E3: Xbox 360 Runs on Gears of War

Unreal devs turn to Microsoft's new console with a third-person shooter that is already earning attention from industry watchers worldwide.

While Xbox 360 had its coming-out party at last week's E3 in Los Angeles, many of the games on the show floor struck us as underwhelming - perhaps not surprising considering that they were all running on pre-final, underpowered versions of the Xbox 360 hardware (running at around 30% of final power, according to Rare). Off the floor, though, Microsoft was touting some of its other games, which is where we got to see perhaps the best-looking Xbox 360 game right now - Gears of War.

Developed by Unreal creators Epic Games, Gears of War is a third-person shooter that takes the best of action and first-person shooters and spices it up with a hearty helping of survival horror antics. The environment, meticulously crafted, takes on a starring role too, as Epic has emphasised cover as a tactic. A good soldier knows when to fight and when to take cover, and it's the latter that allows the Xbox 360 to strut its stuff, letting you hide behind various items that break apart as tenacious enemies try to bring you down.

Speaking of the enemies, expect them to be more organised than in previous shooters as they make full use of Gears of War's advanced artificial intelligence. Your teammates, too, will behave realistically, but you have the option of playing through the game with a live person too, if you prefer.

And despite Gears of War already besting most other games in visuals, it isn't due until next year, so there's ample time for Epic to iron out any bugs and to bring us the first-class gaming experience you would expect from a next generation console.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games