If you are a Gears of War fan, this is a great little untold story in the timeline of the series and when you throw in new characters and weapon skins for multiplayer, this is a must have for all fans of the series and is most definitely worth the price tag.
Gears of War 3: RAAM's Shadow is what every dlc should be. The overall package is well worth the money, and then some. The story behind Zeta squad and RAAM is excellent and the game provides much diversity in gameplay. The add-on goes back before Gears of War to the darker and more depressing roots providing a setting that reminds me of what made Gears of War and Gears of War 2's campaigns so much fun. Even though you may already know the fates of certain characters the game still draws you in making anxious to find out what will happen to them. Playing as RAAM and his squad is also a new approach that is very well crafted. When playing as RAAM you walk around with your big butcher knife, and command kryll to decimate your cog foes while feeling nearly invincibly. This new combat style plus a new execution makes you feel like a **** should also definitely play in 4 player co-op. Don't worry about not playing as RAAM in co-op because the Theron Elite and the Maulers also have there own gameplay features that you should not skip out on, the retro sawed off with the theron and the reflective shields with the maulers. Despite the short 3-4 hour campaign, the high replay value makes up for it. Additionally, the new characters are brought out and introduced very well in this short time and fan favorites also return. New multiplayer skins, weapon skins, new achievements, and a solid campaign; what more could you ask for. I personally found this add-on more fun than the actual Gears 3 campaign due to the diverse gameplay and overall feel. This add-on is the perfect reason to buy the season pass and one of the reasons why I still play Gears of War 3. What are you waiting for? Get yourself a copy of Gears of War 3, some microsoft points, grab some friends, and have one hell **** time.
Gears of War 3: RAAM's Shadow is the first story-driven piece of DLC for Gears 3, and hopefully not the last. This bite-sized campaign hits a lot of highs in a short amount of time, and is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end.
Playing as Michael Barrick and Zeta Squad is refreshing, after being given heavy doses of Marcus Fenix and Delta over the course of Gear's lifespan. Granted, you will care more about the characters if your knowledge of the Gears universe comes from more than just the games, as Barrick and Tai Kaliso feature in the comics and the books. The story itself is simple, and serves as a prequel to Gears 1. The objective is to evacuate civilians from Iilima before the Kryll Storm hits, and for what the story is, it works well. There's often a sense of impending doom and isolation, knowing you're amongst the last squads in the city. The gameplay is varied, and although you'll spend the bulk of your time blasting Locust, the game offers up different, exciting scenarios and set-pieces each time. One minute you're crushing Seeders with buildings, the next you're trodding through an empty school in darkness, with something haunting your every step. The DLC gives off some nostalgia that harkens back to Gears 1, and this is amplified by the return of emergence holes, beserkers and not to mention, the titular character.
Of course, I'm referring to General RAAM, who makes a grand re-appearance. It's good to see Epic listens to their fans. He's as much of a badass as you remember, and this time, you can step into his shoes during certain parts of the story. These sections play out the same the whole time, but they never last too long and definately give you a sense of power. For me, however, it was a strange feeling to kill Gears so easily and quickly, as the games and companion novels spend so much time making us care about the COG and their plight, and show them as tough, battle-hardened warriors. It felt oddly out of place to just mercilessly slaughter them in the hundreds. But, that's a side of battle we haven't seen yet in the games, and it was good to get a different perspective nonetheless.
The multiplayer works just as you'd expect, 4 player coop the whole game. The extra players play as the other members of Zeta Squad, and during the Locust sections, members of RAAM's personal entourage (2 Special Maulers with reflective shields and a Theron with a Bayonet-Enhanced Sawn-Off.) If you played coop in Gears 3 already, then you know what to expect. Good multiplayer fun.
RAAM's Shadow isn't the deepest or longest piece of the Gears universe, but it fits right in to it, and offers up various bite-size chunks of the Gears gameplay we know and love, with the added twist of playing as
the biggest badass of the series. If you're a Gears fan, or even a newcomer, it's definitely worth checking out.
RAAM's Shadow is a solid 3-4 hour romp that Gears fans will definitely enjoy. Whether you simply cannot get enough cover-based action, or you want a small piece of the story that was never told, you cannot go wrong with this content. The price is right for the amount of content, and Season Pass owners can download it for free. I am glad to see Epic creating content not just for online users, as I truly enjoyed tearing through this extension of the single player campaign.
A worthwhile addition to the Gears universe especially appeling for fans, as it lets you visit some unexplored past events of the war between humans and Locusts.
A good addition to the Gears of War universe and offers three to four hours of new content. While the dialogue isn't great, new weapons appear in the past, and we've battled countless wretch attacks before, when the credits roll this was a journey worth taking.
Like almost all DLC it falls well short of mimicking the impact of the original game, but that's to be expected from a three hour/1200 MS Point experience.
We can generally overlook a bit of going-through-the-motions in campaign add-ons, but not when the add-on in question mishandles the backstory of a trilogy that defined a genre. Though serviceable, RAAM's Shadow never does its own premise justice.
In a day with 15 dollar dlc with only 3 maps. this dlc comes as a pleasent surprize. Comes with a Campaign that will talk about 3 hours more or less. Gun skin and 5 or 6 new charecters that can be used in multiplayer with additional acheviements. Well worth it and free with the season pass, how can i complain
In a day with 15 dollar dlc with only 3 maps. this dlc comes as a pleasent surprize. Comes with a Campaign that will talk about 3 hours more or less. Gun skin and 5 or 6 new charecters that can be used in multiplayer with additional acheviements. Well worth it and free with the season pass, how can i complain
rilliant! 10/10. - Excellent DLC pack. Truly brilliant at setting up the story for Gears 1 and seeing what it was like when the locust first came up. Tension was high throughout the whole DLC and the COG's battle to get to their destination before the sky became dark was great! My only bad point was it did get a little boring playing as RAAM, but still was nice to see their perspective. I really hope for more DLC like that in the future. Overall, Great work Epic (:
Loved it! A must buy for all Gears fans. (:
This is a great dlc for anyone that enjoys gears of war, but is almost worth it just to support developers that care about their fans! This will show that single map packs, a new character, or one new weapon skin isn't worth our money. This is among the very best dlc packs that I have seen because there is so much content. A 4-5 hour campaign, 6 new characters, a weapon skin, and 10 new achievements all bring more replayability and value to an already brilliant game.
SummaryStarring a cast of characters both new and eerily familiar to the series, RAAM’s Shadow delivers more than three hours of new campaign gameplay set in a storyline that precedes the events of the first Gears of War, as well as six new multiplayer characters, the Chocolate Weapon Skin Set and an additional 250 Gamerscore. RAAM’s Shadow dro...