Gears of War (video game)

Did You Know?

• The Lancer weapon's chainsaw bayonet was discussed in Electronic Gaming Monthly, where Keirsey noted that in real life chainsaws are heavy and the closest historical precedents are medieval bludgeoning weapons.
• In March 2007, New Line Cinema bought the rights to make a film adaptation, with Stuart Beattie writing the script.
• A remastered version, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, was released for the Xbox One in August 2015 and for Microsoft Windows in March 2016.

Synopsis

Gears of War is set on the planet Sera, where a conflict over Imulsion, a potent liquid fuel found in underground caverns called The Hollow, sparked the 79-year Pendulum Wars between the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) and the Union of Independent Republics (UIR). On Emergence Day (E-Day), the Locust Horde emerged from the Hollow to launch a genocidal invasion. The COG used the Hammer of Dawn, a satellite-based weapon, to destroy their own occupied cities, and survivors were evacuated to the Jacinto Plateau, the only region the Locust could not invade from underground.

The campaign focuses on Marcus Fenix, a soldier imprisoned for an unauthorized rescue operation, and his Delta Squad comrades: Dominic Santiago, Augustus Cole, and Damon Baird. Other characters include Colonel Victor Hoffman, Private Anthony Carmine, Lieutenant Minh Young Kim, and Lieutenant Anya Stroud. The main antagonist is General RAAM, a leader of the Locust Horde's armed forces. Players control Fenix in the campaign, with a second player controlling Santiago in co-op mode.

Development

The first concept for Gears of War originated around 2000 and 2001 as Unreal Warfare, a multiplayer-driven game with character classes and mechs played in closed arenas. Epic put the project on standby to focus on the Unreal Tournament series, and when they returned to it, the industry had shifted toward single-player games, changing the game's aim. According to Rod Fergusson, the game was at one point intended to be a horror game influenced by Band of Brothers, Resident Evil 4, and Kill Switch.

A romance subplot was considered but dropped. Lead developer Cliff Bleszinski cited Resident Evil 4 for its pacing and over-the-shoulder perspective, Kill Switch for its tactical-cover system, and Bionic Commando for cover-to-cover movement. He also cited The Legend of Zelda for its storytelling, world-building, tool acquisition, and underground environments. The title is a homage to Metal Gear.

The total development cost was $10 million, according to Epic's Mark Rein, with 20 to 30 people involved at any time, not including the proprietary Unreal Engine 3.

Marketing and release

Microsoft produced a thirty-minute documentary titled Gears of War: The Race to E3, which aired on MTV2 on May 19, 2006, in a reality TV style featuring Cliff Bleszinski, Epic Games president Mike Capps, and producer Rod Fergusson leading up to the E3 2006 gameplay reveal. The program captured stressful moments, including Xbox executive Peter Moore's desire to remove the chainsaw rifle from the E3 demo days before the show; the chainsaw remained, and Bill Gates later told Cliff, 'I love that chainsaw.'

The television ad, directed by Joseph Kosinski and set to Gary Jules' cover of 'Mad World,' depicted Marcus Fenix alone in ruined streets. David Fincher was originally slated to direct but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Visual effects company Digital Domain created the visuals inside the Unreal Engine 3 game engine. The commercial's popularity boosted 'Mad World' to the #1 spot on iTunes five years after its initial recording. Bleszinski said in 2015 that he chose the song as his 'anthem' to cope with the failure of his first marriage.

Reception

Gears of War received praise from critics, with average review scores of 93.97% at GameRankings and 94/100 at Metacritic, making it the second highest rated game of 2006 on both sites. Reviewers praised its visuals, presentation, and sound; IGN called it 'the most gorgeous looking game on the Xbox 360' and stated that 'the sound design is worthy of awards.' However, some reviewers noted that the game did not offer significantly new core gameplay.

Eurogamer described it as 'an extremely competent action game' but said that if Epic had applied the same ambition to gameplay as to the engine, they would be more excited. GameSpot noted that the lack of exposition felt like a missed opportunity to make characters and setting more compelling. The PC release received similar praise, with IGN noting that the mouse and keyboard allowed for more precise control and improved graphics, while 1UP stated that the control scheme was a central obstacle.

GameSpot noted that an additional chapter felt out of place. Hyper's Cam Shea commended the game's visuals, solid gameplay, killer multiplayer, and reload mechanics, but criticized potential frustration, pointless squad commands, and chainsaw mechanics.