Gears of War

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3029 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,457 out of 3029
  2. Mixed: 306 out of 3029
  3. Negative: 266 out of 3029
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  1. TonyB.
    Nov 12, 2006
    7
    I think that everybody loves this game only because its the first real next generation game. Sure the graphics and sound are simply amazing I must agree but its the same thing over and over again kill the locust blow up there emergence holes move on its the same thing as any other 3rd person shooter. Another problem is absolutely nothing is destructable. I shot a glass pot and it left a I think that everybody loves this game only because its the first real next generation game. Sure the graphics and sound are simply amazing I must agree but its the same thing over and over again kill the locust blow up there emergence holes move on its the same thing as any other 3rd person shooter. Another problem is absolutely nothing is destructable. I shot a glass pot and it left a bullet hole like I shot a wall it didn't even go through it unless the weapon of the future are extrmemly weak I think we have a problem housten. They spent all that time making the game look good and windows and pots can't break rawr.… Expand
  2. BenK.
    Nov 13, 2006
    7
    Its a solid shooter that is really marred by crappy AI and linear level design. The texture detail is pretty amazing though and the environments are really great to look at. Its unfortunate that the gameplay cannot live up to the standard set by the visuals.
  3. OverRated
    Nov 10, 2006
    7
    This game is sorely over-rated. It is the same thing over and over (hide shoot throw grenade in hole.) They mix it up a bit by stayin out of darkness. (yeah thats it) the Chainsaw is worthless because if you try running to use it your dead. You do get to use it but its not that great. The graphics are good and story is good. Its a good game don't get me wrong its just over rated. It This game is sorely over-rated. It is the same thing over and over (hide shoot throw grenade in hole.) They mix it up a bit by stayin out of darkness. (yeah thats it) the Chainsaw is worthless because if you try running to use it your dead. You do get to use it but its not that great. The graphics are good and story is good. Its a good game don't get me wrong its just over rated. It is seriously not the best game. only 8 people online and A short campaign its a mediocre game with great graphics thats it.… Expand
  4. SteveG.
    Nov 9, 2006
    7
    I have to admit, I fell into all the Hype about this game as well, and it has left me a bit disappointed and $60 poorer. The Graphics are very, very, very good and the sound effects are just the same. The Graphics/Artwork are what I would expect to see from a well produced comic book with "Dark" overtones. The Controls are more than ok, but not great. The maps to me are not as large as I I have to admit, I fell into all the Hype about this game as well, and it has left me a bit disappointed and $60 poorer. The Graphics are very, very, very good and the sound effects are just the same. The Graphics/Artwork are what I would expect to see from a well produced comic book with "Dark" overtones. The Controls are more than ok, but not great. The maps to me are not as large as I expected them to be. To me this game is very reminiscent to KillZone for the PS2, but with better graphics. The real downfall to this game is the Very Limited number of players while playing Online (that is of course you can get online because of the connection problems!). The Online maps are Small compared to the largeness of the Caricatures and scenery. Maybe that's why they only allow a Total of 8 players. 4 on each team. So, you run around wildly while blasting away at your opponent. Hmmm Not much fun after about 15 minutes of that. So kids, that's why I rated this game as I did. I have to say, I wished I didn't open the game so I could take it back to where I bought it. Yours Truly xSkullnBonesx… Expand
  5. JamesD.
    Jan 9, 2007
    7
    Overall the game wasn't bad when it came to controls and gameplay. However the storyline was crap and the game was short. I don't see what all the hype was about.
  6. BrendanL.
    Jul 26, 2007
    7
    Honestly, I don't want to give this game a seven, but more of a 6.7 score. I got this game in December of 2007. I finsished the storyline within less than 10 hours, combined over a period of 4-5 days. Not exactly a prolonged storyline if you ask me. Secondly, I was certainly disappointed with the Xbox Live. The games are great and all, but the fact you only get one life seems unfair Honestly, I don't want to give this game a seven, but more of a 6.7 score. I got this game in December of 2007. I finsished the storyline within less than 10 hours, combined over a period of 4-5 days. Not exactly a prolonged storyline if you ask me. Secondly, I was certainly disappointed with the Xbox Live. The games are great and all, but the fact you only get one life seems unfair for the unexperienced, like me. Lastly, the replay value on this game isn't great either, as I have not played it since late January. My opinion: overrated.… Expand
  7. TARGET1058
    Feb 10, 2008
    7
    Solid single player and co-op. A good shooter, but a very slow and limited multiplayer.
  8. Mr.Gunther
    Jul 10, 2008
    7
    I feel this game is greatly overrated. Sure it shines at times, mainly during the co-op campaign, which itself is one of the best out there yet far too short. Single player is dull and lifeless however and online play gets very boring very quickly, using the same duck and cover game mechanic over and over again gets old-fast. An intense and gripping 3rd person shooter then that suffers I feel this game is greatly overrated. Sure it shines at times, mainly during the co-op campaign, which itself is one of the best out there yet far too short. Single player is dull and lifeless however and online play gets very boring very quickly, using the same duck and cover game mechanic over and over again gets old-fast. An intense and gripping 3rd person shooter then that suffers from a bland, very grey colour scheme, a campaign that is far too short, repetitive gameplay and a very hardcore "noob hating" online community… Expand
  9. Miika
    Aug 1, 2008
    7
    One of the most over-rated 360 games. A mediocre shooter with clumsy controls and covering system. The gameplay itself is very repetitive. I find it kinda awkward that this game takes itself so seriously. Come on, big men killing big monsters with big guns. Buckets of blood, stupid dialogue and other childish stuff only teenage boys might find cool. Nothing wrong with all that except the One of the most over-rated 360 games. A mediocre shooter with clumsy controls and covering system. The gameplay itself is very repetitive. I find it kinda awkward that this game takes itself so seriously. Come on, big men killing big monsters with big guns. Buckets of blood, stupid dialogue and other childish stuff only teenage boys might find cool. Nothing wrong with all that except the fact that GoW does all that and then says with a deadpan face: "This is SERIOUS".… Expand
  10. Frank
    Nov 19, 2006
    7
    Great graphics solid gameplay. But you will get bored of it pretty quick. SIngle player campaign is short and mutiplayer doesn't have lasting appeal. It will be gathering dust in a few weeks.
  11. danwong
    Nov 20, 2006
    7
    Hmm, yes excellent graphics - pretty linear gaming though, great sound, good (though over used) cover system, repetitive. Single player and co-op worth a rental, but on-line is no where as fullfilling as cod3. As a matter of fact on line in perfect dark zero is 5 times better. All in all disappointing, I expected something special, but it's nothing we've not seen before gameplay wise.
  12. AramisG.
    Nov 22, 2006
    7
    It is just ok (fun and looks great). However, the entire game suffers from lack of variation, and it is short to boot. There is barely a variation in enemies or weapons. The music is sometimes inappropriate for what is actually happening on screen. There is even a pompous little inscription in the booklet about what the designer of GOW feels makes a next generation game, "next It is just ok (fun and looks great). However, the entire game suffers from lack of variation, and it is short to boot. There is barely a variation in enemies or weapons. The music is sometimes inappropriate for what is actually happening on screen. There is even a pompous little inscription in the booklet about what the designer of GOW feels makes a next generation game, "next generation". In the end I hope publishers really start considering other methods of creating "next generation" games, other than amazing graphics. In a year this game will be forgotten history.… Expand
  13. SeanJ.
    Nov 9, 2006
    7
    I, like Steve G,wish I never opened it and could return it. The games is great if you are new to gaming but this a boring game where you do the same thing on each board. The graphics are great and so is the sound but the plot is weak. I was bored in the first half hour of it. My biggest problem is with the dead bodies of the enemies they seem not to have any mass. Meaning if you kick or I, like Steve G,wish I never opened it and could return it. The games is great if you are new to gaming but this a boring game where you do the same thing on each board. The graphics are great and so is the sound but the plot is weak. I was bored in the first half hour of it. My biggest problem is with the dead bodies of the enemies they seem not to have any mass. Meaning if you kick or walk by one it will go sliding across the floor. If they had a working Demo I probably never have bought it.… Expand
  14. GoukiJ.
    Dec 20, 2006
    7
    What
  15. MarcComeau
    Dec 27, 2006
    7
    first off compair this to halo i thought halo was shit i thought that game was retarted neways some things are bad about the game it is short graphics are amazing its a very fun game yet to play online i rented it first and then i bought it this is one of best games for 360 and the people who gave less then a 7 on this must like crappy games no affence its a very good game
  16. NikM.
    May 21, 2007
    7
    Perfect in nearly every way, but i dont know what was up, i didnt love it. Its just my opinion.
  17. JacobB.
    Jun 14, 2007
    7
    I know alot of you fans out there will probably hate me and call me too picky or arrogent, but i gave this game I chance and it was not what I expected. I rented this game after finally deciding to
  18. DavidF.
    Sep 24, 2007
    7
    Great graphics, and exhilerating single player and co-op make it worth the purchase, but the lack of any real story, and the buggy multiplayer taint the experience.
  19. IanR.
    May 12, 2008
    7
    I borrowed this game from a friend thinking it was gonna be a definitive title but this game is heavily overrated. This shooting system is flawed and they stole aspects of the game from other games. Like the monster that only hears by sound. Thats from resident evil 4 Its not bad but it doesn't deserve the praise that it gets. The landscapes are beautiful but the characters look like I borrowed this game from a friend thinking it was gonna be a definitive title but this game is heavily overrated. This shooting system is flawed and they stole aspects of the game from other games. Like the monster that only hears by sound. Thats from resident evil 4 Its not bad but it doesn't deserve the praise that it gets. The landscapes are beautiful but the characters look like original xbox graphics.… Expand
  20. Barry
    Jun 24, 2008
    7
    According to Games Master it is the best game they have ever seen. Well, seen is the strong defining word as it was probably the best game to look at around (upon release) but in terms of gameplay, certainly not. Very linear and scripted but to be fair i don't think it deserves to get anything lower than a 6.
  21. MiguelR.
    Jul 22, 2008
    7
    Bad single player, horrible plot, stupid characters, and an uninspired universe. The puzzles are terrible and the scripted moments suck. The shooting is the only redeeming aspect.
  22. LeonardA.
    Aug 14, 2008
    7
    This is a great game. The acting and story sucks though. I wasn't impressed at all besides the graphics and the chainsaw. Oh yea and lots of blood. Thats about it. I prefer the T rated Uncharted: Drakes Fortune over this. I'm not exaggerating either. Uncharted is superior to this game.
  23. KarlB.
    Nov 12, 2006
    7
    Campaign mode is sorely lacking. The game is fun and the graphics are awesome but you'll be disappointed if you shell out sixty bucks. Rent it and beat it in the 6 hours it takes to do so.
  24. JohnG.
    Nov 28, 2006
    7
    The game play if fun and the coop is great but the game is to short and it doesn't really feal like a big battle when you only face 6 to 8 bots at once and they can be dumb as heck. and only 4v4 online is crap I like a big battle.
  25. PaxtonC.
    Nov 19, 2007
    7
    decent. Looks great, but Epic made a mistake by trying to impress the community with real-time-rendered cinematics. They just don't look as good as they could. Fun campaign, but I wasn't a fan of the multiplayer, the achievements were too hard to get. Also, no ranking system makes for a highly unbalanced matchmaking. RENT first, THEN buy.
  26. muzziklover
    Sep 29, 2010
    7
    Dark, bleak and hopeless, Gears of War is the perfect example of an apocalyptic world. It completely captures the feel of an apocalyptic world, in atmosphere, story telling and visual style. The level design is great and all and the feel of the game is spot on, the gameplay is just an average third person shooter. It is tactical but it has a limited variety, making it repetitive andDark, bleak and hopeless, Gears of War is the perfect example of an apocalyptic world. It completely captures the feel of an apocalyptic world, in atmosphere, story telling and visual style. The level design is great and all and the feel of the game is spot on, the gameplay is just an average third person shooter. It is tactical but it has a limited variety, making it repetitive and un-replayable even in higher difficulties though it does add a bit of challenge. Overall, its just a typical shooter game. Nothing special.… Expand
  27. CorsairReviews
    Nov 18, 2010
    7
    Gears of War is one of the greatest exclusives brought to the 360 (Yes it was also on PC, so we shall call it console exclusive) ! A great game featuring some great in-game mechanics such as the cover system. Although you aren't likely to be bored by the awesome story and clips, the repetitive gameplay might bore you after a while though.
  28. 7dogguy
    Feb 15, 2012
    7
    This game is one the best games Xbox 360 has to offer. The storyline isnt amazing but its close to it. gears of war 3 and 2 have better storylines but that is expected being that the game is the first in the series. The originality of the story is amazing and very clever i love it. The game does fail though with its multiplayer. Its probably on of the laggiest multiplayer experience youThis game is one the best games Xbox 360 has to offer. The storyline isnt amazing but its close to it. gears of war 3 and 2 have better storylines but that is expected being that the game is the first in the series. The originality of the story is amazing and very clever i love it. The game does fail though with its multiplayer. Its probably on of the laggiest multiplayer experience you will ever have. While some level designs make sense others dont and also there is no ranking system. If you want a game that has a really good storyline buy it but if you are in it for multiplayer this isnt the game for you… Expand
  29. SupaChigga
    Nov 19, 2013
    7
    Single Player/Multi Player (2/2)

    (If the single player is better than the multiplayer, review this section as if it had no multplayer) (If the multiplayer is better than the multiplayer, review this section as if it had no single player) Gameplay (2/2) Visuals/Story (1/2) (If the visuals are better than the story, review this section as if it had no story) (If the story is    Single Player/Multi Player (2/2)

    (If the single player is better than the multiplayer, review this section as if it had no multplayer) (If the multiplayer is better than the multiplayer, review this section as if it had no single player)

    Gameplay (2/2)

    Visuals/Story (1/2)

    (If the visuals are better than the story, review this section as if it had no story) (If the story is better than the visuals, review this section as if the visuals didn’t matter)

    Accessibility/Longevity (2/2)

    (Review this section only on Accessibility if the game has no longevity) (Review this section only on longevity if the game isn’t accessible)

    Pricing (0/2)

    Wildcard (0)

    This is a guideline for how to properly review games. Many reviewers like to get a “feel” for a game, and arbitrarily give a game a score that they believe it deserves. This results in wildly different scores between different reviewers, and vastly different scores between similar games. This guideline addresses these problems and scores games fairly and consistently. This guideline also gives scores that are usually similar to the metacritic score.

    The review score is based out of 10 points. There are no “half” or 0.5 increments. It is impossible to have a score above 10 or below 0. The review score will change as the game gets new dlc, drops in price, or if more secrets are found through the game increasing its appeal.

    The scoring is split into 6 sections. The first five sections can add a possible 2 points to the final score. The first 5 sections are Single Player/Multi Player, Gameplay, Visuals/Story, Accessibility/Longevity, and Pricing.

    Notice that 3 of these sections have two parts. These particular sections will be scored based on the stronger part of the game of the two. For example, if a game has a lousy single player campaign, but an excellent multiplayer component, that section will be based solely on the multiplayer as if the single player did not exist. This allows games to be based on their own merits, as many unnecessary features are shoehorned into video games by publishers to reach a “feature quota”. Games that excel in both areas of a section don’t receive should be noted in the written review, but cannot increase the score past 2 in that section. However, it can be taken into account in the final section

    The final section can add 1, add 0, or subtract 1 to the final score. This final section is the “wildcard” section. This section is for how the reviewer “feels” about the game, but limits this only to this section, rather than the entire 10 point review. This section can include any positive or negative point that was not covered in the previous 5 sections.    … Expand
  30. harryjc
    Mar 13, 2014
    7
    I know the people that worked on this game worked really hard and it shows to a great degree. However, personally, this did not appeal to me. The controls were simple enough, but did not allow fluidity of movement. Furthermore I found it to be extremely repetitive. It is interesting for a while but soon gets tiring. Another issue, I found with this game, is it was somewhat buggy. SometimesI know the people that worked on this game worked really hard and it shows to a great degree. However, personally, this did not appeal to me. The controls were simple enough, but did not allow fluidity of movement. Furthermore I found it to be extremely repetitive. It is interesting for a while but soon gets tiring. Another issue, I found with this game, is it was somewhat buggy. Sometimes it lagged enough to disrupt gameplay and sometimes it froze.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2006
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2006
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 88 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 88 out of 88
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 88
  3. Negative: 0 out of 88
  1. Yahoo!
    90
    The hallmark of Gears' weapon design is the balance of powerful tools with critical, exploitable weaknesses, and it's executed with real finesse.
    Read full review
  2. 1UP
    100
    Each stage is memorable...They all combine for an unforgettable adventure through 36 hectic, desperate hours of a group of soldiers' lives...A visual and visceral masterpiece.
    Read full review
  3. TeamXbox
    96
    If you're a graphics whore, you absolutely, positively need to pick this game up. To say that Gears of War features "next-gen graphics" is a gross understatement. It's got the most impressive graphics ever seen in a video game, and the stellar art direction only makes it more beautiful.
    Read full review
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