Gears of Wars is beautiful but deadly, a video game with a kick like a Big Gulp-sized tequila shot.
Expect bloodshed when you play it. And most of it will be yours at the start. The third-person action tactical-horror title for the Xbox 360, which shipped Tuesday and is rated M for Mature, conjures up a world ravaged by war and under siege from the alien Locust Horde who have emerged from beneath the surface of Planet Sera.
Epic Games, best known for the Unreal series, has produced a meaty game that pulls you into its world and doesn't let you go. There is no prologue, no extended intro. You play Marcus Fenix, a disgraced hero behind bars, and the game opens as a military buddy breaks you out of jail.
It's kill or be killed and the COG (Coalition of Ordered Governments) needs every gun it can muster.
Gears' tagline is "A nightmare from below, a hero from within."
The game covers 36 hours in the life of Fenix and his squadmates as they fight for survival against the Horde, who come in all shapes and murderous sizes.
Gears (the title refers to the COG soldiers known as Gears) raises the bar to new heights in terms of creating a video game world. Manufacturers of high-definition TVs around the globe will be raising a glass to Epic Games.
Fenix and his grizzled squadmates are beautifully rendered with their oversized body armour and guns. Scars, earrings, tattoos all ring true. And as you wander through the rubble of what was Sera, it's hard not to stop and take stock of your environments.
Because the game is third-person, you get to see everything. As Fenix moves, the camera is right behind him. Pull the left trigger to aim and the camera cuts in close to his head for a better view of what you are shooting at.
The screen is clean other than when you press buttons to change guns, take aim or reload. Take a hit and a red circle shows on the screen, denoting injury. Take cover and the damage disappears. More damage and the whole screen goes red, with a skull showing in the red circle denoting you are history.
You can revive fallen comrades with the touch of a button. But there is risk and reward everywhere. Attending a falling comrade in the open may expose you too.
And Gears of War is no place to sightsee or rubberneck. The enemy is everywhere. The Locust Horde is also smart and hard to put down.
Run and gun in this game and you will die. It's as simple as that. And if you are like me, you will take a beating at the beginning. Thanks to assault rifles equipped with chainsaws, heads will literally roll.
Gears demands you take cover, so get used to dashing from one wall to another, rolling through a doorway or jamming your head behind a burned-out car and blind-firing over the hood. Anything to shield yourself from the invaders.
It takes a little getting used to at the start-I found myself repeatedly moving sideways from one piece of cover to another when all I wanted to do was get out of cover and move forward. But after a while, it becomes second nature.
There are moments when stealth is the order of the day but for the most part Gears demands you take shelter out of realism. Stick your head up and it will be taken off.
And when night falls, things get worse as more creepy-crawlies come out to play. Stray from the light and they will get you.
Gears' save system is sensible, based on a series of checkpoints. Mess up and you don't have to retrace too many steps.
While Gears looks great, it succeeds because it has been well thought out. Game designers know you have to get from A to B and have ensured the challenge is worth it.
Epic's lead designer Cliff Bleszinski said he wanted Gears to have watercooler moments along the way and he has succeeded. There are scenes that have you hanging - or running in the other direction like an Olympic sprinter.
Some sections are hard to beat. But it speaks volumes about Gears that you want to keep trying.
The single-player game is first-rate and the co-op version (where two gamers play together) looks promising. But the online game may give Gears its legs, allowing teams of up to four to face off as either the Locust Horde or Cog. The multiplayer maps are exquisite.
The single-player game offers three difficulty levels: casual (billed as "You enjoy the occasional shooter"), hardcore ("You know how to pull off a headshot") and insane (unlocked when you finish the game).
Casual will keep you plenty busy. If you succeed at insane, I never want to meet you on Xbox Live.
Gears of War may draw from plenty of influences - everything from Escape From New York to The Omega Man crossed my mind - but it stands on its own.
Gamers have waited a long time for Gears. It doesn't disappoint.
