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Every game runs on an engine that either makes or breaks the concepts that the developers set out to accomplish during the months leading up to launch. Each of these engines has a different objective, whether it’s making the sexiest game out there, or creating one of the most realistic physics systems for all those ragdoll-powered moments of glory. Whether you’re trying to create the most amazingly lit landscape seen in gaming yet, or if you’re going for unique concepts that can only be delivered on the most versatile of video game engines, you can’t go wrong with any of the following gaming engines.

 

 

Havok

Havok has been one of the most dominant physics engines in gaming for awhile now, used by nearly every game from Halo 2 to Dead Space. As a physics engine, Havok excels by maintaining reasonable frame rates and other stability even during hectic building explosions and debris showers. While offering developers a flexible and intuitive way of maintaining physics within their games, Havok gets props for being a fantastic add-on to any gaming engine that needs that extra bit of oomph in the realistic science department.

 

 

 

Unreal Engine 3

Who didn’t see this one coming? UE3 is perhaps one of the most widely-used game engines in the industry today, and it’s easy to see why. With fantastic developer tools, a powerful SDK for the mod-making community, and absolutely stunning graphical powers, Unreal Engine 3 stands at the top of the pack regarding graphical capabilities. While it may not have the most solid multiplayer optimizations that other engines employ, it still stands as one of the most impressive and remarkable engines to date. Tim Sweeney deserves every inch of that Ferrari he drives with this astonishing accomplishment.

 

 

CryEngine

Crytek has been making gorgeous games (well, just one more gorgeous game) since the milestone release of Far Cry, which blew the previous benchmarks for gaming rigs out of the water. Years later, the company released Crysis, which set the bar even higher with photorealistic graphics and absolutely mind-blowing special effects. Although you’ll need to spend roughly $600+ ton upgrades to a mid-level rig to get the game to run at a high frame rate on maximum settings, Crysis rewards you with such gorgeous eye-candy it’s hard to complain once you boot it up. With the recent announcement of CryEngine 3 for consoles, we can expect to see such gorgeous graphics on consoles as well.

 

 

Euphoria (aka NaturalMotion)

Probably one of the most impressive physics engines I’ve seen since next-generation consoles were announced, the Euphoria engine is capable of generating the next level of ragdoll-like physics. Where Euphoria really stands out is in its intelligent ragdoll system, which implements a self-preservation mentality into every intelligent entity in a game, meaning that if a person is falling out of a car, they will actively try to protect their head and other valuable parts of their body in real-time. The beauty of Euphoria is that it doesn’t require any additional scripting or animation from developers, which takes a huge load off the art team’s collective backs. You can see some demonstrations of the Euphoria engine here.

 

 

Source

Mostly known for its introduction with Half-Life 2, Valve’s Source engine is one hell of an engine. Capable of delivering fantastic facial expressions just as easily as stunning vistas, Source is one of the few engines that is (as far as I know) the only used by the developer that created it. Perhaps Valve intended it to be this way, as every game that has come forth from the engine has been spectacular and unique. While Counter-Strike: Source and Day of Defeat: Source shared similar styles, both Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress 2 have proven that the Source engine is incredibly versatile and just as powerful as some of the other top contenders.

 

Have something to say? Think otherwise? Leave a comment in the section below!

Call of Duty 4 is one of the best first-person shooters I have ever played. Like Halo 2 during its own time, COD4 managed to innovate in its multiplayer presentation in such a spectacular fashion that other shooters are still playing catch-up. Now that Modern Warfare 2 (sans the Call of Duty moniker) has been announced, it’s time to speculate on what we might see (and what we should expect) in Infinity Ward’s upcoming shooter.

 

While new perks, guns, and maps are a complete given for new additions to Modern Warfare 2, there are a few things that Infinity Ward can do to improve on its near perfect formula for mulitplayer goodness, all of which expand on ideas already present in COD4. For instance, we all saw how successful and addicting customizing your weapon could be, but why not take it a step further? Increase the number of add-ons we can use on our weapons, and supply a number of different alternatives for each category. It’s a bit lame only having one kind of red dot scope available, and if MW2 ups the ante, we could see Aimpoints, Holo, and other famous red dot sights to attach to our M4s and MP5s. Or how about laser sights on the rail systems? I know I’d love to see a PEQ-2 laser site on the left side of my M4A1 that paints my targets a little more accurately. What makes this an even more obvious addition to MW2 is that most of these accessories are actually included in the singleplayer campaign of COD4, but are nonexistent in the multiplayer. Of course, the idea of benefits tied to the weapon accessories would remain, but maybe (read: maybe) it would be a good idea to ditch the one accessory limitation as well as the stat-altering features and allow players to use as many accessories as they desire. While this may present control concerns (i.e. not enough buttons to activate/deactivate every accessory on a weapon, although I doubt it) it would allow gamers to use silencers if they like them without worrying about an unrealistic range reduction. Oh, and while we’re on the subject of sights, could we please get a real ACOG?

 

        

                                                Watch the Modern Warfare 2 official teaser trailer.

Let’s go even further with that customization aspect though. One of the things that drove me crazy about COD4 was just how awesome character customization would have been. The game practically screams G.I. Joe, and to release MW2 without even a basic customization of your in-game avatar would be a shame. While it doesn’t necessarily need to get right down to your boot straps, it would be really cool to see some clothing options that you could switch through. I’m talking goggles, bulletproof vests, and some cool magazine pouches that players can arrange around their virtual soldier. Infinity Ward should look at GRAW 2 for a bit of inspiration, then implement their trademark blend of innovation and refinement for that extra coat of polish we’ve become so accustomed to.

 

Moving away from the customization aspect of MW2, other improvements can be made in the singleplayer campaign mode. While COD4 was a great blend of action and stealth, MW2 could expand its story mode into the co-op environment. While World at War wasn’t a very good game in my opinion, there were some good ideas present, such as Nazi Zombies and co-op that had a lot of the benefits of multiplayer gameplay. MW2 needs a co-op mode. While beating Veteran won’t be as grand an accomplishment with two players, it only serves to expand the fun had exponentially. Sacrificing difficulty for playability and communal gameplay is always an easy choice, and I will be a little disappointed if we don’t see an online co-operative mode in MW2, especially if the singleplayer campaign is as adrenaline-soaked as COD4’s. Now the great question remains: how many players in co-op? That decision is up to Infinity Ward, but I might want to add that 4-player co-op in Halo 3 and Left 4 Dead is some of the most fun I’ve had in gaming. Take note, IW.

 

With those few major ideas out of the way, it’s important to note the little changes that could catapult Modern Warfare 2 to the level of fame its predecessor so easily achieved. Adding multiplayer Achievements/Trophies would give a little more incentive to play the game even AFTER the tenth prestige is hit. To prevent boosting, make these achievements only available within certain public playlists. Also, perhaps adding in some sort of skill matchmaking would be helpful. Obviously, Infinity Ward has got the matchmaking system down pat, but including some level of skill-pairing in those matchmaking times would ensure that complete beginners aren’t getting stomped on by people who have been playing the game for months on end. Fighting as a beginner against an expert, and vice versa, is not enjoyable for most people. While it may increase matchmaking times, at least providing the option for skill matching would be great for the upper echelon of MW2 players. Speaking of the upper echelon, expand clan support. The clan tag idea was smart, but ultimately pointless. Allow there to be clan playlists, with their own individual leaderboards, similar to the way that Halo 2 handled clan battles during its time.

 

While Infinity Ward has a specific vision for its baby, Modern Warfare 2 is a game that has a huge fanbase, and ensuring that such a demographic is satisfied in spending $60 on what they hope to be a much-improved sequel requires a little fan service. While these points aren’t necessarily the be-all, end-all of MW2 suggestions, they provide a solid foundation for IW to work off of during development time. Other than that, we can only hope that the usual addition of new maps, new guns, and the works are added to what is currently one of the most anticipated games of the year.

 

Got a suggestion? Something you’d like to see? Leave a comment in the section below!

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Earlier today, Infinity Ward community guru fourzerotwo announced on his Twitter feed that the company has secured the domain name for the upcoming sequel to 2007’s popular COD4, Modern Warfare 2. As of this writing, the site is merely an animated image of a frequency line, but murmurs throughout the industry regarding GDC ‘09 are claiming that a multiplatform “surprise” will be unveiled tonight at the GDC awards. Could it be the official unveiling of Modern Warfare 2? Only time will tell. Until then, check out the website here.

UPDATE: Teaser trailer official! Check the website to see for yourself. It appears that terrorists have opened fire on an airport, as you can see from some of the small clues given away in the trailer. Keep your eyes peeled for more info regarding COD:MW2, hitting multiple consoles 11.10.09.

It’s been a rough road for Capcom leading up to the release of its heavily anticipated next-gen iteration of its well-regarded survival horror franchise, but it’s finally here. Resident Evil 5 has hit on next-generation consoles, and it hits hard. Focusing more on the classic Resident Evil lore than introducing new story threads, RE5 harkens back to the Resident Evil games of yesteryear and ties up some loose plot ends with such a polished presentation you’ll swear you were watching a summer blockbuster at times. Despite some pre-launch worries, RE5 has conquered my fears and delivered another fantastic gaming experience that I won’t soon forget.

Let’s get one thing straight. RE5 is not a timeless classic like RE4 was. Does that mean it’s not a worthy sequel to one of the best games from the last generation of consoles? Not at all. RE5 is more than capable of carrying the Resident Evil brand, and although the game has moved incredibly far away from its survival horror roots since its inception, to write it off as a “Westernized” RE would be ignorant and foolhardy, as well as rob you of the best gaming experiences of 2009 thus far.

Going into RE5, one needs to understand two things. The game is not your typical run ‘n gun third-person action shooter, and you can’t move and shoot. With that in mind, as well as tolerated, the learning curve for RE5 is not steep, but does require a little patience and understanding. At first (especially if you’ve recently played Dead Space), the game feels a bit clunky, but once you get the hang of it it’s a perfect fit for the professionally refined gameplay that Capcom has infused the game with. The AI are programmed to work with the control scheme, often times rushing you to get your attention and build up the suspense before slowing down to prepare for a deadly swipe of their usually very sharp weapon. It’s this one feature that is expected from RE4 veterans like myself, but usually a troubling obstacle for those uninitiated in the Resident Evil control scheme. Once you can overcome the initial bewilderment with the control scheme, buckle your seatbelts, because you’re in for one hell of a ride.

 

                                                                          RE5 turns it up to 11.

 

RE5 picks up on an interesting note, with series veteran Chris Redfield back as the main character with the lovely Sheva Alomar as his trusty sidekick. Before I go any further, I have to give a shout out to whoever modeled the Sheva character, because honestly, she is the most gorgeous video game character ever created. That being said, as an AI partner, she doesn’t do a half bad job either. While her looks don’t necessarily match her artificial intelligence, she is a worthy addition to the Resident Evil franchise and I hope to see more of her in future iterations. This brings me to the point of co-operative play, which, if I dare say it, is on par if not better than Gears of War’s co-op system. You can give your AI partner (or human buddy) weapons, ammo, herbs, etc. until your micromanaging desires are satisfied. The environments in the game are designed around the idea of co-op, and the level design comes through in spades with multiple vantage points and enough locations to create some strategic chokepoints with a friend.

 

                                                          Sheva is the ultimate video game babe.

 

It’s in RE5’s fantastic level design that the game is open to tons of replayability. Unlike Dead Space, I felt the desire to go through the game’s diverse stages more than once willingly, rather than just to grab some ammo or gold before quitting back to the main menu. Every chapter has a unique look and feel, and the enemies are varied enough to keep things fresh throughout the 10-12 hour storyline. While it may be easy to take a look at those numbers and say: “Why the hell is this game worth my hard-earned $60?” those are numbers that, unless you absolutely can’t stand the game after your first playthrough, will undoubtedly increase exponentially. Once RE5 gets its hooks in you, you WILL be addicted. Whether it’s the sweet, updated Mercenaries mode (online, too by the way!), the insane amount of collectibles waiting to be unlocked, or the addictiveness of upgrading all your weapons to their maximum, RE5 gives you a lot to do with your free time. Plus, the recently announced Versus mode is on its way, but whether or not it will be entertaining or a complete mess has yet to be determined. Still, it’s nice that Capcom is looking to expand the game beyond its initial installment.

 

                                                        You will play this game over and over again. 

 

Each of the stages is gorgeously rendered, as is the standard for the rest of the game. Character models are outstanding, weapons are detailed down to the slide release mechanism, and the animations are damn near flawless. Aside from the repetitive death animations for the Majini and Chris' weak attempt at a curbstomp, I found every single reload, punch, kick, and location-based hit animation to be so insanely satisfying that I would catch myself wasting one or two rounds just to see Chris load new shells into his S75 sniper rifle.

If that last sentence makes you recoil in disgust as your inner survival-horror buff screams about the lack of ammo in the game, it’s time to put that inner monster to rest. RE5 is an action game through and through, with tinges of survival horror spread throughout the campaign. To some, this is a step too far for the series, and for others who found RE4 a welcome change, it’s a welcome step forward. Co-operative play also dumbs down the horror of the game considerably, as going through the game with a buddy makes moments that were designed to be scary instead action-packed and frenetic, and based on your gaming preferences, this is either a good thing, or a bad thing. If you’re more of the action gamer, this will feel right at home with you, but if you get nostalgic when you think about the static camera angles and dramatic, blood-soaked corridors of Resident Evil 1 and 2, this will sound like nails on a chalkboard. I happen to be the former, and enjoyed every moment of my time running through the game with a human partner. To be perfectly honest, I have never played the game start to finish with the AI, because I feel that if you have a buddy who owns this game, you shouldn’t even bother with the AI, especially on the harder difficulties when coordination and ammo management is key. This is a game that is MEANT to be played online with a friend (don’t bother with the split-screen, it’s pretty ugly and the impact of the game takes a significant downturn with so much black, empty space on-screen).

Resident Evil 5 is not without its flaws though. The game has a few problems that ultimately hold it back from being of the same caliber as Resident Evil 4. For one, quite honestly the most disappointing thing about RE5 is the removal of the charismatic merchant from RE4. Instead, the inventory management and weapon purchasing are done in a much less integrated fashion, with a simple, sterile menu. Another thing about RE5 that was a bit disappointing was the lack of QTE (quick-time events) in the cutscenes. There are only a handful of these such events in RE5, but in RE4, there were some cutscenes that were chockfull of them. A small complaint, but a complaint nonetheless. Finally, although one of the final bosses is one of my favorite bosses of all time, RE4 had more varied and interesting big bads. That’s not to say that RE5’s bosses aren’t fun to fight or interesting, but they do lack some of the punch of RE4’s epic battles.

 

                                                   Chainsaw man is back, and even more pissed off. 

 

Resident Evil 5 is a fantastic game all around. It’s one of the best co-op experiences since Left 4 Dead and delivers an action-packed singleplayer mode that makes it shine brighter than any other game released this year. Not only does it carry the Resident Evil franchise in a bold new direction with its fantastic presentation and evolution into the action genre, but it manages to straddle the line between maintaining the winning gameplay of RE4 and making enough changes to keep the experience fresh and exciting. While it’s not as groundbreaking as its predecessor was, it doesn’t need to be in order for it to stand on its own merits as a successful and highly enjoyable game. Trust me, if you’re a Resident Evil or action fan and you can accept the game’s controls for what they are, you will find a highly polished, infinitely replayable game that shouldn’t be missed.

 

Score Breakdown (Out of 10):

Presentation: Resident Evil 5 delivers a highly polished experience that ties up a number of loose plot ties as well as introduces a few new ones. It’s a shame there’s no merchant anymore. (9.5)

Graphics: “Wow” sums up RE5 appropriately. From fantastically rendered environments to highly detailed character models and animations, Resident Evil 5 looks absolutely gorgeous. (10)

Sound: The soundtrack is great, and the weapons sound appropriately punchy. The voice acting is for the most part very solid, but there are a few lines here and there that are a little lame. (9.2)

Gameplay: A few refinements to the RE4 control scheme make RE5 handle better than its predecessor, while still maintaining the classic stop and shoot gameplay that works so well. (9.5)

Lasting Appeal: Between the heaps of collectibles, Mercenaries, and tough but reasonable achievements, you’ll be playing Resident Evil 5 for quite awhile. (9.0)

Overall: Resident Evil 5 delivers an experience that absolutely shouldn’t be missed by fans of the franchise and action buffs who love to shoot not-quite zombies.

 

Final Score:  9.3

 

Agree? Disagree? Or just have something to contribute? Leave a comment in the section below!

While Gears of War 2 was a critical and financial success, for most fans of the first iteration in the series, things were a lot different. Upon the release of the heavily anticipated sequel in the Gears franchise, throngs of Gearsheads stormed the official forums, demanding an explanation for the rampant bugs and sluggish matchmaking. Epic remained mum on the subject for quite some time, and while several title updates have been released to remedy a number of the issues, the game still feels unfinished. Resting comfortably at the #4 spot on the Xbox LIVE games charts, Gears of War 2 is far from being dead, but the point remains that somewhere along the line, something went wrong that gave hardcore Gears fans a sour taste in their mouths, myself included. While as a game, Gears 2 might be more sophisticated and the bigger, better, and more badass mantra might hold true for the singleplayer campaign, a lot of the problems stem from what is arguably the game’s most important mode, the competitive online multiplayer.

Let’s think about the future though for a minute here. While Epic is toiling away on fixing the remaining problems that currently plague Gears 2, now is the time to brainstorm for Gears of War 3 while both the fans and Epic are aware of what didn’t work this time around. Before discussing what needs to be changed, let’s reiterate what needs to stay.

 

What Worked

The Campaign

Gears of War 2 is by no means an incredibly deep game, but bringing Josh Ortega onboard to write the story was a brilliant move to further enhance and define the Gears universe. What’s more, the campaign mode was even more epic than its predecessor, moving away from skirmishes and into large scale wars between Locust and COGs. Of all the set-pieces in Gears 2, some of the most memorable come from the full-scale invasions of the Locust’s home turf, where dozens of soldiers are fighting against equal amounts of bad guys. Keeping this pacing for Gears of War 3’s story would be favorable, but maybe sprinkling in some more intimate combat along the way would make the story feel a bit more personal.

 

 Dom! Quick, take cover behind that…uh…worm?

 

Unreal Engine 3 Tweaks

The lighting was better, the frame rate was much more stable, the cover system was more fluid, and the physics were much improved. The engine tweaks that Epic employed on Gears 2 were a carefully selected and balanced group of improvements that served the Gears franchise very well. One of the best improvements was the near-destruction of the “sticky” glitch, where players would become stuck to walls when moving rapidly in and out of cover (which as a frequent occurrence for hardcore players). Overall, the ambient occlusion lighting techniques that Epic & Co. implemented in what many are calling Unreal Engine 3.5 matched Gears 2 thematically. In order to create a planet that was worth saving, Epic made stunning vistas much more prominent and reoccurring so players were empowered with a sense of purpose and drive.

 

Marketing and Hype

The marketing campaign for Gears of War 2 far outpaced that of Gears of War 1, with the exception of the Last Day trailer not quite reaching the Mad World trailer’s popularity or impact. The developer diaries leading up to the game’s release were hugely popular among fans and were perfectly spaced out to give eager gamers their weekly dose of Gears 2 news that they so desperately craved. The advertising and midnight launches were all made incredibly public, and the game sold insanely well as a result, and in a much faster time period than the original Gears did. For Gears of War 3, there is no better template to follow for a marketing campaign.

 

Marcus ponders the meaning of life.

 

With all that established, it’s time to reflect on the things that tarnish the Gears of War 2 experience.

 

What Didn’t Work

The Matchmaking

The matchmaking in Gears of War 2 is probably one of the most widely discussed flaws with the game. Everyone from players to IGN have commented on just how shitty this system worked at its debut. While recent title and server updates have sped up the process much, much more, several problems still remain. Players are still being matched up with incomplete teams, mismatched ranks, and terrible hosts. Often times, players end up playing opponents from entirely different countries (for whatever reason) which results in a whole lot of…

 

Lag

Without a doubt in my mind, Gears of War 2 is the laggiest game I have ever played in my time with online gaming. Whether it’s the host of the game or just the way that the netcode is written, something is very, very wrong with the online setup used in Gears 2. If this is a result of poor matchmaking host-selection or some other, unknown variable, it needs to be addressed in Gears 3. According to a poll I conducted on the official Gears forums, lag was by far the most desired thing to be addressed in Gears of War 3.

 

Glitches

Some of the most frustrating moments of my time with Gears of War 2 stemmed from incidents resulting from some really shitty glitches. Things like standby, shotgun rounds smashing the floor when hipfired, and other game-killing bugs made Gears of War 2 a nightmare at launch. If it hadn’t been for the inherent desire of certain gamers to exploit the game as much as possible, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but unfortunately, shield-glitchers and other exploiters near ruined the online experience for some who took the game seriously. The chainsaw being damn near unstoppable is something that still hasn’t been seriously looked at, which is a bit troubling.

 

Overall Speed

This is perhaps the one element of Gears of War 2 that is truly flawed from a gameplay perspective rather than a technical one. In order to reduce the “shotgun fests” that were rather prominent in Gears 1, Epic decided to scale back the overall speed of the game. This includes everything from movement speed to weapons’ firing rate. Most notably, the shotgun was nerfed considerably. This change took away that distinctive Gears feel: a frenetic, fast-paced, on-your-toes-at-all-times game of violent chess. In addition to the movement speed being impaired, the updated grenades and portable cover turned the game into more about standoffs with Lancers than any kind of close confrontation. Now, this isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, it’s just that there is no other way to play the game successfully than implementing the “hang back and wait for each other to make a move” strategy.

 

“Oh shit, that’s right I have a shotgun! Oh well, this is much cooler.”

 

Now that that’s aside, it’s time to look to the future. How can Epic remedy these problems for Gears of War 3? It’s all pretty simple (from a design standpoint anyways).

 

What To Do Next Time

Implement Client-Side Hit Detection/Dedicated Servers

I can honestly say that this one fix would bring Gears of War up to the level of hit multiplayer games such as Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3, simply in terms of playability. If this takes some serious programming overhauling, I will gladly wait an extra year or so to get the promise of a purely lag-free experience the next go around. We were promised a “buttery-smooth” online experience pre-launch, and as everyone is well aware at this point, this promise has gone largely (if not completely) unfulfilled. That being said, if the Unreal Engine is incapable of using CSHD, it only makes sense to go the dedicated server route, a la Left 4 Dead. The fact that Valve put the money into making a consistently lag-free experience into a much smaller (in terms of commercial appeal) game, while Epic decided to save some cash by excluding such a feature is beyond me. The general misconception with dedicated servers on consoles is that it can only be done through players’ Xbox 360s. This is NOT TRUE. Dedicated servers are PC-based machines that host all server information, and allow a multitude of games to be hosted on a single machine. This removes host-advantage, as well as giving gamers the buttery-smooth online experience they have been promised time and time again.

 

“Borrow” Bungie’s Matchmaking System

C’mon now Epic, we’re all human. We all make mistakes once in awhile. It’s also okay to accept that sometimes other developers have almost nailed perfection in certain aspects of game design. One of the key selling points of Halo 3 is its strong matchmaking system, which gives gamers both fair and lag-free matches consistently. Let’s put two and two together. Halo is owned by Microsoft. Gears of War is owned by Microsoft as well. Why shouldn’t Epic just do a little reskin of the Halo 3 matchmaking system and throw it in Gears 3? Players know what the matchmaking is actually doing instead of just staring at the screen wondering what the hell is going on behind the scenes.  This creates an experience that even casual gamers can get into, which ultimately generates more revenue as the Gears install base expands. Everyone’s happy.

 

“Give it up, Bungie! We need a sweet matchmaking system too!”

 

Create a Public Gears 3 Beta

Although it is respectable that Cliff Bleszinski wanted gamers to experience Gears of War 2 in its entirety on their first go-through, this only served to exacerbate the many problems that were present in the retail copy at launch. Many of the issues present in the initial copy could have easily been ironed out through a mass Xbox LIVE public beta, and it’s time to embrace the fact that every major multiplayer game that gives a damn about its online reputation is releasing a beta prior to launch (see: Killzone 2, Halo 3, COD4/5). To make sure that Gears 3 is not a repeat of the glitch-fest that was Gears of War 2 at launch, a beta run will make sure that the exploit-hungry gamers that made Gears 2 a nightmare to play for awhile will have their chance to break the game as they see fit, which gives Epic precious time to clean up any bad code before the game hits store shelves. Again, a win-win situation.

 

Revert to “Classic” Gears Gameplay

What’s that you say? Gears of War 2 is a different game, and I need to adapt? Let’s recap for a moment. The gamers that want Gears of War 1’s frantic gameplay back are the same rather large group of players that kept Gears 1 on top of the Xbox LIVE charts for a little more than a full year, whereas Gears of War 2 is holding onto the number 4 spot for dear life as I type this. Bring back the speed of Gears of War 1 in Gears 3, and if the above suggestions are implemented, you will notice that the shotgun-rushing and other exploits will no longer be present, especially without the Lancer suffering from inordinate amounts of lag along with stopping power behaving as a serious part of the game. The “classic” gameplay I speak of also includes the shotgun being reverted to its original status of “ultimate close-quarters destruction weapon”. The chainsaw should NOT beat the shotgun in CQB by any means. As Cliff himself has gone on record as saying, it is the “humiliation” or “last resort” weapon in the game. There are so many things that were done correctly with Gears 2 gameplay-wise, and it’s a shame that most of them are undone by the speed decrease and technical issues.

 

While there are a number of other things that could make Gears of War 3 an amazing game, the aforementioned points are the most critical aspects that need to be implemented in order to bring back the hardcore Gears 1 fans while preserving the current Gears 2 players. Not only that, but by leaning more towards accessibility and technical setups that are becoming standard in popular multiplayer shooters, the install base of the Gears franchise can only expand and benefit from refinement and optimization. Gears of War has been playing catch-up for the majority of its lifespan as a franchise, and with Gears of War 3, it’s time to raise the bar in ways that don’t involve just graphics.

 

Make it happen, Epic. Your hardcore fans are still here, we’re just waiting.