NOTE: This post contains some very minor, insignificant spoilers. It won't ruin anything for you.
Gears of War 3 is the first real ending to a video-game trilogy that I've ever seen. So many series call themselves trilogies, but when the time comes to actually say goodbye, most refuse to do so. They start to pack up their things, but then they smile, nod at you, and whisper, "Wait, I can still suck more money out of you! Let's not wrap everything up, OK?" Gears 3 doesn't do this with its story or gameplay. This is the end of the trilogy. It feels like a conclusion, and that is the highest praise that I can bestow.
The gameplay is tighter than it's ever been. I played through the experience solo on hardcore difficulty, and it never felt unfair. Every time I died, I earned that death by doing something really, really stupid. These titles have always forged a constant push and pull between taking cover and running directly into battle. Sometimes taking cover for too long will let the enemy get the drop on you, and sometimes running into battle will get you blown to bits before you can chainsaw someone in the face. Gears 3 does a better job than any shooter before it of making you feel responsible for your death — not by punishing you, but by never cheating you.
Each area is expertly crafted. Each fallen pillar or burned-out car can be used as another possible route to destroy your enemy. Since the beginning of the series, Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer at Epic Games, has been talking about how he sees the combat as a top-down platformer shown from the third-person perspective, and even though that's some pretty hefty game-designer talk, you could see what he means in the earlier releases from the franchise. In the latest entry, the inner workings are so refined and polished that what I saw was an adventure. I was led on an action-packed journey to save the remnants of humanity, and it had all the explosive action of a Call of Duty offering with none of the rails, hand holding, or cheap deaths.
Video games have a nasty habit of throwing super-awesome plot twists and emotionally exciting narrative sequences at their characters, only to make those characters quickly forget everything after the next loading screen. Gears 3 never forgets its moments, and the characters live within the emotional story instead of just having it happen to them. We're used to seeing this in movies, but it's a refreshing change to see this in a game's writing.
I never wanted to stop playing because the pacing of the gameplay is so refined. Just when I was about to be bored with the cover-based mechanics, a new Lambent threat would force me to change my entire approach to battle. When I became comfortable with my new tactics, I was thrown into a mech.
I took breaks from the campaign to do silly things like eat sustenance to stay alive. And while I was eating, all I could think about was playing some more.
Gears of War 3 is not going to convert people weary to the franchise. If you've never liked Marcus Fenix's exploits, then you're not going to like this. The characters are still douchebags with chainsaws fighting aliens that aren't really aliens. But if you're a fan of these douchebags, or even if you're a casual player, then this is the ending you deserve. The storyline is engaging, and you can play through it solo or in co-op mode with four players. Plus, the title features a multitude of multiplayer options and a medal unlock system that will have completists toiling away well into 2012.
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Guys, this has been an OK talk, but I really should get back to playing.