The days of Gears of War 3 are finally upon us. Well some of us, that is. Months ago, Epic announced that gamers who pre-ordered Bulletstorm would receive early access to the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta starting April 18th, or the 25th for those who solely pre-ordered Gears of War 3. Then, for 3 days before the 18th, Epic was flooding twitter with Gears 3 Beta codes. I remember being in a state of extreme discontent as code after code showed up online. Not only was I trying my hardest to get one of the many codes (the refresh shortcut for my computer has never gotten so much action in its life) but it was to no avail. The codes were going like hot cakes. @therealcliffyb, @L337Lauren, @gearsviking, @gearsofwar3, and @majornelson along with many others were posting codes. Some codes were thrown up in their entirety, some codes were missing a few characters, some were awarded to those who decided to take place in the ridiculous nonsensical “challenges” that were being presented via twitter. In fact as I am typing this now, Mark Rein, VP at EPIC games, is holding a photo competition entitled “Where in the world is Rod Fergusson,” asking people to create a Rod Ferguson mask and take a picture of themselves wearing it. Those who he feels are the most creative and or the funniest will win one of 30 beta codes being given out.
As you can probably guess, for those who actually got their hands on one of these codes this opportunity to get in on the beta was a godsend. But for those who pre-ordered Bulletstorm and dropped a whopping 60 bucks on the game to get “early access”… to have lucky winners playing the beta before them, (myself included) frustrated doesn’t even begin to explain the feeling. Betrayed, lied to, and unappreciated are a few feelings that are still kindled deep inside of me from last weekend. That was, until the 18th when I finally got my hands on the glorious beta. Upon inserting my Bulletstorm Epic Edition disc and booting up the beta, all previous gripes were moved to the back burner. It was time to get down and dirty and try out the long awaited Gears of War 3 multiplayer experience.
The beta features four maps: Thrashball, Checkout, Old Town, and Trenches, and three game-types: Team Deathmatch (brand new to Gears), King of the Hill, and Capture the Leader. After playing a few matches I began to wonder why only two of the four maps were coming up, as well as why TDM was the only game-type available. Lo and behold, in hopes to ‘keep things fresh’ Epic will be releasing the other content week to week as the beta continues until the 15th of May. At this point, it was my fellow competitors that were taking the heat from this newly acquired piece of knowledge. Having only two of the four maps for the first week is kind of a let down but knowing there are more to come is reassuring. That said, I don’t think I have ever played two maps as much as I did that day and will continue to do so the rest of this week. The exorbitant amount of fun I was having was more than enough to distract me from the now so familiar environments of Thrashball and Checkout.
Being a Gears of War guru and long time fan of the series I was extremely curious to see how the Gears of War 3 would play out. Gears of War 1 has been by far the best in the series to this point. While Gears 2 had a fantastic campaign and the addition of the ever so awesome Horde mode, its multiplayer experience was quite below par. It was slow and everything that Gears 1 was not; I was not a fan. But thats enough about the past. It’s time to talk about Gears of War 3! After playing the beta for an almost consecutive 24 hours, I can say I am more than pleased with what Epic has done. Having more time than ever to craft such an experience has certainly payed off. And let me remind you, this is only the beta! The feel of the game is something entirely new. Its pace is reminiscent of Gears 1 with the controls of Gears 2. Epic has said that they were trying to find an equal balance between the two previous games and that they have done, superbly I might add. Not only is the game more gruesome and gorgeous than ever, but it plays out in such a fantastic way.
The fast-paced, wall-bouncing goodness is loaded with new weapons, all of which are super fun to use. The Retro Lancer, a rifle used in the Pendulum Wars, one before the induction of the Chainsaw Lancer is one of those new weapons. At the end of the barrel is a bayonet with which you can charge and impale your enemies. Lifting them up into the air and discarding their bleeding body to the ground is one of the most satisfying new additions. Also included are fan favorites, the regular Lancer and the Hammerburst, which now has an iron sight! I have come to use the Hammerburst with iron sights just as much as my Gnasher shotgun and man is it fun. It adds a tactical approach that can be lethal when working as a team. Much like Halo, team fire is important to bring enemies to their knees, that is when you’re not tearing shit up with the Gnasher or the other new shotgun the Sawed-Off. As fun as the Sawed-Off is, I feel it is my only complaint with the beta thus far. It fires one round at a time, and takes a good 3-4 seconds to reload but its power up close is lethal and its just about impossible to miss. It is clearly more geared towards players new to the series or those who are un familiar with the Gnasher and the tactics that are used to successfully wield it. Many times, people will hide around corners only to obliterate you when you walk past, or players will allow you to get close to them, only to wreck you with one shot from the Sawed-Off once you’re in range. Its so called ‘balance’ comes from the fact it has little to no range and from its slow reload speed. Its spread is also so large that killing two enemies with one shot is not a rarity. Any seasoned Gears player knows that in an instant things can get up close and personal, and going up against somebody who is using the Sawed-Off will result in you dying almost every time. It got quite frustrating, although I’m sure it will be a blast to use within the campaign and maybe online once in a while when things just aren’t going your way. My hope is that they nerf its damage just a bit, and that the majority of players stick with the Gnasher.
While on the topic of shotguns, the Gnasher is back and feels a lot like Gears 1. It’s quick, powerful, and while in the right hands can be very deadly. I found myself getting double kills and triple feeds on multiple occasions. I am extremely glad they turned things around from what the Gnasher was like in Gears 2. Other new guns to the game are the Digger Launcher, which at first I was not a fan of but now have come to love. It is much like Boomshot it only has three rounds, although instead of firing a typical explosive, it channels underground and under cover, and pops up much like a bouncing betty grenade. It is completely avoidable if you observe its Bugs Bunny like appearance burrowing towards you, and on offense can work very well for flushing out unsuspecting enemies or clearing an objective point. Other new weapons have been included such as Incendiary grenades along with all the classics, like Boomshot, the Mulcher, Mortar, Torque Bow, and Longshot. While at first I was a bit weary of a bunch of new weapons to the series, I have now come to love the variety. It allows players to combat certain guns and proves to keep the gameplay feeling fresh. Continuing along, sniping in Gears 3 is something that I’m sure a lot of people are curious about. After playing with the Longshot, my opinion on the matter is that its not completely horrible. It’s nothing like Gears 1 and I’ve come to live with the reality that it will never again be that good. That being said, it feels very solid and even with the reticule bloom I found myself getting headshots without too much trouble. The hit detection felt very tight and bullets seemed to be registering correctly. Sniping is something that will always be a large part of my online Gears experience and while its no Gears 1 sniper, it’s still extremely fun and challenging as well.
As if everything already mentioned wasn’t enough to get you excited, Epic has announced they will be running with dedicated servers. By doing so, the host advantage that was in previous Gears titles will no longer exist and should help to improve matchmaking qualities as well. One last thing that can’t go without being mentioned is the maps. The two that players have access to for the first week are great. Enough so that playing them over and over I have yet to get sick of them. They feel balanced, well thought out, and look very good. There is much more color throughout and some of the dreariness that others complained about in previous games is no longer an issue. Colors are vibrant and lighting and shadows are extremely immersive. Overall I am blown away by the pure intensity and not-so-subtle beauty that Epic has graced us with for Gears 3. It is in a sense a bit sad that the series is coming to an end, although with the way its looking now it’s going out with a bang. One that will keep me coming back for hours on end for quite some time to come. If you did not pre-order Bulletstorm and have yet to try out the beta, do yourself a huge favor and pre-order Gears 3. Doing so will score you admission on the 25th to all the awesomeness that is the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, do not miss out, whatever you do!
