Gears of War 3

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2035 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,606 out of 2035
  2. Mixed: 244 out of 2035
  3. Negative: 185 out of 2035
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  1. UtkrihtDhankar
    Nov 6, 2011
    9
    Gears of War 3 is the best game I own on my XBOX. That is definite. Since 2005, The Gears franchise has captivated my, and millions others imaginations. Although I had to wait till 2009 when I finally managed to get an XBOX 360 to play a Gears game, I had been avidly following them since they came out. Some may say that I'm a fanboy, but I am not. Thhis game is just perfect in almost allGears of War 3 is the best game I own on my XBOX. That is definite. Since 2005, The Gears franchise has captivated my, and millions others imaginations. Although I had to wait till 2009 when I finally managed to get an XBOX 360 to play a Gears game, I had been avidly following them since they came out. Some may say that I'm a fanboy, but I am not. Thhis game is just perfect in almost all aspects. I'll explain the almost later on.

    STORY - 9--------------------------------------
    Marcus Fenix and his beefed up friends are on the ship Sovereign, after the events of Gears of War 2 and the intervening novels. The story is very engaging in itself, and if you've read the novels, it'll be twice the fun. Key events and characters of the novels are introduced in the game, although the novels are still worth a read. Without giving too much away, I can say that there'll be a moment even more emotional than Dom and Maria's reunion in Gears 2. This 'moment' has been praised by many critics, and I'll side by them. It really emphasises that this is the last chapter in Marcus' story. Gears series veterans will get their fill, and although some questions still remain unanswered, it is still a blast.

    GAMEPLAY - 10----------------------------------
    The gameplay is perfect. I mean perfect. Right off the bat I noticed the improved controls, and although there wasn't anything wrong with the near -perfect controls in Gears 2, Gears 3 pales them by comparison. The variety is amazing. After battling through the guts of a Riftworm and riding Brumaks and Reavers in Gears 2, I thought that there was nothing that could out-epic it. But Epic Games has made Gears 2 look like a pre-release demo. You'll drop tickers on huge a Lambent Leviathan, fly 'Gas Bags Airways', ride in 'Baird's Favourute Kind of Toy', kill a Lambent Beserker and much more in the campaign. The new Lambent enemies are a blast, literally. The combat is more fluid, and almost every fight has multiple approaches. This is the ultimate Third Person Shooter experience.

    GRAPHICS - 9.5----------------------------
    Although not as good as the awesome Crysis 2, Gears is still one of the best looking XBOX games out there. The lighting engine has been improved tenfold. When you'll be slicing Locust in half with a chainsaw, and look at the world with your blood soaked eyes, you'll just want to stop and watch that perfect moment for an eternity. The level of chaos that the engine can handle has increased from Epic to Ultra-Epic. The FPS is usually solid, and is much better than Crysis 2, but can still slow down just for a second, although it isn't detrimental from gameplay. And of course, seeing someone's head blown to Kingdom Come just after you've squeezed the trigger on that Longshot, or them ggetting blown into pink mist after a One Shot shot, etcetera etcetera, never gets old. MULTIPLAYER - 8.5--------------------------------
    I realize that most of the people reading this will be from US, or Europe, or from China, Japan or Singapore. And that those people will never have any problems with connection. But in India, Trying to get a game is a nightmare come to life. The only times I have connected, I've had more fun than I've ever had in my life, but spending more time reading 'no suitable matches found' than being in the action, is not my definition of fun, exactly. The new Beast mode is great, and split screen works great, and the new weapons are awesome. And chainsaw is still alive and slicing. But if you live in any place where gaming isn't a very big market, be prepared to play with bots. But then, the bots are really, really good. Insane Versus with bots is way too good, and the only reason this managed to scrape an 8. But otherwise, the multiplayer is 'the ace of diamonds' in my book.

    LASTING APPEAL - 9.5------------------------------------
    The game has an excellent levelling system, with many ribbons and medals to be earned, mutators, characters, weapon executions (Shotgun golf, anybody?) and achievements to be unlocked. Insane difficulty is as tough as ever, perhaps even tougher, as the AI is much better, although how Epic always seems to improve upon 'Perfect' and make reviewers who gave their previous games full scores and said that this is the 'pinnacle of gaming' look like complete idiots, I don't know. And of course, there is Seriously 3.0, for the brave of heart.

    Overall-9.5---------------------------------------------
    | +Gameplay
    | +Graphics
    | +ACT III
    | +Epicness
    | -Connection problems

    The game is awesome, and multiplayer problems left alone, perfect. Do yourself a favour, run out of your house, get a copy, run back home, put the disk in, and enjoy.    … Expand
  2. TheRedZombie
    Nov 21, 2011
    8
    The Gears of War franchise has always been, to me, the games I play when I am taking a break from the games I play all the time. Don't get me wrong, I have always liked the franchise and I think it has some impressive gameplay, but it has never been the games that spend a long time in my console. The graphics and animation in Gears 3 have been tuned up a bit, and some of the combat hasThe Gears of War franchise has always been, to me, the games I play when I am taking a break from the games I play all the time. Don't get me wrong, I have always liked the franchise and I think it has some impressive gameplay, but it has never been the games that spend a long time in my console. The graphics and animation in Gears 3 have been tuned up a bit, and some of the combat has been refined, but it really doesn't offer too much that is new as far as the campaign goes. As for the multiplayer I have still been waiting for the franchise to move into the territory of customizable weapons and even vehicles, but I have to admit that those hopes may have been a little too ambitious. But I will admit that I have always enjoyed my time in the multiplayer modes and the campaign. The story is passable, and the dialog is a little cheesy at time but I have to admit that I had a lot of fun playing it. I would recommend this game to any Gears fan, or anyone looking for a good 3rd person shooter.… Expand
  3. Pyth0nP0wer
    Nov 21, 2011
    10
    One of the best Games i ever played.
    Graphic ist definitly one of the best and the best feature is the Co-Op I hope it will come more of Gears of War
  4. Alro
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    It's a very good game the only problem is that this very slow, if more dynamic finish it again but with a single rent in block is enough.
    I would rather play a halo, a ninja gaiden, or a blue dragon.
  5. Redpepe
    Dec 18, 2011
    10
    Genial, épico, bibrante y con unos gráficos como nunca se habia visto. El multijugador excelente, mantiene el ritmo de la campaña que también se puede jugar online y offline. Mejora en todo a los 2 anteriores.
  6. Spinnaker
    Nov 16, 2011
    10
    Amazing game, one of the best i've ever played. The best ending of this incredible saga.
    Be able to play with 4 of my friends coop its a great plus
    Thanks EPIC games for this game.
  7. gazman
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Thank you epic.a really good gears game with dedicated servers for online play and epic keep things interesting by having special weekend events.the game itself is graphically fantastic and the story is good to.so many unlocks and ways to play the game whether your new to the gears universe or a regular gear.so much fun to play would recommend this to anyone.
  8. Benti86
    Nov 13, 2011
    8
    I like Gears 3 I really do, but it just misses some things I loved about the previous two....one the story is not nearly as good as Gears one or two and it was rather poorly written, the "sad" moments of Gears 3 weren't nearly as sad as the ones from Gears 2. Gameplay is still cover to cover shooting and it isn't bad it just gets really REALLY boring after a while. As always kids areI like Gears 3 I really do, but it just misses some things I loved about the previous two....one the story is not nearly as good as Gears one or two and it was rather poorly written, the "sad" moments of Gears 3 weren't nearly as sad as the ones from Gears 2. Gameplay is still cover to cover shooting and it isn't bad it just gets really REALLY boring after a while. As always kids are just diving everywhere in MP with gnashers, using some ludicrously overpowered and accurate and long range blast to instantly kill or maime me and when I use it I can shoot someone three times with an active reload and they seem to not notice the blood pouring from their backs. Horde 2.0 does a great job though and besides a few details the multiplayer is remarkably solid.… Expand
  9. charlie412
    Nov 17, 2011
    8
    this is a very fun game, it is exactly what a game should be like, doing split screen at home, the gameplay is not entirely unique but the game has its own style that hasent changed much scince the first gears of war but is still very good to play and is a lot better than other games on the market, the downsides of this game are, the multiplayer, i cant understand the multiplayer, gears ofthis is a very fun game, it is exactly what a game should be like, doing split screen at home, the gameplay is not entirely unique but the game has its own style that hasent changed much scince the first gears of war but is still very good to play and is a lot better than other games on the market, the downsides of this game are, the multiplayer, i cant understand the multiplayer, gears of war is meant to be carnage and action but muliplayer just seems really slow and boring, but other game modes like horde are the mbest to paly with frends, another ting is that the gameplay hasnt changed too much scince the first gears of war, but the action is mixed up enough that you dont mind and its still as epic as the others… Expand
  10. GustavoPassos
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    Multiplayer bom, Campanha boa, Modos Horda e Besta, um jogo de tirar o folego, nunca havera jogo com uma jogabilidade tão incrivel e diferenciada, Gears of War para mim é o jogo do Ano,
  11. teeyounee
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    This game is best played with four friends, anyone who is having a problem with the game or not liking it this will improve your expierence drastically
  12. the5thfreedom
    Nov 14, 2011
    7
    oh excuse me ok hold on thats better sorry had to remove my hype goggles to get a clearer picture of this game. so will start with the single player easily the best in the series (which def help with my score being more postive) the story isnt nonsense like the other two installments probably due to the fact that it actually had a real writer this time around. anyways i throughly enjoyedoh excuse me ok hold on thats better sorry had to remove my hype goggles to get a clearer picture of this game. so will start with the single player easily the best in the series (which def help with my score being more postive) the story isnt nonsense like the other two installments probably due to the fact that it actually had a real writer this time around. anyways i throughly enjoyed the campaign it was action packe d and full of everything i want high intense action and amazing boss fights as well a rich story that you could feel for the charcters as they took this journey. now for the multiplayer were to start first off this is a COVER based shooter so wheres the cover every map that was playabe on launch features litte to no cover no matter were u went a person could easly shoot and kill you while you took cover instantly changing the type of gameplay from the amazing tactical shooter it once was to a borderline third person copy of a popular FPS. im not complaining about the weapons at all new games means new weapons which takes adapting to but when u change the way the whole game palys you lose your hardcore fans who are the ones who keep the community alive. so Since epic wants us all to play the Most popluar shooter on xbox live (since the changed almost everything about there game to fit the type of game) i traded in gears of war to get the most popular FPS out there ( for a refence i am a huge Gears fan bought the epic edtion and i even have a gears tattoo) at least when the second game came out i want so betrayed by the company and it was still a Gears of war game so unless EPIC has some patches planned to make gears similar if not exactly what it use to be then ill stick to my FPS instead of GEARS OF DUTY.… Expand
  13. rotor787b
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    This is hands down the best gears yet! If someone doesn't like this game they just don't like gears of war in general or 3rd person shooters. The best graphics on any console (I cant believe some sights don't mention this), silky smooth m-player now that it is on dedicated servers. Love that it supports 3d too! You just can't go wrong with gears man.
  14. NerfHerder
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    Wow, what a game! Just when you think it can't get any more Epic, they release new and exciting DLC! Horde 2.0 is a an incredible experience, especially if you have a competent team. The campaign is good, but much more enjoyable when playing co-op. If you like GOW & GOW 2, you will really enjoy the final installment!
  15. ikehero274
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    This was the best Gears game ever. I don't understand how people don't like to story to it. It's awesome. Sure you do the same rolling and avoid damage, but a lot of games are like that, like CoD and such. I love this game, and that's my opinion
  16. timsim26
    Oct 15, 2013
    9
    the ultimate gears of war experience, A great story that perfectly ties the series together, perfected combat with a great addition of a few weapons and a load of content that can be played with friends. One of the best games i have ever played and it continues to to be the best gears of war game ever made. A huge list of unique maps as well as many added via dlc, horde mode is perfectedthe ultimate gears of war experience, A great story that perfectly ties the series together, perfected combat with a great addition of a few weapons and a load of content that can be played with friends. One of the best games i have ever played and it continues to to be the best gears of war game ever made. A huge list of unique maps as well as many added via dlc, horde mode is perfected and a load of fun with friends and the campaign is highly replayable due to the addition of arcade mode in that quest to out do your friends high scores.

    a perfect third person action game    … Expand
  17. SilentDogwood
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    Excellent game, which really shines out from the other third person cover based shooters due to beautiful graphics, a surprisingly touching storyline, a new scale of epicness in the campaign not seen in previous Gears installments, addictive multiplayer, what more is there to say?
  18. Albie9000
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    Great improvements made. The biggest improvement is the online system. The servers are very consistent, the gameplay is fun, the maps are much better than Gears 2's maps. Horde is much improved. The graphics are also much better than previous Gears titles. The story was pretty well done also. Overall, a great conclusion to the trilogy.
  19. Upgrayedd69
    Nov 21, 2011
    9
    Pretty good game, the only complaint I have is in multiplayer the one shotgun feels way too overpowered, the campaign also isnt the main feature on this game which is disappointing because I was hoping for an epic end to the trilogy
  20. Stfu_Noobs
    Nov 20, 2011
    10
    Uh its Gears of War what did you expect. Its one of the coolest third peson shooters and it takes skill unlike COD. So get it and lets go **** some locust up!!
  21. Xboxgamer421
    Nov 21, 2011
    8
    I loved the game but a 10 or 9 it does not deserve. the Campaign was overall Ok to good. with some great spots spread out and some other not so great. Some of the dialogue was very childish and scenes could be anticlimactic. And other scenes were fantastic. surprisingly i liked a lot of Baird's lines where in the last games he was a real D-bag. Horde mode was probably the biggestI loved the game but a 10 or 9 it does not deserve. the Campaign was overall Ok to good. with some great spots spread out and some other not so great. Some of the dialogue was very childish and scenes could be anticlimactic. And other scenes were fantastic. surprisingly i liked a lot of Baird's lines where in the last games he was a real D-bag. Horde mode was probably the biggest improvement, the unlocks really kept me and my friends, who really don't like those kinds of game types, play it for hours. the multiplayer would be perfect and my rank for this game would be a ten if it were not for the sawed off shotgun. I HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT. It is the worst thing to have EVER touched Gears. It is an obvious attempt to get people who don't have any skill in videogames to continue playing with an odd connection to the female characters because it seems that the vast majority of sawed offs play as girls. it is the single reason i get off gears every time. I don't know how anyone thought a gun where you either sprint up to someone and shot praying that you hit someone then run away till you wait the awkward 20 second reload time to fire it again or hide behind a wall until someone runs by was a good idea. What kind of gun is it better to not aim? Don't let my rant discourage you from buying the game just beware of the sawed off and if you are reading this and you use the sawed off YOU AREN'T GOOD AT GEARS NO MATTER WHAT YOUR K-D IS I DONT CARE ANYONE WHO USES THE GNASHER CAN YOU THE SAWED OFF BUT 99% OF THE PEOPLE WHO USE THE SAWED OFF CANT GET A KILL WITH THE GNASHER to end on a good note the 4 player co-op was cool and the game was ridiculous on insane and I love you epic games!… Expand
  22. smiley1004
    Nov 20, 2011
    10
    This game is A must have for gears fans and people that like shooting games this game is really nice i play this game for a long time and never get bored of it because it is really good. The graphics are way nice and impressive.
  23. Aarvex
    Nov 22, 2011
    7
    Gears of War 3 takes what I've seen out of Gears of War and puts it in a new game with higher quality graphics. This isn't the worst thing as the series is a compelling one but new features or motions would be exceptional and bump this game to a 8 or maybe 9. The multiplayer improved drastically from being one where you'd have to be excellent to get any enjoyment out of it to being oneGears of War 3 takes what I've seen out of Gears of War and puts it in a new game with higher quality graphics. This isn't the worst thing as the series is a compelling one but new features or motions would be exceptional and bump this game to a 8 or maybe 9. The multiplayer improved drastically from being one where you'd have to be excellent to get any enjoyment out of it to being one where anyone can excel and get some fun from it but there is still that WOW factor missing from it that other shooters seem to have.… Expand
  24. YipManSays
    Nov 29, 2011
    9
    It's the Gears of War experience that I have known and loved over the years with an awesome conclusion. The multiplayer is the best they've done and it is tons of fun if you get a bunch of friends together on Xbox Live. Horde mode is probably the biggest overall improvement to the formula. You and friends can dump hours of mindless Locust killing into this mode now complete with upgrades!It's the Gears of War experience that I have known and loved over the years with an awesome conclusion. The multiplayer is the best they've done and it is tons of fun if you get a bunch of friends together on Xbox Live. Horde mode is probably the biggest overall improvement to the formula. You and friends can dump hours of mindless Locust killing into this mode now complete with upgrades! The story mode is fun too with a really nice conclusion and some awesome set pieces. Overall and fantastic third person shooter!… Expand
  25. Redfelcon
    Nov 21, 2011
    9
    Epic End to an Epic series and for that I dished out 150 for the epic edition as well as the DLC and 400 for the limited edition gears of war 3 Xbox. Gears of War 3 is beautiful in the graphics department compared to many of the games out there. Yes Gears of War 3 has the same feel and adds a few new things here and there. However it wouldn't be Gears of War if they reinvented the game.Epic End to an Epic series and for that I dished out 150 for the epic edition as well as the DLC and 400 for the limited edition gears of war 3 Xbox. Gears of War 3 is beautiful in the graphics department compared to many of the games out there. Yes Gears of War 3 has the same feel and adds a few new things here and there. However it wouldn't be Gears of War if they reinvented the game. Gears of War 3 is meant to be played with your friends. No bro's your mostly likely going to hate this game then. Find friends and play on insane I dare you to run and gun. The plot is like a Hollywood movie, but ill roll with it bender. Horde mode 2.0 is freaking amazing with friends, member you have to have friends. multiplayer is always a blast; the addition of the sawed off shot gun and digger makes those campers run. Beast mode is a fresh new take, I always wanted to play as a berserker woot. While its not a perfect 10 Gears of War 3 is by far the best game style of its kind.… Expand
  26. Generalizor
    Nov 21, 2011
    9
    Gears of War 3 is very much the same as Gears of War 2 in the gameplay aspect. However the multiplayer is a million times better, and always feels smooth. The graphics are somewhat polished and the story is taking a remarkeble turn. Gears of War 3 gives the players more of what we allready liked and takes it one level higher. Still you miss something new and creative.
  27. brykam51
    Nov 21, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ahhh.....the conclusion to one of my favorite franchises is bittersweet. The gameplay and controls are flawless and the difficulty of the game is paced wonderfully. The only complaint that I have ab Gears 3 is the final boss battle, where I should have been able to kill the queen, not just the bug she rode on. I hate that they took that option out of your hands and instead did it through a cut scene. But overall the gameplay is epic as usual and the multiplayer is one of the best parts. The game excels in every aspect and is a definite must own.… Expand
  28. Tdelahousaye
    Nov 21, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is an incredibly fun game and certainly the best Gears release to date. I was a little dissapointed with how the story wrapped up because it just seemed rushed to me but I enjoyed it while it lasted. The multiplayer is FUN if you play with friends otherwise it can get old after a while. It seems that every time i get a gears game I love it and then COD rolls around and i just stop playing it. I don't know why, maybe gears seems more fun and COD seems more business ;)… Expand
  29. ShyGuy
    Nov 23, 2011
    10
    This is easily my favorite game of the trilogy and my favorite game on the Xbox 360. Epic worked hard to make both single and multi-player the most refined and perfected experience it has ever been in the series. What really concerns me is the large number of douchbags who give the the game a 1 just because their Xbox haters and wanna bash on everything good that comes out on the 360. AnyThis is easily my favorite game of the trilogy and my favorite game on the Xbox 360. Epic worked hard to make both single and multi-player the most refined and perfected experience it has ever been in the series. What really concerns me is the large number of douchbags who give the the game a 1 just because their Xbox haters and wanna bash on everything good that comes out on the 360. Any reviewer who gives this game lower than a 7 without good reason is complete trash, get a friken life.… Expand
  30. fatcalibour
    Nov 25, 2011
    9
    Story: 8/10 a great story Presentation: 9.5/10 Great Graphics: 10/10 Outstanding visuals
    Sound and Voice Acting: 9/10 great AI Physics: 8/10 great
    Gameplay:10/10 Amazing stuning and rush gameplay keep you busy with hordes.i speciatlly recommend to all gamers who loves to play shooters in better enviorments with great actions...worth to play..
    Overall: 9.1 a great story telling in less time
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
5
#5 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
4
#4 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 96 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 94 out of 96
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 96
  3. Negative: 0 out of 96
  1. GameCritics
    Jan 18, 2012
    65
    Rather than the perfect end to a thrilling series, it seemed like the developers were afraid to take real risks with either the story or the gameplay of Gears 3.
    Read full review
  2. DailyGame
    Dec 12, 2011
    85
    Gears of War 3 is a solid game and likely worthy of the praise it's received. I just happen to think it falls a bit flat.
    Read full review
  3. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    Dec 2, 2011
    90
    An unmissable, unbeatable offering. [Dec 2011, p.95]
See all critic reviews »