It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it. We set off to a swanky London penthouse to play one of the most anticipated games of 2006, the third-person tactical shooter, Gears of War. We’d heard mixed previews, mainly revolving around a dodgy control system, but we’d been looking forward to the game for so long that we weren’t going to be phased by the hollers of discontent from a minority. We’ve seen plenty of trailers to know that Gears of War would look great and seen in-game footage which had blew us away, but it’s easy to be deceived with the publisher’s hype when we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes. We were excited, but also cautious just in case Gears of War didn’t quite live up to our expectations.
From the moment that we clutched the 360 controller in our sweaty palms and witnessed the first 30 seconds of the multiplayer map called Gridlock we were quite literally stunned. I exchanged a few glances with the HEXUS.gaming Editor Nick Haywood which was enough to tell the story. We didn’t have to say anything; it was the language of the gamer, the twinkle in his eye, and his ever widening smile that told me that he was thinking exactly what I was thinking. It was a moment where I just wanted to lay bare my inner emotions and shout at the top of my voice. It was moment that defied all logic as I struggled to come to terms with how the first moments of a videogame had messed with my soul. I literally took up position behind the cover of a car and sat there shaking my head in disbelief, frozen with awe, but occasionally brave enough to take a few pot-shots at an enemy on the far side of the map. As a person who’s been gaming for 18 years, playing Gears of War is undoubtedly the highest I’ve ever felt. Forget drugs and alcohol, everything you need to get that adrenaline pumping is coming our way in November.
A bit of background first… Gears of War thrusts gamers into humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde. In this third-person tactical action/horror game, players live and breathe the role of Marcus Fenix. A disgraced former war hero, Marcus seeks personal redemption as he leads his fire team against an onslaught of merciless warrior fiends.
