Gears of War Ultimate Edition Beta Review

I got to play the beta for the next Gears recently. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. I don't play Gears for the multiplayer MOBA maps. I play it for the stories. It's not that I don't mind getting into a frag-fest every now and again, it's just that I don't always get to go online when my friends do, nor do I always play the same games that they do. So, when a game that has surprisingly good stories comes out, I want the solo play, no matter how good the arena is supposed to be.

There is also the newness factor that comes into play (no pun intended). When a game like Halo or Shadowrun first comes out, there's usually enough people interested in the game to provide a balanced team, whether you're a new or seasoned player. But as time goes on, less new people join, and more of the older people stop. As a result, the teams can be lopsided, or worse, the server is shut down (R.I.P. Avatar).

Although I did have some fun playing the beta, I had a learning curve to deal with. I am not a huge Gears fan. Maybe if all games used the same controller layout, I could have avoided the memory issue of what button reloads, how do I switch weapons, etc. Instead, I had to deal with all of this while avoiding fire. Something that took a bit of the fun out of it for me, a non-Gears fanatic.

The other issue that I had is the standard, "don't choose your side, the game will decide for you," element of team building. I would have preferred to play as a COG, instead of a Locust, had I been given a choice. Instead, I was just thrown into a team of Locust, just before the match started. I didn't even have time to chose Sniper, or even see what the other options are. I had to wait for the second match to do so.

On the positive side, the graphics were far better than I expected, and I really expected something from them. The sound was what I expected, which really wasn't much. Let's face it, in a MOBA, all you need are gunshots, explosions, and grunting from the wounded.

So, would this beta increase my chances of buying the next Gears on release day? No. I can't say that the experience justifies a $60 price tag. If The Coalition wants me to shell out any money for the game, they'll have to wait until the price drops to the "Greatest Hits" value price, or at least give me a demo that lets me check out the game play for solo. Otherwise, I may even wait for it's eventual "free with Gold" offering.

MOBAs are a dime a dozen. A good solo or side-by-side co-op is always worth the extra money to me, because I can play when I want, how I want, without worrying about a server being down or closed. I can enjoy the game without waiting for another player that owns the game to plug it in. At $350 for a console, and however much per game, I think I deserve that much control.