Apparatus of Conflict
Gears of War is not without flaws. The story is practically non-existent, the controls can feel wonky even to players who have gotten past the initially tricky learning curve, and the multiplayer matchmaking options lack many of the options that any reasonable human being would expect from civilized society, and the list honestly doesn’t stop there. So when I tell you that it is the first must-have title, I want you to understand that the rest of the game is so damned impressive that you won’t actually care about those flaws.
The game has been in heavy rotation in my home over the weekend, even causing me to casually neglect friends I had invited over in the first place. As it turns out, this didn’t matter too much because most of them seemed quite content just to watch. The inclusion of — or should I say, focus on — coop has made it a perfect fit around here, as my roommate is frequently frustrated by my constant hogging of the television, and so in a way Gears can be seen as an item to promote unity. Our first pass through the game resulted in the immediate and mutual decision to go through again on the newly unlocked Insane mode, a choice that was immensely rewarding in spite of a few bumps in the road, like the supremely stupid car sequence. Interestingly, some of the more frustrating encounters were the most enjoyable, as the combination of weapons and tactics available at any time makes you more determined to find the right solution instead of merely getting fed up. I don’t mind tell you that we spent a lot of time high-fiving like idiots.
The multiplayer is also deserving of special commendation, despite their mechanisms for getting into the game being feeling about as primitive as banging two rocks together. The high jackass quotient being well documented online, once you find a solid crew you want nothing more than to continue playing with them, rolling up to bring the hate on any and all comers, but this functionality simply doesn’t exist. Rumor has it that Microsoft forced Epic to make the game function this way, but if it’s true I can’t tell who’s dumber: Microsoft for insisting on that kind of crippled experience or Epic for not fighting tooth and nail to change it. Complain bitterly, brethren! It’s the only goddamn way anything gets fixed around here.
Regardless, the multiplayer is awesome, which is what I had meant to say before getting sidetracked. The thing I remember most from my first game session way back at E3 was how exhilarated I felt walking out, and not much has changed there. Most games result in the kind of intense stalemates that dump a metric shitload of adrenaline into your system, and by the time you’re done you’ll feel like a Space Commando From The Future regardless of your actual performance. Once the matchmaking system catches up with the game itself, this is going to be a real treat indeed.
I don’t know how Microsoft secured Gears as a 360 exclusive, but as we enter a holiday season dominated by the PS3 and Wii, Epic has delivered a pretty compelling reason to stick with what’s already out there. Despite their protestations to the contrary, I’m sure it won’t be their last salvo against these new challengers, either.