Gears of War

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 724 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 490 out of 724
  2. Mixed: 131 out of 724
  3. Negative: 103 out of 724

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  1. stnicholas
    Aug 20, 2014
    6
    I can (sort of) understand why this game was perceived as a revolution. However, the single-player campaign suffer's from offering a likable story and enduring atmosphere. Technically, this game has aged well. The game engine is in good shape, with solid graphics (even up to this date) and I have not encountered any errors, bugs, etc. What stands as a positive remark is it's gameplay. TheI can (sort of) understand why this game was perceived as a revolution. However, the single-player campaign suffer's from offering a likable story and enduring atmosphere. Technically, this game has aged well. The game engine is in good shape, with solid graphics (even up to this date) and I have not encountered any errors, bugs, etc. What stands as a positive remark is it's gameplay. The shooting is generally satisfying, treating the reload quick-time as an opportunity to boost your damage attack. There is a great variety of scenarios, that offer different perspectives to the shooting mechanics. Unfortunately, the story is underdeveloped. No details regarding the world or the characters. The protagonists are just stereotypes of soldiers that you can hardly relate and the atmosphere dissipates from the very first level because the maps feel more like levels for shooting and not situations for people to survive the war. So, the storytelling is poorly executed. This game is certainly not for those people who seek a story driven campaign. The atmosphere can't serve it's purpose because Gears of War is gameplay-oriented. In conclusion, it has disappointed me from offering me a story-driven experience.… Expand
  2. KenS
    Jul 21, 2009
    7
    If you're looking for a 3rd person shooter where you can shoot the bloody crap out of every one, GoW is pretty fun. I cant understand how people can give this game a 2, the graphics are good and at least run smoothly even if you don't have a High-end Pc. The gameplay is actually surprisingly fresh but indeed IS a bit repetitive, and to be honest, the story, even if it has If you're looking for a 3rd person shooter where you can shoot the bloody crap out of every one, GoW is pretty fun. I cant understand how people can give this game a 2, the graphics are good and at least run smoothly even if you don't have a High-end Pc. The gameplay is actually surprisingly fresh but indeed IS a bit repetitive, and to be honest, the story, even if it has interesting ideas isn't really appealing. All-in-all: its a good shooter, worthy to be played.… Expand
  3. Zen-Zinxe
    Jun 17, 2011
    6
    By far one of the funnest shooters I have ever played on the PC. The simplicity and the cover system seem like they would hinder the experience, you'd think that this was a detriment, but really once you get into it, they provide a skill cap that is ridiculously high, pressing a single button to take cover and leave cover seems like a waste, but it takes a ridiculous amount of skill toBy far one of the funnest shooters I have ever played on the PC. The simplicity and the cover system seem like they would hinder the experience, you'd think that this was a detriment, but really once you get into it, they provide a skill cap that is ridiculously high, pressing a single button to take cover and leave cover seems like a waste, but it takes a ridiculous amount of skill to master this in multiplayer. This was one of those few games that had so much potential for a competitive shooter scene, multiplayer was fantastic, out of the few people who played the PC version online, I was certainly a name you would see frequently, and high on the scores at that. The reason I stopped playing this game is two fold, both problems stemming from poor PC support, first off, the game causes my graphics card to glitch out and crashes my display drivers, so I uninstalled it, and lastly, the game itself has unbelievably poor PC support. You have to do some ridiculous things to simply download the patches for the game so you can play multiplayer, getting the game to work properly is just finicky as hell. This game would most certainly still be installed on my computer and I'd still be playing it, if Epic games would have taken their time to properly support their PC version so it is reliable. It's a shame I have to give a great game a 6 for this, but it is just touch and go, and the people who play this game online are dwindling because of it.… Expand
  4. DorianB.
    Jul 8, 2008
    5
    Horrible game: repetitive gameplay (just duck for cover, pop out and shoot, repeat until credits roll), no story (same old SF crap universe that isn't helped in any way by its bland characters), and basically, that's it, there isn't much to talk about GoW, because it doesn't have anything other than shooting. One of the most overrated games ever, alongside with Crysis. Horrible game: repetitive gameplay (just duck for cover, pop out and shoot, repeat until credits roll), no story (same old SF crap universe that isn't helped in any way by its bland characters), and basically, that's it, there isn't much to talk about GoW, because it doesn't have anything other than shooting. One of the most overrated games ever, alongside with Crysis. If you like the graphics you can try Bioshock or Unreal Tournament 3, that use the same engine, but actually have some gameplay stuck to it.… Expand
  5. EricA.
    Nov 11, 2007
    5
    The game is good. The max graphics are a little taxing on my gaming rig (4GB RAM, 8800 XTX, 3.2 C2D, Striker Extreme). DX10 graphics show litlte to no improvement over DX9 graphics. The game crashes on occasion (other PC games do not do this). Downloading and installing the title update after installing was a hassle. Without knowing a trick, the patch would not install. The install The game is good. The max graphics are a little taxing on my gaming rig (4GB RAM, 8800 XTX, 3.2 C2D, Striker Extreme). DX10 graphics show litlte to no improvement over DX9 graphics. The game crashes on occasion (other PC games do not do this). Downloading and installing the title update after installing was a hassle. Without knowing a trick, the patch would not install. The install process took about 30 minutes. I could not play the game while installing (a feature that's been touted for GfW-Live titles). Games for Windows - Live is a mess. PC gamers have very little to be excited about when having to use the GfW-Live - which is relatively featureless compared to Live for XBOX 360. Live for the original XBOX has more features than Games for Windows - Live.… Expand
  6. grandpajoe6191
    Nov 11, 2011
    5
    It looks like a great game for the first few hours with slick graphics and smooth gameplay, but gets too repetitive and formulaic later.
  7. Spad
    Nov 15, 2007
    5
    So, exactly which game have all you Xbox 360 owners been playing that's so pants-wettingly great it's got a 94 on Metacritic? I only ask because the PC game I just played was nothing short of awfully mediocre and I can't see anything about it that would make me want to play it for more than about 30 minutes. Things started badly with the installer; I wasn't paying So, exactly which game have all you Xbox 360 owners been playing that's so pants-wettingly great it's got a 94 on Metacritic? I only ask because the PC game I just played was nothing short of awfully mediocre and I can't see anything about it that would make me want to play it for more than about 30 minutes. Things started badly with the installer; I wasn't paying attention and so missed the "More Options button", meaning that after a single click the game was installing to the C drive. One quick cancel and restart later, I was treated to probably the longest install for a game that I've ever encountered, with a full 25 minutes of "Decompressing Files" after it had actually copied them. Undeterred, I fired up the game, configured my settings and launched straight into action...or at least I would have were it not for the fact that the game helpfully informed me that I couldn't save my progress without a Windows Live profile - the dialogues for which only had the Xbox controls listed for navigation, making the whole experience somewhat tedious. When I finally got into the game I have to say it looked very pretty and it had a suitably clichéd storyline, but the gameplay itself way just...flat, I guess. Run across open area, dive into cover, empty several clips into each identical enemy to bring them down pausing briefly to play the reloading minigame and then repeat ad nauseum. What really annoyed me was the seemingly random way in which your health is calculated; you can take an arbitrary amount of fire and then a red thing appears in the middle of the screen, then you take some more fire and a coloured-in red thing appears in the middle of the screen, then you take some more fire and die. Hiding for a few seconds makes the red things go away. No health bar, health gauge, health-o-meter or health display of any kind, just "OK, Not OK, Dead". Maybe I'm missing something here, perhaps the game is stunningly amazing on the 360 and they've just screwed up the port - it wouldn't be the first time - but as far as I can see there is absolutely *nothing* special about Gears of War in any way and I certainly wouldn't pay £35 for it, in fact given the choice I doubt that I'd even download it for free.… Expand
  8. MemitimM.
    Nov 22, 2007
    5
    I was very much looking forward to this game after the amazing hype that went with the 360 release. I am sad to say that this game is mediocre at best. Visually, it is a very striking game at times, with an excellent cinematic feel. However, the visuals are rather repetitive during the majority of gameplay. Speaking of gameplay, there is really very little to speak of. This is one of the I was very much looking forward to this game after the amazing hype that went with the 360 release. I am sad to say that this game is mediocre at best. Visually, it is a very striking game at times, with an excellent cinematic feel. However, the visuals are rather repetitive during the majority of gameplay. Speaking of gameplay, there is really very little to speak of. This is one of the most linear games that I have played since Dragon's Lair. Almost every step that you take has been predetermined by the developers; they may as well have drawn a bright red path on the ground where they expect you to walk throughout the game. Follow the path, hide behind cover, fire at popup targets, repeat. It does take you through a story that is interesting enough, although nothing very special and riddled with cliches and stereotypical voice acting. The AI is borderline abominable, both enemy and friendly, as though they were all mounted on tracks in a carnival shooting game. The audio is pretty good, though, with a lot of audio cues used throughout the game to help emulate a more dynamic experience. The controls were a nice surprise, since that is typically where most console ports fall down, but the control in Gears is actually pretty solid. I never really felt like I was fighting with them to get my character to do what I wanted, which is extremely important in a shooter. Overall, Gears of War is a decent bit of fun to jump into for a few minutes of coop or multiplayer mayhem while killing time before doing something else, but it doesn't come close to being the amazing game that it was portrayed as on the Xbox 360, and barely qualifies as a decent PC game in general, especially at a time when other far better titles are hitting the shelves.… Expand
  9. DanielO.
    Feb 23, 2008
    5
    Not a specially good game at all. The anti-hero, the pre-made phrases, the superficial plot, the fact that the enemies dont stumble after been shot, it all adds up to be a teen game.
  10. CampbellL.
    Mar 11, 2008
    5
    This game truly is a console gamers paradise. However, unlike console gamers, PC gamers have skill, and therefore it would have been advantageous of Microsoft to release this game with a more PC-style killing system. PC gamers have the ability to aim at something smaller than an entire body, like for instance, the head, and I have to say emptying entire clips into basic enemies gives my This game truly is a console gamers paradise. However, unlike console gamers, PC gamers have skill, and therefore it would have been advantageous of Microsoft to release this game with a more PC-style killing system. PC gamers have the ability to aim at something smaller than an entire body, like for instance, the head, and I have to say emptying entire clips into basic enemies gives my hardcore character with his nasty looking gun a very overestimating look indeed.… Expand
  11. DC
    Nov 11, 2007
    5
    Lousy controls and basic "console-itis" make this pure console port a solid waste of my money at least. It has beautiful graphics and artwork, terrific voice acting and some of the action is pretty good as well. But overall, its a lousy port for the PC. I bought it the moment EB Games opened last week and it was released, played through the weekend. Boring, especially the atrocious Lousy controls and basic "console-itis" make this pure console port a solid waste of my money at least. It has beautiful graphics and artwork, terrific voice acting and some of the action is pretty good as well. But overall, its a lousy port for the PC. I bought it the moment EB Games opened last week and it was released, played through the weekend. Boring, especially the atrocious berserker situation.… Expand
  12. psylife
    Apr 15, 2016
    6
    The game borrows heavily from Resident Evil 4 in both pacing and game structure. The cover based combat works fairly well and the interactive weapon reloads adds a nice touch. Movement controls are rigid and a little clunky. Your squad-mates have no proper AI and the weapons, while interesting, lack weight. At first, the game puts you in a variety of interesting situations and theThe game borrows heavily from Resident Evil 4 in both pacing and game structure. The cover based combat works fairly well and the interactive weapon reloads adds a nice touch. Movement controls are rigid and a little clunky. Your squad-mates have no proper AI and the weapons, while interesting, lack weight. At first, the game puts you in a variety of interesting situations and the environmental brain-teases are fun. The enemies are absolute bullet sponge. When behind cover, you are virtually invincible which encourages you to coward behind and shoot from afar; This goes against the grain of the experience in terms of dynamism and pace. The difficulty spikes and the battles become repetitive and start to drag halfway through; This is likely a budgeted attempt to make up for the lack of interesting new set pieces and design scenarios. The hit detection system is unreliable, especially in third person mode, often leading to unfair deaths. The checkpoint system is questionable since it will have you often replay through entire sections previously beaten, artificially lengthening the game time. The story and characters are comically bad; This is very much a product of its time, likely designed to encourage young Americans to go in Irak. The environment and overall graphics are very detailed and aged quite well; That said, the game is visually monotonous, and the locations are quite repetitive and lifeless. GOW is not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, I had a descent time with it, and there are some commendable design choices and game-play innovations. In Co-op, this game must have been quite fun.… Expand
  13. ShawnD.
    Dec 28, 2008
    6
    The graphics are absolutely amazing, but the gameplay is pretty shitty. The duck button doesn't seem to work unless I am taking cover (pointless), so I'm required to take cover all the time. The problem is that this greatly restricts where I can and cannot be at any given time. Why is the map so big if 95% of it is a dead zone? Even the first monsters in the game will kill you The graphics are absolutely amazing, but the gameplay is pretty shitty. The duck button doesn't seem to work unless I am taking cover (pointless), so I'm required to take cover all the time. The problem is that this greatly restricts where I can and cannot be at any given time. Why is the map so big if 95% of it is a dead zone? Even the first monsters in the game will kill you with just a few shots, so most of the wide open area is a cock tease. This game is not worth $50, but it's worth getting if you see in the bargain bin for $20.… Expand
  14. KarlL
    May 1, 2008
    6
    Another run of the mill shooter. Linear, dull story. Combat was surprisingly dull, weapons feel weak and enemies don't really react to being shot. Gameplay boils down to a game of room to room peekaboo. Cover system is alright, but I'd rather the game let me do things manually, Press a duck key, a jump and lean keys . Looks nice though.
  15. TomG.
    Nov 30, 2007
    6
    Biggest gaming disappointment in a while. By no means terrible but incredibly shallow and linear. The phrase 'one trick pony' was invented for Gears of War.
  16. The_Assimilator
    Dec 8, 2008
    6
    It looks good and plays great. Ignore the comments about repetitive combat; if you want to play that way, expect to get bored fast, but if you want to try out new ways and new weapons to obliterate your enemies, you'll have a blast (literally). Chainsawing the bad guys never gets old, and the squad-based element - while annoying at times - makes a nice change from standard It looks good and plays great. Ignore the comments about repetitive combat; if you want to play that way, expect to get bored fast, but if you want to try out new ways and new weapons to obliterate your enemies, you'll have a blast (literally). Chainsawing the bad guys never gets old, and the squad-based element - while annoying at times - makes a nice change from standard one-man-against-the-world FPSs. The environments are huge and well-done, and effectively complement the combat. Unfortunately, what could have been a great game is hampered by a lack of character and plot development - and don't let me get started on the crashing, which is a direct result of a fact that this game is a straight port from the Xbox. Hopefully Epic will learn from their mistakes and ensure that GoW2 is properly polished, before releasing it for PC.… Expand
  17. PaulS
    Feb 19, 2009
    6
    A solid but very overrated game. To call Gears of War repetitive would be a massive understatement - there's literally nothing to this game. Aim, hold down the fire button, duck and reload, repeat. Some of the larger enemies make the repetition even more obvious, with the player having to repeat the fire/duck/reload process for four of five clips worth of ammo. The story and A solid but very overrated game. To call Gears of War repetitive would be a massive understatement - there's literally nothing to this game. Aim, hold down the fire button, duck and reload, repeat. Some of the larger enemies make the repetition even more obvious, with the player having to repeat the fire/duck/reload process for four of five clips worth of ammo. The story and characters (such as they are) are massively forgettable, with most of the mission objectives being so generic that you end up just following the trail of enemies to the next checkpoint. The visuals, while occasionally showing great finesse (the character models are pretty good) suffer from hugely overblown textures and reflections, giving the game an ugly overexposed look. The graphic style is a matter of taste, but the endless grey/brown/desaturated blue levels did nothing for me (with the exception of a very pretty rain-soaked section). Gears of War seems to me to be more like an arcade game than anything else. It reminds me in some ways of Time Crisis, with the cover and gunplay being everything while story, character and creative identity are left as little more than footnotes. Casual gamers will probably dig it, but those of us spoiled by more complex and intricate titles like Call of Duty 4, Bioshock or the Half-Life series will likely tire of it pretty quickly.… Expand
  18. dandalis
    Nov 4, 2016
    6
    Gears of War is a decent action game that refined the TPS cover system. But honestly i dont see why so many people see this game as a masterpiece of some sorts. Its shooting feels pretty weak and very arcady which is somewhat redeemed by awesome chainsaw executions, story doesnt do anything particularly good either. Characters are very bland and forgettable. There are some pretty cool setGears of War is a decent action game that refined the TPS cover system. But honestly i dont see why so many people see this game as a masterpiece of some sorts. Its shooting feels pretty weak and very arcady which is somewhat redeemed by awesome chainsaw executions, story doesnt do anything particularly good either. Characters are very bland and forgettable. There are some pretty cool set piece moments, but theyre too far and in between. Also i have the feeling this was one of those games which inpired the abysmal age of brown, black and grey looking games in late 00's, i really hated that trend.… Expand
  19. vova22379
    Dec 18, 2021
    6
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
  20. kasarlidurum
    Dec 18, 2021
    7
    The game is not bad. But today it isn't so fun to play. In the Xbox 360 era, the game was great with its graphics and texture quality and its "cover-based" action. It was good for today as well but always repeating. After a while it gets boring to kill the same enemies with the same way. There are 5 or 6 enemy models and that's it!!! The AI is terrible as well. Our friends are such a dumb.The game is not bad. But today it isn't so fun to play. In the Xbox 360 era, the game was great with its graphics and texture quality and its "cover-based" action. It was good for today as well but always repeating. After a while it gets boring to kill the same enemies with the same way. There are 5 or 6 enemy models and that's it!!! The AI is terrible as well. Our friends are such a dumb. They always get hurt and you have to heal them, which make the mission even harder. So here's my overall critics:

    Graphics 8/10 (for its era)
    Story 7/10 (nothing special but good)
    Action (6/10)
    Enemy Design 4/10 (repeating)
    Episode Design 9/10 (still perfect)
    Boss Design 7/10 (the last one sent me crazy)
    The Cover Mechanics 7/10 (to be the first one isn't easy, its followers were better of course)

    So I understand how it was in a quality of a revolution during the era of Xbox 360 but it may be boring to play today. You may try the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. I think It is better.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best PC Game of 2007
18
#18 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007
21
#21 Most Shared PC Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. GameDaily
    80
    With upgraded graphics, exclusive campaign chapters and a handful of new multiplayer features (handled through Games for Windows Live), Gears of War is a very desirable shooter.
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  2. GameTap
    80
    While all the added content is damn good, ironically, the greatest gameplay addition to this PC port is also responsible for one of the bigger annoyances: the interface.
    Read full review
  3. GameZone
    93
    Gears of War on the PC is still the same ground breaking game it was a year ago just now on the PC. The same innovative gameplay and breathtaking events are included along with five new campaign levels exclusive to the PC.
    Read full review
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