Gears of War (Xbox 360, 2006)

I have played many FPS games in my life. From Doom to Half Life, Turok to Perfect dark, Halo to Halo 2, and GRAW to this current game and I goto say, the game is totally unbelievable. Just the sheer amount of realistic action gameplay makes you want to go out pump some iron and become the next markcus ( although cole has bigger guns!). Woaw, words itself cannot describe this game because after beating the game, i want to keep playing non stop. Warning, do not try insane mode unless you have mad lust for blood! :)

To break it down into categories for people:
1. Graphics - 5 of 5 - Absolutely breathtaking. This game utilizes the full potential of a Xbox 360. Microsoft lost over a billion dollars to support this game. Everything you see is crisp and real. Set it to 1080 p and you wont recognize what reality is and what a video game is. Best of all, there is no lag or frame per second issue!

2. Sound -5 of 5 - Are you kidding me? You will never get tired of Cole or Marcus grunting like real men. The machine guns are as real as you can get. Get a 2k sound system setup and your house will rumble like the bronx. Voice acting is superb as you really get into the story mode of the game. You will grow to love delta squad and the constant non stop action of things blowing up left and right. Best of all, they sound so real!

3. Replay value 5 of 5 - It is a no brainer. There is a casual mode, hardcore mode, and my favorite the "insane" mode. If you do play the "insane" mode, I suggest taking some caffeine or some adrenaline rush pills. you will need it :).

4. 1 player Campaign - 5 of 5 - you control a squad of certified machine killers. You cannot distinguish them from real humans or A.I. Yes, they are just that smart. The story mode is completely engaging and will keep you going. I mean, the graphics and gameplay is already enough, but some people like a good fps with a good story. This game is definetely for you.

5. Multiplayer - 5 of 5 - Unreal gameplay. You can challenge someone online or offline. Played with a buddy as I showed him who the real man is. If you really want to own in multiplayer, I suggest beating the insane mode once. I guarantee you will be a different man. It is like going to the boot camp to become a marine. HEHE. Also, I didn't experience any lag at all during online play which is a plus.

6. Difficulty - 5 of 5 - This is relative. If you played casual mode, it isn't really that dificult. I would say it's about 1.5x harder than Call of Duty 3. Hardcore mode is about 2.5x harder than Call of Duty 3. And my favorite, the insane mode is at least 5x harder than Call of Duty 3. If you want relative comparison, try playing Ninja Gaiden on hard mode. 2-3 shots from a machine gun fire and you are dead. The bad guys just dont die with one full round of clips( try 2-3). Yea, its insane mode, what do you expect ?

7 Overall 5 of 5 - This game sets the standard for all FPS out there for the xbox360, any other console, and even the PC. The game is perfect and I cannot stress that there are no other games out there that are even close to this. Yes, Call of Duty 3 came out , but the game is no where near as good as this. I didnt really enjoy playing call of duty 3 because i found it to be a drag and i just wanted to beat the game and get it over with. WIth gears of War, you will want to keep on playing the game even after you have beaten it because it is that good. This is definetely a game that can rival the all time favorite G.R.A.W