So what’s the verdict? It was awesome…with a couple reservations. There was the same great gameplay, even more breathtaking environments, new enemies, at least one unannounced all-new weapon (the Vulcan, a two-person automatic gatlin gun) with great voice acting and plenty of action.
The story was wrapped up nicely, though not without heartbreak. The locust/lambent menace was eradicated, Dom sacrificed his life for his friends and found his peace, and Marcus found, and just as quickly lost, his Dad.
Reservations
The reservations involve pacing and story issues. There were times when the combat was a bit fatiguing and should have been broken up with a mission, or two, that was less combat heavy (like Intestinal Fortitude – the worm chapter in Gears 2) and presented a couple time-based or agility challenges. The story was awesome, but one felt the ending could have elaborated on the fate of Marcus and the COG remnant, in a post-locust world, with a nice montage or epilogue of some kind.
What’s Next for Gears?
But (there’s always a but) this ending, I believe, is cleverly designed to segue into the ongoing comic and book series. A fifth book, entitled The Slab, is to be released indicating a closer look at the cryptic main character himself, Marcus Fenix. The Slab refers to the prison where Fenix was held for four years, and from where he was freed at the beginning of Gears 1. Between the next three comics (released bi-monthly – the third comic in the six arc series is due in December) and The Slab we finally get a detailed look at the character we have followed for the entire series, but about whom we really know nothing. I hereby dub this literature compulsory reading for an even satisfying closure to this part of the Gears saga! And, Fenix’s conspicuous facial scar is likely to be explained. I have it on good authority that there is material in the book and comics, that appears nowhere else in the games. So there.
Otherwise, the existence of the new above-ground feral locusts suggests that the war is not quite over, and the future of the Gears franchise lies both in the past and future of the Seran universe, and the other characters we have come to love.
Hedz Up
Review of iOS title Shadowgun!
