4/5 ★ – Endless_backlog's review of Gears of War 3.

Gears of War 3 is the final instalment in the Epic Games trilogy and it really does well to create a feeling of conclusion whilst maintaining its action packed nature. Set 18 months after the COGs attempted to eliminate the Locust by sacrificing the last human stronghold Jacinto, Marcus and the others have sought refuge on the Sovereign, a COG Navy helicopter carrier. Upon hearing the revelation that Marcus’s dad is still alive and being held captive by the Locust, the squad head mainland to rescue him and put an end to the war. On your journey you will fight in various scenarios from shooting down Locust Gas Barges to clearing underwater mines in your submarine. Joining the usual gang of Marcus, Dom, Baird and Cole, is Sam, Jace and Anya, the previous voice in your ear, now fighting by your side. As usual the cast are phenomenal, with just the right mixture of grumbling and humour. I personally loved when you’d shoot friendly fire and Marcus would shout “down in front” at the person he just shot. There are even some special guest actors in Michael B Jordan and Ice T. Caught in amongst the civil war between the Locust and the Lambent, previous Locust who have been infected by the imulsion, you will fight to regain Sera for the humans. In doing so you will face a huge variety of enemy types, including a Corpser and her litter of newborns, Serapedes that are only vulnerable being shot tail to head, and Armored Kantus that are almost invincible to bullets and require explosives to defeat. In many battles a stalk will emerge from the ground, carrying pods that continually produce Lambent until they are destroyed. Adding to the great arsenal we’ve seen before, new weapons are introduced such as the Retro Lancer, which lets you charge with a bayonet rather than chainsaw, and a Digger, that fires small burrowing creatures into the ground before emerging and exploding. This was really useful for taking out enemies behind walls and one of the most unique guns in the franchise as it uses living ammo. Also introduced is the Silverback, a robot suit (similar to Aliens) that you can step into to carry heavy items and smash things. What GOW3 does brillaintly is really express the consequences of the war to the people, as we are only used to seeing the impact on the COGs. Their actions of destroying the Locust at all costs with no thought of repercussions is showcased here when they meet the citizens, with many harbouring a hatred for them and their actions in the previous years. When visiting the city of Char, you walk through streets with the devastation of the results of the Hammer of Dawn, plagued with ash figures of people in their final moments that crumble if you make contact with them. This really drove home the fate of the civilians as you see them running for their lives or cowering to protect their loved ones from the blast. As well as the consequences of the COGs war effort in the first game, the sinking of Jacinto also caused the imulsion to rise up and saturate the soil and oceans, creating a pandemic of infection of Lambent in humans as well as Locust. One of my favourite moments in the game is the development of Cole’s character. He has always been the ever optimistic COG with his “WOO” chant and confidence, but when visiting his hometown he revisits the stadium where he played as a professional football player. There’s a montage of Cole fighting Locust whilst fantasizing he’s playing a field run which was great. Seeing this insight into his past life lets you see his vulnerable side as he reflects on the life he used to have and never will again in this new world. GOW3 does a great job in wrapping up the original saga and really fills in all of the gaps in the storyline, finally providing a satisfying explanation for the emergence of the Locust on Sera. It’s full of emotional moments and offers the most variety compared to the first two games. I personally still hold GOW2 slightly higher, maybe partly due to nostalgia, but also because despite how satisfying this games story was, I feel the bleak despair of the second game fitted the atmosphere of this world more so than the hopeful push of this conclusion. Regardless of that though, GOW3 Is the most complete game in the trilogy and to this day the last entry I played.