“Gears of War is messy. Messy is what the series does best. Pacing, too, only not in an attempt to mold the once revolutionary (ignoring the N64’s Winback) duck & cover systems to traditional deathmatch forms. Comparatively, Gears is not interesting in this space. Cooperatively or alone, the steroidal-injected veins flowing under Gears’ skin better suits a narrative – namely the planet Sera’s saga of an invasive species at war against men, maybe a woman or two as well. But not here, not in multiplayer. Men and “things” just shoot one another aimlessly. With shotguns.”
Read my full editorial on the Gears of War Ultimate Edition beta on GameZone (Note: Possible auto-play video embedded)
Matt Paprocki 