Gears of War 3 Review

Brothers to the end. A slogan that signifies the unity that you feel fighting alongside your fellow COG soldiers across the war-torn plains of Sera; a phrase that shows the dedication your team feels as you fight endlessly against the seemingly unwinnable odds. But at the same time, it's also a saying that means that this is the end of a trilogy that has changed third-person shooters as we know it while throwing out a killer app for Microsoft's console. This is it. This is the end of the story. The finale. And what a fantastic finale it is.

Back in 2006, Epic Games introduced the world to Marcus Fenix, the Locust army, and the world of Sera. Then in 2008, they changed everything by creating a game that truly was "bigger, better and more badass" than its predecessor. Now in 2011, Epic have done it again by serving us a bolder story, improved graphics, and a more refined experience in Gears of War 3, a game that truly lives up to the monumental hype surrounding it one hundred percent.

Without giving too much away, Gears of War 3 follows Marcus, Dom, Cole, Baird, Anya and new characters Sam, Jace and the third Carmine brother as they fight for survival in the final days of the war against the Locust (who almost disappeared after their underground base - the Hollow - was flooded at the end of Gears of War 2 along with the last human city Jacinto). But the glowing liquid of Sera, Emulsion, has transformed Locust enemies into the Lambent, the new addition to Gears of War 3's never-ending plethora of things to shoot, and there's even a few zombies thrown into the mix just after the half-way point.

The story feels so much more personal now after Gears of War 2, with Dom trying to control his emotions after finding out his wife, Maria, wasn't in the great condition he thought she would be. Coupled with Marcus's search for his dad, Adam Fenix, this becomes a story that means as much to the player as it does to the characters. Along the way, different members of Delta Squad are given their time to shine, a stand-out moment of this being when Cole revisits his old thrashball stadium in Hanover to discover it's overrun with Lambent and Locust forces. The story of Gears of War 3 isn't just a struggle to survive; it's a battle against inner demons, too, and its emotional level is surprisingly high too, especially in the final moments of the third act where a tissue is definitely needed.

One thing Gears of War 3 gets right is a sense of desperation, a sense of a true struggle; you feel that you're trying to hang onto everything you can find to survive. The Locust outmatch you considerably and the new Lambent forces are much stronger and fiercer than anything else you've previously faced. This feeling is mainly accomplished through the lack of ammo lying around; ammo is scarce but when it does arrive, it arrives in copious amounts. But it doesn't matter how much you pick up, because it will never be enough: the Lambent take many more clips to kill than their Locust counterparts so you need to time your shots right to hit their weak spots, otherwise you'll be sending ammo into their chests while not causing a great deal of damage.

Another thing on the long list of parts that Gears of War 3 gets right is its graphics. This is one seriously good-looking game. Character models are incredibly detailed with the faces and lip-synching standing out in particular. Light cascades through gaps in the brickwork and heads blow open with a satisfying explosion of bright red gore. And the environments are absolutely stunning, ranging from a ship crossing under a bridge to a desert in the middle of nowhere all the way to a forest fortress at nightfall. The diversity in locations really helps broaden your understanding of the world that the Gears of War trilogy is set in.

Gameplay in Gears 3 is as tight as ever and more fluid than its two predecessors. Jumping from cover to cover is fast while shooting the Lambent is satisfying and gory. Epic have taken what made the first two games so good and rather than remaking it for the final installment, have instead refined it, making it more polished and just better as a whole. Combined with stunning visuals and an emotionally charged story and Epic haven't just made a brilliant campaign, they've created the best one in the Gears of War series yet.

And as good as the eight hour campaign is, it won't be the reason that Gears 3 stays in your console for a long time. The reason you'll be playing it for months to come is because of the huge amount of content on the disc; online multi-player, a revamped Horde mode, Arcade mode for the Campaign and the brand-new Beast Mode that will catch on like wildfire.

After the lag-infested start to Gears of War 2, it's clear that Epic have learnt from the mistakes they made and the data collected from the beta to create a multi-player that is balanced, polished and most of all a lot of fun to play. While some online shooters can be frustrating, Gears of War 3 is instead very balanced; when you die, it's your fault and you always know it. This allows you to adapt strategies, study your opponents and strike with effectiveness. Gears of War has never been so much fun.

Game modes like Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill and Capture the Leader will satisfy fans by providing fast, fluid gameplay that will have you on the edge of your seat as time runs out. Team Deathmatch in particular is just incredibly enjoyable. Two teams face off killing each other until time runs out, but there's a twist: each kill depletes a team's lives and when the lives are all gone, players cannot respawn and the remaining members must battle it out until all are dead. It's easily my favourite of the multi-player modes and is an interesting twist on a formula that is present in so many online shooters.

Beast Mode however will take up a lot of your time; 12 rounds of frantic fun where you play as the Locust instead of the COG soldiers. It's like Horde but in reverse and it is brilliant. It's amazing how Epic managed to compact so much fun into just a few rounds. Killing the enemy, the COG, allows you to play as "bigger, better and more badass" Locusts; starting off as a Ticker you can easily end the 12 waves as a Berserker. Having played the campaign and seen these enemies wreak their havoc upon the squad, it was brilliant to be able to switch roles and witness what it's like to play as some of the angrier Locusts. Playing with friends is just the icing on the cake. Let endless fun ensue.

And to top it all off, there's the new revised Horde mode. When Horde was introduced in Gears of War 2, it took on like wildfire and quickly became the most-played aspect of the game. In response to this, Epic have, for Gears of War 3, made it a million times better by adding in the aspect of currency. Killing Locusts earns you money that you can spend on bigger weapons like the all new Longshot (easily the greatest sniper rifle ever) and, even better, you can buy fortifications. These allow you to create a base surrounded by barbed wire, turrets and decoys that can help you in your fight against the Locust.

On the whole, these new additions completely revolutionise Horde more and help the game greatly. Going back to Gears of War 2, Horde seems so simple and boring, more like a prototype compared to the options available in Gears of War 3. Like everything else in the game, playing with friends benefits it so much and nothing beats staying in a small space with Locusts running at you, hoping with all your might that the turrets will hold them off long enough for you to regain ammo, weapons and prepare for your attack back. And if that wasn't enough, every ten waves there's a boss, ranging from a simple Berserker to a Brumak towards the end.

Gears of War 3 is simply put, amazing.. The campaign is an emotional roller-coaster of Lambent-blasting while weaving an interesting story that will have you in tears at some points and screaming in joy as the war finally comes to a close. And while the ending doesn't quite answer all the questions, it gives you enough information that you can put your pad down in satisfaction, knowing there may not be any more Gears of War for a while. The online is addictive, balanced and fun, creating a polished multi-player component that will devour hours of your time in an instant. And Beast mode and Horde mode are just incredible, enough said.

Is Gears of War 3 a worthy conclusion to a trilogy? A well-deserved yes. To be honest, it may even be the best in the series. As a huge Gears fan, it's a shame that it's all come to an end, at least for the foreseeable future, but I don't care; the trilogy has gone out on not just a bang, but the biggest Hammer of Dawn sized explosion possible.