Gears of War (PC) Review: "A Welcome Reminder Of How Much Better PC Gaming Can Be"

The PC version of Gears of War is a welcome reminder of how much better PC gaming can be, and that it can do big, stupid action way better than the consoles that took stupid to the masses. And the extra levels that won't be released on Xbox because it can't handle them? Well, that's just funny.

[razer]

PC has the advantage on constantly updating technology to have better experiences but consoles made this game what it is also the extra dev time helped this game to be better than the console version. What an unfair fight and for PC nerds to use it as some rally cry of why PC gaming is so much better is lame.

As a personal preference I can't stand K+M and I'd rather not game at all then play games on the PC's with their constant software and hardware problems.

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

"As a personal preference I can't stand K+M and I'd rather not game at all then play games on the PC's with their constant software and hardware problems"

me too.

i love console controllers.

[fermcr]

well actually... i hate console controllers. I prefer keyboard and mouse.

as for this... "As a personal preference I can't stand K+M and I'd rather not game at all then play games on the PC's with their constant software and hardware problems"

What software and hardware problems are you talking about??? ...the biggest problem with the PC is between the Keyboard and the chair :)

[MK_Red]

I actually love both. Mouse+Keyboard and console controller both have their unique advantages and fun factors.

[projectile]

You can't sit laid back in your couch with your K+M. And i don't know how many use the pc in combination with tv/projector with full surrond sound.
One or two of the reasons why I like consoles better.

[TheSadTruth]

hmm, I may pirate this to see how good it is, no way they are taking my money twice for the same game

on a separate note, I wonder how multiplayer on the pc will work.. a "charged" sniper shot on the console will instantly knock a player down if you hit them in the body.. if it still functions like that on the PC that it will be very overpowered because it is insanely easy to hit someone ANYWHERE with a mouse, especially a game with slow movement speed like GoW.

Also I hope they made it so strafing doesn't reduce the accuracy of your shots, and they all still land in the reticule. I'm not talking about hip strafe shooting either, I mean when you aim and try to strafe at the same time and it auto misses.

[tplarkin7]

It's ok to point out that the controls work well on the PC, but the reviewer stated that the KB/Mouse is always better.

Using a KB/Mouse for an FPS is no different than using a light gun 1 ft away from the screen. So, by "better" they mean "so accurate that it's like cheating".

[dantesparda]

"What an unfair fight and for PC nerds to use it as some rally cry of why PC gaming is so much better is lame."

No Lame" is that excuse. Lame is all the 360 fanboys trying to make the 360 out to be much better than the PS3 when the differences between most of their versions is even less than this. Lame is you whining cuz you cant stand the fact. Accept it kid!

And "PC nerds"? Like all you fanboys (on all sides) aint just "console nerds"!

[skagrerrrr]

those who actually disagreed are just crybaby fanatics or they don't have PCs to begin with or their PC are crap.

[PS360PCROCKS]

"well that's just funny" what a jackass

[Azures]

Well you can't deny that consoles are becoming more and more like PCs. And less hardware problems? The 360s lifespan tends to say otherwise, I just witnessed my friend's machine rrod the other day.

[Amplifier]

"less hardware problems"

I guess overheating doesn't count right?

[duarteq]

I think we all know that pc can be a great weapon when we talk about gaming and hardware inovations. But, there is always a But, sometimes is really difficult to get for instance same quality as we do with consoles like PS3 or Xbox360 without giving a lot of money. Yes, i would like to have a quad-core and a 8800 GTS or similar and 4 Gbytes of memory but how much is the cost of that 3 things, comparing to consoles ? Even now the Next-Gen Consoles have higher resolution. so i made an investment of buying a PS3 and i'm well satisfied. I know that if i buy a game for the console it will play fine, ok ok some framerate problems here and there, but are acceptable. If i want to play a PC game with all graphical sets to maximum i really would like to be billionare so that i could buy the best hardware in town.
That's my opinion

**** TO powervr ****
Gostei da cena do em português :P
É apenas a minha opinião, Tb tenho PC e sei que a resoluçao e os jogos serão sempre melhores pois a tecnologia é puxada pelos jogos e o pc é o sistema mais rapido para demonstrar novas capacidades em termos graficos. A Lei de Moore reflecte isso ao nivel tecnologico. Nesse aspecto as consolas serão sempre limitadas. Ainda bem que há mais tugas aqui.

E o teu nick é da velinha PVR lol lembro-me disso perfeitamente.

[ulath666]

Consoles do NOT have the upper hand in resolution.
I cant even remember the last time i played a game on my pc with such a low res as 720p. The standard (read old) 4:3 lcd resolution is 1280x1024 which is higher than most games on either of the two current gen consoles.
And take a look at the article posted on N4G the other day that tells you what to buy to get a comp that manages all the newest games in decent settings for about the same price as a console.

[powervr]

Duarte...
so you think 600 euros (the price for the ps3 you bought) is cheap comparing to some pc's?

well...
obviously an 8800 GTX is not cheap, but inside the ps3 there is an outdated 7xxx GPU, and we already are capable to buy some desktop pc's
below 600 euros with Better gpu's, more memory, better cpu's...
(Even better than xbox 360)

And obviously PC can do everything ...and better...

I have my PC in my living room and mostly I use the xbox 360 controller to play games...

Mouse and keyboard is better ...but...I prefer the ergonomics of the controller in my sofa...
:D

ps3 and even xbox 360 to some extent are already outdated...
that is the problem...

What is more hilarious is sony considering 10 year life span for ps3...
well, for some folks even wii and ps2 is ok...
:D

Now in portuguese...
Duarte um pc barato com dual core está baratissimo a memoria nunca foi tão barata e os discos compras um por menos de 100 euros com n vezes a capacidade da tua ps3...

sincerametne as consolas podem ter os dias contados...pelo menos estas que tentam competir com os pc's...
como pode a ps3 competir com o pc se nem consegue competir com a xbox 360 que continua inferior aos pcs...hum?

só o facto de serem in order cpu's em ambas consolas deveria fazer questionar um pouco as incapacidades das consolas...

[mistertwoturbo]

powervr

you have no idea of what the hell you're talking about. and in actuality, nobody is really denying the fact that a $2000 PC will have better graphics than a $279 360, or a $399 PS3.

But that's not the point, it's the games are what matters.

The FACT is the negatives out-weigh the positives for a maxed-out PC:

Positive:
-Excellent Graphics
-Excellent Frame rates

Negatives:
-Expensive
-Mouse and Keyboard not fit for all games, best for RTS or FPS
-Small Screen size (average computer monitors, not super-geeked out 140' projector guys)
-Lack of compelling titles. Yes, lack of compelling titles. It's not until the PC gets games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy 13, Mass Effect, etc. til it makes any difference.

And if even it does get those games, you have to cut off your legs to really enjoy it. I mean the internet touts Crysis as the most advanced graphics ever to date, yet only a handful of people are even going to play it at "true next-gen" max settings. Everybody else still just sits back and play it in current-gen.

So why go out and drop $2000 on a PC setup, when you can just grab a 360 or even PS3, hook it up to a TV, kick back on your bed, and just enjoy playing a game.

[Gorgon]

Mistertwoturbo: Some of the reasons you put there are personal opinions, not facts.

-Mouse and Keyboard not fit for all games, best for RTS or FPS

This is wrong. Console controlers are also not fit for all games, so you can't use this argument against PCs.

-Small Screen size (average computer monitors, not super-geeked out 140' projector guys)

Again a wrong argument. The screen size depends on what you buy, just like the console people. I doubt most console palyers are playing on 60'' screens.

-Lack of compelling titles. Yes, lack of compelling titles. It's not until the PC gets games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy 13, Mass Effect, etc. til it makes any difference.

Wrong again. Compeling titles depend interely on your personal preferences. I don't care a rat's ass personaly to the games you mentioned, execep Mass Effect (which will end up on the PC any way, just wait). FF 13, MGS 4, HAlO, GoW, etc you can keep them all.

[powervr]

duarte também deves ter reparado que a ps3 pode provocar uma estagnação no mercado dos pc's...

acho até que se não fosse a hegemonia da sony no mercado das consolas, a microsoft nunca teria feito uma consola...
o mercado dos videojogos estava completamente a secar os pc's...

A xbox 360 é uma lufada de ar fresco também para os pc's...
já que os acordos de exclusividade da microsoft geralmente contemplam o vista...

sinceramente se fosse como em portugal só playstation á frente, estariamos mal como consumidores de pc...muito mal mesmo.

Ainda bem que o mundo não é como portugal...
e sinceramente parece que haverá equilibrio...
quer dizer entre a ps3 e a xbox 360 mesmo que em diferentes territorios haja desequilibrio.

como em portugal...onde parece que só existe playstation...
Isso é mau para os consumidores...
digo eu...

[JokesOnYou]

but I just dont like it much, sure if you have the right set-up it outperforms consoles but console gaming with a controller on a nice tv (HD) is just alot more engaging for me. Gears is still an awesome game to play on my 360.

JOY

[powervr]

[quote]but I just dont like it much, sure if you have the right set-up it outperforms consoles but console gaming with a controller on a nice tv (HD) is just alot more engaging for me. Gears is still an awesome game to play on my 360.

JOY [/quote]

well my pc is in my living room connected through hdmi it's an 83 cms LCD ...could be bigger...of course...

And mostly I use my xbox 360 controller to play in my "BIG" 16/9 LCD
So what is the problem?

It's very silent...less noise than with my xbox 360 actually I can't hear my pc, (large fans, low rpms)
And it's in acrilic...
fits excelent in my living room with my audio system.

I actually do not need and dvd player...
I probably will buy an internal bluray or hd-dvd player for my hi def movie viewing...
:D

The best swiss knife I can think off...

[snakeater3]

try playing mgs4, ff13 or uncharted on your high end pc lofl...all u get is some stupid fps\s and nerdy rts! hehehehehhe....so much for your swiss knife

[RINGOFDEATH]

plus you have to have enough ram and to play the new PC games thats coming out,PC always have conflict promblems too. And installing PC games is iritatiing,I like consoles because you just pop in a game and play .

[ulath666]

RAM has never been cheaper then it is now. A good gfx card costs ~half of a current gen console. Installing games isnt a chore. Youll have that 5 mina back times ten with shorter loadtimes...

[Scrooge]

We've heard these arguments over and over from console fans. "PC gaming is too expensive, and who wouldn't want to game on the comfort of a couch". The fact still remains, pricey as it is, the PC will always be more powerful than consoles. Console fans say that the PC's ability to upgrade is a money pit, PC fans generally love the ability to stay up-to-date and upgrade. So whine all you want, it doesn't change the fact that the PC is better.

[Seijuurou]

It all depends on the type of experience that you want. If you want the top of the line, then obviously you will constantly upgrade your computer to keep up with the latest and greatest in technology. If you are more conservative and don't want to upgrade your computer every 2 years or so, then deffinitely stick with a console because it will be cheaper for you. It all depends on your priorities. Somebody like myself with a disposable income might spend $3k on a comp as well as a console, whereas somebody with a family might opt for a console.

[Bnet343]

for FPS and RTS, thats it, it doesnt have good japanese games

[powervr]

No japanese games?
and that is really a big problem?

I am not american, but most japanese games lacks in quality...at least in my perspective...

UBIsoft is european and they actually make better games that most japanese conmpanies...
and they deliver to the pc also...
:D

japanese RPG are not my kind of game ...

[mesh1]

the pc is the best gaming platform thus i use to only buy games fo the p[c but due to low funds of upgrading gpu/ram/proccessor/powersupply s etc i bought a 360 and in time as now all pc games are comign to next gen console but yes if next gen console were not selling a lot and devs like bioware/ifinity awards/epic wud still be making pc only games ,i think th enext gen console have made a massive dent on the pc gaming front as sales +good titles of pc only games are becoming rare maybe except crysis .

[Gorgon]

Good PC only games are becoming rare? Lets see:

- Far Cry 2
- The Witcher (best RPG since Planescape:Torment)
- Spore
- Stalker
- Stalker: Clear Sky
- Dragon Age
- Borderlands
- Crysis

and others I dont care. So what have the consoles to opose? MGS4? LA Noire? RE5? (Please don't mention HALO because any PC player will laugh in your face). Yes, there are more AAA exclusives for console than PC, taht I agree, but its largely a matter of taste which ones you prefer. For me PC exclusives are still WAAAYYYY more interesting than console exclusvies, not to mention that Xbox 360 exclusives usualy end up on the PC anyway because its good for MS and VISTA.

Playstation is the only console where you can be sure the First Party titles don't end up pn the PC and thats why I may eventually buy one for those (RARE) pearls that are Playstation only, like Shadow of the Colossus. Everything else on the consoles I can live without if I have to opt between the two systems.

[mesh1]

gorgon we are in 2007 right tel me a pc game this year that cam out that is only pc that out right now that AAA ?.

[Gorgon]

Stalker and The Witcher came out this year. Crysis is going out this month. There are more also. This is just to point out that there are indeed excelent PC-only games for the PC. PC is far from dead.

[WEWdeadeye]

Extra levels that 360 couldn't handle? WHAT? They created those extra levels after the release of the 360 version so there would be a reason for people to buy it on the PC. It wouldn't benefit the interest of the developers to release the PC exclusive levels on the 360, because then why would someone buy the PC version too if they already have it on the BOX. It would be pretty sad it it didn't look better, since it has taken over a year to port the game. Not only that, but how many graphic cards revisions have occurred on the PC side of things since the 360 came out? Usually about every 6 months a new architecture is released.

[QQcrybaby]

PC shooters and RPG's will generally be superior to their console competition. You just need a bit more money to be able to enjoy them.

[jinn]

forget PC, it's time Epic Games starts working on part 2 with vehicles in multiplayer and more weapons in the game.

[dirtrider]

pc gaming is a joke, hence the reason why they have like a 4 ft section and a game retailer, and the consoles have at least a wall a piece. i have also heard from the grapevine long ago that eb games/ gamestop was considering droppin pc games from their pitaful little section. pc gamers and say what they want but statistically more peeps game on consoles. if i was a developer i wouldnt wanna make pc games as they normally sale a lot less. peace xbl names are demented spirit and ixi assazin ixi see u in vegas- a game thats not buggy on the 360 but is on pc.

[Bonsai1214]

you realize that if game retailers kept all the games that have been released on the wall, it would take up more store space than the average gamestop or eb has.

and i'm sure you've heard of the Sims or Myst, which has outsold every console game ever made..

[Scrooge]

PC sucks cause "more peeps game on consoles"? You don't think price is the issue? That's like saying Porsche sucks cause more peeps drive Hondas. Of course more people game on consoles.

[Gorgon]

Dirtrider, its the same thing as Hollywood. Most of the movies they produce are pure CRAP, but they produce MUCH MORE CRAP than good movies. Its the same thing on consoles. There's a lot more gamers on consoles, and the target audience is less critic, demanding, and more gullyble than the PC croud. Hence, there's less stuff for the PC but its usually much better. I mean, look at HALO and Gears of War. Those games may be interesting, but hell, they are not really that great. From a PC point of view, they are just, well, basic. They are like a Shwarzeneeger movie (consoles) to the Apocalypse Now (PC). Which one do you prefer?

[cpuchess]

I was very happy to see the Crysis demo support the Xbox controller. Now I will buy it, if it was just a K+M configuration I wouldn't of given it the time of day. Some games like Age of Empires work better with a K+M, it's why I bought Command and Conquer:Tiberium Wars for the PC instead of the 360.

[cherdman]

PC gaming is good. Console gaming is better.

[jackdoe]

My god. Gamesradar writer's are fanboys. PC fanboys (this review), 360 fanboys (VF 4 review), have yet to see a PS3 fanboy in a review but that will probably be coming with the CoD 4 review.

[led1090]

have u read the article on n4g bout a high end gaming pc for 500$ no i think you should cause that pc can play games like crysis cod4 etc in all its glory you should make the right decisions and you will be good to go for at least 3 yrs..........and yes we are not getting mass effect but we are getting dragon age which bioware has stated will be their best game to date it has a realtime sword fighting system and an update version of the mass effect conversation system plus most of the multiplatform games come to the pc also the pc online community is huge and yes mouse and keyboard is good for fps and rpgs and rts but think bout it these r some of the best genres in gaming so i'm not complaining

[led1090]

its just cheaper just play crysis on a high end pc for half an hour u will understand what pc gaming is all about

[AIZEN SOZUKE]

ps3 isnt a console, so pc is better than console, but if ps3 was a console then pc isnt better than console

[SebL]

I think PC gaming is better than console gaming. However, to play Crysis and GoW on the PC at a decent frame rate with full visuals is going to cost upwards of £1500. I can play GoW on my Xbox for around £250! I also know that on my Xbox I am going to be able to play all future games released for the console the way they were meant to be played. Meanwhile my £1500 PC is going to be an obsolete relic in a few months.

[led1090]

an 8800gt come for 200$ and a good c2d comes for 200$ ur who comp will hardly cost u 1000$ that is arnd 550 pounds

[Jdoki]

A Welcome Reminder How Much Better PC Gaming Can Be...

...And how much more expensive!

Console's and PC's can live together happily.

I'm glad I kicked the habit of upgrading my PC just for a few more frames per second - it can become almost an obsession to some.

PC gaming may be great and certainly has it's place, but in all the years of PC gaming there's never really been the same level of innovation and creativity as seen on the consoles.

Also, I like the idea of investing once in console hardware, and actually seeing performance improve over it's lifetime - you only have to look at early PS2 games compared to recent releases to feel good about the money laid down. The same can not be said for PC games/hardware...

[snoopgg]

to play the newer games. What a waste of money. People buy consoles, so they don't have to keep updating their video cards, and ram on their pcs just to get the thing to run. Have you ever just bought a pc game you really wanted to play and your computer wasn't good enough. Let me tell you, that pc experience is priceless!!!!! Consoles all the way.

[The_Engineer]

is that not even a year after the game is released it is already running in form not possible on the 360. NOT EVEN ONE YEAR, that doesn't speak well for this consoles future proofness.

[powervr]

yah...
ok, the xbox 360 could be better still if it had 1 more year of development, but, the fact is that pc is way better.

PS3 as a console is laughable, it's not in the same league as xbox 360 in games, and SPE's are not cores so 1/3 of conventional computer power of xbox 360.
GPU without unified pipelines...it's not only the ram that isn't unified in ps3.

And sony is saying that ps3 would last for 10 years?
HAHAHA

I believe in them...
there are just too many fanboys...

Regardless most people have computers...and we could buy an GPU for that computer that could indeed make the teraflops of the ps3 pale in shame...

SPE's are very similar to a processing unity of a directx10 gpu, and some have more than 128 processing units.

Graphics are a good multithread/core environment that is why we double the pipeline we double the fps...
That is not the case of normal algorithms for example in AI, that is why the ps3 sucks bad...
:D

it0s just a comedy
ps3 will last 10 years...
:D
any sub-par pc in 1 year will be 10 times better than ps3...
hahah even the xbox 360 is better.

[marcellizot]

Here's a question, with the 360 wireless reciever that allows you to use your 360 controllers for games for windows titles, is the support for the pad all there and ready to go assuming you have the controller and the reciever.

I have never been a keys and mouse guy and the thought of being able to hook a PC up to an awsome tv and play crisis or Gears with a 360 controller really appeals.

[The Dark Knight]

man stop fooling yourself, pc gamers are the biggest nerds out and dont even say there not cause clearly they are with all the nerdy trashy talk.

and the ps3 is worse than the 360 and pc so i wouldnt be celebrating man, its a fact that the ps3 is a flop. Its games are awful and yes use that lame term "we got killzone 2 and metal gear soild 4 and final fantasy....wow 3 games are going to save that trash geez why dont you tell me rachet and clank is the game that has saved the ps3 this Christmas bahaha , theres no way in hell....

so stop with this nonsense and accept the fact that the ps3 is GONE

Sonys time has ended.

This is xbox's time to shine F*CKERS!

[JasonXE]

Epic had a lot of time to work on Gears for the PC then on the 360. If it was simultaneously release then the difference would have been marginal. A year after release with current pc tech would obviously make gears on the pc better or for any game. It's a key point that is over look.

[zonetrooper5]

I like playing both consoles and PC's and yes PC's are more powerful and better than consoles but thats not to say I don't enjoy both.

[byaaface]

someone sounds a bit threatened by consoles... :(