Gears of War is a third-person shooter built around a cover system, where players duck behind obstacles and use tactical fire to advance on enemies. The signature weapon is an assault rifle fitted with a chainsaw bayonet, and a timed reload mechanic can grant a brief damage bonus or jam the gun if mistimed. The five-act campaign can be played solo or in two-player co-op, and a competitive multiplayer mode supports up to eight players split between the two factions. It was the first game in the Gears of War series and helped popularize the modern cover-based shooter, later receiving remastered versions. Gears of War takes place on the Earth-like planet Sera, where the discovery of an underground fuel called Imulsion triggered a long global war. Years later, humanity faces a new enemy on Emergence Day, when a subterranean race known as the Locust Horde surfaces and begins a genocidal assault, forcing the ruling Coalition of Ordered Governments to make desperate sacrifices to survive. The story follows Marcus Fenix, a soldier reinstated into the military after being imprisoned for abandoning his post to try to save his father. Freed by his close friend Dominic Santiago, Marcus rejoins Delta Squad and is sent on a dangerous mission to map and strike at the heart of the Locust tunnels, hoping to turn the tide of the war.
ShooterActionScience fictionHorroraliensbloodydeathmilitaryarcherymultiple protagonistsbromanceachievementsapocalypseonlineartificial intelligenceover the shoulderXbox 360
- Graphic violence
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Character
Earnest, epic, classical in form and contemporary.
- earnestironic
- intimateepic
- classical in formformally daring
- contemporarynostalgic
- gravecomic
Who loves it, who doesn't
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Reviews
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About the game
- Platforms
- Xbox 360
- Developer
- Epic Games
- Publisher
- Microsoft Game Studios
- Released
- November 7, 2006
- Modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Split screen
- Perspective
- Third person
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- Time to beat
- 5 h rushed · 9 h main story · 15 h completionist
IGDB rating 8.3/10 from 558 ratings.
Screenshots
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
Gears of War 2 200888% alikeBoth earnest, contemporary, classical in form.
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Gears of War 3 201185% alikeBoth earnest, epic, classical in form.
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Half-Life 2 200478% alikeBoth earnest, epic, contemporary.
Avatar: Fire and Ash 202582% alikeFilm · Both earnest, epic, contemporary.
The Hunger Games 201278% alikeFilm · Both earnest, classical in form, contemporary.
Often played with
Similar games per IGDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.
