Gears of War
From Gears of War
| Gears of War | |
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| Developer: | Epic Games |
| Publisher: | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Release date: |
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| Genre: | Third-person shooter |
| Game modes: | Campaign Mode, Co-op Campaign, Multiplayer |
| ESRB rating: | Mature (M) |
| Platform: | Xbox 360 |
| Media: | CD, DVD |
Gears of War is a video game created by Epic Games and is a third-person-shooter, Xbox Live enabled and generally considered to be the one of the finest video games ever created -- second only to Jet Set Willy. It is compatible for the Xbox 360 and is rated M in the USA and 18 in the UK. It's platforms include the Xbox 360 console and the PC , and has sold over 3 million copies since it's release. As of E3 2007, Gear of War has been ported to PC, as one of many 'Games of Windows'. The PC edition will have new features, and five new single player chapters. For further information please regard the specific article, Gears of War (PC).
It was the most played game on Xbox Live in terms of unique users, ahead of Halo 2, before being beaten by its sequel, Halo 3. There are 4 different types of multiplayer game. Warzone, Assassination, Execution and Annex with 10 multiplayer maps, and 6 new ones available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace free of charge. These maps are named Old Bones, Raven Down, Garden, Subway, Bullet Marsh, and Process.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Pages that explain the preluding events to the game.
- The Gears of War Trailer.
[edit] Game Basics
Getting to grips with the game basics.
[edit] Characters and Adversaries
Delta Team was a C.O.G. army team comprised of Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, Carmine, and Lieutenant Minh Young Kim. The team fluctuated through the first act, having Carmine sniped, getting Cole as his replacement, finding two more Alpha squad survivors, Damon Baird and Redshirt Gyules, having Kim die by RAAM's hands, and Gyules getting killed by a Berserker. They have a cloaked robot to help them, JACK... read more
The Locust Horde is a race, or alliance of several races that, until Emergence day, inhabited the subterranean regions of Sera. The Locust Horde has decided its ultimate goal is the extermination of the human race down to every man, woman, and child. Locusts consist of a common race of drones and all manner of mutants and monstrosities. The Locust Horde exists in underground tunnels known as the Hollow, which is a short term used to describe the hollow portions of planet Sera...read more
[edit] Plot
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Act 1: Ashes - As the game opens 14 years after Emergence Day, former soldier Marcus Fenix is freed from the Jacinto Maximum Security Penitentiary by his close friend, Dominic Santiago, who needs Fenix's help in the fight against the Locusts. Both manage to escape the prison moments before it is destroyed by a Corpser, and then meet up with the other members of Delta Squad, Private Carmine and Lieutenant Kim with orders to find Alpha Squad and secure possession of the "Resonator", a device intended to map out the Locust underground tunnel network for the Lightmass Bomb. En route to Alpha's last known location, Carmine is killed by a Locust sniper and Kim killed by General RAAM. Dominic and Marcus are able to meet up with 2 Privates from Alpha Squad, named Cole and Baird, at the House of Sovereigns. After defeating a Locust Berserker, the team confirms with headquarters that the Resonator is safe, and are then ordered to an Imulsion mining facility ten kilometers from their position. Marcus is also granted a rank as Sergeant in place of Kim.
Act 2: Nightfall - Dom suggests that the fastest way to reach the mine would be to borrow a junker from a Stranded named Franklin, who owes Dom a favor from deals in the past. After reaching the camp, Franklin reluctantly agrees to give them his "Junker" on the condition that Cole and Baird remain at the Stranded camp to help them defend against the Locust. Marcus and Dom head across the ruined city as nightfall descends, bringing out the carnivorous bat-like creatures that attack anything in the dark known as Kryll. The two fight through the Locust forces to reach the gas station where the Junker is kept, and then drive it back to the camp, defending themselves from the Kryll with an ultraviolet light equipped on the Junker that can kill the Kryll. The two arrive just in time back at the Stranded camp to help defend it from a large Locust onslaught. Once the situation is secured, the team moves onwards towards the mining facility in the Junker.
Act 3: Belly of the Beast - Delta Squad reaches the outskirts of the mining facility just as the Junker ceases to function. They make their way on foot through the abandoned facility and into the Imulsion mine tunnels, heading towards a predetermined location where the effect of the Resonator should have maximum effect, all the while defending themselves against constant Locust onslaughts. The team eventually reaches their target destination, and after securing the area, set off the Resonator device and narrowly escape back to the surface. Unfortunately, the team quickly learns from HQ that the data collected from the Resonator blast was much too limited to be of use for the Lightmass Bomb. However, a device found by Baird seems to already contain a near-complete map of the tunnel system, with the data linking back to Marcus' father and his home at the East Barricade Academy.
Act 4: The Long Road Home - Delta Squad rides a Raven helicopter to the East Barricade Academy, now ruined and heavily controlled by Locust, losing a helicopter to an attack by Nemacyst air spores in the sky. The team is dropped off just outside the Academy and are forced to fight their way through massive numbers of Locust to the mansion where Marcus's father lived. Cole and Baird discover another APC in need of repair at the back of the manor, and they rush off to repair it while Marcus and Dom search the manor for the data. After finding the hidden laboratory in the basement, they leave their cloaked robot Jack to download the data and defend the house against waves of Locust attackers. As Jack finishes downloading the tunnel maps, the two soldiers rush for the newly repaired APC behind the manor with a gargantuan reptilian-like Locust called a Brumak already charging towards them. The Squad and Jack reach the APC just as the Brumak smashes through the manor, escaping the pursuing monster.
Act 5: Desperation - The team now rushes for the train station to get aboard the Tyro Pillar, an armored freight train carrying the Lightmass Bomb at its front. Locust attack them at the station and prevent Cole and Baird from jumping onto the train as it speeds past, leaving only Marcus and Dom to battle through to the front of the train as it travels across the wasteland towards the Locust stronghold. They unfortunately encounter General RAAM at the front of the train, guarding the Lightmass Bomb, but the two are able to defeat him. With a destroyed bridge quickly approaching as the train speeds ahead, Marcus uploads the tunnel data into the Lightmass Bomb and activates it, escaping the train by jumping into a nearby Raven helicopter, with the help of Dom and Col. Hoffman seconds before the train falls off of the tracks and into the Imulsion below. The bombs from Lightmass launch into the Locust tunnels beneath, successfully eradicating most of an important Locust stronghold. Hoffman's voice later announces their victory to the rest of the world, but the haunting voice of what is assumed to be the Locust Queen clearly tells the player that the Locust have not been defeated, and will fight back.
[edit] Behind the Scenes
- Epic had originally planned on calling the Locusts "Geist", but couldn't ship with that name since Nintendo had a game with the same name.
- Originally, Epic had a traditional FPS without cover, but after Cliff's buddy showed him kill.switch, he changed the design to a "Resident Killswitch" type of game design after that and Resident Evil.
- Old ideas include the thought of "Combat Cash", which you could loot and get cash, and a "Morale Meter", which if your teammates were depressed they could kill themselves. The game Blacksite Area 51 has something similar to the moral meter. Both were thrown out because they got in the way of the action.
- Gears started as a first person game, but after seeing tech demos of Unreal Engine 3, they decided it was a shame to not be able to see the character whenever he's doing anything. They wanted to do something different than Unreal Tournament.
- As far as positioning the camera goes in making a third-person game, much of the inspiration for the camera system came from Resident Evil 4's Over-The-Shoulder camera system.
- On another interesting note, they decided to go with a toggle cover system instead of using the left stick to push the player into cover. It was rather difficult for the system to decide if the player wanted to enter cover, or merely walk past a wall.
- The Y button was originally unassigned until the idea of "Point of Interest" was conceived.
There are a few key ideas that were adhered to throughout the design:
- •Slower paced game based on tradeoffs like not having a crosshair when not aiming.
- •No aliens from space.
- •Low tech and high tech
- •Embracing some cliches, but shedding others
Two concept art shots:
