Multiplayer

Multiplayer is a key part of the Gears of War success story and is one of the main reasons that the game is still being played to death on Xbox 360s globally.

The PC version of the game has plenty of multiplayer support too – some old modes, some new. There’s a total of five modes and around twenty or so levels. The various multiplayer modes are fairly run of the mill – Warzone, Assassination, Execution, Annex and King of The Hill are all pretty much re-badged versions of the same team games we’ve all been playing for a millennia.

That said, just because the modes are a bit derivative doesn’t mean they are bad. On the contrary, the same balancing and attention to detail has gone into the multiplayer side of things as has gone into the singleplayer. Then again, I’d expect nothing less from the makers of Unreal Tournament 3.

The games are also linked to the Games For Windows Live account system, which is very similar to the Xbox Live system. In fact, it’s so similar that when I first got my hands on the game my eyes initially glazed over with the prospect of cross-platform play.

Alas, such things are doomed to the same mythical games category as Duke Nukem Forever.


The Live account system can be linked up to the Xbox Live account however and you can share achievements and gamer points between the two, but that’s about it. Gears does support a selection of other little bits though which may make up for it. Gaming can be done via LANs or Internets and the co-op campaign is still there and fully intact. It’s actually even more intact now because it has a little bit more content added on for gamers to play through and the fact that players can use either mouse and keyboard or a 360 controller as their input means that even fans of the old game won’t be too handicapped.

Conclusions

Gears of War for the PC is, quite simply, a brilliant game. It doesn’t have the shocking “OMG! JAWESOME!” effect that the original had when it launched, but it goes to show that some ports can be handled properly if enough time is given.

Pretty much the only flaw with the game is the fact that it doesn’t offer anything substantially new or groundbreaking. The new content is there and is well put together, but the game was a stunning experience the first time around and the PC version just can’t quite take it to the next level.

However, maybe that’s for the best. The original game was an awfully exciting piece of gaming bliss and showed just how good third person shooters can be when done right. There was always the risk that Epic would try to add new content in and improve on the original formula, only to have it combust in their hands and turn their faces inside out.

Thankfully that hasn’t happened and although the new Gears of War port isn’t dramatically different, it is still just as good as the original. The game plays much faster with the more precise inputs, but the new content more than compensates for this by padding out the experience without letting up on the oppressive tension and atmosphere. A worthy remake, if not a true successor.