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So, Dawn brought a friend back from wherever the hell she was.  A guy named Bob.  I’d met Bob before, but through Lexy’s family, and Bob’s a pretty cool guy.  Anyway, he brought a new game with him, “Gears of War.”  I watched him play a little bit and he handed the controller over to me.  So, I played a bit by myself, not really used to the new game as I am usually pretty bad at third person shooters.  So, I stop playing long enough to get a coop game running with Bob and I playing.  Then eventually, John and I took over.  John and I then proceeded to beat the game over the next four or five hours.  Or maybe it was seven.  I don’t really remember.  All I do know is when we were done, it was around 8:30am.

So, about the actual game?  Ok.  Though… most of you who read this were actually here.  Anyway.  The game, like I said, is a third-person shooter.  So, it’s like a first-person shooter except rather than have the camera in the character you play’s head, the camera is slightly above and behind the character.  The actual feel and play of games like this can be very different, and for a guy like me who is used to FPSs, it can make me freak out when I am controlling a guy in a third person view.  “Gears of War,” however, as a very fluid motion system coupled with a very fantastic use of cover system.  The game has a very good implementation of this.  You can get behind cover on a lot of stuff and the game is really good about giving you cover opportunities if you know how to look for them.  You can then lean out from cover to fire on enemies or move from cover to cover very easily.  If there is another piece of cover close to your’s, then the game will actually allow you to make your guy move to that next piece of cover.  It can be very convenient if you are shooting from a doorway and need to switch sides to get a shot on someone.

Other than the cover system, the game LOOKS and SOUNDS really good.  I’m sure it also has something to do with the $800 HDTV and Dolby DTS sound system we have too. ;)  The graphics and graphic violence in the game are not really for the faint of heart, so pretty much everyone I know would love it.  I did, John did, and Bob does.  The environment in the game is very reactive, a HUGE plus from me.  When I can blow the hell out of a chair a baddy is using as cover to expose him, I’m happy.  The game’s weapon selection is a bit stymied, but there is enough to keep a guy like me happy.  It took some doing to get John around to the game because he doesn’t like to use automatic weapons, so he was using the various pistols (in reality he stuck with one pistol), sniper rifle, and kept a third weapon for backup that he rarely used.  The game allows you to carry four weapons.  Two of which are main, gun-gun weapons that you would use in most situations.  You also have a pistol in case you are really fucked for ammo, and frag grenades.  The grenades are a little over the top, being spiked clubs on the end of a chain (no, you can’t bash baddies with them) that you swing like a flail and throw.  The gun that I used for most of the game is called the Lancer.  It’s a full automatic assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonet.  If you want the game’s full display gorey awesomeness, just chainsaw someone.  Though to use the chainsaw effectively, you have to be a very careful individual.  It can be very frustrating to use, but when you do, boy is it satisfying.  The sniper rifle is another source of some pretty good gore if you headshot someone.  The game has a pretty decent array of weapons, but not nearly enough ammo to use them effectively.  Weapons such as the Torque Bow are only useful in very particular situations and pretty difficult to use in actual cover-to-cover combat.  The Torque Bow is pretty cool as it is like a bow and arrow with explosive arrows.  If you hold the bow back long enough, it will penetrate the enemy’s armour and blow the hell out of him.

So, if you want a good action shooter game check out “Gears of War.”  I would like it for Christmas as well as “Call of Duty 3″.  If any of you have played “Call of Duty 3″ (I guess this is really focused towards Adam and Steve, though they never visit my sites.) don’t tell me about the game at all.  I want to play it with no preconceived notions other than it’s a “Call of Duty” game, which to me, is bad enough, though not as bad as a “Medal of Honor” game.