Game

Gears of War

2006 · Xbox 360 · Shooter

83IGDB player score
560 ratings

Previously Take

An 83 average from 560 ratings: not perfect, but the kind of game people keep recommending anyway. Horror that commits, from the studio behind Fortnite — science fiction atmosphere, real dread, and scares that aren't cheap. A full single-player game with a multiplayer side that refuses to die.

About this game

Gears of War is a third-person shooter built around a cover system, where players duck behind obstacles and use tactical fire to advance on enemies. The signature weapon is an assault rifle fitted with a chainsaw bayonet, and a timed reload mechanic can grant a brief damage bonus or jam the gun if mistimed. The five-act campaign can be played solo or in two-player co-op, and a competitive multiplayer mode supports up to eight players split between the two factions. It was the first game in the Gears of War series and helped popularize the modern cover-based shooter, later receiving remastered versions.

Gears of War takes place on the Earth-like planet Sera, where the discovery of an underground fuel called Imulsion triggered a long global war. Years later, humanity faces a new enemy on Emergence Day, when a subterranean race known as the Locust Horde surfaces and begins a genocidal assault, forcing the ruling Coalition of Ordered Governments to make desperate sacrifices to survive. The story follows Marcus Fenix, a soldier reinstated into the military after being imprisoned for abandoning his post to try to save his father. Freed by his close friend Dominic Santiago, Marcus rejoins Delta Squad and is sent on a dangerous mission to map and strike at the heart of the Locust tunnels, hoping to turn the tide of the war.