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Gears of War online Xbox 360 |
Gears of War isn’t perfect. While there’s some cheesy
voice acting in places, some examples of AI stupidity and perhaps a slightly
anticlimactic final boss, much of what’s wrong with Gears of War comes from bugs
which really should have been caught by testing either at Microsoft or Epic.
The main two bugs which plague the current version of Gears of War are the
multiplayer connectivity bug, and the VGA aspect ratio bug. The former, at
times, makes it next to impossible to connect to multiplayer games over Xbox
Live. This is the sort of thing that will likely be addressed in an upcoming
patch.
The second results in a squished, bordered Gears of War when playing on a
non-widescreen VGA monitor, and is particularly annoying for anyone hoping to
have a HD gaming experience without forking out for a HDTV. There’s been no word
thus far to indicate if the developers will even attempt to fix this.
It's in the single-player game (or the mighty fine two-player co-op split-screen
or online mode) that you'll get to see and experience all of the monsters,
weapons and gorgeous environments that the game has to offer. From war-torn
courtyards, mansions and coliseums to underground networks of caverns and
industrial processing plants, Gears of War ponies up possibly the best-looking
environments I've ever seen. There are a few occasions where textures pop in,
and the frame rate takes a little hit here and there, but on the whole, Gears of
War moves along at a steady pace and rarely puts you in a position where you'll
die due to technical glitches. The graphics in
the game are stunning, and some of the best we've ever seen. Though they don't
seem to be quite as unreal (no pun intended) as some of the screens and movies,
they are still gorgeous. The animation is great and the lighting is spectacular.
The audio is a mixed bag, with terrible voice acting, but a phenomenal score
that really has you feeling like you're in your own action movie.
All in all,
Gears of War meets the expectations - even
if it has a few shortcomings. We really enjoyed playing the game - and any 360
owner out there doesn't have a complete collection until they own this game.
Gears of War will feature locations that are unique to the
franchise and the genre. Players will encounter all of their favorite foes from
the Xbox 360 version; however, these intense encounters will take place in some
new environments and allow players to manipulate the new game modes and
technology found only in a Games for Windows title. Boasting three new
multiplayer maps, a new multiplayer game type, game editor, five new campaign
chapters, and DirectX 10support, Gears of War, will challenge and push the
limits of the PC gaming experience and provide an unparalleled visual
presentation.
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