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Gears of War pc Game Reviews
Gears of War
Critic Score
Metascore: 87 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
5.5 out of 10
based on 30 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 76 votes
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Rate this game

Gears of War thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. With Gears of War, Epic returns gamers to the massively scoped worlds, memorable characters, co-operative gameplay, and hyper-realistic combat that gamers have come to expect from the franchise, plus a few new surprises. Gears of War features locations that are unique to the franchise and the genre. Players encounter all of their favorite foes from the Xbox 360 version; however, these intense encounters take place in some new environments and allow players to manipulate the new game modes and technology found only in a Games for Windows title. Boasting three new multiplayer maps, a new multiplayer game type, game editor, five new campaign chapters, and DirectX 10support, Gears of War, challenges and pushes the limits of the PC gaming experience and provide an unparalleled visual presentation. [Microsoft]

PUBLISHER: Microsoft
DEVELOPER: Epic Games
GENRE(S): Third-Person Shooter
PLAYERS: 8
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: November 6, 2007

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
VideoGamer
The 360 game's soul shines just as bright now as it did a year ago, and so the PC version, with its improved visuals, lengthened campaign, more multiplayer maps and a game editor at least matches it, and perhaps even exceeds it.
Read Full Review
98
Cheat Code Central
Gears of War is all about breaking apart the status quo, and the port to PC succeeds masterfully in this endeavor just as the Xbox 360 version did. It's a heavy hitter on every level.
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94
Worth Playing
The title adapts to mouse and keyboard controls flawlessly, handles multiplayer better than the original, and it retains the same level of quality that made the game such a smash hit with its initial release on the Xbox 360.
Read Full Review
93
GameZone
Gears of War on the PC is still the same ground breaking game it was a year ago just now on the PC. The same innovative gameplay and breathtaking events are included along with five new campaign levels exclusive to the PC.
Read Full Review
91
AtomicGamer
Despite some complaints with the multiplayer mode and Windows Live quibbles, Gears of War is still a damn fine PC port of an excellent action game.
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90
GameSpy
Everything about the game's presentation is top-notch, from the washed-out stylized art design to the feature-film level soundtrack that pounds away from start to finish. And that's really what Gears is all about: it's a slick, polished action film that you happen to play on your PC.
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90
GameSpot
The PC version of Gears of War is everything the 360 version was and more.
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90
EuroGamer
Gears of War remains a triumph. It is an almost relentless march of unpretentious, cartoon violence that serves as a satisfyingly brainless alternative to the complexity of its contemporaries. Whether played alone or with a friend, it's essential gaming.
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90
PC Zone UK
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.
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90
Game Almighty
In the end, Gears of War isn't perfect, but it does what it does so incredibly well that you just can't help but love it.
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90
Game Chronicles
Gears of War for the PC is a great game and one that is especially well built in many areas, it may be a port for some of the gameplay and levels but it does not feel like one at all.
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90
PC Gamer
Still, Gears of War is a fantastic action game worthy of your time if you've never played the Xbox 360 version. [Jan 2008, p.72]
89
ActionTrip
The performance is excellent, the crispy-clean 1600x1200 resolution certainly helped and the controls feel a lot more natural on the PC.
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89
IC-Games
Overall Gears of Wars is a cracking game, with the addition of some more levels, the multiplayer maps and the level designer there is a lot of extras for the PC owner, the question is, if you already own the Xbox version is it still worth the purchase.
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88
PC Gamer UK
The PC version of Gears of War is absolutely the definitive take on one of the most talked about games of the last few years. [Christmas 2007, p.70]
88
GameTrailers
So, it may play better with a 360 controller, it may quirk out, and the new stuff may be good but not great, but it’s still one of the most solid PC games of the year, with a great single-player game that can even be played cooperatively, and fantastic, team-based multiplayer that’s just a few notches below Team Fortress.
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87
NZGamer
A great game done better. The graphics are improved, the gameplay remains intact, and some quality content has been added into the mix. If only every port to the PC were like this.
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87
IGN
The mouse and keyboard allow for more precise control, and the graphics have been improved as well. With the additional single-player content, King of the Hill multiplayer mode, extra maps, and a map editor, Gears offers an even more impressive feature set than before.
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86
GameStar
Action fans who are not bothered by the bloody presentation should definitely get the game. If you can find a friend to play the ingenious Co-Op mode with, Gears of War is a must-have.
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85
GamerNode
Gears of War on the PC is an excellent "port" by seasoned industry veterans and a testament to PC gaming. Everything transitioned smoothly, and there's no awful leftovers -- only delicious desserts.
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84
PC Format
A tense, nervous gun-ache of a game that will make you jump and scream. [Jan 2008, p.70]
82
Pelit (Finland)
Looks just absolutely amazing on PC. Too bad the gameplay repeats itself to death: the same static duck and cover firefights get old pretty fast. Luckily the co-op multiplayer is great fun and the brilliant visuals keep players interested enough till the credits roll. [Dec 2007]
80
G4 TV
The PC version of Gears of War feels both more and less complete. While the new seamlessly slipped-in missions add more narrative and in a few cases, some exceptionally difficult and satisfying battles; they don’t add anything substantive to a story already at best worth half a buck and a bag of popcorn.
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80
GameDaily
With upgraded graphics, exclusive campaign chapters and a handful of new multiplayer features (handled through Games for Windows Live), Gears of War is a very desirable shooter.
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80
GameTap
While all the added content is damn good, ironically, the greatest gameplay addition to this PC port is also responsible for one of the bigger annoyances: the interface.
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80
Gaming Nexus
The new content and inclusion of the editor is nice but if you already own the game on the Xbox 360 you might not find enough here to warrant spending another $50. I definitely like the control scheme better and it does look better than the console on high detail.
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80
Total Video Games
Gears of War has been faithfully ported to the PC and Epic has also provided a nice range of exclusive features, most notably a 'lost' act in the single-player campaign. It's well worth a purchase for PC owners who haven't yet experienced the brilliance of Gears.
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80
Game Informer
Unless you feel that the (somewhat disappointing) fight against the Brumak or a minor splash of new single-player content is worth $50, the only gamers that should be thinking about purchasing this are 360-impaired PC owners that never got into the fun last year – especially considering the multitude of superior multiplayer options in the PC action sector.
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80
Game Over Online
GoW lacks the sort of awe that I found in Bioshock, and it doesn’t really immerse you in the plot the way that Half-Life did, and it’s not so completely out-of-the-box like Portal, but it has a certain visceral Doom-ish quality that many of the more intellectual FPS games don’t.
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70
1UP
Gears is most likely to appeal to console gamers already in love with the game, who can now see it in glorious high-res detail and at superfast framerates -- with a muscular enough PC, that is.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 5.5 (out of 10) based on 76 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

James L. gave it a2:
I have to argue with Zach's comment about the cover system. Many of other games have a better "cover system" that doesn't require that you get into any fancy stances. Andrew G. made a great point: if life were entertaining, we wouldn't need pretty games :) In the end, a game is only as good as it's entertainment and longevity. Gears Of War was half way there with entertainment, and nowhere with longevity .

Zach gave it a10:
Excellent port to PC, including new maps, and great gameplay. Ingenious cover system used allowing you to take cover behind anything, anywhere. The system requirements are correct, as I am running bare minimum on XP, but can run the game on highest settings, averaging 40 frames a second. Singleplayer is not where this game shines. If you want to get this game, get it for the multiplayer, because that's where all the action is at.

Andrew G. gave it a1:
Complete agreement with the comment below - pretty, polished high-production values - but dull, on a level that is becoming lost of game developers. Graphics do not make a game interesting. Otherwise 'life' would be interesting. :)

Kevin gave it a2:
This game illustrates the difference between console and PC gamers. Gears doesn't really require much thought at all- its very repetitive, and not really any fun. Not to mention the story is very unimaginative. Don't bother with this game.

Antonio F. gave it a9:
Great game if you can overcome its flaws. its hard to reccomend after there are so many good shooters this year but never the less this is a good one. and with some nice weapons that give oyu some real killing satisfaction.

Felix gave it a9:
I agree. The single player is repetitive and boring. However, multiplayer is where the game shines. People almost never take cover in multiplayer. However...it works really well on the 360. Just not the PC so much, because the animations make it WAY too easy for headshots.

[Anonymous] gave it a2:
The game is at least interesting in its own right, and the gameplay elements (cover system and grenade trajectory system) the game just has too many bugs to be considered fun. I tend to spend more time dealing with crashes than I do actually playing the game. Additionally, do not believe the system requirements. The requirements listed are the bare minimums. In order to play this game, you need a system that can handle Crysis at near max. As a final note, this game may run decently on Vista (I have noted that Vista Ultimate users have the best luck with getting this to work), Gears just does not run properly on a XP based system. I recommend that you wait for additional patches before buying this game.

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