Game of the Year 2011: #10 - Gears of War 3

16 Dec 2011 at 14:00:00 by John Robertson

• Read our original Gears of War 3 review
• Keep track of our Game of the Year 2011 Countdown

Marcus Fenix; a huge, hulking, behemoth of a man and a huge part of why Gears of War is so involving and enjoyable. Señor Fenix is everything you’d expect from an 80s action star. He’s uncompromising, juiced on steroids, speaks in a gruff accent and is surrounded by others that are badass, but not quite as badass as him.

And yet, when it’s all said and done and the dust has settled and the Locust blood is spilt, it’s his human, tender side that truly draws us to him. Gears of War is about saving the world, yes. But what it’s really about is Marcus’s relationship with his long-lost father.

Gears of War 3 is the culmination of that very plotline and, as such, the pay-off we’ve all been waiting for. Unusually in an industry that grows more reliant on direct sequels and drawn out narratives with each passing year, Gears 3 actually brings us closer to Marcus’s story, rounding him off as a character and delivering on the “this is a trilogy” promise.

That’s one of the reasons why I love it. But it’s not the only reason.

Four player campaign co-op (full campaign, not this tacked on crap you see nowadays) brings a whole new dimension to the gameplay – forcing you to play as a team, watch each other’s backs and share the ammo wealth intelligently. The downside to this is that the game (even on Insane) is easier than the previous two because there are so many others to revive you. But hey, if you want difficult you should play multiplayer.

And what a multiplayer! There have been many good multiplayer shooters this year – Modern Warfare 3, Killzone 3, Battlefield 3, to name a few – but Gears 3’s take on online competition trumps them all. Yep, that’s what I’m saying, this is the finest online shooter of the year.

The enjoyment is derived from brilliant mechanics, brilliant level design and brilliant game modes. All three of the essential pillars have been hit, and hit almost perfectly.

In terms of mechanics, the cover system, the down-but-not-out ‘phase’, the active reload and character movement provide a set of rules and abilities that help define Gears and set it well apart from the crowd. Other games in this space are desperately trying to include whatever ideas are hot, Gears defines what’s hot.

Level design in online maps is a prime example of how to make the old feel fresh. There’s nothing wrong with symmetrical level design and Gears 3 proves it. Whereas most other shooters are going out of their way to make their arenas feel ‘organic’ and/or ‘real’, Gears 3 simply tries to make them fun and fair.

That means symmetrical levels, albeit ones coated in a visual flair so thick that it makes Lady Gaga look like Susan Boyle. Is there a better looking shooter on 360? No. (And before you ask, yes, I’ve played Battlefield 3.)

 The same fresh-from-the-old idea can be applied to game modes. Gears 3 includes Team Deathmatch for the first time in the series, but in typical Gears fashion gives meaning to each kill/death by limiting your respawns and adding rounds to matches. Limited respawns also forces you to play as a team, especially when lives are running low.

Teamwork in most console shooters of today seems of little concern to designers and, to an extent, players. In Gears 3 it’s essential, forcing a shared experience that makes winning amazing and losing abysmal. It’s the little things that make a big difference.

And I haven’t even mentioned Horde mode, a game format that has been copied (but never bettered) by pretty much everyone else. Even Saints Row has gotten into the act with Whored mode.

Perhaps that’ll be Gears of War’s defining legacy – that it has been so influential for so many. Still, despite all the gameplay, the game modes and fancy visuals, it’s Marcus Fenix that’ll I’ll remember. The Locust come, the Lambent go but the story of a son searching for his father… that’ll stay with me.

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