Re-equipping My Lancer
Gears of War. Who could argue that those three words have become synonymous with Xbox 360? It’s ‘our’ exclusive, the one that truly demonstrated what the 360 was capable of, and it certainly deserved the praise both critics and gamers alike showered it with. Like many others, I let myself get caught up in the hype and put my pre-order down for the game’s release in 2006, and while it has become a game I never publicly fault, it’s one that no one ever hears me talk about.
Although I appreciated the game for what it was, and even now I find it difficult to fault the gameplay, I never fell in love with the game like many others did. There were only a couple of reasons why, but I think the main reason was simply a case of characters; big, beefy, over-emasculated, meatheads. Although I enjoyed my playthrough and the occasional dabbling of MultiPlayer (though I failed to master the ‘shotgun and roll’ tactic that success seemed to hinge on), I gave the sequel a miss because the characters pissed me off so much.
Okay, so Cole was pretty awesome. There aren’t many fine details I recall about the characters, but I did enjoy Cole’s quips. And Carmine. You never really know much about him, but I know I like him. However, I just found it difficult to relate to any of the characters, especially physically.
I know, I know, it’s lame, right? I don’t exactly relate to Lara Croft with my modest B cup (and that’s probably wishful thinking), yet I love Tomb Raider mainly because of her. I don’t particularly relate to a 16 year old boy who, despite his age, hasn’t appeared to have hit puberty, yet I still love Blue Dragon. You get my point. It’s pretty illogical, yet it’s just the way it always has been.
I don’t have anything derogatory to say about Alan Wake. My advice to you? Spend a night in Bright Falls and soak up the eerie atmosphere. Alan Wake excels at thrilling you psychologically. Which is why it’s called a psychological thriller, I guess…
