Besides Halo, does the Xbox 360 have any other exclusive franchise more recognizable than Epic’s Gears of War? I love Bungie’s online frag fest as much as the next guy, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the Gears characters and online chaos.
Gears of War 3’s September 20, 2011 release date is still many months out, but an early preview of the multiplayer beta has finally arrived and aims above and beyond its predecessors. Within minute of firing up the Gears 3 beta it is easy to declare the work-in-progress game is looking and sounding fantastic. Textures and lighting are already significantly improved over Gears 2, a blatant hint that the campaign is going to look amazing come fall.
In all honesty, I haven’t played Gears of War 2 online in nearly a year, so I’m rusty with the guns to say the least. After an hour being ruthlessly mauled every 30 seconds, I managed to get my mojo going again. Shotguns still rule matches, but I found them hit-and-miss depending on the situation. The Gnasher model often seems way too accurate at long distances, and the new Sawed-Off shotty seems to have an impossible arc of damage. The Hammerburst and faithful Lancer remain my favorite to down enemies during the onslaught. Grenade effectiveness eludes me as you rarely get a decent throw during the firefights, but having the ability to adjust the trajectory last minute after the toss is a winning touch.
However, let’s be honest; the beta right now is pretty much all about the executions. Everything gory and violent in the Gears series has drastically been ramped up for this third and likely final installment. Broken necks, impalements, exploding heads, torsos ripped in half; this is wild stuff. Having been on the receiving end of most of these visceral ends, they’re not fun… yet!
The Gears of War 3 beta maps are a blast to play, from the claustrophobic ‘Checkout’ to my favorite, ‘Thrashball.’ The ruined stadium looks great and offers good options of high ground or flanking positions. Here’s a stadium hint: make sure you watch out for the jumbotron. The maps show a ton of variety in layout as well as color palette.
My only concerning gripe is a new kick move that has you vault over cover to stun your opponent. It doesn’t seem to work with any degree of consistency, but if it’s tweaked, it will definitely be something players abuse regularly.
Another oddity discovered is respawning in the same place simultaneously with an enemy player. This seems odd if it’s intentional as one of you dies almost immediately upon noticing the other practically attached to the hip. Repeat this scenario and a match loses a lot of its luster.
Overall the Gears of War 3 beta is a blast to play with tight controls, the always-fun cover system, scores of statistical charts, new weapons, new executions, and updated visuals that eclipse both its predecessors. If you haven’t secured a beta code by pre-ordering Gears of War 3 at GameStop yet, be sure to do so before the full beta launches on April 25.
– Jason Krahn
Click any of the Gears of War 3 screenshot thumbnail images below to view the big high resolution version.
In addition, be sure to check out Gears of War 3 beta gameplay footage.
