[360]Gears of War-Impressions

[disarm]

I would love any impressions from someone playing on a standard def TV on how the game looks.  There's a free +1 in it for you

The 1Up guys were raving about how great it looked in SD on their most recent podcast.  They basically said that while much of the 360's lineup needs to be experienced in HD to be really impressive, people will be be blown away by Gears on even SDTVs.

personally, i was pretty much blown away by all 360 games on an SDTV before i made the upgrade to HD.  i have yet to see a game that doesn't still look great in SD, but i do have to admit that playing on a bigscreen HDTV is a totally different experience.

[EngineNo9]

In case there isn't enough evidence that you need to go pick this up as soon as it hits your local store, check out this review roundup.  Jimminy jillickers!

[shon]

I played the single player for about an hour and meh it was okay.  The graphics were good and everything but it just wasn't clicking.  So I tried some multiplayer a little better alot of fun even though I didn't know any of the guys.  Then I went and played GH2 for about an hour then picked up GOW again and did the single player co-op over live and man did that make a difference.  The game is a lot better if you play coop you can crank up the level and have a blast. 

[papasmurff]

Agreed that co-op is the way to go.  Jarrod and I are almost done with it.....we are working on the last boss right now......

[papasmurff]

GoW is completed...... Jarrodhk and I took down the game in about 7hrs co-op start to finish.....  Next up will either be CoD3 or Multi or even harder in GoW....

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

GoW is completed...... Jarrodhk and I took down the game in about 7hrs co-op start to finish.....  Next up will either be CoD3 or Multi or even harder in GoW....

lol, seven hours.  Makes me wonder why I'm not just renting it.

[papasmurff]

GoW is completed...... Jarrodhk and I took down the game in about 7hrs co-op start to finish.....  Next up will either be CoD3 or Multi or even harder in GoW....

lol, seven hours.  Makes me wonder why I'm not just renting it.

Well you have to consider that it was on co-op on the easiest setting.  We just finished running the multi and had a lot of fun with it.....

[Calvin]

GoW is completed...... Jarrodhk and I took down the game in about 7hrs co-op start to finish.....  Next up will either be CoD3 or Multi or even harder in GoW....

lol, seven hours.  Makes me wonder why I'm not just renting it.

Probably take longer without coop-plus the multiplayer you know!

[Jarrodhk]

Yep the multiplayer is surprising fun, even with just the execution mode.  Lots of room for tactics.  Papa and Devout Sinner were doing some really good teamwork the last match we played tonight.  Can't wait to get 4v4 going.

[CeeKay]

Yeah, great MP tonight.  Me and Devout had a pretty good game of cat and mouse going on the graveyard map.  I have a feeling this may be one of those titles where I never really touch the single player game (kinda like GRAW).

[Jarrodhk]

I hear ya Ceekay, the difference with Gears being that you can play co-op with someone over live.  Makes it a lot easier to get motivated to run through the sp that way.

[Irongut]

I played Gears of War Warzone for hours last night.  I couldnt stop, till my eyes were too tired.  Great fun from 9:00 to about 1:30 am.  The kills were very over the top and satisfying in way that just had me guffawing at the brutality of it.  I have never seen 'gibs' like this before, it gives the term new meaning.  Even being on the receiving end of a kill was just hilarious at times.

[Lockdown]

How long would you guys guess a typical 4vs4 would last in minutes?  Are we talking 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 40 minutes per match?  I'm just curious how long you foresee a match lasting.

Also, can someone describe how the multiplayer is set up exactly?  Do we form a room with 8 GT'ers then divide teams and play, or does one person start a game and invite 7 others in, or do you only form up your own team of 4 and have no choice of who you fight against?  Etc.. etc.. 

Thanks.

[Arkon]

Picking this up today, can't wait, would love to do multiplayer, especially coop through the campaign.

[Lockdown]

Picking this up today, can't wait, would love to do multiplayer, especially coop through the campaign.

I'd be up for this too.  Sounds like fun.

[Irongut]

How long would you guys guess a typical 4vs4 would last in minutes?  Are we talking 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 40 minutes per match?  I'm just curious how long you foresee a match lasting.

Also, can someone describe how the multiplayer is set up exactly?  Do we form a room with 8 GT'ers then divide teams and play, or does one person start a game and invite 7 others in, or do you only form up your own team of 4 and have no choice of who you fight against?  Etc.. etc.. 

Thanks.

I wasnt the host, but from what i saw.  A room is setup, folks can switch back and forth to arrange the teams.  The host sets up the number of rounds needed to win the map.  Only limitation was it didnt appear you could change the MP mode with everyone in the teamroom.  You might have to drop, host changes the mode and re-invite.

I ended up expanding my impressions of MP last night on my GWJ post, so here is a bit more....

The matches were fast and furious with the maps sized great for the squad sizes with plenty of tactical options. Navigating cover as your teammates flank the enemy and setting up kill-zones was fantastic. Each of the maps seemed to offer unique strategic issues to address, teams seemed to rotate sides of the map each round. The cover system is really simple and works well in MP.

When you see your teammate go down, there is a great rush as you try to work your way over and save them before they receive their final deathblow from the enemy and great disappointment those times you cant make it.

Memorable moments:
1) Flanking a human and double chain sawing him with a fellow Locust from both sides simultaneously
2) Trying to cross some train tracks with my squad, and we all get squashed by a passing train. It was just too funny.
3) Seeing a buddy, or what I think is him, bleeding and in need of resuscitation on a ledge above. I got up there to only find out it was his decapitated head on the railing splurting blood.
4) Multiple enemies incoming and jumping from cover to cover to try and get some space to setup a futile killzone.
5) The blood... the blood!

There were too many fun moments along the way. Great, great fun.

[JLu]

Thanks foor posting those multiplayer impressions Irongut -- that was my biggest worry about the game, and it seems like it is a pretty usable setup! 

[Bullwinkle]

On these Cog tags, anyone know if there are one per level?  Or has someone encountered more than one on a level?

[DamageInc]

Well I went to at least a dozen stores yesterday trying to get this with no luck.
I have it pre-ordred at Best Buy and the only stores that had the pre-orders was Game Crazy
I guess I will be waiting until tonight

[Chaz]

Just called the Best Buy near me, and they're saying they'll have it at 2.  Not that it does me a lot of good, since I'll get in a little time late tonight, and then won't be on again until tuesday night.

[Bullwinkle]

On these Cog tags, anyone know if there are one per level?  Or has someone encountered more than one on a level?

Nevermind.  That someone is me.  I found two on the second level, in fact.

[EngineNo9]

On these Cog tags, anyone know if there are one per level?  Or has someone encountered more than one on a level?

Nevermind.  That someone is me.  I found two on the second level, in fact.

What's the deal with the Cog tags?  Are they for unlocking something or just Achievements or what?

[papasmurff]

On these Cog tags, anyone know if there are one per level?  Or has someone encountered more than one on a level?

Nevermind.  That someone is me.  I found two on the second level, in fact.

What's the deal with the Cog tags?  Are they for unlocking something or just Achievements or what?

They are for achievements only.  You get them every 10 and there are 30.  Jarrod and I beat the game last night and on the first run we picked up 15.....  there are 5 acts so my guess would be 6 per act and probably 2 (it seemed like about 3 scenes) per scene...that was just a guess though..

[depward]

Multiplayer sounds like a blast.  I wonder if two people can play on split screen over Live multiplayer...

[Bullwinkle]

On these Cog tags, anyone know if there are one per level?  Or has someone encountered more than one on a level?

Nevermind.  That someone is me.  I found two on the second level, in fact.

What's the deal with the Cog tags?  Are they for unlocking something or just Achievements or what?

They are for achievements only.  You get them every 10 and there are 30.  Jarrod and I beat the game last night and on the first run we picked up 15.....  there are 5 acts so my guess would be 6 per act and probably 2 (it seemed like about 3 scenes) per scene...that was just a guess though..

How long did it take you to play through?

[papasmurff]

7 hrs start to finish... started at 430 and finished at 1130 with a dinner break.  Granted it was co-op

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

Hm.  Anyone have any ideas on how I could get away with exchanging a new copy of Phantasy Star Universe for Gears of War?  Does the "got it as a gift" line still work?

Dude, that works 100% of the time at Wal-Mart.  Never had any sort of problem with it.

Well the cunts at EB wouldn't do it, so I guess I get to take a bus to Wal-Mart this weekend or some shit.

[Farscry]

Good lord man, is it just me, or are you getting even more curmudgeonly lately. 

[Destructor]

So, my local EB/Gamestop fucked up yet again when it came to shipping in Arizona. The CE edition didn't show up, but the normal one did.

Makes me glad I only ordered the regular edition.

[shaggydoug]

The horror....followed by the sweet smell of victory....or at least new game smell.

Got an automated call about 30 minutes ago:  "Due to delivery issues beyond our control, your game <cut in voice>Gears of War</cut in voice> may not be available.  Before you make a trip to your store, please contact your store to confirm delivery."

Quick call to BB and I now have the game.  Now....does anybody know the EBGames preorder cancellation policy before I call them?

- shaggy

[Kevin Grey]

The horror....followed by the sweet smell of victory....or at least new game smell.

Got an automated call about 30 minutes ago:  "Due to delivery issues beyond our control, your game <cut in voice>Gears of War</cut in voice> may not be available.  Before you make a trip to your store, please contact your store to confirm delivery."

Quick call to BB and I now have the game.  Now....does anybody know the EBGames preorder cancellation policy before I call them?

- shaggy

No issues with cancellation- they'll refund your money or put it toward a different preorder.  I do it all the time.

Yeah, there seems to be some major shipping issues going on.  I just barely got mine over lunch- the store I preordered at didn't receive any copies in their shipment so they had to bum some spare copies from another store in the area but didn't have enough to cover all preorders so it was first come first serve.  My wife called me a few minutes ago to let me know that we had the same automated message on our answering machine (she didn't know I already had the game).

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

Good lord man, is it just me, or are you getting even more curmudgeonly lately. 

[shaggydoug]

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2006/11/08/error-do-not-pass-go-do-not-collect-gow/

[Destructor]

And update:

All EB/Gamestop stores in Arizona got nothing as far as shipment goes for the game. They blame Fed-Ex yet again.

What the fuck is going on?

What makes no sense is I have friends in New Jersey who got their game in yesterday via EB.

[happydog]

And update:

All EB/Gamestop stores in Arizona got nothing as far as shipment goes for the game. They blame Fed-Ex yet again.

What the fuck is going on?

What makes no sense is I have friends in New Jersey who got their game in yesterday via EB.

Thank god I sent my wife to Fry's to get it $10 cheaper. 

[kathode]

I played it for about half an hour today on a 25ft movie screen.  At that size the gibs from the chainsaw deaths are about as tall as me   Didn't get much into the meat of the gameplay but it sho' is pretty.  The only possible annoyance I could see is that packing everything onto the A button means you do a lot of rolling when you want to cover and vice versa and everything else.

Oh yeah, we got the same "shipping problem" speech with my Gamestop's manager telling me "no stores on the East Coast have it in today!"  He offered me $5 off tomorrow.  I called another EB and they had it, but only for preorders.  The guy on the phone was a total ass to me and referred to me as "buddy" :icon_confused:  Hell with EB. Calvin went out and got our copies at Best Buy down the road.

[disarm]

And update:

All EB/Gamestop stores in Arizona got nothing as far as shipment goes for the game. They blame Fed-Ex yet again.

What the fuck is going on?

What makes no sense is I have friends in New Jersey who got their game in yesterday via EB.

i got the same story at Gamestop just outside Hartford, CT...no shipment today because FedEx left it sitting at a station in Tennessee.  interestingly enough, i stopped at a Toys'R'Us right next door and they made the same claim...FedEx supposedly screwed up their delivery as well.  i tried to get lucky at Circuit City and BestBuy, but didn't have any luck...CC didn't have the game at all yet, and the guy at BB said they had just sold the last copy about 10 minutes earlier.  i guess i'll have to wait until tomorrow and press Gamestop for my $5 off...

[Lockdown]

Same story here.  I live in Pennsylvania, but I work and buy all my games in Jersey.  No shipments... stuck in Tennessee.

Kinda' funny actually.  The guy at the store told me EB's in (some area, I don't know how big, I wasn't really listening) were estimating about a $60,000 loss in one day due to the FedEx malfunction and people going other places to buy the game.  That really made me laugh.  Couldn't happen to a better company!   

Of course, if this happens with Medieval Total War 2 or SupCom, I won't be laughing...

Therefore, my initial impressions so far:  I want to hear more about the multiplayer from you guys please.  Cause 7 hours is a short freakin' game.   

[StitchJones]

Same story in North Carolina.  They actually stated they got some regular editions, but no collectors editions.  I'm seriously considering saying screw Gamestop and just wait till this weekend to get it from a Best Buy or Target.  Companies have to have consequences and repercusions no matter what reason for the screwup.

[Louis Cypher]

Wow, same here.  Day 2 without GOW.  I remember 2 weeks ago the kid behind the counter saying I would get a call on Monday, have the game in my hands by Tues.  I even said "we'll see" and he went on and on about how EB were th only ones to get the game early, and how if I went to Best Buy I would have to wait till the 12th.  I called my EB today, they said to call tomorrow after 1, hopefully they will have them by then. The manager didnt sound very confident, although I do get 5 bucks off.