Yeah, I don't have an Xbox… It's been a while since I've had any console actually, the PSOne was my last console system, I'm just happy with my computer, really I am… but I am not happy with the state of gaming for the PC. Gaming on the PC is great for the most part, except when it comes to having to wait for year for a game to be released after it's on a console. I'm speaking here of Gears of War obviously, but it pertains to other games as well, it sucks to have to wait so long, I guess the extra content etc is supposed to appease us for making us wait. Especially since it's from Microsoft games, I mean WTF, Windows IS Microsoft so why not release it at the same time and make everyone happy?! Sure I get it, the Xbox systems are relatively new and Windows pretty much is the dominate force in the OS department, but still it's like we're the little stepchild that nobody really wants around when it comes to gaming… Xbox is the golden child of Microsoft now and gets all the new stuff while we get the hand-me-downs…
So, Gears of War is here for the PC.. finally, is it worth it? Yeah I think it is… The good news is that you most likely won't have to go out and upgrade your PC to play it, it played fine on my system with an EVGA 8600GTS in there. The bad news of course is that everyone with an Xbox already played it and it's old news now to them so there's not much more fun to be had if you already own it and an Xbox, does the extra content warrant owning two versions of it? I think most people won't be running out to get the PC version if they already have the Xbox version, or they'll wait till it hits the bargain bin…
Article: Gears of War PC – Impressions and Screenshots
Author: Kristofer Brozio
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
"Gears of War" features the amazing tactical action and multiplayer excitement found in the critically acclaimed “Gears of War” for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system that sold more than 3.5 million units, and a variety of all-new content, including three new multiplayer maps, a new multiplayer game type, Game Editor, five new campaign chapters and DirectX 10 support.
“Gears of War” thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet.
With “Gears of War,” Epic Games returns gamers to the massively scoped worlds, memorable characters, cooperative gameplay and hyper-realistic combat that gamers have come to expect from the franchise, plus a few new surprises.
*Frag-filled new content. “Gears of War” will feature locations that are unique to the franchise and the genre. Players will encounter all their favorite foes from the Xbox 360 version; however, these intense encounters will take place in some new environments and allow players to manipulate the new game modes and technology found only in the Games for Windows title. Boasting three new multiplayer maps, a new multiplayer game type, Game Editor, five new campaign chapters and DirectX 10 support, “Gears of War,” will challenge and push the limits of the PC gaming experience and provide an unparalleled visual presentation.
*Engaging and disturbing cinematic story. Movie-like cut scenes, cinematic camera moves and in-game storytelling bring the brutal, emotionally charged narrative to life. Gamers control Marcus Fenix and his fire team as they pit advanced technology against the overwhelming and horrific Locust Horde.
*Unmatched online gaming. “Gears of War” includes a free and unlimited Silver Membership to the Games for Windows – LIVE service that includes online play, personalized profiles, a unified Friends List, in-game voice chat, and the ability to unlock single-player achievements. Players can upgrade to a Gold Membership to enjoy all of the Silver features above, plus: TrueSkill matchmaking, the ability to unlock multiplayer achievements, and full access to the benefits of the Xbox LIVE Gold membership.
*New Game Editor. The game will also feature the all-new Game Editor, guaranteeing new user-generated content in the future. The “Gears of War” community will be able to tap its endless creative potential to develop an unlimited number of user-created levels through complete access to the Unreal Editor. Using the new engine, players can now import custom artwork into the engine, create particle systems, scripted encounters, cinematics and more.
*Astounding visuals in next-generation gaming. “Gears of War” ushers in the next generation with incredible visuals, pushing DirectX 10 visual designs and bringing out the smallest details in the largest battle. Gamers experience a rich, dynamic world with a supreme level of detail. Characters come to life with unbelievable model quality and a physics-integrated animation system that has them truly reacting intelligently to events unfolding around them.
*Hyper-realistic and intense combat. In “Gears of War” the battlefield is a lethal place — to foolishly stand out in the open is to invite an untimely demise. To survive, gamers must employ strategy, take cover using the interactive and dynamic environments, and suppress the enemy with blind fire, using their weapons and teammates to outwit and outfight their terrifying enemies.
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MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS :
OS: Windows Vista or Windows XP
Processor: 2.4+ GHz Intel; 2.0+ Ghz AMD
RAM: 1 GB
Hard Drive: 12 GB free hard drive space
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 6600+, ATI X700+
Online Multi-player:
-Online Multiplayer
-Games for Windows
-LIVE Silver Membership (included)
Rating:
M – Mature 17+
-Blood and Gore
-Intense Violence
-Strong Language
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Impressions and Screenshots:
(FYI: All the thumbnails will open in separate window to 1280×1024 resolution)
As I mentioned you most likely won't have to upgrade your system to play Gears of War, I've got two EVGA 8600GTS video cards and didn't have to switch to SLI to play at maxed settings, even though switching to SLI doesn't make that much of a difference from my experience. I did let FRAPS run in the background doing its benchmark thing while I was playing and of course to get the screenshots, checking the log showed I average 40FPS with my setup, so that's more than playable I think.
You may not know this but Gears of War has a built in frame rate recorder actually, if you head to “My DocumentsMy GamesGears of War for WindowsWarGameStats” in here you'll find numerous text and html files that have frames per second for the levels you've played. In those files you'll find the average FPS and a percentage for the amount of time spent playing above 30FPS. If I average all those averages out my systems comes out to an average of about 50FPS… I found pretty much the same running under Vista Ultimate 32bit as well, the DX10 really made no difference in anything, maybe it was a little bit smoother but not noticeably slow unless you are actually looking for it specifically…
My system is:
Intel C2D 6420 Oc'd to 3.0ghz
2 gigs of Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-8500 Ram
2x EVGA Nvidia 8600GTS video cards
My first impression is that it's not a First Person Shooter as it has been called, it's in third person perspective, and honestly I don't care for that type of view while gaming these types of games. Yes I understand the need for this view to do certain things like crouching/hiding etc, that most likely couldn't be done with first person, but it could have been made to switch to third while in those positions… Oh well I wasn't involved in the design process…
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Impressions and Screenshots Continued:
My next thought after playing a while is 'why is everything so shiny?' all the buildings and everything are just so shiny, they all have this metallic/chromed out look to them…In new games and ones I'm writing about I like to take my time and explore things, check out the details, especially to make sure my video card is up to it…It's war zone last I checked, so why is everything so clean and shiny? If you look close at the buildings and then look close at the water it's like the same texture was used…
For the most part Gears of War is fun to play, and it's pretty damn hard even on Casual or Easy level, it took me a few times to die before I got anywhere. I think part of it is that I'm just not accustomed to playing from the third-person perspective and it threw me off a bit, and also Gears of War makes quite a bit of use out of the crouching and shooting system, you really can't just run and gun like other games of this type.
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And no I haven't finished it yet, I just got it and I have no time really to sit and play for hours and hours, I've already spent quite a few hours playing, I did get fairly far into it and what I see I like so far.
The story is engaging enough to make me want to continue on to learn what is going to happen next and to see where all this goes or is going to go… I like the idea of having to choose which way you're going in certain areas, it adds a bit of replay value to the game, or at least if I die I can go back and choose the other path and see what's over there anyway…
No I haven't played multi-player yet, again my time is limited, being a reviewer/site owner/parent takes up quite a lot of my time and I'm lucky I get to play any games really. I look forward to getting products for review like gaming mice, mousepads etc, it gives me a reason to sit and play games and my wife can't complain and say all I'm doing is playing games… hehe
Overall I can recommend Gears of War to anyone who doesn't own an Xbox, those of you that have played the Xbox version won't get much value for your money with this version, I don't think the extra content is worth it really. I'd advise you to borrow your friends version who's got it for the PC when he's done with it, that way you'll get to see the extra stuff and since you've already been playing it for a year now it shouldn't take long at all to finish it…