JJ finally gets his hands on to play and review Gears of War: Judgment

I know this game came out a while ago but one couldn't really justify spending the money at the time with a new baby in the house. It's actually the first new game I've played since Halo 4 came out! Luckily, I spied it cheap on Trade Me and got it just in time for the New Year.

Opening with Kilo Squad being held to account in what appears to be a kangaroo Court for an unknown crime  it's quickly clear Sierra was only recently subject to the Infamous Emergence Day assault of the locust horde.

The colour palate is a delight, more bright than prior games, there seems to be more blue if that makes sense. The blue is important as it makes this tittle's's lead Baird appear more nuanced and realized than he has previously been. 

Until now Baird has been a smart ass journey man who accompanied Dom and Marcus through their travails. This time round he's the lead and one can immediately tell voice actor Frederick "Fred" Tatasciore has stepped up to bring a stronger character than in heard in prior outings.

A low key start sees Kilo Squad recounting their trip through the falling city to help defend certain points. It's the gears that has been before with a handful of new weapons to work out how to best use.

A programming bug in the Archives was infuriating. I spent a long time running round the area in which I had defeated a a litter of Serapedes trying to find a way out. Eventually I assumed there was a bug and had to commit suicide by way of grenade and fortunate possession of a Boomshot. The restart proved me right and I was able to progress to a thoroughly entertaining set piece in a haze of dust. This part was Gears of War at it's finest and any worries about Judgment being developed by People Can Fly rather than Cliff Bleszinski's team that did the prior three excellent games.

The game took a nice turn when Sofia Hendrik was asked to give witness rather than Baird. The character herself 'just happened' to have once been a research assistant to a Professor at Halvo Bay Military Academy who had built a light mass bomb. Deciding the bomb was necessary to take down a giant monster that's been confirmed as being able to destroy buildings with a single wriggle by, Kilo squad entertainingly find the original Jack robot who will be able to help them target the bomb on the Karn beast. 

The game play continues to be excellent, Sofia's voice acting by Ali Hillis is excellent (and that's what you would expect from Dr Liara T'Soni from Mass Effect!) The asides cast around by the Kilo squad are amusing and up their with that you'd find in a Halo game. I'm also still pleased that the Cole Train has been toned down just a tad.

It's a shame that you can't swap weapons with other Kilo squad members. Loading them up with Boomshots was kinda handy and fun!

The Seahorse Hills lead us on a merry adventure featuring Paduck's testimony. Gears has always picked on cliche's for it's characters and this time People Can Fly chose to go with the 'hardened Russian who used to be the enemy but lost the war and joined the winners side ' vibe.

I should comment on the new buttons lay out. It's fantastic. The game has adopted a Halo style approach. You can carry two weapons which are controlled by button B - you no longer use the D pad to change to grenades either, you can simply use the left bumper. I found this gives my gaming experience better flow.

I've also noticed I am not hiding behind cover as much as other games. I'm not sure why this is, possibly as I'm playing on Hardcore rather than insane. I do fear the run through on that mode however, some set pieces are horrifically fun but difficult!

Paduck's testimony ultimately proved a fan romp through rich people's back yards and mansions. The end of this mission featured a Kilo Squad vs a duo of flaming Beserkers which was most entertaining. We got mission codes for the mission but nothing of great import really happened.

And then it was onto the Cole Train's testimony. One would expect the bombastic player to up the ante in this segment. But maybe the developers realised there are only so many WAHHHHOOOOOS a game needs. Which is fine by me as I'm not a 13 year old boy from Texas.

Cole's testimony is a straight forward run through some place to get to the missile so it can be prepared ready for it's inevitable launch against the giant Karn. There was nothing too challenging on the stage suffice to say by now I'm fairly sure that this game's version of Hardcore difficult appears to be easier than other Gears games - perhaps the many man down rescues make it seem easier.

And finally it is now Damon Baird's turn to give testimony to this crazy bastard Loomis that insists on conducting the Tribunal whilst surrounded by attacking grubs. This run through was probably the most engaging part of the campaign.

Featuring some excellent set pieces this was great Gears in play. A fairly simple yet not too easy boss battle played out well. I was slight disappointed with how the judgement trial played out – Loomis grudgingly let Kilo Squad go free with a demotion for Baird.  I did enjoy how Loomis tagged onto Kilo Squad for the final run – in his heart he was a Soldier and perhaps not as big a ‘dick’ as Baird later recalls in the Aftermath section.

Despite the lack of critical or sales success for this game and while I had my fears about it being a prequel I found it to be a very enjoyable Gears game and would recommend it to anyone that enjoyed the prior games. Be wary though it is Gears light when compared to Gears 3 and it is no Halo Reach but give it ago, you should be able to find it pretty cheap thesedays which means it’s a good value game. 

Now that Microsoft has Gears in its back pocket, we'll expect a new Gears game to be of a higher standard than this one - at least G3 level and beyond given the resources they'll have for it.

MS has brought the rights to Gears of War, new games are on the way. This will be EPIC!

Microsoft has bought the rights to one of our favourite gaming experiences, Gears of War. Epic have previously shipped 4 really good games featuring COG soldiers doing their best to get the Locust Horde to ‘bring it on!’. Even this far into the series GOW: Judgement wasn’t too bad an outing despite being a sequel.

Microsoft said:

“By acquiring this franchise, Microsoft Studios will continue to offer them more of their favorite games and entertainment experiences from the “Gears of War” universe”

So why has Microsoft brought this franchise? It’s a tactical move to keep one of the Xbox’s most successful franchises with the Xbox thus retaining Gears as an incentive to buy the new Xbox One unit for the next release in the series – surely it will only be available for that new platform but that’s just speculation.

What is not speculation is that Rod Ferguss, a Gears alumni, will be overseeing the development of the next game by way of Candian game studio Black Tusk Studios. This will be done under the watch of Hanno Lemke. He said:

In fact we will collaborate closely with Epic to ensure the inclusion of the Unreal Engine technology into the “Gears of War” franchise going forward remains consistent with the high quality fans have come to expect from the franchise.

So let the guessing begin. Where will Gears go? Will there be a Gears 4 featuring Marcus? Will it be set 30 years in the future and feature the troubled son of Marcus and Anya? Will it be another prequel story? Will it be the Pendulum Wars where waring governments pit their soldiers against each other on to realise they have wasted their efforts? 

Your momma is so fat she got stuck in the Halo

Cliffy B muses on this article about the levels of co-operation that are required in the game Monaco after a dude called Ryan posted his own musings in response. Here’s Ryan’s best thought:

"Multiplayer modes are excellent, computer AI blows in comparison. Nothing beats a game where you can legitimately outsmart someone as opposed to finding the non human “quirk” to defeat an AI. Yet, in this arena, you’re subjected to playing with absolute cretin’s who not only are total tremendous douchebro’s, but thrive off out douching each other at a rational person’s expense."

Cliffy B then mused that Xbox’s anonymity over the head sets is ‘one of its biggest limiting factors’ and I think he should know as his Gears of War franchise helped contribute to this problem, gosh knows Halo did too. I stopped using a headset years ago because of it.

Cliff didn’t offer any solutions other than to share an amusing anecdote about what happens when the lights go out in a cafeteria (which is basically what XBL is consistently light).

I’ve a solution. Xbox Live users should be able to select an option where they can play persons who are only 30 years plus age (and where those accounts have been in use for a couple of years with no issues).

I posit such a population would be free of griefers, racists, red necks, ignorant 14 year old Australian boys and otherwise un-suitable players.

Thoughts?

Gears of War promo girls. And that's all.

There was some kind of Gears of War party. These two woman were present. That is all.

Does this Savage Grenadier remind you of any one?

So I spied on the internets some dude gave another dude a drawing and I thought, how nice. And then I looked at this picture of the 'Savage Grenadier' from the Gears of War series and I thought that's cool but what does that face remind me of? And then it hit me. It was a subtle nod to one of the worst movies in history.

The Savage Grenadier looks like Howard the Duck:



Now haters gonna hate so don't tell me he's got a cloth around his face or anything, aight?

Should prequels for trilogies be made?

Should prequels for trilogies be made? Are they a cash grab or valid forms of gaming? 

It seems inevitable given the success of Gears of War 3 that there will be another game in the series. It's too good an intellectual property to just let things end because the cash cow can surely be milked some more.

Despite things ending very well for Sera and the few COG soldiers left in the final campaign, there's still a lot of baggage running in between the ears of Marcus Fenix and it would seem a fourth Gears game could mine some of that baggage.  And that baggage is Emergence Day. The day the grubs clambered out from holes and burrows and caverns to start a devasting war.

So the question is, will Gears of War 4 be a prequel?

The second question then becomes should it really be a sequel? Dos the quality of the game suffer? Should video games be prequels?

Look at this list, what games stand out? Deus Ex, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands? Hardly games that are household names but each servicing their little leaky corny keg of a corner of the world well enough. Perfect Dark Zero was a handy enough game... right? Perhaps not enough of a success to make a fourth Gears game a prequel?

There is an elephant in the room however and that's a wee game called Halo: Reach.

Let's take a look at that game. It was the story of the beginning of the end for a Planet, with new characters and a plot that did its best to tie the plot into a very well established game canon and mythos. Halo: Reach can be considered a successful prequel.

So Bungie Studios made the prequel work following the conclusion of an epic trilogy story arc. And perhaps they had to because Microsoft was moving on with the Halo series regardless so if Bungie had one game left to make in the Halo series, a prequel was ideal as the game makers didn't need to come up with a three game story arc.

Halo: Reach is the stand out prequel that worked and given that Gears of War is on a comparable scale of success and commercialism with the Halo franchise, it seems reasonable that Gears would follow Halo's path.

And if Gears does follow that path, one can only imagine how that might inspire the makers of Mass Effect. Scared much?

Extra for Experts: I actually doubt ME4 will be a prequel as Mike Gamble has said to keep your saved games from ME3 - it would be paradoxical (is that a word?) if decisions already made influenced the game play of a prequel. Edit - turns out Andromed did not incorporate saved games and it was a bit of a lame game if you ask me!

Extra for Experts 2: Who really cares about the cash grab arguments - all games are cash grabs - programmers and companies that employ programmers do it to make money. Sequels are just obvious cash grabs.

Hey, do you brew beer? Do you check the ph of your water with a kit? You really should as it can improve beer quality.

Gears of War Cosplay Costumes

Gears of War Cosplay Costumes

Gears of War 3 is coming out soon enough so I may as well cash in on that momentum and do I post on GOW cosplay right? Especially when there's such awesome pictures of of Anya such as the one above! What do love even more is some of these lancer's these cosplayers have - do they steal them from promotional campaigns or do they they make them for the comic cons?

Anya

Here's a sweet version of Dizzy who played a role early in the campaign of Gears 2. To his left is a female COG.

Here's a whole squadron of  COG soldiers in costume. The outfits are pretty sweet, yes?

Bring it!

Here's a cosplay picture that's pretty dear to the heart of the Gears of Halo website, a picture of cosplay that covers both Gears of War and Halo by way of these to Gears soldiers and Cortana. 

Want more cosplay? Check out some Harry Potter costumes. If you are muggle, check out pictures of body painted Mystique.

Does Clay Carmine live in Gears of War?

Clay Carmine must live!

Does Clay Carmine live in Gears of War? How did the Fate of Carmine campaign end up?

Those who played Gears of Wars 1 or 2 may have cottoned on to the running gag that one of Carmine brothers has dies in each game, each in slightly humorous circumstances.

In the first, Anthony Carmine poked his head out at an inopportune time and received a sharp sniper bullet for his troubles.  The second game saw his brother Ben’s guts liquidated inside a giant riftworm. Lame sauce!

The deaths of the Carmine brothers were casual affairs at best. Their deaths were not glorious; they did not turn any tide. If they were anything, they were examples of brutality of war. Soldiers are cannon fodder and their death of the battle field is simply grist to the slaughter mill.

Carmine must die!

Up for death’s charms in Gears 3 is Clay Carmine. Epic Games has played up this new character’s chances this time round, and last year hosted a charity event of sorts, where gamers could purchase a avatar tshirt which states whether Carmine should live or die. The shirt that had the most purchases is to determine Clay Carmine’s fate. Money raised was donated to a charity which from memory provided Xbox game and consoles to children’s hospitals. Check out Cliff Bleszinski's video about it.

So what do you think? Will Clay Carmine live or will he suffer a fate befitting the legacy of his inept brothers? Is this a Team Jacob versus Team Edward debate?

It’s clear that Epic have amped up the love for Carmine but do they love him enough, despite the vote? We’ll see this fall when Gears 3 is released.


Update: Carmine lives, and lives heroically! 


Check out my Gears of War 3 review or how I think Gears of War 4 could play out. 

Anya Stroud: The Cortana of Gears of War

The titular character of Gears of War, Anya.

So Gears of War 3 is about to hit the Xbox 360 and the other lesser platforms and I thought it would be rude to not do a focus piece on shall we say the titular character of the Gears series, Anya Stroud.

Who the hell is Anya? you may well ask? Anya is the Coms person for G.O.W. She's the lady who tells Marcus Fenix and Dom that there is a courtyard free some where for them to fire cannons in. Boom!

Lieutenant Anya Stroud was a Gears of War officer in the COG Army and the daughter of Major Helena Stroud. Our heroine Anya joined the COG army to follow in her mother’s footsteps, but unlike her mother, she did not serve as a frontline Gear soldier. Anya Stroud instead became a communications officer and served in her mother's unit during the Pendulum Wars. It was during that time met soldier Marcus Fenix and formed a love interest with him, and also became friends with Dominic Santiago.

Stroud is proud...

The release of the demo for Gears of War 3 showed two things: 1: it looks awesome and 2: Anya looks set to break free from her communications role and break out into a combat role.

So why is this Anya character important? Two words come to mind: Marcus Fenix. Despite his daddy issues, he's been through a shit storm. Why shouldn't he fall for one of the last remaining beauties? What's suggested in Gears 1, is intimated in in Gears 2. I'm fully expecting conception in the third adventure of Gears of War 3... unless of course Marcus makes a boob of himself!

Come hither....

My pick is somehow Marcus Fenix has to rescue her and in doing so declares his undying love. Something you'll never see the Master Chief do... and in that vein, Anya is just as popular a gaming heroine as the Chief's digital love, Cortana.

It's gettin' hot in here!

Gears of War has captured the hearts and minds of many people. Including those who like to dress up. Of course, people who like to dress up as characters from video games prefer to call it costume play:

Anya appears to be missing 28 GOG tags...

But it is not just the cosplay fans that want to keep abreast of all the Gears of War issues. Some artists just have too much spare time and are happy to come up with their own interpretations of the Anya character:

Come hither Part II...... (apparently this is not Anya)

Order your copy of Gears of War III here from Amazon. Or get the book!


Update: Check out my Gears of War 3 review or how I think Gears of War 4 could play out.