Ever heard of Gears of War video games before? If so, then it’s time to put down the controller and start reading. If not then, it’s time to find out about a new game that is being released!

On September 20, Gears of War 3, the most anticipated video game of the fall season, was released on the Xbox 360. This is the last and final game in the Gears of War Trilogy developed by Epic Games. Apart from the other successful games Gears 1 and 2, the third Gears is just ridiculously good. The campaign is unlike no other, taking you on a wild roller coaster ride. The game is similar to classic action movies – the good guys versus the bad guys.

In this game, many new features are available that separate it from its predecessors, but for the full experience, give the multiplayer mode a try. In order to access multiplayer, an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required.  In this game, the campaign can be played online through Xbox Live with up to four friends. In the new multiplayer there are the tons of new features and game modes that provide a lot of variety. First off, dedicated servers were added in multiplayer. New game modes like Team Deathmatch and Capture the Leader were added to input more variety when playing multiplayer. The older classic game modes: Execution, Wingman, King of the Hill, and Horde are new and improved. Beast Mode, another new development, is from the perspective of the enemy. Here, the objective is to defeat the good guys.

While playing online, people are now able to select two different guns that are available: the Retro Lancer and Sawed-Off-Shotgun. Now available in online play are different characters that can be selected and played with based on unlockables, from the Gears 3 Beta and Gears 3 online medals earned/completed. Another unique feature about Gears 3 is the weapon skins. Robert Newbie (‘12) said, “The best part about Gears 3 is the custom weapon skins available to the public.”

There are many ways that these weapon skins can be unlocked including certain Xbox Achievements from Gears 1, 2, and 3; playing the first week the game comes out; or purchasing the skins with Microsoft Points and downloading them to be put on one’s weapons of choice.

One last thing that makes this game completely different from others is the ability to buy a season pass. It costs $30, and allows people to save 33 percent on all downloadable content. The downloadable content includes multiplayer maps and more missions in campaign. “The fact that there is so much diversity in this game makes it way better than any game I’ve played before,” said Josh Scroggins (‘12).

The campaign is crazy, the multiplayer is out of this world, and everything in between is great. Do yourself a favor and go out and grab this game. I would rate Gears of War 3 a solid, 9.0/10, without a doubt.