games for windows |

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer: Epic Games

Release Date: 11/7/2007

Available On

I still remember Gears of War when I got my Xbox 360 on Christmas 2006. It changed the way I thought about games forever, which is why it is the only game I ever gave a 10. The game was perfect at the time, and I couldn’t really find anything wrong with it. I also remember the game being almost a complete failure early in development and seeing glimpses of shoddy gameplay footage on TV during E3 2004. The classic hit comes to PC with some enhancements that are great for newcomers and enough for fans to come back for another run (or three).

I’ll review this all over again for people who are unfamiliar (PC-only gamers). You play as Marcus Fenix in Delta Squad, who are sent on a mission to deliver a light mass bomb deep under the planet Sera to destroy the Locust horde that is trying to kill all of humanity. This sounds like a typical sci-fi B grade, but this is one of my favorite gaming stories of all time because of the characters, sheer terror, and hopelessness humans go through to rid of this vicious species. Gears of War may seem like a manly shooter on the outside, but inside there is a deep and complex story (just pick up the four books and you will truly see) that tests and trains every human to fight for survival.

Despite the excellent story and memorable characters, there is a great underlying gameplay system here. Slamming against cover, shooting awesome weapons, and killing interesting enemies that were never seen before is quite awesome. Locusts aren’t just bugs or aliens; they feel like entities that you should run away from and have nightmares about. It takes half a clip to take these guys down, and they shoot back with good AI (excellent at the time, good for today’s standards). During that time, the AI was unrivaled because the locust would flank you and act smart instead of just standing there and getting a shot at you.

The weapons are memorable, such as the infamous Lancer with the chainsaw bayonet. Slicing through an enemy and watching blood splatter on the screen is just awesome and never gets old (even if you play the last two Gears). The Longshot is a powerful bolt-action sniper rifle; the Hammerburst is the Locust assault rifle; the Boomshot, Snub pistol, Boltok revolver, and Gnasher shotgun are some of the greatest weapons ever made, and they are infamous for a reason. The enemies vary greatly, and some can’t even be taken down with guns. The Hammer of Dawn is used to take down the Berserkers who run at you and must be dodged during three different scenes in the game. The Corpsers are huge spider-like enemies that can only be taken down in the same manner and jam communications. The list goes on, but each enemy has to be taken on in completely different ways, and most shooters can’t do that.

The campaign is well-paced with lots of different scenarios, such as avoiding the deadly Kryll at night while shooting tanks to stay in the light. There are turret sections, but sadly, there are no helicopter sections, which this game is dying for. There are epic boss fights, but overall the campaign is perfectly paced, with varied environments from outdoors to indoors. All of this combined equals one sweet package that 90% of shooters can’t accomplish in one game.

The multiplayer is fun if this is your thing. Gears of War multiplayer is a lot different from most because it’s tactical and close-quarters. 6-on-6 is tough, and you will die quickly against vets because the game requires a lot of rolling, dodging, and quick trigger fingers, but the modes are fun, like Execution and Wingman. Sadly, not many people play Gears 1 online anymore, so you will rarely find people playing. There is even a co-op mode for the campaign, which is a blast, but good luck getting anyone to play online.

For the PC, we get updated visuals with DirectX 10 lighting, some higher-resolution textures, and, the best part, five all-new chapters that were cut from the Xbox 360 version. If you did play that version, remember after leaving the Fenix mansion, a Brumak comes after you, and you jump into an APC and escape? Stuff happened after that and between arriving at the train station. Delta Squad gets stuck at a lifted bridge and needs to find a way to power it so they can head to the train platform. This is also where you take on that Brumak that followed you and is probably the best 5 chapters in the whole game. I’m sad Xbox 360 owners had to miss out on this epic piece of Gears, but PC gamers will be pleased. There are also three additional COG tags, so watch out if you want those achievements!

Gears of War is worth a re-purchase for veterans or newcomers because this is a piece of video game history that can’t be missed by any shooter fan. Why do I not give this a 10 then? The game has shown its age with its dated graphics. Sure, they still look great, but the lower resolution textures, weaker lighting effects, and slightly sloppy animations show compared to the new Gears games. Most people will overlook this, but the game also does feel repetitive after a while, no matter how you slice it. You’re just running around shooting grubs, right? I feel it needed some more vehicle sections, and well, it was all fixed in Gears 2 and 3, but that’s beside the point.

Keyboard & Mouse

Section 8 Prejudice (2011ENG) RePack by Ultra

Publisher: TimeGate Studios

Developer: TimeGate Studios

Release Date: 5/4/2011

Available On

The first game was an online-only shooter that barely passed as mediocre and was quickly lost and forgotten. Prejudice is almost the same game, but with a new campaign and some new additions. Fans of the first game should pick this up right away, but don’t expect to play online (more on that later). The story is dull and typical, with uninteresting characters. Something about a man-made race of humans that are the perfect soldiers’ rebel and try to kill us all, and you are tasked with killing their leader. The point of the campaign is just to get you warmed up to multiplayer with vehicles, weapons, and load-outs.

The shooting is good and solid and feels like a bit of Halo and Mass Effect thrown in. The sci-fi vibe with energy-type weapons sure feels like Halo, while the load-outs with various ammo types feel like Mass Effect. You get seven different types of weapons, ranging from shotguns to rocket launchers, but the ammo types vary from different armor and shield damage to structure and vehicle damage, and some ammo types even damage over time. You really need to pick the right weapons for the enemies you’re killing, so there is some strategy involved. Every so often, you get a freebie lock-on that I find pretty useless but that is useful in multiplayer.

The whole game is based more on shield damage than armor damage, so choosing the right weapons is important. You can use jetpacks, which make the game more interesting and add aerial combat. This prevents people from hiding behind something and staying there. You can go in for close knife kills known as fatalities (nice try, guys), but no matter what the game has, it feels “been there, done that” throughout. The vehicles and mechs are a nice addition, but they don’t pack the punch you expect and are cumbersome to control, especially tanks.

With all that said, you get mediocre graphics using Unreal Engine 3 and an online mode that is completely dead. Not a single person is playing this, so you have to result in LAN. It’s a pity that this game died so quickly and has been out for less than a year, but there are just bigger and better shooters out there, so you should only pick this up if you are craving a shooter and have nothing to play. What is here is a decent shooter with interesting weapons, jetpacks, and a nice sci-fi vibe. Nothing more, nothing less.