Gears of War Xbox 360

This third person action game begins you as Marcus Fenix, a former war hero who's reputation was tainted by his military trial, is looking for redemption. As the COG's are growing thin on personnel you and three others are sent out to rescue the Alpha Squad from the Locust. Once the game begins you will immediately notice the graphics to be like none other. This happens with the newly acquired Unreal Engine 3, which takes video games to a more cinematic and high definition level.

If your looking for good storyline play, look no further. You will have to go through five different "Acts" to reach your destination of defeating General Ramm. The storyline mode can take anywheres from one to 4 hours an "Act" depending on how well you pick up the game. Once you beat the Acts it's not over. You can play on three different levels, and not just for fun. You will receive gamer score achievements for Casual, Veteran, and Insane modes.

Toys To Play With

One interesting feature to Gears of War is that it has so many different weapons that must be used a certain way to get their full affects. Here's a list and a little about each one:

Chainsaw Machine Gun- This is the beginner gun. It has 600+ bullets and a chainsaw at the bottom of the barrel. I say this is for beginners since you can pump 50 bullets in someone but they are weak and won't kill them. However, there are "Active Reloads" which you can do yourself to make your bullets stronger.

Shotgun- Interestingly enough the shotgun is a very strong tool to keep on you at all times. Active Reloads for this will give you the ability for a "One Shot Kill".

Pistols- The pistol is very powerful for a video game. Most on others are very strong, but in this case you can either have your regularly equipped pistol or find a Revolver lying around the game.

Grenades- There are two types of grenades, smoke and frag. As on other games how you need one, but on Gears of War you must hold the left trigger in to get loft and aiming. Sounds hard, but once you are used to it it's pretty simple. To enhance your enjoyment, you can actually tag Locusts with a grenade and watch them run around before they explode.

Sniper- The sniper gun is a little hard to utilize if you are trying to close up shoot from a mid-to-close distance. If you grab it, make sure you are at a farther distance point for more accuracy.

Torque Bow- This is one of the best additions of the game. You have TNT arrows and can shoot your opponents and watch them explode. Don't be fooled, it is the hardest weapon to control on the game, so take some practice.

Hammer of Dawn- This weapon is unbelievable. You must take aim at something still(like a van or statue, or person if your lucky) it will then generate this beam that cascades from the sky onto your opponents melting them. You will find in storyline mode it is fairly simple to use, but online it is a little more difficult with everyone running around.

Achievements

The game was definitely made for longevity for the fans. There are 49 different achievements you can obtain to conquer the game. Some are storyline, and some are online, so be ready for the ultimate challenge. When you play the game go to your gamer score and look at all the achievements that are locked, if you scroll all the way down to the very last one, you will find an achievement that says, "Seriously". In order to obtain this achievement you will need to kill 10,000 people online. So don't plan on putting this game in the closet anytime soon.

The other 48 achievements will be left for you to find out about. You can receive special gamerpics for completing each one individually.

Tips and Tricks

Normally, I would give you different ways you may do things to enhance your abilities, but in this game your better off learning for yourself. It will make you better for when it's time to go to Xbox Live and face the best.