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Gears of War

EMAIL PRINT pc

8.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 36 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 286 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Epic Games

Genre(s): Third-Person Shooter

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: November 6, 2007

Summary

Gears of War thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. With Gears of War, Epic returns gamers to the massively scoped worlds, memorable characters, co-operative gameplay, and hyper-realistic combat that gamers have come to expect from the franchise, plus a few new surprises. Gears of War features locations that are unique to the franchise and the genre. Players encounter all of their favorite foes from the Xbox 360 version; however, these intense encounters take place in some new environments and allow players to manipulate the new game modes and technology found only in a Games for Windows title. Boasting three new multiplayer maps, a new multiplayer game type, game editor, five new campaign chapters, and DirectX 10support, Gears of War, challenges and pushes the limits of the PC gaming experience and provide an unparalleled visual presentation. [Microsoft]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

VideoGamer

The 360 game's soul shines just as bright now as it did a year ago, and so the PC version, with its improved visuals, lengthened campaign, more multiplayer maps and a game editor at least matches it, and perhaps even exceeds it.

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Cheat Code Central

Gears of War is all about breaking apart the status quo, and the port to PC succeeds masterfully in this endeavor just as the Xbox 360 version did. It's a heavy hitter on every level.

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YouGamers

It's the same great-looking, fast-paced, fun-to-play game, only with an extended story and higher-resolution visuals. That the experience is better on a PC is only natural, given that mouse-and-keyboard controls are the heart of any honest shooter.

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Worth Playing

The title adapts to mouse and keyboard controls flawlessly, handles multiplayer better than the original, and it retains the same level of quality that made the game such a smash hit with its initial release on the Xbox 360.

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GameZone

Gears of War on the PC is still the same ground breaking game it was a year ago just now on the PC. The same innovative gameplay and breathtaking events are included along with five new campaign levels exclusive to the PC.

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AtomicGamer

Despite some complaints with the multiplayer mode and Windows Live quibbles, Gears of War is still a damn fine PC port of an excellent action game.

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GameSpy

Everything about the game's presentation is top-notch, from the washed-out stylized art design to the feature-film level soundtrack that pounds away from start to finish. And that's really what Gears is all about: it's a slick, polished action film that you happen to play on your PC.

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GameSpot

The PC version of Gears of War is everything the 360 version was and more.

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Eurogamer

Gears of War remains a triumph. It is an almost relentless march of unpretentious, cartoon violence that serves as a satisfyingly brainless alternative to the complexity of its contemporaries. Whether played alone or with a friend, it's essential gaming.

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PC Zone UK

The PC version of Gears of War is a welcome reminder of how much better PC gaming can be, and that it can do big, stupid action way better than the consoles that took stupid to the masses.

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Game Almighty

In the end, Gears of War isn't perfect, but it does what it does so incredibly well that you just can't help but love it.

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Game Chronicles

Gears of War for the PC is a great game and one that is especially well built in many areas, it may be a port for some of the gameplay and levels but it does not feel like one at all.

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PC Gamer

Still, Gears of War is a fantastic action game worthy of your time if you've never played the Xbox 360 version. [Jan 2008, p.72]

PC PowerPlay

If Gears of War had appeared on PC first, we’d sing its praises as a straight-up FPS which displays refreshing game dynamics. But the fact remains it’s old news. Many 369 owners who are also PC gamers will already have it… But if you’ve resisted, it’s worth playing on the platform that can properly do it justice. [Jan 2008, p.43]

ActionTrip

The performance is excellent, the crispy-clean 1600x1200 resolution certainly helped and the controls feel a lot more natural on the PC.

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IC-Games

Overall Gears of Wars is a cracking game, with the addition of some more levels, the multiplayer maps and the level designer there is a lot of extras for the PC owner, the question is, if you already own the Xbox version is it still worth the purchase.

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PC Gamer UK

The PC version of Gears of War is absolutely the definitive take on one of the most talked about games of the last few years. [Christmas 2007, p.70]

Computer Games Online RO

If you were expecting an Oscar story and dialogues that would show you the meaning of life on earth, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want non-stop action, uglier than death enemies, visceral fights and the possibility, in multiplayer, to execute your adversaries in the most barbaric ways ever known, please, do come in.

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GameTrailers

So, it may play better with a 360 controller, it may quirk out, and the new stuff may be good but not great, but it’s still one of the most solid PC games of the year, with a great single-player game that can even be played cooperatively, and fantastic, team-based multiplayer that’s just a few notches below Team Fortress.

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NZGamer

A great game done better. The graphics are improved, the gameplay remains intact, and some quality content has been added into the mix. If only every port to the PC were like this.

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IGN

The mouse and keyboard allow for more precise control, and the graphics have been improved as well. With the additional single-player content, King of the Hill multiplayer mode, extra maps, and a map editor, Gears offers an even more impressive feature set than before.

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GameStar

Action fans who are not bothered by the bloody presentation should definitely get the game. If you can find a friend to play the ingenious Co-Op mode with, Gears of War is a must-have.

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Gameplanet

A glorious celebration of guns and violence.

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GamerNode

Gears of War on the PC is an excellent "port" by seasoned industry veterans and a testament to PC gaming. Everything transitioned smoothly, and there's no awful leftovers -- only delicious desserts.

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PC Format

A tense, nervous gun-ache of a game that will make you jump and scream. [Jan 2008, p.70]

Pelit (Finland)

Looks just absolutely amazing on PC. Too bad the gameplay repeats itself to death: the same static duck and cover firefights get old pretty fast. Luckily the co-op multiplayer is great fun and the brilliant visuals keep players interested enough till the credits roll. [Dec 2007]

Gaming Target

While Gears of War for the PC is a good game, worth playing if only for the collective experience, it will make you angry more than once during your fight to save the world.

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Yahoo! Games

If you've been watching jealously as your 360-owning friends tackle the Locust, here's your chance to pick up the complete package.

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G4 TV

The PC version of Gears of War feels both more and less complete. While the new seamlessly slipped-in missions add more narrative and in a few cases, some exceptionally difficult and satisfying battles; they don’t add anything substantive to a story already at best worth half a buck and a bag of popcorn.

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GameDaily

With upgraded graphics, exclusive campaign chapters and a handful of new multiplayer features (handled through Games for Windows Live), Gears of War is a very desirable shooter.

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GameTap

While all the added content is damn good, ironically, the greatest gameplay addition to this PC port is also responsible for one of the bigger annoyances: the interface.

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Gaming Nexus

The new content and inclusion of the editor is nice but if you already own the game on the Xbox 360 you might not find enough here to warrant spending another $50. I definitely like the control scheme better and it does look better than the console on high detail.

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Total Video Games

Gears of War has been faithfully ported to the PC and Epic has also provided a nice range of exclusive features, most notably a 'lost' act in the single-player campaign. It's well worth a purchase for PC owners who haven't yet experienced the brilliance of Gears.

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Game Informer

Unless you feel that the (somewhat disappointing) fight against the Brumak or a minor splash of new single-player content is worth $50, the only gamers that should be thinking about purchasing this are 360-impaired PC owners that never got into the fun last year – especially considering the multitude of superior multiplayer options in the PC action sector.

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Game Over Online

GoW lacks the sort of awe that I found in Bioshock, and it doesn’t really immerse you in the plot the way that Half-Life did, and it’s not so completely out-of-the-box like Portal, but it has a certain visceral Doom-ish quality that many of the more intellectual FPS games don’t.

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1UP

Gears is most likely to appeal to console gamers already in love with the game, who can now see it in glorious high-res detail and at superfast framerates -- with a muscular enough PC, that is.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 286 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ken S gave it a7:
If you're looking for a 3rd person shooter where you can shoot the bloody crap out of every one, GoW is pretty fun. I cant understand how people can give this game a 2, the graphics are good and at least run smoothly even if you don't have a High-end Pc. The gameplay is actually surprisingly fresh but indeed IS a bit repetitive, and to be honest, the story, even if it has interesting ideas isn't really appealing. All-in-all: its a good shooter, worthy to be played.

Paul S gave it a6:
A solid but very overrated game. To call Gears of War repetitive would be a massive understatement - there's literally nothing to this game. Aim, hold down the fire button, duck and reload, repeat. Some of the larger enemies make the repetition even more obvious, with the player having to repeat the fire/duck/reload process for four of five clips worth of ammo. The story and characters (such as they are) are massively forgettable, with most of the mission objectives being so generic that you end up just following the trail of enemies to the next checkpoint. The visuals, while occasionally showing great finesse (the character models are pretty good) suffer from hugely overblown textures and reflections, giving the game an ugly overexposed look. The graphic style is a matter of taste, but the endless grey/brown/desaturated blue levels did nothing for me (with the exception of a very pretty rain-soaked section). Gears of War seems to me to be more like an arcade game than anything else. It reminds me in some ways of Time Crisis, with the cover and gunplay being everything while story, character and creative identity are left as little more than footnotes. Casual gamers will probably dig it, but those of us spoiled by more complex and intricate titles like Call of Duty 4, Bioshock or the Half-Life series will likely tire of it pretty quickly.

nick gave it a2:
There is really nothing new or amazing about this game other than the hiding beind cover part. your allies are idiots and the enemies have xray vision and im not kidding about that you could hide behind a giant wall and the enemy would come up and the a second before he passes the wall he magicaly knows your there and will punch you in the face which paralyzes you and then shots you to death. this game follows in the long line of 360 games that are rated m but is made for 8 yr olds, and who buts a chainsaw on a gun its plain stupid you can barely use it without getting killed. the develpors focused to much on the blood instead of fixing the ai problems or the weapons.

Shawn D. gave it a6:
The graphics are absolutely amazing, but the gameplay is pretty shitty. The duck button doesn't seem to work unless I am taking cover (pointless), so I'm required to take cover all the time. The problem is that this greatly restricts where I can and cannot be at any given time. Why is the map so big if 95% of it is a dead zone? Even the first monsters in the game will kill you with just a few shots, so most of the wide open area is a cock tease. This game is not worth $50, but it's worth getting if you see in the bargain bin for $20.

The_Assimilator gave it a6:
It looks good and plays great. Ignore the comments about repetitive combat; if you want to play that way, expect to get bored fast, but if you want to try out new ways and new weapons to obliterate your enemies, you'll have a blast (literally). Chainsawing the bad guys never gets old, and the squad-based element - while annoying at times - makes a nice change from standard one-man-against-the-world FPSs. The environments are huge and well-done, and effectively complement the combat. Unfortunately, what could have been a great game is hampered by a lack of character and plot development - and don't let me get started on the crashing, which is a direct result of a fact that this game is a straight port from the Xbox. Hopefully Epic will learn from their mistakes and ensure that GoW2 is properly polished, before releasing it for PC.

Rob gave it a2:
The atmosphere and environments are really cool but thats about all thats good about this game. It plays like a kiddy console game. I mean there is ammo laying around everywhere and none of your squad can even die. There are lots of invisible barriers reminiscent of older low budget games. The stuttering, crashing and loss of game saves are inexcusable for any game. Too bad Epic doesnt give a crap.

Leb T. gave it a9:
There are too many "leet" PC gamers out there who couldn't wait to bash the hell out of this game. Notice all the comments about how "console gamers don't know what good games are" and so on. Not saying this is a masterpiece sitting next to all other PC games, but this is definitely up there and not deserving of a measly 5!

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