Gears Of War 3 - Review

Over the last while I have gotten Nolls (wife to be and an all-around awesome person) into Gears of War.  We finished Gears of Wars 2 recently and she was eager to see how the story ended (well for this trilogy anyway). I played Gears of War 3 when it was first released and at the time I felt a little underwhelmed, maybe it was because Gears of War 2 was so good. There was just something about 3 that just didn't quite do it for me, so I was curious how I would feel this time.


I like cakes, pies and generally anything that is bad for your health. One pie that I can be a little on the fence about is deep-dish apple pie.  If I am in the mood for deep-dish apple pie and eat it I'm usually amazed how good it is, but if I eat because it is the only thing available I'm generally underwhelmed.  I guess it just depends on my mood?  Playing Gears of War 3 I wondered was I in the mood for deep-dish apple pie?

Story


Last time on Gears of War it was decided that the best course of action was to sink the last major city in an attempt to stop the Locust.  Now, months on, Marcus, Dom, Baird, and Cole along with other COG and survivors are living on a ship.  The Lambent, the enemy of both humans and the Locust is slowly taking over the world. The Locust are adapting to the surface quickly and have already started amassing their forces. This time it is not just a war, it's a fight for survival for all life.


The story focuses on many interesting points, like life before the Locust and how so many of the COG used to just be civilians. Queen Myrah while slaughtering many humans is simply trying to help her people avoid extinction from the Lambent.


Overall the story is good, if not a little sad.  The world now is extremely bleak and really feels like extrication is imminent. I think maybe my reservation when playing it last time was that it really feels like the end of something. When something feels so good it can be tough to see it come to end.

 

 Visuals


The original Gears of War had very dark and gritty visuals, these were then massively improved in Gears of War 2.  For me, the visuals in Gears of War 3 have not evolved beyond Gears of War 2.  That doesn't mean they are bad.  There is a huge focus on character designs, the bulkier armor has been slimmed down.  This time everyone is wading into the fight, Anya is ditching her formal outfit for COG armor, we are also introduced to new characters, Sam and Jace. The Locust have more rugged armor and look more beat up. The Lambent have so many different forms, the stalks which birth enemies, enemies that can evolve into multiple forms and if that was not bad enough they also like to explode.


Overall the visuals haven't improved much from Gears of War 2 but the new character designs and variety of new enemies make it a lot of fun to look at it.



Music


The music in Gears of War 3 is dark, it feels more than just about war but also loss and the reminder that the world hangs in the balance. American composer Steve Jablonsky created the score along with Gears of War 2, Gears of War Judgement, Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands and Command and Conquer Tiberium Wars.


The soundtrack runs at close to ninety minutes and features some really great tracks, my favorites being; 'Restless', 'Meanwhile Below Deck', 'Bridge Too Far Indeed', 'Deadland Dance', and 'Corpser Ambush'.

Overall Jablonsky has helped create a very distinct sound for Gears of War that is easily recognizable. The soundtrack in my eyes has as big of a part to play as the story, visuals, and gameplay itself.

Gameplay


Personally, I have always found the gameplay in the Gears of War series to be pretty solid. Gears of War 3 is no exception. It plays in third-person and continues to work well. The big change for me is the cover system - there is a lot more to hide behind but there is also more destructible cover.


There are a lot of old familiar weapons, along with some new ones like the Retro Lancer which, instead of a chainsaw, has a giant blade stuck on the end of it.  It can be a little unruly to pull off a kill with the blade but when you can it is a lot of fun. The executions are back in force, each weapon has its own unique execution.


There are truly dark moments in the game, seeing not only destroyed areas of the world but also how close everything is to the end.  Each battle feels like you have to prevail and push forward, not only for your survival but everyone else's as well.

Overall the gameplay is solid, things feel tougher than before but all help drive the point home as to how bad things have become.





Final Thoughts


 So, after around fifteen hours how did I feel?  Pretty good.  The story is dark, gritty and enjoyable and a good ending to the trilogy. While the visuals may not be much stronger than Gears of War 2 the new character designs of allies and enemies alike look really good.  The music is strong and Jablonsky has helped create a very distinct sound for the Gears of War series. The gameplay continues to be solid, offering some new challenges. Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Review

It's my week off and it has been awesome! One of the best parts of it was getting to start a new game I had missed out on last year; Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.  I am not a huge Star Wars fan but I have been entertained by some of the movies, and while not every video game with the Star Wars name attached to it has been good, I have also enjoyed some of them, like The Force Unleashed. I went in with an open mind and excited about using a lightsaber to take down bad guys.


Nolls and I went for lunch yesterday, I wasn't quite sure what to get so went for something that sounded pretty reliable. I decided on a puff pastry steak and vegetable pie, well kind of, it actually had a loose puff pastry top with the filling in a clay oven dish. It looked good but when I got down into it there were only carrots and a bit of steak. There was more gravy than filling and while it looked good there was not a lot else going on.   Playing Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order I found myself asking, was it as good as it looked?

Story


The story is set after The Purge at the end of Star Wars Episode III, for those not familiar with film this is where the Jedi are wiped out.  There is Cal, a young Padawan who manages to escape and a few years on is now working in a scrapyard pulling apart old ships and trying to keep a low profile. Of course, things get rough pretty quick and Cal finds himself trying to escape from Inquisitors who want to see him dead. Luckily before you get killed you get rescued by Cere (an ex-Jedi) and Captain Greez. Cere tells you about Jedi Master Eno Cordova who has a Holocron with the names of Force-sensitive children who could help rebuild the Jedi Order.  Shortly after befriending a droid called BD-1 who belonged to Cordova you find out he knew The Purge was coming (thanks for letting everyone know, oh wait he didn't). On top of that, he was obsessed with the Zeffo culture and has decided to hide the Holocron. Rather than simply giving it to you he wants to test you by traveling between a few planets and walk-in his footsteps to see if you are worthy.


Overall the story is a bit dull and a Master Jedi makes it as awkward as possible to get the Holocron just to see if Cal is worthy (because there is a surplus Jedi's to choose from don't you know!).  The story gets a little more interesting when the Nightsister comes into it, but with the exception of her and  BD-1 (a droid), I never felt very invested in the characters or the story until almost the end. Not the best story and the pay off was a bit weak.

Visuals


The game shines when it comes to the visuals.   The forests of Kashyyk were a particular favorite as the world is covered in lush fauna and feels very otherworldly. The outfits and armor of characters look like those you would see in any of the movies. The lightsaber effects look cool and the only real hang-up I had was with Cere's eyes which looked like they were about to pop out their sockets at any moment.


Overall the visuals are good and for any Star Wars fans, it will really feel like you are part of the Star Wars Universe.


Music


The music in the game is what you would expect to hear, what I mean is that it has a very John Williamsesque sound. It is hard to try something different when the Star Wars Universe has a very distinct sound and I have no doubt certain restrictions were imposed on the composers.  Stephen Barton is a British composer who created the soundtrack for Titanfall 1 and 2, along with Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered.  Gordy Haab is an American Composer who worked on Battlefront 1 and 2, Halo Wars 2 and Star Wars; The Old Republic.


It was hard for me to pick out any specific track as standing out more than any other.  Overall the soundtrack isn't bad but sounds like what I have heard before with nothing very unexpected.

Gameplay


The gameplay itself is a little bit of a mixed bag.  Naturally, as a Jedi, you will have your lightsaber and through flashbacks, you learn or relearn how to use the force. The force abilities work quite well whether you are using them in a fight or using them to solve a puzzle.  Lightsaber combat initially works well, but things fall apart a few hours in when it can be incredibly difficult to parry, especially when there are multiple enemies to deal with. In the end, I just started treating it like Dark Souls, lots of rolling, stab, stab, roll, stab stab, force push, roll, finisher.


There is a relatively small skill tree you can use to unlock new moves and extra health/force. While I unlocked most things I was never really excited by any of them, with the exception of double lightsaber related ones. Meditating not only lets you unlock new moves, but also rest and save your progress.


Playing Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order reminded me a little of Prince of Persia and Dark Souls. There is lots of wall running and some climbing.  When you get killed by an enemy they take your experience points and you will need to defeat them to get it back.


The gameplay is relatively linear, and while there are some areas you can explore for chests that provide visuals upgrades like a paint job for your ship or a different colour poncho (not a joke) there is little reason to explore.


There are bosses in the game which can be awkward enough, rather than looking cool parrying moves and counter-attacking it often felt like I was just rolling around and trying to whittle down their health.


Overall the gameplay was okay but not as smooth and sleek as it could have been. It was often a feast or a famine when it came to enemies, one or two enemies together, then none, then six or more.





Final Thoughts

Meh meh, meh meh meh meh meh, meh, meh meh meh, meh meh (saying that to the Star Wars Theme). So, after thirty hours I was left feeling pretty underwhelmed by my experience. The story was very underwhelming, the visuals were good. The music wasn't bad but was far from exciting and the gameplay really felt lacking sometimes. Overall this one managed to slide in with a 3 out of 5