Clifford Revisited
I managed to remove the GTA IV disc from the Xbox 360 yesterday afternoon (I really am contemplating finding all the stunt jumps and pigeons to get the 100% completion, until something else comes along) and start replaying a few of my older titles that deserve a second look.
With the recent announcement and display of Gears of War 2 I started the original game again on the harder difficulty (I originally completed it on Easy to breeze through the story, swearing blind I would do it again on the proper difficulty level) and was quite surprised to find that it isn’t ageing as well as I thought.
Gears is obviously an incredibly demanding game that is wringing as much performance from the 360 as it can, so slowdown is inevitable but what surprised me was just how frustrating some of the combat can be.
Moving around the mobile meat van that is Marcus Phoenix is a bit of a clumsy affair at times, but when timed to perfection it’s an absolute joy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating on Gears at all, merely commenting that in the two years since the games release there have been a few pretenders to the Gears crown that have mercilessly borrowed from its template (which itself borrowed heavily from Kill Switch and Resident Evil 4), and some have dared to vaguely improve on it. Army of Two may have been a somewhat soulless facsimile but I never found myself getting frustrated by diving into cover at the wrong points.
I haven’t tried the Emo Gears, or Dark Sector as it is better known due to lukewarm reviews, despite that fact that Tesco are offering it at £25.
After I’m done with Gears I’m heading back to Bioshock to enjoy another trip to Rapture. That may have to wait, because with Lego Indiana Jones being released on Friday, I think it could be time to take a break from slaughtering everything and everybody in sight!
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I know what you mean about Gears, there are times when it had me cursing at the TV when you would dive into cover during a firefight. And why can’t Marcus just pick up the damn ammo rather than having to press X every time?
I’m looking forward to the sequel, not having a PS3 yet I won’t be playing Resistance 2 so Gears 2 will keep me satisfied until I have the cash for the big black box.
I’m such a run-and-gun type of gamer. I want the character to respond as fast and I can press the buttons. My biggest problem with any video game is learning to get the natural timing down. It took me a bit longer with Gears.
To be honest, with a story line that was left bleeding out in preproduction and controlls that took me about two hours to get used to . . . I spend a lot of the time just looking around at the textures and taking in the sense of the different levels.
I did love the art book that came with the special edition though !
Oh for sure, the game itself is beautiful in a destroyed beauty type way. That art book is very nice, and the DVD that came with the special edition is actually worth a watch too.
But yeah, I think it’s the sort of game that you could forgive its faults back in 2006 because it just looked so stunning and was such a visceral experience. A couple of years down the line and the sheen isn’t quite so bright, but it’s still a great game despite its flaws. I’m looking forward to 2. Thanks for the comments guys
I’m a little bit slow on the uptake on this story, sorry Pete!
After finishing MGS4 about 10 times, I umm’ed and ahh’ed about picking up a 360. I finally bought a 60GB Gears 1 & 2 bundle about a month ago. I have thoroughly enjoyed both Gears games from start to finish several times!
I would definitely agree with you about controlling Fenix being a bit cumbersome at times, but i found it all the more rewarding to leap cover, sprint across a battlefield (and that’s truly what they are in Gears2!) and tag a drone in the face with an grenade only to watch him explode meatily within the ranks of his colleagues, because of that cumbersome nature.
Again I agree about a lot of the faults that both games have, but the one that surprises is the distain most mainstream media have shown for the story.
Ok so it’s not Shakespeare but what do they expect from a game where you play a grunt! I found the story across both games to be engrossing and full of both entertaining and moving moments enhanced with clever cinematic touches. Anyone who’s played to halfway through the second game would hopefully agree with that statement.
Thanks Pete for your enjoyable reviews and features on this generation of consoles. I probably would have seriously considered a 360 if it wasn’t for them!
Right now though it’s time to get back on The Train! WOOOOOOO BABY!
Cheers Lee!
I loved Gears 2 a whole lot more than the original. It’s bigger, better and more badass that the original in every way possible.
Cole Train is also a total legend.
Glad to hear Pete!
Did you know that Cole Train is voiced by NFL star Leister Speight? Who also played Terry Tate: Office Linebacker for Reebok. Check out the bits at: http://www.returnofterrytate.com and enjoy the brutality!
Sure did
I saw him in the docco on the Gears 2 bonus disc. That dude can sweat!