Since the original came out in 2006 i have had a love/hate relationship with this franchise, "a science fiction shooter were you have to take cover and isn't halo? screw that." was basically my reaction but i eventually
fell in love with its speedy, frenetic gunfights and insane set pieces that brought halo to shame. The basic plot of the franchise is that on the happy planet sera, horrible alien monster-like things rose from the ground and killed 99% percent of the population. You play as Marcus Fenix the leader of delta squad in the COG or Coalition of ordered governments. The soldiers of this government are called gears explaining the strange title. Delta squad for the third time now is on a mission to kill the locust once and for all, for the third time. The plot however does take a more personal approach this time around with the consequences of the second game changing the characters in melodramatic ways such as Dom your best friend being a depressing wreck who grows vegetables. The series in a halo like manoeuvre has added a second enemy force "the lambent" who are "GLOWIE" horrible, alien monster like things. That now explode. This addition causes combat to be much more dynamic than previous outing with spouts of acid being shot at cover that severely injures the player.
Story:
Melodramatic but hilarious in some places. The games attitude to story is a last stand of humanity who are held in a desperate battle that is poignant near the middle of the game were the story truly becomes depressing and causes actual emotional resonance. This effect is quickly killed as the character Augustus Cole states lines like "hey bitch this is my kind of shit" and "feel the cole train baby" voiced by american football star Lester Speight who really gives the character that stereotypical african-american voice to make it even funnier. This schizophrenic writing damages both the emotional effect and the comedic effect but both are very good attempts at what they do.
Gameplay:
Taking cover, gun play and traversing the environment have never been more well designed or smoother. The shooting and active reload mechanic is incredibly visceral and entertaining, new weapon additions such as the one-shot or digger really improve combat situations. The experience is made even better with four player co-op and horde/beast mode. The multiplayer is very fun as well and definitely recommended.
Presentation:
This game hails the end of the xbox 360, the colour palette and textures are unbelievable and are really pushing the console to its limit.
Overall:
A five star experience that is very enjoyable and Crazy fun.
