Played at work for 30 min in coop mode split screen. My impressions.
1. Why can't I split screen vertically so each player gets a full screen to themselves, shooting in the distance is hard when you can only see 3 pixels infront of you.
2. Pressing A to stick to a wall is tricky, I liked the context sensitive wall stick in GRAW.
3. What happened to the lighting, it's all gone? There are no shadows in the environment at all? I was indoors and it looks like a bunch of infinite point lights? Also the giant spider that comes out of the ground has zero shadows, not even on the ground plane.
You're right about the split screen mode, and the A button (I kinda wish you used the stick-clicks to do these actions, it's sad to have to take your hand off the controls to do anything, doesn't take TOO long but sometimes those seconds you could be turning you have to be doing something else).
The lighting as well, looking back at those shots I too am wondering what happened. Reminds me of Eternal Darkness, the videos always showed dynamic character shadows falling on the environments, but the final game there was nothing to be found like that. Maybe the later, dusk/night levels etc have better lighting? I only got to play through Act 1 at a friends the other night.
That said, it was still a blast to play, and one of the most polised experiences on the 360 I've seen. So many 360 games get by with poor framerates, nice to see this play so smoothly, even in Co-op (compared to PD-Zero co-op, for instance). Plus, any game with a co-op campaign instantly gets respect from me, as it's exactly the kind of thing I've been dying to play since Doom 1 + 2 and the old Contra games etc. This feels like a really fancy looking version of those games. Too bad all these next gen games cost $60!
Aside from the graphical issues, there are a few things that bother me.
Cutscenes. I can understand forcing the playing to sit through it the first time, since it's for the story. But having to sit through it over and over and over again when you die, is EXTREMELY annoying. Would have been nice to have been able to skip them.
The checkpoint system. If there is a period of time (1-2 minutes) in a level, from the "checkpoint" to the action, don't force me to restart from the checkpoint when I die. Start me off just a few seconds before the enemy comes out.
Correct me if I am wrong, but weren't all of those shots taken with the unoptimized version on a PC?
However,I'm sure that screen shot in particular was indeed done with the engine and the character models but is not game action.
As far as rim lights go for while playing the game. Yes, while playing the game from one angle it would look pretty cool, but from other angles it would look pretty damn weird, because if you were looking at the same scene from behind, everything would be wiped out by the light, all you'd see would be bright blue figures that would hurt your eyes.
I found out that if you hit all four of the buttons on your controller that you can skip through most of the cut scenes. This was really helpful when getting my ass handed to me over and over again by the last boss.
I'm sure it could be done with a bit of jiggery-pokery, maybe lowering the intensity from certain viewpoints/ use of fresnel type shaders based on surface angles. imo
[ QUOTE ]
I found out that if you hit all four of the buttons on your controller that you can skip through most of the cut scenes. This was really helpful when getting my ass handed to me over and over again by the last boss.
Marcus Dublin
Artist Kaos Studios
PS: Dam Bats!
[/ QUOTE ]
Haha! Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I think what Epic does is lock the controller until the level streams/loads in. When the level is done streaming, you can skip the cutscene.
Very fun so far and I'm not a huge fan of shooters to begin with. Congrats to the folks at Epic on a very fun game.
Edit: Oh, and I firmly believe that co-op is the way to go!
Finally got to try this last night on a friend's 360. I've been relatively unimpressed with the 360 so far, but I have to say that playing this game on an HDTV was a jaw-dropping experience. This is definitely the most graphically impressive game I have ever seen.
We didn't touch the campaign, but playing multi on Live was a blast. There were a couple of instances where I hugged the wall by accident, but other than that the A-button interactions felt very smooth and intuitive. The weapons feel and look great (Though a few more would have been nice) and the close-quarters combat is as satisfying as it is bloody.
I'm not sure if there's enough variety to give the game lasting appeal, but I'd need to spend more time with it before I can give any sort of real verdict.
Very impressive. Epic keeps pumping out great games.
My cousin was in town this weekend and *really* wanted to play the co-op version for GoW, so I ended up shelling out for a second 360 controller while we were out and about (). Played about an hour or two of co-op today and damn... just.. damn~.
GoW is definately Epic's best console game! its going to be hard to top this one. Now i'm working as a level designer I did notice that the game was set up in zones, finish 1 zone and then suddenly you hear a crash and the door behind you is blocked so you cannot backtrack. I guess they did this to keep the game flowing.
Be interesting to see if other UE3 licensees and top their graphics
[ QUOTE ]
Cutscenes. I can understand forcing the playing to sit through it the first time, since it's for the story. But having to sit through it over and over and over again when you die, is EXTREMELY annoying. Would have been nice to have been able to skip them.
Yeah. I got mildly annoyed at that as well. I mashed buttons like crazy, to no avail.
Something else I've noticed is texture MIP popping. I can be RIGHT up on something that has what appears to be yucky a 64x64 texture and then ZAP!! it bumps up to 512x or so. Additionally, I think it would have been better to map the Roadie Run to a button that doesnt use your thumb...that way you can conveniently steer & run at the same time.
well, in some cases it will not skip a cinematic because it is loading and skipping it would break shit However if you start up the game, and press X right when the wretches are over the grate at the top, you'll skip the cinematic.
it was not communicated extremely well as to when you can, and cannot skip a cinematic - i agree. However, without using loading screens anywhere but the start of a session, cutting to the menus, or having to cut away from visuals for too long there are some trade offs as to things you can and cannot skip.
You can skip cinematics though by pressing X - so if you press X once and it doesnt work, and the cinematic is long, try again.
Spent some time goofing around with the game to get an idea of the controls and how things work. Then restarted and played past the berserker. So far, I can say it's the (graphically) the best looking game ever. The art quality is really high, and I look at thinking it's too bad how much of this will be missed by the average gamer. It took me a bit to get used to the controls. It felt like a game I had never played before, but the simplified control scheme really started to make sense after just a little bit of play. I still get caught on some cover, but it usually isn't something that kills me. Even so, the game is so quick to jump back into action it's all good. Also, did some co-op (split screen) with rhinokey and we enjoy it.
Biggest like: environment art, this constantly reminds me how good the epic art guys are. Everything is so believable, unique, detailed and complex
Most dislike: repetitive gameplay. Run to cover and shoot. There aren't any other options when encountered with an enemy, but I do like that they allow path choosing and the layouts allow for fun scenarios. Nevertheless, I completely understand giving the player a fun time without mucking that up with complexities.
In conclusion, Gears of War made me buy and Xbox360, mission accomplished.
[ QUOTE ]
Additionally, I think it would have been better to map the Roadie Run to a button that doesnt use your thumb...that way you can conveniently steer & run at the same time.
[/ QUOTE ]
I think this mechanic was part of the plan from Epic. Your left thumbstick becomes slightly more turn savvy than regular trot mode. A lot of this is subconsciously picked up, at least it was for me (as I had the same thought at first). Otherwise the player would be able to turn relatively sharper than a bulky marine in crouch sprint should (or at least all the bulky space marines I've known). The sprint is more so just for straight shooting across the battlefield to a new vantage point of cover.
I felt strange having to hold B and chainsaw opponents at first also, but then realized the control mechanics of the left thumbstick changes for that as well (you rotate on a much more precise pivot for turning to the left or right without need of the camera stick).
This was probably one of the best coop experiences I've had since Diablo 2. I think Epic made a very wise choice allowing another player to go through the story mode with you and not just 'coop missions', something very few games pull off.
Just got done reading the art book that came with the strategy guide (tossed that thing under the bed, who reads strategy guides?). If you were looking for some kickass renders of both their high and low poly stuff, definetely invest in this. This is exactly what I hoped the one that came in the collector's tin would have been.
My roommate and I just finished the game on hardcore and for such an awesome playing game that had us coming back for more even after it kicked our asses a lot! It had the most unoriginal ending I was totally expecting more especially after all the outstanding gameplay aspects.
After playing this some more online...I despise the multiplayer. So many bugs it's ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I'm normally one of the top 2 on my team, so it's not the fact that I can't get a kill or anything, but I cannot get past the numerous bugs. Several times you're not able to be revived/revive a fallen teammate, chainsaw sometimes works when you're nowhere near a player, likewise with the grenade sticky melee, if you catch a reload at a certain point you won't be able to fire, I've stood behind an enemy with my chainsaw revved and had nothing happen on several occasions. These problems, along with the 15 minutes it takes to actually join a multiplayer match, makes the game very unenjoyable for online play. For me atleast. I'd imagine getting online with some buds would be fun for the simple fact that you're curb stomping your friend :] But, other than that, I really think the multiplayer is "the fail". Single player was an awesome co-op experience, despite the weak story, the art direction is amazing, and the whole stop and pop covered combat is a welcomed and well implemented experience. I'm still glad I bought it, I'll just be staying away from multiplayer.
Just had a play on hardcore (I keep reading casual is too easy). Game is tough. I die about 10-15 times before I complete each act, must be playing it wrong. Looks ok visually (ok, it looks nice), but it's kind of hard to focus into the distance on a SDTV set, which the game requires you to do a fair bit. Textures are hardcore, but the models seem a bit dirty looking (lighting wise, I mean. I know the characters aren't supposed to look fresh as a daisy).
It's beefy, loud, & unforgiving. So an Epic game, then.
I was wondering if anybody else noticed that. If you listen to some of the other characters he did in Gears, you can recognize them as smaller characters from Futurama.
Also, went through that cave level last night. Freaking gorgeous.
Watched some people playing GoW at the office today... very pretty game. It's the consistency that gets me, everything just fits together really nicely.
There were some odd choices, texture-wise, here and there - within the first minute of the game you come to an objective door which says "Alarmed" on it, but the texture resolution on that is really, really low (you can point to each pixel on the lettering), whereas some plain concrete walls seem quite detailed.
Then again, this is probably due to using normal-mapped detail textures blended on top of lower-res base normals/diffuse.
The camera angles are very nice, the cut-scenes are generally awesome (or should I say, "Nice!") although they stutter a bit here and there. The gameplay mechanic of the grenade throwing seems very awesome - beautiful implementation there.
The COG characters look very impressive, I love the weight and style of the armour (thanks Hawkprey! ), and the animation is top-notch too, hooray for subtle secondary motion.
My main gripes are that the generic Locust grunts look identical to the COG soldiers. In a semi-dim environment, it's nigh-on impossible to tell who is who. The silhouettes are the same (presumably due to sharing animation data?) and the textures are very similar in brightness and contrast, leads to a lot of confusion when a room is a bit crowded and your teammates are wandering into your field of view.
Something else I don't like is the motion blur whenever you spin the camera view around - it's not powerful enough to make it seem intentional, and just subtle enough to make me think there's something wrong with the TV :P
First "onlooker" impressions are very good though, it's certainly a gorgeous thing to behold and will certainly set the benchmark very high indeed.
I'll have to play it myself before I make any judgments on the gameplay though
[ QUOTE ]
My main gripes are that the generic Locust grunts look identical to the COG soldiers. In a semi-dim environment, it's nigh-on impossible to tell who is who. The silhouettes are the same (presumably due to sharing animation data?) and the textures are very similar in brightness and contrast, leads to a lot of confusion when a room is a bit crowded and your teammates are wandering into your field of view.
[/ QUOTE ]
That very issue drives me batty during MP on Live.
Beat co-op mode with a friend the other night. We had our other friend tell us where to go, though.
The blood was wierd... it's like they made it black but gave it a very red rim light.
The physics were goofy. It feld disconnecting when you have these huge guys on screen run around with so much weight... then instantly lose it the second they die.
It was impossible to know where to go, who to shoot at, and who was shooting at me. Everything was so monochromatic. You had gray characters, on a gray environment, shooting at gray enemies. There were several times throughout my gameplay where I had to ask my friend where I was supposed to shoot.
Yea it finaly is out in New Zealand, I agree with SouL on pretty much everything, its very hard to tell who's who half the time, everyone is built the same and the same colour basically. Its funny when you kick around the Berserker after its dead, goes from 500kgs to 3kgs.
It indeed looked the shit, cant argue its the best looking game out, even when the texture resolution jumps up and down. I dont think I will buy it any time soon though to be honest, I can see myself getting hooked and playin games doesnt pay the bills
Had the pleasure of joining the Tantalus crew in Melbourne (with Jackablade and CoKane) for the company's weekly game night, which was GoW last friday... apologies to Tantalus for the mysterious Yank who came in, drank their Guinness and hogged one of the controllers for about 2 hours
Playing the game gave that rare giddy feeling that only comes around with a handful of titles... I think the last time I felt it was HL2 and Shadow of the Colossus. Gears of War is very clearly the game to beat for the 360, or any next gen title for that matter.
Gears of War impressed me most not only because of the high level of polish in the gameplay and visuals department, but because it's far and away the best game Epic's ever put together. The effort shows; Unreal was ambitious in many ways, but the narrative really fell apart in that game.
This is the first Epic game since then that attempts the kind of "full meal deal" as Unreal (big singleplayer + multiplayer options), and not only is it proportionally more ambitious than Unreal was, it is all across the board more successful as well.
Hell, I'd be happy with just the hotseat co-op feature making it all the way through development (the kind of feature that always seems to get the axe elsewhere), but GoW also goes one better by incorporating all the best shooter mechanics to date. There are people underplaying the significance of the "stop and pop" gameplay dynamics, which is a pity, since together with the close offset thirdperson camera, the experience is sublime. One better than a traditional FPS, and making it great fun to play on a console, unlike most console FPSes.
so... before I blabber on too much, playing this kind of game makes me regret being on the road during its release more than just a little can't wait to plow through the co-op with friends and family.
why can't I have vertical split screen instead of a horizontal one for co-op? On an HDTV that would give you two nicely proportioned square screens instead of the thin and disorientating horizontal screens. Is that something that could be corrected with a patch or am I just screwed?
I've actually tried that with Halo2 and found it to be extremely disorienting. I'd offer some theory on binocular vision and widescreen proportions, but would be talking out of my ass - basically, having my teammate's business happening to the left or right of my screen was much more distracting than above or below. On the other hand, you did get a better view of the game - I have a widescreen myself and playing GoW on that narrow slice of screen space wasn't the best thing ever.
Verm, I think maybe that's because you're just so used playing horizontal splitscreen for so many years. I never played multiplayer much on consoles, so I had no problem transitioning to a vertical split.
My younger brother's friend was the same as you. He used to come over and play Halo 2 with my brother on my Xbox (which was hooked up to my parent's widescreen), and he would always go and change my system settings from widescreen to fullscreen (you couldn't change it in the game's options, you had to change the Xbox system settings). It pissed me off for two reasons: one, because it just seemed wrong to not take advantage of a widescreen tv by using a vertical split, and two, because when I'd go to play one of my other games the aspect ratio would be wrong (so the picture would be stretched horizontally).
My newly replaced Xbox is having some issues running GOW properly, but from what I've played so far I'm really enjoying it.
Personally, I actually really like the exaggerated style of the characters and blood effects. The team AI has some occasional problems (suck as consistently taking cover in dark spots and being devoured by the Kryll) but overall everything gameplay wise seems great.
While his words are quite condescending, I believe that there is some truth to what he is saying. Gears is an outstanding game, but it does lack a certain lasting appeal. I don't see people playing it years from now.
i just played it over at my friends house, his tv broke so i brought my projector and played at 720p... as soon as i started playing i was amazed by the graphics, they were very polished. we played co-op on normal, and overall it was a fun game. as has been said the blood splatter looked too cartoony compared to the rest of the world, it just didn't fit. however i liked the style of the characters. the cover system wasn't too bad at all, it took a little getting used too though.
Replies
1. Why can't I split screen vertically so each player gets a full screen to themselves, shooting in the distance is hard when you can only see 3 pixels infront of you.
2. Pressing A to stick to a wall is tricky, I liked the context sensitive wall stick in GRAW.
3. What happened to the lighting, it's all gone? There are no shadows in the environment at all? I was indoors and it looks like a bunch of infinite point lights? Also the giant spider that comes out of the ground has zero shadows, not even on the ground plane.
4. What happened to this picture http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/747/747891/img_2800046.html when I loaded up the game everything was grey, where did the nifty rim lights and colourful lighting go?
5. The texel density is pretty consistant and nice and high res.
The lighting as well, looking back at those shots I too am wondering what happened. Reminds me of Eternal Darkness, the videos always showed dynamic character shadows falling on the environments, but the final game there was nothing to be found like that. Maybe the later, dusk/night levels etc have better lighting? I only got to play through Act 1 at a friends the other night.
That said, it was still a blast to play, and one of the most polised experiences on the 360 I've seen. So many 360 games get by with poor framerates, nice to see this play so smoothly, even in Co-op (compared to PD-Zero co-op, for instance). Plus, any game with a co-op campaign instantly gets respect from me, as it's exactly the kind of thing I've been dying to play since Doom 1 + 2 and the old Contra games etc. This feels like a really fancy looking version of those games. Too bad all these next gen games cost $60!
Cutscenes. I can understand forcing the playing to sit through it the first time, since it's for the story. But having to sit through it over and over and over again when you die, is EXTREMELY annoying. Would have been nice to have been able to skip them.
The checkpoint system. If there is a period of time (1-2 minutes) in a level, from the "checkpoint" to the action, don't force me to restart from the checkpoint when I die. Start me off just a few seconds before the enemy comes out.
4. What happened to this picture http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/747/747891/img_2800046.html when I loaded up the game everything was grey, where did the nifty rim lights and colourful lighting go?
[/ QUOTE ]
Correct me if I am wrong, but weren't all of those shots taken with the unoptimized version on a PC?
However,I'm sure that screen shot in particular was indeed done with the engine and the character models but is not game action.
As far as rim lights go for while playing the game. Yes, while playing the game from one angle it would look pretty cool, but from other angles it would look pretty damn weird, because if you were looking at the same scene from behind, everything would be wiped out by the light, all you'd see would be bright blue figures that would hurt your eyes.
Marcus Dublin
Artist Kaos Studios
PS: Dam Bats!
I found out that if you hit all four of the buttons on your controller that you can skip through most of the cut scenes. This was really helpful when getting my ass handed to me over and over again by the last boss.
Marcus Dublin
Artist Kaos Studios
PS: Dam Bats!
[/ QUOTE ]
Haha! Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I think what Epic does is lock the controller until the level streams/loads in. When the level is done streaming, you can skip the cutscene.
Very fun so far and I'm not a huge fan of shooters to begin with. Congrats to the folks at Epic on a very fun game.
Edit: Oh, and I firmly believe that co-op is the way to go!
We didn't touch the campaign, but playing multi on Live was a blast. There were a couple of instances where I hugged the wall by accident, but other than that the A-button interactions felt very smooth and intuitive. The weapons feel and look great (Though a few more would have been nice) and the close-quarters combat is as satisfying as it is bloody.
I'm not sure if there's enough variety to give the game lasting appeal, but I'd need to spend more time with it before I can give any sort of real verdict.
Very impressive. Epic keeps pumping out great games.
http://www.gamerandy.com/archives/2006/11/gears_of_war_av.shtml
GoW is definately Epic's best console game! its going to be hard to top this one. Now i'm working as a level designer I did notice that the game was set up in zones, finish 1 zone and then suddenly you hear a crash and the door behind you is blocked so you cannot backtrack. I guess they did this to keep the game flowing.
Be interesting to see if other UE3 licensees and top their graphics
Cutscenes. I can understand forcing the playing to sit through it the first time, since it's for the story. But having to sit through it over and over and over again when you die, is EXTREMELY annoying. Would have been nice to have been able to skip them.
[/ QUOTE ]
press x
Something else I've noticed is texture MIP popping. I can be RIGHT up on something that has what appears to be yucky a 64x64 texture and then ZAP!! it bumps up to 512x or so. Additionally, I think it would have been better to map the Roadie Run to a button that doesnt use your thumb...that way you can conveniently steer & run at the same time.
it was not communicated extremely well as to when you can, and cannot skip a cinematic - i agree. However, without using loading screens anywhere but the start of a session, cutting to the menus, or having to cut away from visuals for too long there are some trade offs as to things you can and cannot skip.
You can skip cinematics though by pressing X - so if you press X once and it doesnt work, and the cinematic is long, try again.
Biggest like: environment art, this constantly reminds me how good the epic art guys are. Everything is so believable, unique, detailed and complex
Most dislike: repetitive gameplay. Run to cover and shoot. There aren't any other options when encountered with an enemy, but I do like that they allow path choosing and the layouts allow for fun scenarios. Nevertheless, I completely understand giving the player a fun time without mucking that up with complexities.
In conclusion, Gears of War made me buy and Xbox360, mission accomplished.
Additionally, I think it would have been better to map the Roadie Run to a button that doesnt use your thumb...that way you can conveniently steer & run at the same time.
[/ QUOTE ]
I think this mechanic was part of the plan from Epic. Your left thumbstick becomes slightly more turn savvy than regular trot mode. A lot of this is subconsciously picked up, at least it was for me (as I had the same thought at first). Otherwise the player would be able to turn relatively sharper than a bulky marine in crouch sprint should (or at least all the bulky space marines I've known). The sprint is more so just for straight shooting across the battlefield to a new vantage point of cover.
I felt strange having to hold B and chainsaw opponents at first also, but then realized the control mechanics of the left thumbstick changes for that as well (you rotate on a much more precise pivot for turning to the left or right without need of the camera stick).
This was probably one of the best coop experiences I've had since Diablo 2. I think Epic made a very wise choice allowing another player to go through the story mode with you and not just 'coop missions', something very few games pull off.
http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?cId=3145462
Direct quote from Cliffy B.
"We don't have a character named Rorshach.."
YES YOU DO!
It's beefy, loud, & unforgiving. So an Epic game, then.
Check out the Intruction book,check out who did Marcus Phoenix's voice, really cool.
Man id sure love to meet him.
Also, went through that cave level last night. Freaking gorgeous.
Checked out the 1up tour of the studios. Nice studios. Any PC'ers make it on the camera?
http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?cId=3145462
[/ QUOTE ]
I was the guy 'rockin the Omen.' Goddamn Cliff just wandering in with a fucking camera crew...
Frank the Avenger
I was the guy 'rockin the Omen.' Goddamn Cliff just wandering in with a fucking camera crew...
Frank the Avenger
[/ QUOTE ]
So... Frank's real name is Scott. Huh.
There were some odd choices, texture-wise, here and there - within the first minute of the game you come to an objective door which says "Alarmed" on it, but the texture resolution on that is really, really low (you can point to each pixel on the lettering), whereas some plain concrete walls seem quite detailed.
Then again, this is probably due to using normal-mapped detail textures blended on top of lower-res base normals/diffuse.
The camera angles are very nice, the cut-scenes are generally awesome (or should I say, "Nice!") although they stutter a bit here and there. The gameplay mechanic of the grenade throwing seems very awesome - beautiful implementation there.
The COG characters look very impressive, I love the weight and style of the armour (thanks Hawkprey!
My main gripes are that the generic Locust grunts look identical to the COG soldiers. In a semi-dim environment, it's nigh-on impossible to tell who is who. The silhouettes are the same (presumably due to sharing animation data?) and the textures are very similar in brightness and contrast, leads to a lot of confusion when a room is a bit crowded and your teammates are wandering into your field of view.
Something else I don't like is the motion blur whenever you spin the camera view around - it's not powerful enough to make it seem intentional, and just subtle enough to make me think there's something wrong with the TV :P
First "onlooker" impressions are very good though, it's certainly a gorgeous thing to behold and will certainly set the benchmark very high indeed.
I'll have to play it myself before I make any judgments on the gameplay though
My main gripes are that the generic Locust grunts look identical to the COG soldiers. In a semi-dim environment, it's nigh-on impossible to tell who is who. The silhouettes are the same (presumably due to sharing animation data?) and the textures are very similar in brightness and contrast, leads to a lot of confusion when a room is a bit crowded and your teammates are wandering into your field of view.
[/ QUOTE ]
That very issue drives me batty during MP on Live.
[ QUOTE ]
I was the guy 'rockin the Omen.' Goddamn Cliff just wandering in with a fucking camera crew...
Frank the Avenger
[/ QUOTE ]
So... Frank's real name is Scott. Huh.
[/ QUOTE ]
I am truly an enigma.
Frank the Avenger
http://boards.polycount.net/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=164046&an=0&page=0#Post164046
The blood was wierd... it's like they made it black but gave it a very red rim light.
The physics were goofy. It feld disconnecting when you have these huge guys on screen run around with so much weight... then instantly lose it the second they die.
It was impossible to know where to go, who to shoot at, and who was shooting at me. Everything was so monochromatic. You had gray characters, on a gray environment, shooting at gray enemies. There were several times throughout my gameplay where I had to ask my friend where I was supposed to shoot.
Other than that, the game was pretty badass.
It indeed looked the shit, cant argue its the best looking game out, even when the texture resolution jumps up and down. I dont think I will buy it any time soon though to be honest, I can see myself getting hooked and playin games doesnt pay the bills
Playing the game gave that rare giddy feeling that only comes around with a handful of titles... I think the last time I felt it was HL2 and Shadow of the Colossus. Gears of War is very clearly the game to beat for the 360, or any next gen title for that matter.
Gears of War impressed me most not only because of the high level of polish in the gameplay and visuals department, but because it's far and away the best game Epic's ever put together. The effort shows; Unreal was ambitious in many ways, but the narrative really fell apart in that game.
This is the first Epic game since then that attempts the kind of "full meal deal" as Unreal (big singleplayer + multiplayer options), and not only is it proportionally more ambitious than Unreal was, it is all across the board more successful as well.
Hell, I'd be happy with just the hotseat co-op feature making it all the way through development (the kind of feature that always seems to get the axe elsewhere), but GoW also goes one better by incorporating all the best shooter mechanics to date. There are people underplaying the significance of the "stop and pop" gameplay dynamics, which is a pity, since together with the close offset thirdperson camera, the experience is sublime. One better than a traditional FPS, and making it great fun to play on a console, unlike most console FPSes.
so... before I blabber on too much, playing this kind of game makes me regret being on the road during its release more than just a little
I'd like to see how the epic testers got through some of the nastier stages.
Anyone know how you can rip texture files off of the 360 games? When you put it in your computer it just shows up as a couple small files.
My younger brother's friend was the same as you. He used to come over and play Halo 2 with my brother on my Xbox (which was hooked up to my parent's widescreen), and he would always go and change my system settings from widescreen to fullscreen (you couldn't change it in the game's options, you had to change the Xbox system settings). It pissed me off for two reasons: one, because it just seemed wrong to not take advantage of a widescreen tv by using a vertical split, and two, because when I'd go to play one of my other games the aspect ratio would be wrong (so the picture would be stretched horizontally).
Personally, I actually really like the exaggerated style of the characters and blood effects. The team AI has some occasional problems (suck as consistently taking cover in dark spots and being devoured by the Kryll) but overall everything gameplay wise seems great.
Marcus Dublin
Artist Kaos Studios
It'll hold me over until Unreal Tournament 2007