Gears of War - what am I missing?

[Margalis]

This 360 game has been billed as some sort of action horror. Sounds cool. But watching movies of it just looks like a 3rd person shooter, the horror part is that the generic enemies with guns sort of look like zombies or something...is that it?

I would say ResEvil 4 is very much an action/horror game, even though a lot of the enemies are crazed villagers. (Not even zombies like the other games) They may not have been zombies but there were freaky.

In Gears of War the enemies seem to be the totally generic gun-toting enemies we've seen for 15 years.

One interesting point to consider - how many horror movies are there where the enemies use primarily guns? I can't think of any. Guns just are not horrific, they are too commonplace and ordinary.

[schild]

Ehhh, it's an Epic game that happens to be a 360 exclusive. It's the sort of thing you just Buy & Enjoy. But horror? I haven't heard that. I've only heard sci-fi. That happens to be a 3rd Person Shooter.

[Fabricated]

It looked vaguely interesting but I'm having a hard time thinking of a good single player title Epic has put out since the original Unreal.

[Trippy]

It looked vaguely interesting but I'm having a hard time thinking of a good single player title Epic has put out since the original Unreal.

That's cause they haven't put out any (ignoring the training modes in UT) for the PC. Unreal II was developed by Legend.

[Sky]

Yay! Thumbsticks.

GoW is a game for Halotards.

[murdoc]

Bah! I'm looking forward to GoW actually. I really enjoyed the stop and pop action in Ghost Recon and was rather annoyed that they completely removed that part from multiplayer.

What I'm really looking forward to is the co-op mode. Me and a buddy having been talking for last few months about the need to play some sort of action game co-op, and GoW arrives right on queue.

[schild]

Yay! Thumbsticks.

GoW is a game for Halotards.

I prefer thumbsticks for THIRD person shooters. Splinter Cell and Hitman did that too me.

Seriously, it's fine.

[Yegolev]

I had a lot of problems with the aiming in Hitman, moreso than any other stick-aimer.  Could have been the PS2 controls.  Splinter Cell on Xbox was pretty good, though.  Or, rather, I was pretty good at it.

[schild]

Durrrr. Not the PS2 version. Never the PS2 version. Dual Shocks are good for one thing and one thing only.

Navigating RPG menus.

[Yegolev]

Good to know I played the right version of RE4, then.

If you play Dirge of Cerberus, I suggest autoaim.  I am not suggesting you play Dirge of Cerberus.

[Sky]

I was playing some eh...Chaos Theory? I forget, my dad gave it to me, he's a Halotard. It's a great game, but I just can't get past the control scheme. I wish they'd let me use a mounse and keyboard. I know it's my own bias, but it sure does suck. Free games are cool. I've got a Hitman I can't play, too.

[Nija]

Looks like a neat game. Too bad I'll never play it due to the fact that I can't use a mouse to aim.

[Morfiend]

Durrrr. Not the PS2 version. Never the PS2 version. Dual Shocks are good for one thing and one thing only.

Navigating RPG menus.

Wrong. They are also the best controllers for the Tony Hawk series. Up until Project 8 that is.

[Riggswolfe]

Yay! Thumbsticks.

GoW is a game for Halotards.

I take it a Halotard is someone who has enough hand eye coordination to play a first person shoot either with a keyboard/mouse or thumbsticks?

Hmm...I call that evolution.

[Nija]

It's just different. Imagine a PC game forcing you to play with a trackball instead of a normal mouse.

My thumbs cramp up after ~30 minutes fiddling with analog sticks.

[NiX]

I don't get how people can complain about the controller not being comfortable. The XB design was made with shooters in mind. The only time I've had thumbstick cramps is with the PS2 controller. I prefer mouse/keyboard, but I can do just as good with thumbsticks. I think you had play a lot of Goldeneye to stick with thumbstick shooters and do really good.

[Oban]

Is there a light-gun for the xbox360?

All of my Google searches turn up the game Gun.

[Scadente]

The only time I've had thumbstick cramps is with the PS2 controller.

Oh you should try Fahrenheit for the XB, I think my triggerfingers aged about 20years after that.

As for Gears of War, seems pretty much like your standard console shooter.
£20 on explosions and gunzzz on the cover.

[Morfiend]

I don't get how people can complain about the controller not being comfortable. The XB design was made with shooters in mind. The only time I've had thumbstick cramps is with the PS2 controller. I prefer mouse/keyboard, but I can do just as good with thumbsticks. I think you had play a lot of Goldeneye to stick with thumbstick shooters and do really good.

While I am no where near as good with the Thumbstick as I am with a mouse/keyboard, thanks to Saints Row, I now have about 30% accuracy with the Thumbstick. I still think its a horrible way to play shooters, but it no longer prevents me from buying console shooters outright.

[Azazel]

It's really just a matter of getting used to the control scheme. I used to have a mac as my primary computer, so the first FPS I really got into playing were Goldeneye on the N64, then a bunch on the original PlayStation. Medal of Honor, Doom, Final Doom, I was fine, though when my nephew tried to show me Half-Life 1 and Alien vs Predator on the PC, I wanted to have a go but I was just, you know, shit since using mouse/keyboard was unnatural to me.

So I got a PC (for EverQuest) and over time I got used to moving with the arrow keys and mouse, which naturally enough morphed into WASD for FPS. Since I stopped playing FPS on the console because the PC ones were far better, my FPS comfort zone on consoles eroded, and now I can't play them anymore on a console. I prefer the mouse/keysboard for 3rd-person shooters as well (GTA control PC>GTA control Console, with the exception of analogue vehicle control).

[Strazos]

A controller for a FPS is just an inferior control scheme when compared to KB/Mouse. It's that simple.

I take it a Halotard is someone who has enough hand eye coordination to play a first person shoot either with a keyboard/mouse or thumbsticks?

Hmm...I call that evolution.

Nope, Halotards pretty much only play Halo on Xbox, and never play FPSs on the PC. I know people who swear up and down that it's better....

Yeah, right...come back when that turn speed isn't shit and you can do snap-turns like I can with my mouse. I liked Halo, but compared to practically any PC FPS, the controls are shite.

[Big Gulp]

For shits and giggles I downloaded the Battlefield 2 demo off of Xbox Live just to see how the conversion went, and I deleted it within a minute of actually trying to play.  Any joy that FPSes on the console may contain are completely undermined by the control scheme.  It flat out sucks donkey dicks, and I'll never buy or rent an FPS for any console.  It's just completely pointless.

[schild]

For shits and giggles I downloaded the Battlefield 2 demo off of Xbox Live just to see how the conversion went, and I deleted it within a minute of actually trying to play.  Any joy that FPSes on the console may contain are completely undermined by the control scheme.  It flat out sucks donkey dicks, and I'll never buy or rent an FPS for any console.  It's just completely pointless.

Kinda tacky. "I suck at something so it must suck." No, it's possible EA sucks. It's possible the controls in BF2 suck. But there are a large number of FPS style games that were SUPERB with analog sticks. Like Riddick.

[Big Gulp]

But there are a large number of FPS style games that were SUPERB with analog sticks. Like Riddick.

I'd call Riddick more of a stealth/adventure/shooter hybrid, a lot like Splinter Cell.  Those types of games I can cope with on a gamepad.  For straight shooters, though, the console interface sucks.  It's inferior any way you slice it, and although people may become more competent with the scheme it'll never come close to a mouse and keyboard.  And frankly I'm too old and too impatient to bother trying to get somewhat decent with what amounts to a shit control scheme.  I just avoid those games and go happily along my way.

[stray]

I'm definitely in the "FPS sucks on consoles" camp. Consoles do just about everything else better though.

[schild]

I thrashed CoD 2 on a console. It was absolutely fine. I'm still about 50x better with a mouse. Doesn't matter though, fun is fun. And if a gamepad turns off your ability to have fun, whatever.

[stray]

Well, I'm in the "FPS sucks on consoles" camp, but I'm not in agreement with everyone here either. I can still play on a console fine. I just don't prefer it.

[Yegolev]

No fucking in the courtyard.

[Margalis]

I just saw an awesome commercial for Gears of War. Set to recognizable soft music. (I've heard it but can't place it) Very well done. Thumbs up to the marketing department.

[schild]

Yea, that commercial is really amazing. It's been spread around for the last few days now. Good stuff.

[MisterNoisy]

I just saw an awesome commercial for Gears of War. Set to recognizable soft music. (I've heard it but can't place it) Very well done. Thumbs up to the marketing department.

It's a cover of 'Mad World' from the Donnie Darko soundtrack.

[Stormwaltz]

David Fincher had something to do with it. Not sure exactly what - it just says he "consulted."

[Miasma]

Wow, that's a really great ad.  I can't remember ever seeing a better one but then my memory sucks.  I'll also have to try and buy that song.

I keep thinking I made a mistake with pre-ordering the Wii and Zelda, in moments of weakness I consider cancelling it to buy a 360.  Maybe I'll just make that my own Christmas present if the Wii doesn't pan out.

[Strazos]

That may very well be the best ad I have ever seen for a game.

[Margalis]

But, does it compare to:

"Octarocs!"

Methinks not.

Anyway yeah it is good, too bad I still don't care about the game at all as from what I can tell its a standard 3rd person shooter where the enemies are zombies with machineguns instead of Germans with machineguns.