 Gears of War is harrowing tale that pits humankind against the Locust Horde. |
 Marcus Fenix and his team battle nightmarish creatures. View larger. |
 In Gears of War, you must take cover to survive. View larger. |
 Gears of War presents a focused and well-paced cinematic experience. View larger. |
Gears of War shined bright at Microsofts pre-E3 press briefing, but a deeper demo at Microsofts E3 booth revealed many of the games mechanics. GOW is built with both the hardcore and casual gamer in mind. But, instead of selecting a difficulty level at the start of the game, GOW offers a choice at the beginning of each level. In the vein of choose your own adventure, you can select between a difficult or easy path. And its not just a simple choice of battling tougher enemies each path (explained by a comrade) represents additional content that is crucial to the storyline. After easing your way into the experience of the gameplay with the simpler paths, you can go back and test your skills on the more difficult routes and never feel like youve played through the areas before.
Standing around in the open is likely to get you killed in GOW. You must use cover to survive. With a context sensitive A button function, you wont have to sweat memorizing cumbersome button combos. The A button will:
Gears of War presents a focused and well-paced cinematic experience, and nothing ruins that faster than a time-consuming exploration of every switch or button to find the elusive trigger to open a door. This game introduces a "point of interest" button that comes up on the screen so you can immediately interact with the necessary item to move forward in your gameplay. GOW certainly offers drool-worthy graphics, but the mechanics have also received equal attention. Keep your eyes and ears on high alert for a release date, as Microsoft hasnt let the cat out of the bag on when gamers will be able to tackle this great-looking and great-playing title.
Gears of War thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankinds epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. players live and breathe the role of Marcus Fenix. A disgraced former war hero, Marcus seeks personal redemption as he leads his fire team against an onslaught of merciless warrior fiends. Gamers immerse themselves in an experience so intensely emotional and gut-wrenching that playing will be like controlling a blockbuster action movie. Control Marcus Fenix and his fire team as they pit advanced human technology against the overwhelming and horrific Locust Horde. Gears of War unites next-generation technology with classic, emotional storytelling and a revolutionary tactical combat system, engrossing the gamer in a horrifying epic story of war and survival Unreal Engine 3 technology pushes high-definition visual designs and brings out the smallest details in the largest battle. Experience a rich dynamic world with an unprecedented level of detail
Rate Points :4.5
Binding :Video Game
Brand :Microsoft
Label :Microsoft
Manufacturer :Microsoft
Model :882224054034
MPN :U19001
ProductGroup :Video Games
Studio :Microsoft
Publisher :Microsoft
UPC :882224386715
EAN :0827307948565
Price :$29.99USD
Lowest Price :$23.75USD
 Get ready. The Chief is back. |
 HDR lighting, self-shadowing, and more make Halo 3 look and feel realistic. View larger. |
 Mystery abounds with the return of Cortana. View larger. |
 Earth is conquered. The Covenant is everywhere. Halo 3 promises to be an epic journey. View larger. |
The short presentation was delivered in real-time on the Xbox 360 using the current version of the Halo 3 game engine. Thats right, no studio production video, Bungie and Microsoft delivered the real deal: what they showed at the announcement is what gamers will see when they play Halo 3 in 2007. The HDR lighting, self-shadowing, GPU-run particle system and many other effects are rumored to show up in full effect in the final game. Needless to say, the gaming community is salivating.
CJ Cowan, Bungies director of cinematics discussed one of the most startling moments of the presentation: the return of Cortana. "Given the variety of character and story arcs at the end of Halo 2, we wanted to boil down our announcement to a few key threads. Cortana and the Chief being a galaxy apart is a situation we havent seen before, and is something that is a powerful component to Halo 3. We are using her transmissions in the demo to give the viewer a few subtle clues to her situation and state of mind, without revealing any specifics we want to save for the game itself."
Graphically, the game closely follows in the tradition of Halo 2, although it has been upgraded to take advantage of the Xbox 360s more prodigious visual abilities. As art direct Marcus Lehto explained, "The presentation was intended to be an understated announcement of Halo 3 -- the tone is that of mystery and suspense -- the calm before the storm. I wanted to make sure that we reintroduced the Chief, showed that Earth was thoroughly conquered, with Covenant everywhere, and that there is a glorious, ancient artifact buried under the Earths crust which will provide Halo 3 with the epic journey which we all want."
Taking full advantage of the power of Xbox 360, Halo 3 expands on everything that has made the franchise great, adding a wealth of technical and gameplay advancements. The game design has evolved with next-generation, high-definition visuals, enhanced A.I., an advanced real-time lighting engine, and, of course, new weapons, characters, and challenges. Halo 3 promises an unparalleled first-person shooter experience and, in the end, the most compelling and engrossing story in the franchises history. Last, but certainly not least, Halo 3 builds upon the unique social multiplayer experience and innovative, evolving online gameplay of Halo 2. Rest assured, youll still be able to run with your clan and battle with (or against) your buddies from coast to coast.
Rate Points :4.0
Binding :Video Game
Brand :Microsoft
Label :Microsoft
Manufacturer :Microsoft
Model :9UE-00001
MPN :9UE-00001
ProductGroup :Video Games
Studio :Microsoft
Publisher :Microsoft
UPC :882224444477
EAN :0882224444477
Price :$39.99USD
Lowest Price :$33.29USD
