Gears of War - E3 Preview by Jason "Rodzilla" Rodzik   Posted on May 11, 2006   Rodzik’s Impressions When I first read about Gears of War when it was initially announced, I was somewhat convinced that it was going to be the game that made me buy an Xbox 360. After learning it would be a third-person shooter instead of a first-person shooter, I was disappointed, and figured Unreal Tournament 2007 could provide me what I needed, but on the PC. Now, after seeing first-hand what Gears of War will be like when it is released later this year, I’m beginning to think I need to start saving my money again. As previously mentioned, Gears of War is a third person shooter for the Xbox 360, and is slated for release later this year. It makes use of the Unreal Engine for spectacular graphics, and is focused on squad-based gameplay. The demo level shown involved the player cooperating with one other teammate in order to escape from the enemies in the level. Aside from the highly detailed models, the blood effects were unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Tons of blood flew into the air and all over nearby objects when enemies were shot, and it was truly a sight to behold. The cover-based method of movement was very well designed, allowing the player to take cover behind objects, run from one cover point to another, hurdle over cover, or “roadie run” to a location, presumably cover, all with the push of a single button. The game determines what you want to do based on your other actions, such as which direction you’re moving. The firing system offers several degrees of flexibility to the player, trading off accuracy with safety. The most obvious is the near-first-person view, which brings up a set of crosshairs and exposes most of the player to enemy fire, but delivers the most accurate and powerful punch to the enemy. The player can also choose to aim a bit more blindly, and thus less accurately, at the cost of only barely peeking out from behind cover. The most interesting feature, however, is the ability to blindly fire over or around an obstacle, allowing the player to lay down covering fire without putting themselves in harm’s way. Gears of War continues to look stunning, as it should with its use of the Unreal Engine, and it looks to incorporate some exciting new features in an easy-to-use manner which should make the game one of the best available for the Xbox 360 when it is released later this year. Vince’s Impressions Generally speaking, I hate pure shooter games. However, I would seriously consider purchasing Gears of War. This game has successfully combined the “cover tactics” found in Metal Gear or Time Crisis with the quick pace of first person shooters like Halo. It is possible to roadie (or CNN war zone style) run, climb over, or roll from cover point to cover point while still advancing on the enemy. With surprisingly simple controls, it is possible to fire around a corner, pray and spray over an obstacle, and perform many other neat tactical operations. The assault rifle featured in this game comes with a built-in chainsaw for gruesomely awesome close-up battles. Also, grenade trajectories (including bounces and rebounds) are conveniently highlighted before a player throws an explosive. This feature is extremely useful; no more will players have to stare into the sky before lobbing a grenade of questionable flight path. The AI featured in this game is also of note. Unlike most other shooters, enemies are capable of doing everything the main character can accomplish. For example, if a grenade is thrown behind cover in a corner containing a hiding enemy, he will leap over the obstacle or roll away to avoid the blast.