Gears Sells a Million

Gamespot reports that Gears of War has sold a million units in two weeks. This has made it the fastest-selling 360 game to date, beating out GRAW and CoD2 for the honor. From the article: "Microsoft dropped some other statistics as well, saying 'more than 850,000 unique gamers have engaged in 10 million [Gears of War] gameplay sessions while unlocking an impressive 7 million achievements.' Since the game went on sale November 7, the rate of Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, which are required for online play, has increased more than 50 percent. According to Microsoft, the impressive subscription rate is because more than 85 percent of Gears players play one of the game's various multiplayer modes, which include full campaign co-op." The GamerScore Blog wants you to know that rumours you have heard about Gears for Windows were mistaken. For the time being, anyway.

Comments

Is this surprising?

[HappySqurriel]

According to Microsoft, the impressive subscription rate is because more than 85 percent of Gears players play one of the game's various multiplayer modes, which include full campaign co-op.

Is it surprising that a game that is meant to apeal to hard-core gamers sells to people who like to play a game in the way that hard-core gamers like to play their games?

I may be wrong, but I think it would be more impressive to hear that 50% (or more) of people who got the free XBox live subscription with their XBox 360 used it and of those 50% (or more) continued paying for the service when their subscription ended.

Re:Don't feel like wading through reviews

[Pojut]

well to start, it isn't an FPS. It's a third person shooter.

I can't tell you why OTHERS find it so fun, so I will relay my own personal experiences with it.

To start, the way that the cover system is implemented gives it a greateer sense of realism...after all, you wouldn't just go standing behind a wall in a warzone...you would have your back to it and pop out...you would transfer from one cover to another, not just simply jog over to the next one...I suppose what I am trying to say is the strategies required to play the game succesfully are very different from your typical shooter in that if you do not utilize cover correctly, you WILL die.

Generally, I find graphics take a seat to gameplay and story, but in this case they help a LOT. They are done in such a grity, grimey way that when you finish playing you feel the need to wash your hands. It is a dirty, dirty game.

The reloading system adds alot too. When you mess up a reload and you see your char on screen cussing and getting slightly frantic...you start getting the same way. In the middle of a firefight when you are flanked/pinned down, being stuck with a jammed weapon (just like in real life) is one of the most heart-attack inducing moments you can imagine. There is a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment with each enemy you take down. While some may cry foul about the AI, on the harder difficulties (not unlike Halo) things start getting really tough.

The char's are developed JUST ENOUGH for you to care about them, which is perfect considering it is supposed to be a trilogy. The first one sets it up, the second gives the backstory, the third concludes everything.

All things combined, it is plain fun. It isn't particularly revolutionary, it won't change HOW games are played or anything...but it will most likely change how much effort people put into games. I lack the vocabulary to describe to you how excited I am for the second and third installments.

Actually, yes ... it's the gameplay

[jchenx]

The real question is: if Gears of War didn't have such pretty graphics -- i.e. it looked like, say, Quake 3 -- would **anyone** be gushing over this game? Would anyone care?

Have you played the game? I have a feeling that you have not.

Yes, the game is pretty, no doubt about it. But if you read through a lot of the comments, opinions, reviews, etc., you'll quickly see that it's actually the gameplay that people are gushing over. Nice, no?

If this game were released last generation on the Xbox, PS2, or GC ... then yes, people would still be gushing over it. Frankly, it raises the bar in what I expect from shooters from now on. I don't want just prettier graphics.

Looking more attractive

[brkello]

The 360 is just looking better and better to me. The rough part is I have promised myself to play all the great games of the previous gen before I move on! God of War, FFXII, RE4 just to name a few. Ah well, maybe I can wait until the next price drop but still...I am pretty excited to see this news. It seems that all 3 consoles will have something great to offer...though it seems like the greatness might be slipping away from the PS3. They better hold on tight to Square Enix.

Re:7 million achievements?

[AcidLacedPenguiN]

I think it's more a question of when were you people born. I can imagine that the average gamer now will look at you funny when you mention 'shareware'