart from some surprising use of the always allusive blue color near the end of the game. That doesn’t mean that there’s a complete lack of variety however as some of the more open areas flaunt some really nice scenic views. These shots are few and far in between but when they come up, it makes you want to stop moving and just examine this ravaged world.

One of the biggest question marks heading into Judgment was how in the world the developers could make this single player campaign engaging yet again. Epic managed to hold our attention for three straight games but at the end of Gears of War 3, I felt more than done with Gears of War’s single player. With development now shifting to the Polish studio, People Can Fly, odds were stacked against them in their hopes of making their first Gears campaign an interesting one.

But they’ve managed to overcome those odds mainly due to the addition of a “declassified” objective that is available before the start of every section. These declassified objectives can vary from forcing you to use certain weapons all the way to giving you a time limit that forces you to hurry through the current section. The time limit contrivance can be a bit annoying but every declassified objective manages to add an interesting layer that otherwise would not exist. Also thrown into the campaign are horde mode sections that force you to fend off two or three attacking waves of Locust. The additions People Can Fly installs into the single player work brilliantly in revitalizing what seemed to be a lifeless experience prior to release.

There are a few fundamental changes that Judgment inserts which were not in previous installments. For example, instead of using the d-pad for weapon changes, you now tap Y to alternate between your two weapons. It’s a tad frustrating at first due to the removal of one of your weapon slots, but you quickly learn to get used to the new Call of Duty esque weapon swapping. With this change, you now use LB to throw grenades, which led to me using grenades much more often than I previously did. Now instead of being forced to swap out of your weapon mid firefight, you can simply tap LB and let whatever modified grenade you have in your inventory fly. It’s a smart but subtle change that goes a long way in making the Gears experience more accessible and easy to handle.

The lifeblood of the Gears franchise has forever been its expansive multiplayer. I remember many of nights spent playing Gears 1 and 2’s online multiplayer until I could see sunlight creeping back through my window after long hours filled with Coca Cola and Cheese Puffs. That magic had worn off slightly when Gears 3 released but that didn’t mean the multiplayer was any less impressive. By far the most bewildering part of Judgment’s multiplayer is the lack of any kind of Horde mode. If you remember correctly, Horde was the wave based survival mode focused on upgrading turrets and barriers. It was a widely loved feature that somehow did not make it into Judgment.

Instead, we have received a mode simply called “Survival.” Survival is also wave based but instead of having fifty waves, it only has ten. Also instead of being able to upgrade barriers and such, you can simply repair them after the Horde does their damage. You begin Survival by choosing between four classes: Medic, Engineer, Soldier, and Scout. Each class has its own special ability such as the engineer can repair barriers whereas the soldier can throw out a grenade that refills your teammate’s ammo. Survival is an acceptable mode that provides a few thrills, but never anything on the level of Horde. Due to that, you’re left feeling immensely unsatisfied after each round comes to a conclusion.

Not all the new modes are unsatisfying however as People Can Fly combined both the Beast mode from Gears 3 and the aforementioned Survival mode to form Overrun. Overrun involves two teams taking turns at attacking emergence holes that have been covered up by COG soldiers. As the horde, you’re choosing between multiple classes and pushing forward in hopes of breaking down enemy barriers and ultimately opening up room for an all-out rush on the E-Hole. Once you do destroy the cover on the E-Hole, the COG falls back to another area and the process begins anew. Once you destroy the covering yet again, the COG falls back to their generator which is the last line of defense. If you destroy that generator, that round is over and you transition to the COG side as you try to fight off the invading Horde. It may sound a bit tedious, and it does become a little tiresome after multiple hours of playtime, but it’s still a very fun mode to dive yourself into.

The head to head multiplayer feels mostly unchanged in the grand scheme of things. The biggest change is due to the new way you switch weapons, it forces you to only have one main weapon. Thankfully, you do get to choose what weapon you want before the match begins and there are still larger weapons strewn across the maps. But it seems as if everyone selects the Gnasher Shotgun as their one weapon, leading to a mostly shotgun dominated multiplayer experience. Possibly my biggest complaint regarding Judgment’s multiplayer is in regards to the lack of maps. There seems to be around four maps that are played on religiously, which gives me the bad feeling that if you want more variety, you better get ready to pay for some DLC.

I’ve never been a fan of Halo nor the Call of Duty franchises, but for some reason I’ve always had a love for Gears of War. That being said, I did not expect Judgment to be the tight little bow I had hoped would wrap up this beloved franchise. I, like many others, felt like Judgment was simply one last cash grab from Microsoft before the Xbox 360 ultimately rode off into the sunset. Thankfully, I was wrong. While Baird and Cole’s story isn’t the most interesting, the gameplay mechanics surrounding it make up for the dull storytelling and the multiplayer remains interesting, if not a little dumbed down from previous installments. Gears of War Judgment overachieves, which is something many did not expect, but it’s become clear that the series deserves to be put to rest.

Bulletstorm 2, anyone?

Graphics 80		Audio 85		Gameplay 80
Creativity 85		Execution 85		Offset 80

8.3

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Review – Painkiller: Hell & Damnation (PC)

Posted by Sean Judge No Responses »

Oct 302012

Painkiller, the original one, released back in 2004, was pure, unadulterated fun. It was a fast, bunny-hopping, gib-splattered FPS that took the best bits of FPS titles like the Quake series and Serious Sam and smashed them together to produce a PC gaming hit. The game focussed very closely on tight twitch mechanics and high enemy numbers within a gothic horror setting. It also featured some of the most unique weaponry in any FPS title. In fact, I’d go as far as to say the original Painkiller’s Stakethrower weapon remains one of the most joyful methods of dispatching an enemy in gaming, even today.

Why is this important? Well because Halloween sees the release of Painkiller: Hell & Damnation (HD?) and it is very much an attempt at refining the original release. Fans of the series, of which there are many as Painkiller enjoyed a solid community based around it’s no-frills multiplayer, will be keen to see if this entry is a return to form. Previous sequels such as 2009′s ‘Overdose’, sullied the name by misunderstanding what made the first game so appealing.

Axe versus Shotgun. Smart.

I was looking forward to sitting down with Painkiller HD and getting stuck in with the gore producing array of weapons once more, especially having just played through Serious Sam 3. My twitch skills have been recently sharpened and ready to split some demonic heads. This re-imagining is almost like a greatest hits album, consisting of 14 levels taken from the original title and it’s first expansion ‘Battle out of Hell’. They have been exquisitely rebuilt and repopulated with a horde of horrors from the original cast, all using the prowess of the Unreal engine. The problem is, it feels a bit like a greatest hits album where some of the tracks are iffy cover versions and remixes you’ll never want to listen to more than once.

It looks perfectly acceptable, it’s a sharper, more detailed version of Painkiller, the enemies are well realised, the weapons look practically identical to their original counterparts and the environments are creepy and atmospheric It does the job it needs to, but doesn’t go any further. Aside from the huge scale of some of the bosses, there are very little graphical ‘wow’ moments.

Audio is slightly dated, weapons effects are true to the original and rightly so, you can’t mess with people’s memories of key elements. It’s the ‘heavy metal’ riffs that unfortunately fall flat as they could have really used a rework. In this era of 7.1 HD Sound, to have the same tired riffs looping over and over whenever there’s a bit of action on screen, quickly grates. Some sharp re-sampling or remastering, or hell, even a totally new soundtrack, would’ve been a welcome update, assuming it complimented the rest of the experience.

Good to see Skeletor is still getting work.

It’s that dated, tired feel that runs throughout the Painkiller : Hell & Damnation experience. Dispatching a room of enemies to find that you can’t get through to the next part of the game, because there’s a single critter left somewhere in the level that has gotten lost or you’ve missed is a regular frustration. Having to wait for downed demons to disappear, leaving behind a green soul (a health pickup) takes a fraction of a second too long, leaving a jittery feeling to the flow of gameplay. Then there’s boss battles where you have no idea if you are having any impact at all on the boss, or whether or not you’re approaching it entirely wrong. All these were present in 2004, and more importantly, forgiveable. It was how things were. 8 years later, if you’re remastering a game in your own vision to update the best bits, you’d better bloody take out the bad bits, especially if you want to try and capture a new audience. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, in fact some elements, such as hitbox detection, seem to be a bit worse off, with almost-point blank shots going seemingly undetected.

As a result, Painkiller: Hell & Damnation struggles to justify itself as an essential purchase. It will naturally appeal to hardcore fans of the original, the core gameplay remains mostly unchanged. This is also it’s downfall. I have Painkiller Black Edition in my Steam Library – and it’s still available to purchase. I also have the original release in it’s retail box. Yes the graphics aren’t quite as shiny, but it also has all of the greatest hits and none of those dodgy cover versions or remixes. If you are new to the series, it’s a good place to start, as the dated visuals of the original may feel off-putting although they are by no means unacceptable. You could even add a point to the review score in fact. However for everyone else, unless you are desperate for some more graphical fidelity with your stakethrowing, it’s hard to recommend this if you own the originals.

Graphics 75		Audio 40		Gameplay 45
Creativity 35		Execution 65		Offset 60

5.3

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First Look – Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer

Posted by Matt Beaudette No Responses »

Feb 172012

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love the Mass Effect series. Mass Effect 2 is in my top 5 favorite games of all time, and needless to say, I am really looking forward to Mass Effect 3. However, the reason I love the series is because of the characters, the amazingly well realized setting and lore, and the compelling overarching story. The gameplay was decent in the first game, and greatly improved in the second; but if good third person shooter gameplay was all it took to win me over, then it would be Gears of War as one my all time favorite series, not Mass Effect. So obviously, I was skeptical of the co-op mode in Mass Effect 3, given that it is basically removing a lot of what I love about the series in favor of straight up action.

I say I was skeptical of the co-op in Mass Effect 3, but unlike some people, I am not necessarily against the idea. I have always praised Mass Effect 2 as having combat that is just as good as the top third person shooters. What really sets it apart is the rock/paper/scissors mechanic with the various types of powers and defenses. Some powers are only effective against unshielded opponents, while others excel at taking down shields, barriers, and armor. Luckily, this basic mechanic is maintained in Mass Effect 3, and overall I would have to say I have really enjoyed what I’ve played of the multiplayer.

The co-op mode in Mass Effect 3 is a wave based survival mode, and a good one at that. This type of mode has become very popular since Gears of War 2 kicked off the trend in 2008 with Horde Mode, and everyone has their favorite. In my opinion, Firefight in Halo Reach and Horde 2.0 in Gears of War 3 are the best examples of this mode, but I have to say I do like Mass Effect’s take on this mode. It works just like you’d expect, with each wave the enemies increase in numbers and difficulty, with the ultimate goal of surviving until your squad is extracted. The one twist is that every few waves, you will get objectives your team needs to complete in order to move on. These are usually time sensitive, and consist of things like holding a specific area, eliminating certain targets, and activating several nodes at various spots on the map. There are three difficulty levels, and let me tell you, the game doesn’t mess around. To have any chance of completing even the easiest difficulty, you basically need a squad of 4, or at the very least, a skilled squad of 3 all communicating. I was able to routinely complete the bronze difficulty level with squads of just 3 other random players, but I have yet to get much more than half way on silver. I’d imagine you would need a group of highly leveled characters to complete the higher difficulties.

Which brings us to a feature that really sets this mode apart from other similar modes, character progression and customization. The character leveling you’ve come to expect from the Mass Effect series is fully present in the multiplayer. All six Mass Effect classes are present in the co-op, and they remain mostly unchanged from Mass Effect 2. The Vanguard still has that awesome biotic charge, the infiltrator still has the cloak, and each class plays like you would expect them to. As you level up, you gain points to spend to unlock powers, with each character having 2 powers in addition to the specific class power. Obviously the game has to take place solely in real time, which is why you are limited to just three powers mapped to buttons, not having access to the power wheel. When you begin, you only have access to human characters, one for each class, with all the other races being locked from the get-go. To unlock them, you have to earn credits.

The way the unlocks work is actually really unique, and it brings some classic RPG style to the Call of Duty style unlock system. All your powers and passive health, damage, and shield upgrades are unlocked with points from leveling up, but all the weapons, items, mods, and characters require money to unlock. However, you don’t simply buy the items you want, instead you buy a box containing five items, with a random selection. You can choose to spend 5000 credits for 5 items, with a small chance of getting a rare. If you want to save up 20000 credits, you can buy a box of 5 items with a guarantee of getting at least one rare. Rares are basically the things you really want; weapons, characters, and mods. The non rare items are mostly one time use items like ammo for your rocket launcher, medi-gel (which allows to revive yourself if you go down as opposed to waiting for a teammate), and an other similar one time use items. I think the system is simply awesome. It can certainly get frustrating when you play for hours on end just trying to get a certain item or character, but every time I buy a box, I get those feelings of anticipation, like opening in a chest in a loot driven RPG. Maybe this is the time I get that awesome rare item!

As far as the actual gameplay goes, it’s not as big of a leap as from Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2, but there are definitely some improvements. The move set has been expanded, with human characters now being able to roll and jump between cover, bringing the game more in line with what you’d expect from a third person shooter. The other races handle a bit differently, though I’ve only unlocked 2 to this point. Turians can’t roll or slide between cover, but they do start with more shields than humans. Drell are the other race I’ve played as, and instead of the basic combat roll, you do cartwheels and back flips. Aside from the movement stuff, the only major change to gameplay is the addition of special melee attacks. Each class has their own heavy melee, which does more damage than a regular melee in addition to looking awesome. There are also several new powers spread out across the various classes and races, and they all seem to fit in well. The rock/paper/scissors style balance has maintained, though there have been slight changes to warp and overload, which I was at first against, but when I thought more about it, seemed to make sense. In Mass Effect 2, warp was effective against barriers, armor, and unarmored organics, while overload was effective against shields and synthetics. Now, overload works against barriers, shield, and synthetics, while warp works against armor and organics. This makes more sense from a balance perspective, even if not really from a fiction perspective.

Overall, the co-op in Mass Effect 3 seems like a nice feature for those that want it. Many people lost their minds when it was announced, proclaiming the end of Mass Effect, and cursing EA for “ruining the franchise”. I don’t think we will ever really know how much input EA actually has in the development of Bioware games, but whether Bioware would have done this on their own or not, I think it’s a pretty cool mode. Obviously, the core essence of Mass Effect could never be maintained in a wave based survival mode, but with the leveling, the classes, the powers, and the loot, there is enough RPG and enough Mass Effect in this mode to make this a nice diversion. When I finally get my hands on the final game, I will more than likely play through the single player multiple times before I ever boot up the co-op, but it’s nice to know it will be waiting for me once I’ve played the story a few times.

Gabe Draws: Sharing is Caring

Posted by GabeDraws No Responses »

Dec 282011

It would appear that Gabe is a fan of the Alliance, that or his wife is a huge fan of Gears of War 3?

Hardware Review – Albino R.A.T. 7 Gaming Mouse

Posted by Josh Knowles No Responses »

Oct 292011

A gamer is defined by many things: how much RAM exists – waiting, watching – within the decked out tower of black mesh and LED lights; the size of desired and obtained computer or television screen; which graphics card he/she wields; his/her ratio of headshots and “lucky” shots; and, not lastly, the durability of the mouse (nothing says “n00b” like an unresponsive, soggy pair of click buttons). The last one is a point of contestation for many an avid PC gamer, for when the mouse refuses to track movement or clicks correctly – resulting in your character randomly fleeing a battle to pull aggro on the wrong horde – it is time to shop for a new mouse. What does one search for, in this market of copycats and contemptible consumer woe?
When shopping for a mouse, one must come to the realization that when a gamer needs to buy something over-the-top stronger, faster, and beyond plain awesome to beat the competition, one does not buy a simple, miniscule rodent.
One buys a beastly R.A.T.
…and not just a regular R.A.T.
…an ALBINO R.A.T.

Similar to its shiny, black predecessor, the matte-finished, white-skinned, and red-eyed R.A.T. 7 by Mad Catz follows the principle of dynamic ergonomics: it can be shifted and adjusted to your perception of the ideal length and width with the fully integrated hex key fit snugly in the rear of the cybernetic super rodent – and if that’s not good enough for you, then it also comes with 6 easily interchangeable parts – thicker, leaner, more or less resistance (i.e. pick your pleasure) – to give you the proper grip or style you’ve always wanted ( it’s so good, you’ll feel like it paid YOU to tinker with its special parts). For those of you who always found it annoying to want to lean your pinky against something while frantically moving the mouse from target to target, there is the delightfully intuitive “Wing” Pinkie Grip attachment, which allows you to rest your pinkie on the right-rear of the mouse (say good-bye to the slippery mouse grip!).

The beautiful gadget that’s more efficiently designed than a mobile suit will even let you choose how much you want it to weigh: 6.0g washers line its belly, out of sight but ready to be experimented with. The full package also provides a miniature Weight Storage Container for your extra weights. The personally calibrated weight system is a particular joy because I find it makes it easier to maintain a steady grip instead of lollygagging about like a four-year old trying to beat the Octorok merchant in Majora’s Mask. This structural and innovative beauty is further supplemented by ST Programming Software specifically designed for the R.A.T. series, with a Precision Aim mode that allows you to set your desired Precision Aim, or mouse sensitivity, exactly where you want it to be; at the push of a button, you’ve already got the advantage against that n00btuber who kept grenade spamming you.

Once set up, it’s absolutely intuitive: change your DPI, create custom profiles for each game you own, and assign commands to 5 Programmable Buttons and 3 Cyborg Modes (i.e. change sensitivity or button actions in a moment to gain access to 15 different, programmable commands!). Needless to say, the 4 Custom DPI settings were also easy to toggle between because of the Rocker Switch that is conveniently located right behind the scroll wheel. At 6400 DPI (800 Dots higher than the R.A.T. 7 and 9!), this salacious computer accessory with ‘twin eye’ laser sensor technology is well worth the cost for any hardcore gamer looking for an even bigger edge. While the human eye likely will never comprehend the majesty that is 6400 DPI, the number itself is surely enough to satisfy those of you who love “teh Gamer Points”. It’s currently set at $130 (might want to check this), so it may leave your pockets emptier than Adam Jensen’s inventory case at the end of a boss fight with a gender-bending sycophant, but at the very least there won’t be any mistakes in your aim (unless you suck).
Plus, the drivers are directly downloadable on-site and work seamlessly and effortlessly with both MAC and PC. If nothing else, you have a no-hassle piece of equipment not unlike a boomstick that won’t cause you formatting problems.
The only bad thing I can think of is that gamers with smaller hands might have some trouble finding that sweet spot where the R.A.T. perfectly contours their hand, but after a while you definitely get used to having this beast in your oh-so-dainty grip. In addition, the soft matte grip might cause you to stroke it like a newborn kitten for a while because it’s deliciously sleek, so I’d be wary of using it in public unless you’re ready to DGAF about how legit it is.

I give this amazing piece of hardware a 5/5. If you are looking for a worthwhile gaming mouse, this is the one for you!

My Wife, the Casual Gamer, Reacts to: Left 4 Dead 2

Posted by Josh Knowles No Responses »

Aug 122011

I could alternately call this: How I Learned to Get Shot in the Face.

After playing Catherine for our last game, I had my wife pick out a title that our readers had recommended that I own. One suggestion that she saw was Left 4 Dead, the comment noted that it was fun to play with multiple people since one can protect another. Against my better judgement on this one, I agreed to give it a shot and we then had to choose which Left 4 Dead we were going to play. We decided on Left 4 Dead 2 (because I wanted to play as Ellis) and after an explanation that the game can be quite startling, we started it up.

This couldn't go wrong at all...

We started on “Dead Center” and sure enough, the questions immediately started flying. “Why are all these zombies here?” or “How did the survivors get together?”, questions that any Left 4 Dead veteran knows really don’t have answers. I had a little difficulty answering her question since I was providing quite a bit of cover fire for her as we ran from room to room. She was quite jumpy as we encountered the infected, many times shooting me and the 2 computer controlled characters as we came to assist her as well. After she went into a random room and ran right into a Boomer she immediately panicked, “Oh my gosh, there is a fat zombie after me!” she yelled as she tried to run back to me. Unfortunately, she ran in the wrong direction and while I ran up to try to melee the Boomer I warned her to not shoot it. Well, I started to at least. Sure enough, she shot the Boomer and was covered in bile, her panic became full-on video game hysteria as the infected horde descended upon her. As she began to fire wildly around and exclaim words like “Shitfuck” and “Help meeeeeee” she also began to fire her shotgun around trying to disperse the horde. Unfortunately, she wasn’t so much shooting the horde as she was emptying her ammo into back, when I turned to get out of the way it became my face, incapacitating me. As the rest of our team came back to help, she was incapacitated as well. “Noooooo, noooooo I’m dead!” was her reaction to that, I tried to explain she wasn’t and then in a second I would get her up and we could continue. I’m pretty sure that she was still firing into poor Ellis as I got her up, since I had once again taken some considerable damage. We got to the end of the hallway and started to make our way along the outside of the building when she knocked off by something (I think a normal zombie), I am not sure how but she fell to her death rather quickly and then tossed my controller onto the couch. “I am absolutely not playing this game anymore!”

She watched me play a little bit longer, jumping almost every time I encountered a special infected. She wasn’t a fan of any of them, most of all the Witches since their sobbing made her thing that there were little kids around. I assured her that there wasn’t and showed her the sobbing zombie. She asked me to make her stop crying as Rochelle ran up and fired at a zombie running by. As soon as the Witch had torn stupid Rochelle apart she immediately came after me. My wife kept telling me to stop her as I backpedaled and tried to shoot her. Didn’t work and I died quickly. My wife laughed and said “You must really suck at this game.”

Yup, my wife, the casual troll.

After a bit of playing I asked her what she thought, “The game seems ok, I guess. I mean it is really fucking scary and I won’t play it again.”. I guess that is good?

Is Gears Of War 3 Not Getting The Attention It Should?

Posted by Choch No Responses »

Aug 082011

The end to one of the most successful third-person shooters of all-time comes to an end on September 20th. But with all the hype surrounding other shooters such as “Battlefield 3″ and “Modern Warfare 3″, is anyone paying attention to Gears of War? Don’t get me wrong, I’m just as excited for Battlefield as the next person (not so much for Modern Warfare) but I know I’ll be playing a lot, and I mean a lot of Gears until Battlefield 3 drops.

With the additions of Horde 2.0, Beast Mode, and an all new campaign, it’s hard not to look at it as a potential Game of the Year. Horde 2.0 brings a completely new dynamic to the game. Horde was a great addition to Gears of War 2. Horde 2.0 is stepping up big time. With the additions of newer weapons, harder waves and even barriers, a new game is essentially created. Beast Mode looks to be an awesome addition to the game. You can finally play as the locust trying to take down Marcus and his crew. Its basically horde but locust style, which is nice.

The one thing I fear for the game is the online multiplayer. Most of us may remember Gears of War 2 online as frustrating due to many things. One of them was not being able to quit once a game had started. Another annoyance was not being able to find a match, which made playing the game online difficult. Those are just off the top of my head, and I’m positive people have other things they’d like to see fixed come September.

The upside was the fact that the game received a beta. Players had the chance to familiarize ourselves with the controls, maps, and the overall feel to the game before it hit stores. The beta also gave Epic a chance to fix any bugs the game might have had.
Other good news, newcomers to the game online will have ‘casual’ multiplayer. This will allow players new to Gears online to familiarize themselves. The new mode will also block those who have already played any of the previous Gears games online. Casual multiplayer will also include aim assist.

September 20th is fast approaching people. Before counting the days and months to Battlefield and Modern Warfare, take a look at your savings accounts, your wallet, wherever you store your cash; you don’t want to miss out on this game.