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Gears of War Hands-On Impressions

Posted by Zonk on from the cogs-in-the-machine dept.

The Xbox 360 title that everyone seems to be excited about is the first person shooter Gears of War. Hands-On impressions are available from 1up.com, Gamespy, Gamespot, and IGN. From the IGN article: "Sera is gripped in darkness. The Locusts are most at home in the shadows, so expect the worst moments to occur when the lights go off. Gears of War can best be described as a mix between a third-person tactical shooter and a survival horror game. This is pop-and-shoot gaming, not the run-and-gun style of Halo 2. Oh, and it's f---ing awesome."

47 comments

  1. holy crap! by fearanddread · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Is this what xbox 360 games are going to look like? I might have to join the console dark side. Course if the game play isn't any good...

    1. Re:holy crap! by tolan-b · · Score: 3, Informative

      That's what Unreal Engine 3 games are going to look like.

      The Unreal Tournement 2007 tech demo for the PS3 was equally impressive technically.

      The artwork for Gears of War is particularly impressive though.

    2. Re:holy crap! by theclam159 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      While it does look great, I don't think it's the leap in graphics that it should be. When this generation's consoles first came out, we were amazed at the graphics. Everything looked so much better than N64/Playstation/PC graphics at the time. Now, the difference is much smaller.

      Let's take Half-Life 2, running on the Source engine.

      The graphics in Gears of War are only moderately better than HL2.
      http://media.pc.ign.com/media/492/492830/img_24657 11.html
      http://media.pc.ign.com/media/492/492830/img_21184 30.html
      http://media.pc.ign.com/media/492/492830/img_17664 01.html

      With the Lost Coast levels that are coming out soon (adding High Dynamic Range lighting), the difference will be even smaller.

      Today's high end graphics cards can run HL2 at or above HD resolutions, with higher FPS than the consoles will put out.
      http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2278 &p=11
      http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2278 &p=10

      It's still 6 months until the Xbox360 release. By then, the next generation of video cards should be out, or very close to release. That'll narrow the gap or even eliminate it altogether.

      This may be the first console launch in history where the consoles fail to outdo PCs in the graphics department.

      The major exception to this that I've seen is Killzone 2. It has substantially better graphics than any Xbox360 game that I've seen. However, there's still a lot of controversy over whether the pics and movies that have been released were actual gameplay footage, non-game in-engine footage, or prerendered CG.

      Who knows, maybe Microsoft (possibly) and Sony (probably not, they have a reputation of overhyping their graphics and system specs; I doubt their games will look any prettier at release) haven't finished optimizing their console designs, meaning that the graphics that we see today aren't as good as they will be at release.

    3. Re:holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is this first of the games being release for 360. Historically, the first batch of games rarely flex the console's muscle. Just think about Super Mario Bros. compared with Super Mario Bros. 3, both NES games. Give developers time with the hardware and you'll be wowed. I'm already wowed.

    4. Re:holy crap! by Lisandro · · Score: 1

      I was about to post the same. The Unreal Engine 3 looks flooring; expect to see games with that graphical quality on your PC soon.

      The next Unreal Tournament looks damn sweet aswell.

    5. Re:holy crap! by Seumas · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I am not a console owner. I have never cared for consoles. I owned a used Nintendo (classic) console when I was in my teens for a couple years and that was it. Everything else has been PC. And I didn't really even get into games until I was an adult.

      I have never seen the point in buying consoles for a hundred bucks or three hundred bucks, plus games at $80 each. Especially since they become obsolete. On the PC, I can demo (okay, bit-torrent - but if I play them more than a couple hours I tend to buy them) games. And I can copy them for backups easily. And there are plenty of mods for them. And they variety of keyboards and mice to interact with the game is better than the ditzy console controllers. And I already have a computer - so I save a few hundred bucks off a console right there.

      However, after seeing the X-Box demos... and ESPECIALLY the Play Station 3 demos... I am seriously considering buying one or both in the coming year. No, they aren't extremely revolutionary. No, this isn't the same leap in technology that we've grown use to seeing from one iteration to the next... But they still are quite remarkable and there are some great looking games pending.

      I've seen two things that made my jaw drop. One is FEAR and the other is Gear. But I'm sure there will be plenty more to come. Anyway - 2006 may be the year I finally start playing consoles. In my mind, they have finally arrived and there is now a *REASON* to buy them, even for a PC gamer.

    6. Re:holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What reason? The graphics? That's a pretty silly reason to finally get into consoles. I mean, what if the games all suck? Are you just going to let them run in demo mode and jerk off to the pretty pictures?

    7. Re:holy crap! by Seumas · · Score: 1

      Yes, for one - the graphics finally look like something I have been seeing on my PC for a long time. And second, there look to be some games coming down the pipeline that are not just bad knockoffs or adaptations of existing PC games.

      Until now, I haven't seen anything a console is good for other than sports games - and I feel kind of funny playing *sports* games from my sofa.

      Really, I've never been excited about console launches. EVER. I am now.

    8. Re:holy crap! by Gulthek · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So why use that PC for gaming when a console does it just as well?

      Join me in the dark side, I have vaulted from PC gaming to consoles and I'm having much more fun. But then, I love 3d-person action, driving and fighting games more than I love FPSs. Ninja Gaiden is where it's at. Resident Evil 4 is totally awesome.

    9. Re:holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Are you just going to let them run in demo mode and jerk off to the pretty pictures?"

      Not unless they release a new Leisure Suit Larry game.

    10. Re:holy crap! by mconeone · · Score: 1

      That's what sets apart this next generation of consoles from the rest: they perform better than decent PCs. To get a PC to play games like that would be very expensive.

    11. Re:holy crap! by hollismb · · Score: 2, Informative

      Just a note, it's been confirmed by the developers that the Killzone footage is 'what we intend the game to look like'. I.E, it's all pre-rendered CGI. Heck, even the animation gave it away. I wouldn't get you hopes up for the game to look like that trailer. Good, yes, but like that? I don't think so.

    12. Re:holy crap! by pnice · · Score: 1

      Some of take the same approach to consoles. We demo (ok bit-torrent) the games as well. I demo games for the Xbox the PS2, PSX, GBA, Gamecube) I remember when me and my brother talked my mom and dad into getting us a Z64 for Chirstmas instead of buying us any games so we could "demo" games for the N64 as well.

      --
      My Xbox Live Gamer Card
    13. Re:holy crap! by brkello · · Score: 1

      Well, from a purely graphical perspective...when consoles first come up they are genreally on par or better with PCs. PCs catch up and pass them and then it's prettier there. PC gaming is better for FPS and RTS mainly because the mouse and keyboard are superior to a controller for those games. Now I know that there are mouse and keyboards for consoles. They suck though because you still can't turn any faster than what the controller would let you. I have mixed feeling on that. I like it because it evens out online game play a little bit. I dislike it because I don't like to be artificially limited. I do both PC gaming and console gaming. Both have benefits and drawbacks. Trying to sway people to give up PC gaming or trying to state that one is better is stupid and immature.

      --
      Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
    14. Re:holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should also note that the X360 games that were shown were all on the Alpha Dev kits, estimated to be 1/3 to 1/2 as powerful as the actual X360. MS chose to show what the reality is right now, rather than what they predict reality will be in 6 months. The graphical prowess of the X360 will, by all accounts, blow away any high end PC available today and in the near future. Many of the features of the ATI GPU in the X360 aren't expected to see the retail market for PCs until 2007.

    15. Re:holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean PS2 games don't look like Namco girl and the old man from it's pre-release E3???

    16. Re:holy crap! by Bluesummerslgt · · Score: 1

      exactly, preferences are preferences and there's no need to force someone to like the PC or console better. I, like brkello, game on both consoles, and find the PC better for shooters (except for halo 2 obviously), and the consoles better for action/adventure games like DMC. either way, its fun, so keep enjoying and im looking forward to the next gen consoles.

      --
      Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through pow
    17. Re:holy crap! by apoc06 · · Score: 1

      to be the devils advocate. its not something unheard of. given how the unreal 3 engine looks. and its shown and proven from the e3 techdemo that the actual ps3 hardware is capable of handling the unreal engine at full HD resolution at a consistent framerate, its not insane for me to believe that killzone is capable of whats been shown.

      if you played the first killzone, you would notice not much difference between what appeared to be footage and how the first one played except for maybe a larger AI and scripted scene role. the graphics for the first killzone werent all that bad in the first place for a game that was obviously rushed out to compete with halo2. granted there were all types of issues with framerate and draw distance, etc. but i think that if you took the first ones gameplay and script. threw that ontop of the unreal3 engine, and added a bit more interaction, you could easily have a killzone2 thats comparable/ better than what you saw from the trailer.

      is it prerendered? possibly, maybe... but if the ps3 can run the unreal3 engine or whatever engine was running the fight night demo, i wouldnt be in the least bit surprised by what the final product of the ps3 could be when it comes to actual games.

  2. Ha Ha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    First post you cunt-bags!

  3. Live coop? by uglysmurf · · Score: 1

    "but in co-op you have to figure it out between yourselves, punch each other on the sofa and spill beer on each other" ...my question is, will there be coop on Live?

    1. Re:Live coop? by uglysmurf · · Score: 1

      "it's only gets more exciting when you join forces with a buddy to play cooperatively, both over Live and in split-screen mode."

      oops...didn't read all the articles...good news though! i was hoping for more coop Live games ala doom 3

  4. sigh by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 1
    Anybody else with the damn systems would be out already and we could get over the marketing blitz for all three systems? Seriously. Gamers more or less already know which one they want to buy, and don't need this massive marketing expenditure to tell us what we need. Please, for the love of god, STOP.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    1. Re:sigh by Yenin · · Score: 2

      Didn't you hear? In preparation for the Xbox 360's release, Microsoft has submitted 360 slashdot articles.

    2. Re:sigh by Snowmit · · Score: 1

      Err, it's E3. This is a week of Marketing Blitz. It happens every year new console or no.

      Besides, you don't seriously think that the marketing will stop once launch day hits do you?

      --
      I have a lot of opinions about Cyborgs and Architects
  5. First or third person? by Brad+Jashinsky · · Score: 1

    I was almost sure CliffyB told us it was third-person, which is how it looks in the trailer. Is it first or third?

    1. Re:First or third person? by hollismb · · Score: 1

      Third person. The story has it completely wrong. It's a third-person survival horror action game. Apparently, according to the article, it seems like it plays a lot like Namco's KillSwitch, where you strategically move from one spt to the next to take cover, pop up and fire, take more cover, move ahead, etc. Most of that is actually in-game footage in the trailer, if you look closely enough. Note that this is NOT a launch title. It's supposed to be out next spring.

  6. Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    The MS PR machine is in full scale panic mode after the E3 humiliation.

    No one cares about the 360 anymore.

    1. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by shoptroll · · Score: 1

      Actually, this is done by Epic Games, not MS. As much as I don't like MS, I have to say this game is impressive looking.

      --
      Insert Sig Here
    2. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's being published by Microsoft.

    3. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      If by "panic mode" you mean "unlike Sony, actually showing the games working on the show floor", then yes, I suppose they are.

      As the show wears on, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Sony has nothing but smoke and mirrors. Try walking up to their booth and actually taking a look at anything they showed in their press conference, and you'll discover that it's just not there. All of their most impressive "game demos" are actually pre-rendered videos of what they claim their console will be able to do. But they don't actually have the goods to back it up. It's real easy to look better than the competition if you're allowed to fake everything.

      Everything Microsoft showed was real in-game footage, and you can see it running at the show to prove it.

    4. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be Republican.

    5. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      wow, it's being published by Microsoft on a microsoft system. I never would have guessed.

    6. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sony showed realtime demo's for fight night and the impressive looking unreal engine. Other noteables were the final fantasy 7 demo and the london street demo, pre-recorded but running on the hardware. All the pre-rendered videos look as if they would be perfectly possible on the ps3.

    7. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah... just like that FF8 dance scene footage was really running on the PS2 hardware back when they were hyping that system...

    8. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by hollismb · · Score: 1

      Hey, don't forget the return of the rubber ducky demo they used to show off the PS2's capabilities that no game ever matched either!! When I saw that, I laughed. Hard. Then I wondered who was going to fall for it. Again. Then I came to slashdot, watched some G4tv, and realized that everyone was doing exactly that. I congratulate Sony on being able to sell ice to eskimos yet again.

      Shortly followed by the demo of swirling leaves where he said, and I shit you not, the each leaf (out of thousands) could have its own audio channel used to great effect to simulate....wait for it...'rustling'. I couldn't make this stuff up.

    9. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cluehammer time: publisher is not the same thing as platform vendor. Microsoft do not publish all the games on Xbox, just some of them. This happens to be one of them. Which means they can fairly claim that this is one of their games.

    10. Re:Yaw - More Pre-Rendered Damage Control by KillShill · · Score: 1

      and i congratulate you for being one of the very few people who are not complete neanderthals in regards to believing the bs hype.

      --
      Science : Proprietary , Knowledge : Open Source
  7. Why do the "gaming media"... by incom · · Score: 3, Insightful

    have to act like immature children? I hope in time there will be a source of adult gaming news with the comprehensiveness and bredth the like of the IGN's and gamespots, but with some maturity and professionalism. cough*and integrity*cough

    --
    True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
    1. Re:Why do the "gaming media"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Probably because they are talking "games."

    2. Re:Why do the "gaming media"... by rAiNsT0rm · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I have been a member of the gaming media, and finally had become fed up with it two years ago. Try to work with these people some time if you want to see unprofessional at its finest. I actually will never go to another E3 again, people (grown men and women) take pride in not showering, oogling "booth babes" more than the games, have maturity levels near plankton, and are generally a pain to be around (try going to a after hour release party some time... these people have no idea how to act because they simply have never been in these situations in real life). I'm not saying this is the case for everyone, but the majority.

      In all of my years developing sites and writing reviews I always kept an unbiased view of the titles and wrote hard hitting truthful reviews backed by actual facts. The amount of "bought" reviews would make you sick, and the young reviewers who are so thrilled to be schmoozed by a company gush about their products like schoolgirls. I've seen reviewers play a game for 15 minutes and write a glowing review to meet deadlines, and because the game was considered a top game of the year... I reviewed the same title and gave it mid-to-low ratings because it was simply substandard (then I proceeded to get nasty emails from the company and other reviewers because I must be crazy to give an honest opinion and pick apart a so-called "A" title.)

      I've thrown up my hands and given up trying to bring honest reviews to the public because it has always been headaches, I enjoy Guild Wars and look forward to the Revolution console and that's about as much gaming as I care to be a part of anymore.

      --
      http://teasphere.wordpress.com - A little spot of tea
    3. Re:Why do the "gaming media"... by superultra · · Score: 1

      Not in the near future.

      So far my favorite of the E3 reporting is Gamespot's Tor Thorsen likening people's response to the Killzone footage to people's reaction after Kennedy's assasination.

      Next up from Tor and Gamespot: "When Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 would not be compatible, it was like being in the World Trade Center when the planes hit."

      These people are pros incom. Let them do their work.

  8. Only moderately better? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    It's important to understand that in this new generation of engines, you can't actually see the difference from a still screenshot unless you know what to look for.

    In motion, though, it's a whole different story. Very obvious.

    The lighting in HL2 is still largely precalculated. This leads to a much flatter, more distant world when the game is actually moving.

    If Doom 3 hadn't been so damn dark, the difference would have been obvious.

    Things to look for are the funny way glass shines in the older style engines, the way shadows drop off. There's a sort of diffuse random light in the HL2 shots you provide.

    Stop looking at polys. Start looking at artifacts.

    Speaking of artifacts, many current generation titles have anti-aliasing seams running along t-junctions. They're bright speckled lines. If you've never noticed them, you're lucky. They drive me nuts.

    All that said, if you've reached the point of suspension of disbelief, good for you.

  9. so what by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    its being *developed* by epic, who the fuck cares who stick their logo on the box and distributes it?

  10. In other words... by Izhido · · Score: 1

    ... they're offering us Doom 3, right???

  11. Don't speak for the rest of us by mconeone · · Score: 1

    Seriously. Gamers more or less already know which one they want to buy

    Umm... I'm a gamer and I don't know which one I will buy... For me, it comes down to the quality of launch titles on the 360 to determine if I'm getting one or not. What we've seen so far is just a taste. On top of that, the PS3's release date is much more undetermined than the 360. I don't want to hold off playing incredible-looking games waiting for a console that I could have to wait up to a year longer to get. By that time, I could have the money for both.

  12. I saw GoW in the Xbox 360 theatre by DJ+Wipeout · · Score: 1

    The game was graphically very pretty, and the whole emphasis on using cover was cool.

    That having been said, the gameplay footage itself SUCKED ASS. I don't care how pretty your game looks, if it's running at 15fps and is choppy as hell, it's going to look like utter shit, and people won't want to play it.

    The other humourous "dirty little secret" at MS' booth was that all Xbox 360 demos were running on Macintosh G5s. Understandable, but nonetheless funny as hell.

    1. Re:I saw GoW in the Xbox 360 theatre by apoc06 · · Score: 1

      we all think of m$ as a company that is the antithesis of apple. truth is... when was the last time you went out and bought a m$ pc?

      m$ doesnt care what hardware you have, as long as youre running their software and paying for their licenses.

      they want the biggest and best this console generation, so they went for the best hardware when it comes to running graphics. smart decision. if it was smart enough remains to be seen. guess we have to wait until ps3 launch.