Marcus Fenix and the soldiers of Delta Squad are back to finish the fight. More than a year after the events of “Gears of War 2,” these hardened COG members are forced to take up their guns to defend the last of the human race as the Lambent Locust hordes are back on the move.
“Gears 3” is jam-packed with movie-quality visuals and tight gunplay that will keep gamers on their toes and glued to the screen. It has absolutely everything expected of a top-tier shooter, and the one thing that ensnares gamers — a massively epic story.
| ‘Gears of War 3’ |
| » System: Xbox 360 |
| » Price: $59.99 |
| » Rating: 5 out of 5 stars |
This time around, there are more playable characters than just Marcus and Dominic Santiago. The famed Thrashball star Augustus “Cole Train” Cole takes center stage on a number of missions. On top of that, almost all the members of Delta Squad are controllable in the new four-player cooperative mode — even some of the female members, such as radio operator Anya Stroud.
All of the favorite multiplayer games return: Horde mode and Team Deathmatch among them, as well the new Beast mode, which lets gamers play as Locust warriors.
Shooters this good will always earn among the highest scores. Which is your favorite depends on the little things each gets wrong: In “Gears,” cut-scenes can’t be skipped, and sometimes the computer-controlled characters get a little wonky.
While “Gears 3” sticks to the tried and true, it blows to bits every other entry in this year’s crop of shooter games like a blast from Fenix’s iconic Lancer machine gun.
