(2016 Discussion) Gears of War

[llsaidknockyouout]

Some may dismiss this game as a military shooter, but this title was a landmark action title because it brought a lot of new things to the table.

1) Put third-person shooters back on the map.
2) Controls are excellent. They give the player both a sense of heft and mobility.
3) Emphasized smaller teams in online play, requiring more focus and teamwork (and your actions matter more).
4) Visuals were groundbreaking for the time. Even the most powerful PC didn't have a game as gorgeous.
5) Lethality is just right. Attacks are powerful and punishing, but you can't kill people in just one second.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

4) Visuals were groundbreaking for the time. Even the most powerful PC didn't have a game as gorgeous.

Oooh, you're gonna get in trouble for that.

2) Controls are excellent. They give the player both a sense of heft and mobility.

Really? I have never played a Gears game, but looking at the Gears 4 gameplay, the movement seems really slow and sprinting looks like dragging a pig through mud.

 

[llsaidknockyouout]

I like the sprinting. It gives you much needed speed but comes at the penalty of making you vulnerable, so you have to choose when to use it wisely.

 

[DefunctTheory]

4) Visuals were groundbreaking for the time. Even the most powerful PC didn't have a game as gorgeous.

Oooh, you're gonna get in trouble for that.

...Yah.

I'll give OP this - 2006 was one of the years where there was kind of a hiccup. There was a disconnect with the software that was being developed and the hardware that was available, which lead to a lot of titles either being released with last years graphics, or being released poorly optimized for the hardware.

But yes, it would be absurd to say Gears of War trumped every PC game, even though it did look really, really nice.

 

[llsaidknockyouout]

PC games caught up fast though. I'm by no means calling Gears of War a Crysis of its time, but it was possibly the best looking game of all time until 2007.