Gears of War 2 is the follow-up to the gorgeous, yet thinly plotted, spectacularly linear Gears of War and thus far, is exactly the same as the first, but up-sized. More enemies thrown at you, larger vehicles on larger rail sequences. And more Brumak, way more Brumak.
People often wonder why the Gears and Unreal games running the Unreal 3 engine all look better coming from Epic than virtually anyone else using the engine (a lawsuit is pending about this very issue). The answer is pretty simple a)they designed the damn thing b)they cheat.
By cheat, I mean in the traditional film jargon sense, as in "cheating" the camera over a few inches, or using forced-perspective. The idea is to cheat the eye into seeing something that really isn't there and Epic have always excelled at this.
By creating vistas that you can never actually explore and funneling gameplay down narrow path surround by the appearance of beauty, Epic games seem like they look better. They are simply better optimized for the gameplay, whereas a game like Mass Effect uses the engine to show vistas that you can actually walk up to. That makes the engine work harder and it doesn't have the sheen Gears does. It's smart design, if limiting, which seems to be Epic's trademark.
From the intial Unreal, Epic has thrilled with visual tricks and story ideas that never live up to the potential. Epic has become the new ID, with their games standing more as entertaining tech demos than immersive experiences. The story sessions seem to have been frat-boy keggers where Cliffy B continually asks "what's cooler than..", ie. "Hey what's cooler than a shitload. (beat) Ten shitloads."
That there is some fine writing Cliff.
What does appear to be true is that the games are not purchased for the single player experience, which is simply the gravy to the online experience of curbstomping your pals.
Thus far I am underwhelmed by the story, but the game mechanics are as compelling as ever
Showing posts with label Cliffy B. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cliffy B. Show all posts
Friday, November 28, 2008
Monday, December 4, 2006
GEARS OF SNORE
"Gears of War" for the XBOX 360 has been the most highly anticipated 360
game for this holiday season. From EPIC, the makers of Unreal, and
boasting to have truly next gen graphics, Microsoft has positioned this
game as a killer app for this Christmas. It has garnered rave reviews
across the board for its visceral gameplay and astounding graphics.
And I just don't get it.
To put this in perspective, Gears is one of the few games I have managed
to play prior to reading any reviews (Half-life 2 is one as well) so
beyond pre-release hype I didn't really know what to expect from the
game. Almost any other game, including the fantastic but not
earth-shaking Splinter Cell Double Agent, I have made my renting or
buying decision based on reviews and my own personal tastes. Knowing
that the true cusp of next-gen hardware was at hand with this second
generation 360 game alongside the release of the PS3 and the WII I
wanted to see for myself what the big deal was about.
Now don't get me wrong, the graphics are beautiful, but it took until
the end of the first "act" of the game for me to be truly astounded.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, perhaps it's the lack of a high
def tv, or over a decade of staring at computer screens, playing games
at high resolutions that is the problem.
The gameplay itself is entertaining but I find it lacking in immersion.
I never feel I am part of the story, because there doesn't appear to be
one. Behind the flash and sizzle of the graphics, there is essentially a
duck and cover repetition to the game, wherein the onslaught of "smart"
enemies (who bellow out when they are vulnerable, most conveniently)
forces the player to duckwalk from cover to cover, popping up
frantically to fire back. While this forced used of cover is
interesting, but not entirely innovative, it is the cornerstone of the
gameplay. This, in and of itself, would not be a bad thing was there
anything else to hang one's hat on, but there isn't. Enemies spawn in
wave after wave, like FPS's of old (something both Quake 4 and Doom 3
were derided for), and meander back and forth in scripted patterns and
animations. Both FEAR and Half-life 2 on PC demonstrate the same kind of
linear run and gun gameplay, but with far more organic and reactive AI
enemies, leading to more immersive gameplay and greater tension.
Rather than an organic world that leverages the power of the 360 to its
hilt, this is an old-school shooter wrapped in a prettier package.
game for this holiday season. From EPIC, the makers of Unreal, and
boasting to have truly next gen graphics, Microsoft has positioned this
game as a killer app for this Christmas. It has garnered rave reviews
across the board for its visceral gameplay and astounding graphics.
And I just don't get it.
To put this in perspective, Gears is one of the few games I have managed
to play prior to reading any reviews (Half-life 2 is one as well) so
beyond pre-release hype I didn't really know what to expect from the
game. Almost any other game, including the fantastic but not
earth-shaking Splinter Cell Double Agent, I have made my renting or
buying decision based on reviews and my own personal tastes. Knowing
that the true cusp of next-gen hardware was at hand with this second
generation 360 game alongside the release of the PS3 and the WII I
wanted to see for myself what the big deal was about.
Now don't get me wrong, the graphics are beautiful, but it took until
the end of the first "act" of the game for me to be truly astounded.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, perhaps it's the lack of a high
def tv, or over a decade of staring at computer screens, playing games
at high resolutions that is the problem.
The gameplay itself is entertaining but I find it lacking in immersion.
I never feel I am part of the story, because there doesn't appear to be
one. Behind the flash and sizzle of the graphics, there is essentially a
duck and cover repetition to the game, wherein the onslaught of "smart"
enemies (who bellow out when they are vulnerable, most conveniently)
forces the player to duckwalk from cover to cover, popping up
frantically to fire back. While this forced used of cover is
interesting, but not entirely innovative, it is the cornerstone of the
gameplay. This, in and of itself, would not be a bad thing was there
anything else to hang one's hat on, but there isn't. Enemies spawn in
wave after wave, like FPS's of old (something both Quake 4 and Doom 3
were derided for), and meander back and forth in scripted patterns and
animations. Both FEAR and Half-life 2 on PC demonstrate the same kind of
linear run and gun gameplay, but with far more organic and reactive AI
enemies, leading to more immersive gameplay and greater tension.
Rather than an organic world that leverages the power of the 360 to its
hilt, this is an old-school shooter wrapped in a prettier package.
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