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Rainbow Six Vegas
| Genre | FPS |
| Developer | Epic |
| Publisher | Microsoft |
| Modes | Single/ Multiplayer |
| Rating | BBFC 18 |
| Released | 12.11.2006 |
The world is on the brink of destruction. A nightmare which lies beneath the surface of the earths crust has risen. Everything that existed on earth, lies in ruins. Man kind has one last chance to fight back and put the locust hordes back into there holes. But the only soldiers that are left are the ordinary people, the wounded, the imprisoned and the sick. Marcus Fenix has no idea what the world has come to behind the walls of his tiny cell. But the coalition have no choice but to use every last resource that they can possibly find to help them to claim back the world.
Gears of War has been endlessly talked about as a definite Halo killer and the real next generation experience. Never before has a game been so hyped up, but usually when these sorts of games have such a high level of expectancy, they turn out to be less than people expected. But let me tell you that Gears of War is THE next generation gaming experience that we have highly anticipated. Almost everything about the game is 100% spot on. In my honest opinion it is the best all around gaming experience that I have ever had.
The story does not really play a very big part in the game itself. Basically, you are released from jail to help to save the world. You join delta squad, who set out to find alpha squad who apparently have an item that could turn the tide of the war. Basically you have got to fight your way through 5 Acts in order to complete the game. There are a few cut scenes but they don't really reveal much more of the story. But this does not really at all affect the overall experience.
As soon as you GoW, the very first thing that you will notice is the absolutely outstanding graphics. They are the best that the 360 can offer. Everything is so detailed, the textures are immaculate and you will often find yourself distracted by buildings and scenery. The war torn city looks so real. But its not all about the city, the scenery is varied throughout the game. The character models are extremely detailed. Also Gears of War features a lot of blood, and it looks amazing. The graphics are all round stunning, there is no other word for it.
As for Gameplay, it is all about getting in and out of cover to avoid the fire of the oncoming locusts. You will find yourself 90% of the time, slowly advancing and getting into cover. The game makes this very easy, it will allow you to carry out many maneuvers when in cover by using the analogue stick and the a button, you can dive to a parallel wall, jump over the wall, or simply un-hug the wall and find a new position. The health system is very forgiving. You will not be dying from a headshot, instead the game uses a heath system similar to Call of Duty, if you get hit, a red symbol will appear on the screen, if you get into cover, you have full health again and it will fade. So players can take levels at their own pace. The controls are very simple, just standard First person shooter setup.
The reload system is very innovative. They call it an active reload. Use the right button when you want to loose. then you get a gauge. There is a small shaded area about a quarter of the way along. A line moves up the gauge and you must try and press the right button again when the line gets to the shaded area. If you are to early of to late, Marcus will have to fiddle around with the gun for a few seconds, wasting valuable shooting time, you need to get it just right. You do not have to use active reload, just press the right button once, this is just a standard reload, it takes slightly longer.
You usually have three people in your squad whilst you play through the game, and whilst the artificial intelligence could be improved, they still do a good job of helping you out. You can also give them basic commands, but to be honest, there isn't much point. If a squad mate dies, you can go over to him, press the "X" button and he will get straight back up and into the fight.
Rubbish guns equals a rubbish shooter, but Gears of War does not have this problem, in fact quite the opposite. The gun models have been well thought out, for maximum enjoyment. The main gun that you will find your self shooting mostly throughout the game is the lancer. It is a very powerful assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonet! When an enemy is too close hold the "B" button and watch as the locust is literally cut in half. This surprisingly never gets old, and it adds some very nice blood effects that spurt out in all directions and drip down the camera. Another great weapon is the Hammer of dawn, basically, you only need to use this against the boss, type enemies that you come across in single player. Aim it at the enemy, once it is locked on, a great big laser beam will come down from the sky and burn a big hole through those pesky bosses. Other weapons worth a shout are the shotgun, rocket launcher and sniper rifle. This is also a good time to mention grenades, they can not only be used for killing the enemy, but if aimed correctly they can cause the locust holes to cave in and stop an enemy wave. The aiming system for grenades is very nice. Once you have a nade equipped, it gives you markers on the screen to give you the exact path that it will take when in the air, which allows you to give you a perfect shot every time.
But apart from the absolutely brilliant single player, gives you an equally, if not, better multiplayer experience. You can play co-op with a mate to help you with the campaign, or you can have a go at the other game modes. Execution, only gives you the points if you perform a curb stomp or kill someone with the chainsaw bayonet. Warzone is basically a team death match which is very fun. Assassination is probably the best mode though. You have two squads with a leader. Both teams fight to try and kill the opposite teams leader, this gives some awesome firefights as teams try to protect their leaders. You have the choice of ten maps, to carry out these three game modes in. Up to eight players can compete per match. The multiplayer is a heck of alot of fun, and you will find yourself spending alot of time on it.
Gears of War should be remembered as the game that raised the bar of what can be achieved by a developer. Nearly every aspect of the overall experience is perfect. The graphics and sound are outstanding. The gameplay is amazing, it keeps the same basic rules of a first person shooter in place but it also brings new ideas to the genre. Multiplayer is fun and exciting. And the game, overall will keep players coming back, time and time again, to experience this masterpiece one last time.