VGM Fusion

Review: Gears of War (Windows PC)

Ah, here we go, this is more like it.  Gears of War came out last year for the Xbox 360, and was one of the most awaited game on the system by the hardcore.  It then heated up in sales with other 360 owners due to a little commercial (which also helped propel sales of Gary Jules album and copies of Donnie Darko I may add) with an infectious song.

This year we’re treated to a new version of the game, this time running on the new “Games for Windows” platform. Did you see what I did there?  It’s a PC game, a PC game.  Forget marketing, it’s a PC game.  There.

ANYways… This new version adds a little bit of content to the mix, and also ups the ante in terms of new mulitplayer maps and modes, and increased graphical prowess if your system can handle it.  My personal home system, not so much.  A LAN-party media event earlier this week where we played on the new HP Blackbird’s… yes.

We actually were playing at some stupid high resolution on 30″ monitors.  When your face is 8″ from a screen like that, playing a game like this… well, let’s just say it was awesome.

The new content in the game helps to justify buying the same game you already bought, or to those PC-only type gamers out there, that this is more than just a “console” game.  The new content in the single player missions is quite different than the old maps that were in the original.  They’re more open, have multiple paths you can take, and have new combinations of enemies not seen before.  It’s fun, but I wouldn’t say it really adds anything to the game over the original.

So the 1-million dollar question is, “how did it work with a mouse and keyboard?”  Well, I’m happy to say, quite well.  The only awkward part is the fact that the spacebar is now your best friend.  From snapping you to walls, to running and rolling, it’s all spacebar, all the time.  When you’re all up on the WSAD, stretching your thumb to the spacebar isn’t that hard, but not alltogether elegant.  Oh well.  The aiming is much more precise with the mouse though, and the right-click will give you precise aiming, so it all works quite well.

Like I mentioned, the graphics have taken quite a noticable bump, if you even thought that would be possible on a game like Gears.  But trust me, if you have a beast of a PC (something about 8-10 times as costly as a console) you’re going to be in for a treat.

This game doesn’t feel like a quick port though.  It has a different feel on the PC than it does in the console game, and that’s a good thing.  There was some thought put into it, and it works well.  It also interfaces with Xbox Live, so you can still game with your friends.

All in all, Gears on the PC is really the way I hoped it would turn out, and the way I wish more cross-over games would be.  If you’re really in the mood to take good ol’ Marcus through the trenches again in an even more gritty-beautiful environment, or if you just don’t have the 360 version and are sitting with a $6000 Alienware rig on your desk waiting for Crysis to come along… this could be just what you were waiting for.

Game Details:
Available: November 6, 2007
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Epic Games
Genre: Shooter (Third Person)
ESRB: Mature 17+
VGM Rating: 4/5