Playing the lackluster Gears of War 3 makes me realize how disappointing the trilogy has become. Now don't get me wrong all three games were good but not great, but they all lacked one thing to take it to the next level of such franchisees like Halo, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, and fallout. That is a compelling story and characters, which Gears of War lacked.
First let me go into what I did like. The graphics which I would give a 10/10 were stunning and amazing. They were at times breathtaking.
Next is the game play which I would give a 7/10. I played the game twice when I rented from Game Fly. I played it on normal and hard. The controls were easy to use and easy to switch weapons. It was wonderful through the first have of the game as the game was truly challenging especially the early bosses, but once I got a little past the half way point the game seemed to become easier, repetitive, and to linear. The two latter parts are what hurt the franchise the most.
Finally there is the Story/Characters I would give a 4/10. This trilogy started off great with in the first game (8/10) which was compelling as we were introduced to this unique world. The second game (8/10) started the downward trend with the story being good but lacking appeal. I was expecting more since this was most likely going to be the last time we see Marcus Fenix, Damon Baird, Anya and the all the other characters. What I got was a lackluster undertaking. The first half of the game was by far the best and one of the best moments of the game took place around the half way point when one of the major characters dies. I won't give it away but I'm sure you can figure it out. The second half and climax was average to bad, and the ending was down right terrible.
Overall this game was good, but not great, excellent, or a classic. The same goes for the three games in general which over all I'd give a 8/10 for being a great trilogy. It will never be on the level of the series I've listed above, and it's definitely not worth $60 price tag. The game and series are worth playing but I'd rent it from Game Fly or pick it up when it's under $30.
