Gears of War 3
By Nicholas Grevas
New York
With apologies to those teens who may be asking for it as a Christmas gift, the first thing to be said about “Gears of War 3” (Microsoft) is that this latest iteration of the popular franchise is just too violent and vulgar to be appropriate for youngsters.
Indeed, while the game highlights themes of solidarity as well as major acts of self-sacrifice on the part of several characters, it also includes a level of gore and an amount of swearing that will likely make it unpalatable for a majority of adults.
Even the use of a feature that allows players to turn off the worst of the blood and vulgarity leaves other unwelcome elements--such as crude references and middle-finger waving--intact. (The inclusion of such an option, of course, represents a tacit admission by the developers that the toning down of graphic content takes nothing away from pleasurable gaming.)
The story line doesn’t really stand on its own. In fact, it would be almost impossible to try and understand “Gears of War 3” without having someone explain the previous two games to you in excruciating detail. Suffice it for our purposes to say that this is the final chapter in the long saga of a character named Marcus Fenix, and of his fight with the force that has infected his home planet, Sera.
A world that hosts humans (what “Star Trek” fans might refer to as a “class M planet”), Sera has been overrun by an infection. Life there has a post-apocalyptic feel, with different groups struggling to find food and supplies. This backdrop affords the designers the chance to convey a good message about human solidarity amid a crisis.
“Gears of War 3” also does a fairly decent job of explaining the individual histories behind some of its major figures, including Marcus himself. Learning that his father, whom he believed to be dead, is in fact alive, Marcus and his troops search for Dad, hoping to join forces with him in the battle against the Lambent, mutant creatures that have driven mankind to the brink of extinction.
At the technical level, the first thing a player new to the franchise might notice is that “Gears of War 3” is positioned in the third person. This means you see your whole persona on screen, rather than just hands and a gun. Some might argue that such a perspective is less realistic; but less realism doesn’t necessarily result in less fun. Some of the best video games in history, after all--“Megaman,” “Pac-man” and “The Legend of Zelda” among them--were not in the first person.
Another asset of the gameplay is its mobility: When a horde of infected Lambent approaches, you can sidle up behind walls, take cover under large objects, and shoot at the enemy from your protected position. Although not entirely new--remember the old arcade shooters in movie theaters?--this approach does make “Gears” stand out from the tired formula of many current games.
Still, these refinements adorn a combat adventure whose main attraction seems to consist in offering players the opportunity to blow their virtual opponents’ brains out. As such, the game--an Xbox 360 exclusive--is strictly for the least squeamish and most mature.
The game contains strong continuous violence with gore, profanity, pervasive sexual references and frequent rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is L--limited adult audience, games whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board rating is M--mature.
Grevas reviews video games for Catholic News Service.
Copyright © 2011 Catholic News Service
‘GAME OF WARS’--This is an image from the video game “Gears of War 3.” The CNS classification is L--limited adult audience, games whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board rating is M--mature. (CNS photo/Microsoft Studios)
