I'm note reviewing this: Gears of War 3

One thing that I absolutely did not expect to say about the 3rd chapter of what is arguably the most influential game of the current console generation, is emotional resonance. However here I am after 10-ish hours of playing and actually thinking about the events that transpired. Now it should be stated that first and foremost, GoW3 is mostly a formulaic adventure that moves you quickly from one crisis to another, trying to find X or collect Y, for the greater good of the motley band of CoG soldiers and humanity at large. They did not reinvent the wheel. But they did perfect it.

Epic did not stray far from the beaten path on this outing. Nor should they. Your character still controls like an out-of-control Winnebago, and the shooting still feels as satisfying as it did back in 2006. And for my money, there is no more satisfying event in games than hearing the pop of a head in the middle of a firefight.

But here I am thinking about where they went with the story. And for the better. By the time all is said and done, things are very different in the world than when the journey started. Perhaps responding to complaints that the CoG soldiers where just a group of guys bro-ing their way through waves of enemies, Epic fleshed out the characters. You really do get the feeling that these guys have been greatly affected by this war, and almost that they have lost any sense of what it is that they may be fighting for. A few key scenes, though they may be brief in the grand scheme of the game as whole, really say a lot about them and their state of mind. By the end, there really is a sense that they may have found peace within themselves.

However not all is perfect within this closing chapter. For all the things that seem to be settled, and all the answers that are provided about how things came to be, there still remains one giant question that needs to be answered. Unfortunately it probably never will.

Beyond the great single player campaign, their is the usually batch multi player modes you'd expect from a Gears game. The new addition to the line-up is Beast mode, which is essentially Horde mode in reverse, where the player controls Locust enemy types and takes on fortified AI human opponents. I would love to elaborate on this mode more, but I have yet to actually get into a game because very few people seem to be playing it. Horde mode is still a great time, and the versus MP is still a way to be brutally humiliated by people who seem to have never stopped playing the series online. They did add a casual mode to introduce new players to the MP, however as soon as you graduate out of that, you will never experience the safety of that womb again, and will grow to hate the savage nature of the versus games at it is probably the most unfriendly towards newcomers as any game I can think of.

GoW 3 is a terrific game. It looks great (in particular a stunning underwater sequence), plays great, and most importantly, it is still really fun. Cliff et al. really outdid themselves and it's somewhat disappointing to be saying goodbye to the Gears universe for the foreseeable future. At least in the meantime we get a hell of a ride to go out on.

I'm not reviewing this: God of War III

A funny thing happened a few hours into God of War III: it became really, really amazing. Perhaps it was the over hyping of the first 30 minutes that so many previews had gushed about. Perhaps it was the considerable increase in hack’n’slashery that I had done this year. Maybe it was even the incredibly misguided Platinum trophy runs of Dante’s Inferno that I had done, but I just was not into this game at all. The giant bosses, the same combat I had played with twice before, and the puzzles which seemed to only slow down the pace of the game. Then, all of a sudden, it just clicked.

First off, this game is more God of War. If you’ve played the previous installments, then you know what you’re getting yourself into. Brutal combat, mythological beings, pushing things around to solve puzzles, and some gratuitous nudity that seems to do nothing other than appeal to 16-year-olds, all make their returns.

From a presentation standpoint, this game is gorgeous. With some exceptions here and there, this game is stunning in its scale and detail. The Kratos model is truly impressive. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all characters as there is the odd model that pops up with poor texturing, or is just plain weird looking. More specifically, the character of Pandora has odd, buggy eyes, and her father Hephaestus is pixilated and features some clipping issues. But these are minor gripes, especially when you factor in that Hera has been designed as a drunken socialite. Truly a round of applause should be sent to whoever is responsible for that.

The story itself seems pretty predictable insofar as Kratos continues on his journey of killing anything that he comes into contact with. I will admit that my dislike of the character stems from this anger and the fact that the events of the series are entirely his fault. It’s hard to care about a guy who seems to want to punish everyone but himself for the mistakes he has made. Fortunately, the journey that his killing spree takes him is enjoyable enough that I can overlook his depravity.

Perhaps what I enjoyed the about this game over previous ones was that all the “in between” time, meaning the elements that connect the major set pieces, were a lot more enjoyable. The game does not get dragged out by walking down corridors only to fight a group of enemies, and repeating the process endlessly. Truly it seems that ever location, every mountain and every hallway serves out a specific purpose to the overall experience.

That is until you reach the end game. Things seem to fall apart a little, when suddenly you are back tracking through areas and repeating set pieces. It seems like a complete shame after having created so many wonderful areas and encounters beforehand. The final boss and conclusion are epically disappointing when compared to the earlier games. The final conclusion to the story seems so forced, and so against everything that they build up, it almost seems like a fake out. But then reality hits and you realize that it wasn’t a joke; they really did want to end it that way. Ultimately that’s what holds this game back from greatness.

While there are some nice improvements to the gameplay and combat, courtesy of the powers and enhancements that you earn throughout the adventure, the thing that is really needed to make this game great is an amazing conclusion to the Kratos storyline. It seemed like they really had something special here, and for the most part it is, but the final act leaves a lot to be desired. The amazing set-pieces and boss fights that precede can only do so much if the entire package cannot maintain the same level of quality. Without a doubt I would recommend this game to anyone to play, just be wary of expecting an absolute masterpiece.