Zero Punctuation: Gears of War 3

[Lunar Templar]

it was an amusing video sure, dot dot dot

but, dot dot dot

i really kind of expected more from him, calling a game forgettable is fine, but to forget plot elements (no matter how dull) is rather unprofessional of him.

it's like his rant about 40k, it smacked of ignorance, like he's less trying to post his IMFORMED opinion and just trying to rile the fans up.

if he don't like it fine, what ever, I'd prefer he come up with valid reasons rather then just dissmissing it at a glance or not being bothered to pay attention enough to do his own job

(FYI, no, not a gears fanboy, never played it, no intention to, love me some 40k though)

 

[Draconalis]

You're right! Aside from the fact that there wasn't a single intelligent character and that the leader of the pirate crew was highly ineffective and the plot was complete bullshit, it was awesome!

Oh wait... no. It was poorly written and intensely annoying. Hell, i think Gears of War was better written.

The tone of that series was comedy, and that's exactly how I took it. It made me laugh, mission accomplished.

 

[SnakeoilSage]

It's not Gears fault that a bunch of shooters copied it instead of doing their own thing, as much as it wasn't Halo or COD's faults either. Gears was quite innovative when it came out, which is why other shooters ( Army of Two, Uncharted) copied gameplay mechanics from it to begin with.

I never found "Duck!" to be a particularly innovative approach to a video game shooter. We nailed that one on the head pretty well with Contra.

For that matter, if you're gonna stick Marcus behind wall anyways, why don't they wear shields? Just duck down and you've got plenty of cover. When an enemy gets close you can smack him with it. You can upgrade it with extra ammo slots, an additional gun, spikes for hard-hitting melee.

There. I just fixed Gears of War's problem in a single paragraph.

Why is my Captcha in friggin' Greek?!

 

[JSRT]

Um no their isn't. Again have you played thee game?! There is just as much color in the campaign and no this isn't the only map that looks like this not even close. Maybe you should look at campaign footage on Youtube ( since it's clear you don't own the game) sorry but "they added more brown" just isn't true. They added more color and anyone who played the campaign knows this. ( in story wise the color injecttion that Gears got in part is because it takes place during the summer months on Serra. Actually it's an excuse for Epic to show off their "Light mass" tech) Saying that it's more brown than part 2 just proves you did not play it and are talking out of your ass....

Well, as much as I like debates- seems like you're taking this personally to heart in a bad way. As I stated in my first post, I played a bit of Gears of War 2 along with watching some gamplay on Gears of War 3 over a friend's house.

No, I do not own the game and I am glad I don't own it. Even Yahtzee himself says that it's just all splattered in brown, that it's fuzzing up his mind (that, and he's forgetting the game altogether) So despite your tone of a post, I must say to me personally it's still to much in the brown as far as I have seen. Especially the first chapter, in the ship. In fact, I even pulled this video out of nowhere and watched it- mostly brown. Take a look if you wish.

Yeah everyone who shits on this game is usualy those who "played a bit of it at a friend's house " or "saw a friend playing it" lol. How about you take a look at all of chapter 3 on up and tell me the game is "spattered with brown". I'm not taking anything personally , it annoys me when people try to bash a game using blatantly false info. Also "Yahtzee himself said it was brown"? This the same Yahtzee who implied he remembered little about the game and didn't know what the hell was gong on half the time. Yeah lets take his word for it.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Ive been playing it on hardcore when I've never played GOW before and it's the same thing over and over, It is almost tiring becuase it's just shoot shoot shoot shoot. I also don't understand how the characters didn't figure out what was creating the lambent the second they saw them...

The plot doesn't seem to make any sense but I put that down to me not playing the previous games. I got the impression tha the writers enjoy writing Cole more than Marcus.

Also the plot lost all believability when a man wanted to swap bacon for a woman....would never happen.

 

[JSRT]

You could harp on the story all you want, the FACT of the matter is gameplay wise Gears is a cut above 90% of the shooters out now. Most TPS this gen including the all mighty sacred cow, Uncharted 2 copies mechanics that Gears of War perfected. It was as influential to shooters this gen as Halo was last gen. This is fact....

Vanquish did it better.

That's what's called an opinion, i notice that on forums people usually tend to confuse these with facts. And i liked Vanquish but it fell a bit flat in the replayability dept, IMO. Even still Vanquish is a nother shooter that borrowed heaviy from Gears but put it's own spin on the formula...

 

[JSRT]

How far did you get into Gears 2, just out of interest? And did you play in on your console or at a friends? Just curious, is all.

Truth be told, I played maybe 3 chapters at my friend's house on a console in Gears of War 2 (on the back of a tank or something, shooting down other tanks sliding down a hill). Another chapter was that.. um, one terrible scene where that guy had to *SPOILER* shoot his wife. I was sad and stopped playing at that moment.

Only seen a bit of Gears of War 3.. .when they're fighting tentacles and just random locus creatures. Probably not enough to entirely confirm Gears of War 3 to be more brown, but I got the impression after watching a bit. So my bad if otherwise.

Ah, so you got about half way in then, fair enough. Ignore me, then.

But as for Gears 3 being more brown, I have no idea if it is or not but I've seen a few screens that are full of colour and brown too. Which, to be honest, is what I'd expect from a game based in a universe that's going to shit.

You know what I find funny? People on the Escapist complain constantly about "brown shooters" but don't have a problem with Fallout 3's visuals, which is nothing but brown and grey, with the addition of shit textures.

Yup. The same way people around here talk crap about Gears having violent muscle heads, have no problem with Kratos in GOW who's only personality trait is being angry. ( in fact Yahtzee himself has praised the series as well) People look over the things that supposedly annoy them when it's a game they like.

 

[JSRT]

It's not Gears fault that a bunch of shooters copied it instead of doing their own thing, as much as it wasn't Halo or COD's faults either. Gears was quite innovative when it came out, which is why other shooters ( Army of Two, Uncharted) copied gameplay mechanics from it to begin with.

I never found "Duck!" to be a particularly innovative approach to a video game shooter. We nailed that one on the head pretty well with Contra.

For that matter, if you're gonna stick Marcus behind wall anyways, why don't they wear shields? Just duck down and you've got plenty of cover. When an enemy gets close you can smack him with it. You can upgrade it with extra ammo slots, an additional gun, spikes for hard-hitting melee.

There. I just fixed Gears of War's problem in a single paragraph.

Why is my Captcha in friggin' Greek?!

Well it's a good thing that there is far more to the gameplay than "duck". I love how people who often complain that games are not realistic enough these days (lol, games) are opposed to a cover system. I mean i've never been in a shootout in real life but if i ever were i am pretty sure that i would take cover behind something as opposed to bunny hopping around the battlefield. The is a good way to avoid being shot. Cover system is part of Gears of War's gameplay why would they change it? If you see the cover mechanic in Gears as a "problem" maybe you shoud be playing a game that isn't a cover shooter, eh?

 

[JSRT]

Sorry double post...

 

[JohnDoey]

Speaking of using meta-game knowledge to deduce plot points...didn't everyone who played Deus Ex intuitively know that Adam's ex was still alive as soon as they saw that there were no romance-ish dialogue options with the pilot?

It was the single most obvious thing ever.

 

[badmunky64]

The only character that I like is Marcus's dad and the only reason for that is because he kinda looks like Walter White from Breaking Bad.

 

[JSRT]

Yeah everyone who shits on this game is usualy those who "played a bit of it at a friend's house " or "saw a friend playing it" lol. How about you take a look at all of chapter 3 on up and tell me the game is "spattered with brown". I'm not taking anything personally , it annoys me when people try to bash a game using blatantly false info. Also "Yahtzee himself said it was brown"? This the same Yahtzee who implied he remembered little about the game and didn't know what the hell was gong on half the time. Yeah lets take his word for it.

You've sort of countered argued yourself. You say that I bashed the game itself, but in truth I just stated it looks more brown then I remembered when I played/observed it. Gears of War 2 had brown in sections of the game, while Gears of War 3 seemed to have as much through my observations when in truth there can/are parts that are colorful especially the last chapter in a 5 star hotel (as an Escapist told me). That's not bashing but rather making a claim which doesn't apply to the game sucking or not.

Also, if you personally get on Yahtzee for his words and saying sarcastically that we should follow him (meaning he's full of it in your opinion) then why do you watch his reviews? He played far more then I did and still stated what I said. The reason he couldn't remember most of it because the game tended to have scenes that made it hard to remember. If you're seriously into the game, you will remember it. If you're like me and Yahtzee... you'll forget overtime. It's just one of those games you only play for multiplayer and not the main story.

Your "observations" come from limited looks at the game, you've said as much yourself. You payed through a few chapters of part 2 and haven't seen much of 3. The game looks far more vibrant that former Gears game at the lighting is the best i have seen on a console thus far. Even most reviewers point to this including Digital Foundry's analysis of Gear Graphics. There is the Hotel in chapter 5 but also Chapter 3 that takes place in ambent infested village ( also this level is in MP and is comparable to the Tibet village MP map in UC2)

Also the whole " The reason he couldn't remember most of it because the game tended to have scenes that made it hard to remember." is nothing more than a weak cop out. It's also one of the reasons i watch Yahtzee's reviews for entertainment purposes rather than serious reviews.( though admittedly he usually has valid points in his rants, which made this episode all the more disappointing) But his hardcore fanboys seem to take his word as law. Bashing a game they've clearly never played, and accusing it of being "more brown" when it's pretty much the opposite.

As far as being "one of those games you only play for MP" , i was always more of s Halo guy. I just didn't "get" Gears MP.( although i am getting better with it now) i always played Gears for the excellent SP campaign, Gears has always had a strong SP campaign. You judge it by the story while i judge it by the Gameplay. Because that is the most important part. A game could have a story comparable to Citizen Kane, but who cares if it isn't fun to play? Frankly Gears story isn't as bad as the haters would have you believe, if anything it's just not told as well as it is in the expanded fiction.( Halo has the same issue) But that is just fine with me, this is a videogame. Not a movie or a book.

 

[warrenEBB]

first Zero Punc I've disagreed with.

Gears has a story and it has nuance. but it's hard to notice it between all the explosions and screaming.

You can say the story was badly delivered (and then delve into a critique of why/how the devs failed).

but it's pretty lame to admit you just weren't paying attention and couldn't follow the story (or remember names).

and it's even worse to claim there is no story (or characters).
ugh.

 

[major_chaos]

why am I less than amazed that he likes that steaming turd Hard Reset just because its "retro"
also I don't think its fair to completely dismiss and ignore a games story and then say that the story is bad, also the game has sold very well for "a relic". but anyway funny video even if I disagree that's the magic of ZP

Um...He likes Hard reset because it reminds him of a game he liked( Painkiller), Not because it's retro.Also, since when has Yahtzee ever remained consistent.

yes I know I worded that poorly I already corrected myself in a different post tho

 

[northeast rower]

I... really don't agree with anything that's been said here. I thought it was fun. Isn't that the point of games? To have fun? This just seemed like a rage-fest to compensate for Yahtzee being nice to a few games in the past.

Really, I think that this was the epitome of action gaming. Just about everything in this interview was overblown mush. Usually I can deal with him disliking a game that I like, and I usually find them funny, but this was just pretty unnecessary. That is, unless you're one of those guys who wears hipster-chic vests and fedoras and refuses to like any mainstream game. Then it's okay! (had to get that little bit out)

 

[Jkudo]

What's weird is that i always wondered why gears was successful it just seemed boring, but then i saw someone play gears 3 and it looked fucking awesome. Well playing as monsters looked fucking awesome. Single player looked better then gears 2 because he didn't just sit in cover the entire time, but hoard mode looked amazing. Still he plays a lot of games, it's not a big deal if he doesn't remember the plot of gears 2. Then again if he remembers other plots then it's not really a point in gears favor.

If cliffy b was mad at an 8 wait till he sees this.

 

[Jkudo]

You could harp on the story all you want, the FACT of the matter is gameplay wise Gears is a cut above 90% of the shooters out now. Most TPS this gen including the all mighty sacred cow, Uncharted 2 copies mechanics that Gears of War perfected. It was as influential to shooters this gen as Halo was last gen. This is fact....

Vanquish did it better.

That's what's called an opinion, i notice that on forums people usually tend to confuse these with facts. And i liked Vanquish but it fell a bit flat in the replayability dept, IMO. Even still Vanquish is a nother shooter that borrowed heaviy from Gears but put it's own spin on the formula...

Dude....vanquish is like the king of replay-ability. It's an arcade game. I loved playing it again on hard and i feel hard should be the standard mode, even if i haven't beaten the last level yet..I haven't even tried challenge mode yet but when the challenge mode demo came out i played it like 20 times.

Saying gears perfected cover shooting is also an opinion. Saying gears is a cut above 90% of shooters is also an opinion. OPINIONS!

 

[Jkudo]

Same here. I like most brown games, to be honest. I'm just asking for the people here to have some bloody consistency with their so-called "arguments". I loved games like NFS:Most Wanted, Deus Ex:HR, and this one for their visuals. I don't think a game needs a constant barrage of colors to give it a thumbs up in the visuals department.

Which brings me back to my example of Fallout 3 (and New Vegas, where nothing was changed). Those games have "brown-and-grey" all over them. Hell, most of them don't even work half the bloody time, considering how many glitches they have.

But, oh no, we can't talk about the precious RPGs that way. It doesn't matter if the gameplay doesn't change there, or that the visuals (by their own standards) "suck", or that it doesn't even fucking work. What we need to do is rail on the shooters cause they're the easiest target.

People complain WAAAAY to much about brown shooters. They also behave as if every game released is a brown shooter, every shooter is brown, and they are destroying the industry. Gears 3 looks good. Resistance 3 looks good. In fact brown shooters are in the minority of the entire shooter genre....Shooters that are brown for no reason are an even smaller minority. I'm sick of people complaining about brown shooters like a game's only value is how much of the rainbow it uses.

 

[Jkudo]

The majority of Uncharted 2 was spent shooting in elaborate set
pieces. The platforming aspect was laughable compared to other games it held your hand and the puzzle aspects were as well compared to the likes of Tomb Raider. The cover mechanics of UC2 were very Gears esque. It's funny how people always compare UC with Tomb Raider when it's much closer to Gears gameplay wise.

The platforming is not laughable in uncharted and the majority of the game is not spent shooting in elaborate set pieces. I never found puzzles to be difficult or numerous but there is A LOT of platforming. The cover mechanics of UC2 could be found in games before gears. What uncharted got from gears was it's realistic setting. It's actually very different from gears gameplay wise. I see the influences, but they are minimal. The wack-a-mole in uncharted is actually fairly limited, especially when compared to gears 2.