It's official: I'm excited about Gears of War 3. All it took was one little run through the new Beast Mode and I'm hooked. Little I've seen at E3 this year can compete with the goofy insanity of steering a Ticker towards a Gear and then blowing up in his unsuspecting face.
Gears of War 2 introduced Horde Mode, a game type where several friends could join up to battle increasingly difficult waves of AI controlled monsters. For the close of the trilogy, Epic has added Beast Mode. Here you get to play as the horde against wave after wave of AI controlled humans. And they really don't stand a chance.
The demo snippet I played through included a handful of waves, each with an assortment of creatures to choose from. That gave me a chance to play as everything from the little Tickers and Wretches all of the way up to Boomers and Berserkers. In the final game, some beasts will be unlocked at the start while the very best -- and I'm guessing things like the Berserker Lambent would fall under that category -- must be purchased by earning tokens through skillful play.
If you've ever stepped into a later round of Horde Mode on one of the higher difficulties, then you know how tough it can be to face off against a group of Butchers or Boomers. Now imagine what it would be like if those monsters were controlled by humans. Though the AI controlled Gears soldiers in Beast Mode have plenty of firepower -- they'll come at you with giant mechanical ex-suits, the Hammer of Dawn, and plenty of other nasty weapons and turrets -- and begin each round outnumbering your side 15 to 5, most of the game is a blood and gore fest at their expense.
The best part about Beast Mode is how different each class of monster feels. Little critters like the Wretch or Serapede are great for getting into the action fast. The Berserker can rage down a hall by holding the A Button or start pounding the ground for an area attack. Humanoid Locusts like Grenadier Elite can pop behind cover or perform executions where they rip off a Gear's arm and then beat him to death with it. Choosing your beast is like choosing a class. Do you want to rush the front lines? Maybe you should use an Armored Kantus so that you can absorb standard bullet fire. Or you could choose the standard Kantus and revive fallen comrades (don't forget that the Cogs will be doing the same if you don't finish off your targets completely). The class selection screen will let you know what your teammates are playing as, so it's easy to quickly put together a little Mauler army if you want.
Like I said at the beginning of this preview, nothing beats the Ticker. Zipping around, bumping off of walls and then screaming towards a huddled group of humans to explode is hilarious. I had my own theme song for them that I was humming each time I spawned and then rushed towards my own death. Tickers are pretty effective, too. Just find a group bunkered down behind a turret and time your explosion properly and you can take out five or six guys at once.
Gears of War 3 is surprisingly polished for a game that still isn't supposed to be finished until April of 2011. It looks great and handles well, though some of the beasts could use be a bit easier to control (the Berserker has a tendency to get caught on corners awkwardly right now). Most importantly, the game is a lot of fun. Beast Mode was my first introduction to playing Gears 3, and now I couldn't be more excited about what else Epic has in store for us.
