Digital Foundry vs. Gears of War 3

By Richard Leadbetter Published 17 September, 2011

Finishing the fight.

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The smart money says we're nine months away from the reveal of brand-new Xbox hardware, that major advances in visual technology are being held back by the hardware limitations of six-year-old architecture. Gears of War 3 begs to differ. Developed in parallel with the hugely popular Unreal Engine 3 technology, the game looks absolutely remarkable: put it side-by-side with the last game, or even up against Epic's own Bulletstorm, and it's clear that the current gen is still capable of some genuine surprises.

In this feature we'll be showcasing the technical make-up of the new Gears, using screenshots and video to demonstrate why we think this is a landmark achievement for the Xbox 360 platform. In the run-up to the game's launch, Microsoft issued a range of eminently sensible guidelines on what we can and can't show, mostly related to story elements. While we have adhered to these guidelines and omitted all cut-scenes and as much plot-related dialogue as we could, those who wish to remain spoiler-free may wish to duck out of this article until they've played the game.

And what a game it is. What the new release may lack in terms of surprises or innovation, it more than delivers in terms of handing in the most refined, polished Gears experience yet. Almost three years in production, Gears of War 3 has enjoyed a development cycle considerably longer than that of its predecessor: beyond the technical achievement, what really stands out here is the level of polish - the care and attention - that has gone into the final product.

Projects such as the multiplayer beta only came about via the extended window of development Epic had to get this game right. That particular sampler gave us our first taste of the upgraded engine but at that point we only had some idea of the plans Epic had for the all-important campaign. The good news is that in terms of the experience and spectacle of the final game, the development team has more than delivered. The question is, can the technology keep up with the demands placed on it?

Gears of War 3 manages to match or even exceed the performance of its predecessor despite the inclusion of a far more advanced series of rendering technologies.

Those familiar with our analysis of Unreal Engine 3 games will know that generally speaking, the performance of the technology follows a pretty specific pattern - one that's fairly common to the majority of console games this generation, certainly on the Xbox 360. Frame-rate is capped to 30 frames per second, ensuring a consistent look, with v-sync engaged. However, it's incredibly tough work to keep to a specific rendering budget, so when performance dips, v-sync is disengaged and torn frames crop in.

Performance in Gears of War 2 could be somewhat variable, but remarkably, Unreal Engine 3 has been enormously improved for this sequel and if anything, the overall performance level is even better than it was, only really struggling when a cocktail of post-processing effects are in play. Screen-tear is present and noticeable, but generally not as intrusive as it was in the previous game. Where things remain the same is in the handling of cut-scenes. In most cases, Epic prefers to engage v-sync here consistently, meaning that the engine-driven cinematics can switch between 20FPS and 30FPS, giving a somewhat disjointed look as the narrative switches between cuts.

In terms of technical comparisons with its predecessor, the only compromise we see is that in line with most Unreal Engine 3 titles released recently, there is no noticeable anti-aliasing. Gears of War 2 implemented 2x multi-sample anti-aliasing (MSAA) but the coverage was patchy to say the least, and it's fair to say that the post-processing techniques we see in the sequel do much more than the old, borked MSAA ever did in terms of reducing aliasing issues across the run of play.

Indeed, in our Gears of War 3 beta coverage, we went so far as to say that aliasing wasn't really an issue in the game. Well, on the levels we had to look at there, with the low-contrast colour schemes and blending atmospheric effects, that was definitely the case, but the final game throws out a lot more range and there are plenty of "jaggies" in evidence, especially in the more colourful stages.

This is something of a surprise: NVIDIA's FXAA technology has made its way into several shipping games now and there's even support in recent builds of Unreal Engine 3, so the non-appearance of any form of anti-aliasing in Gears 3 - even one as light on resources as FXAA - is curious. It may simply be the case that performance is finely balanced as it is and Epic couldn't factor in the required 1ms of GPU time. Similarly, it could simply be the case that the artists didn't like the effect on their intricate artwork - at the end of the day, FXAA is essentially an intelligently applied blur.

In this montage of clips we highlight some of the superb new effects work Epic has added to Unreal Engine 3 and showcased to great effect in Gears of War 3.

What the game may lack in terms of anti-aliasing it more than makes up for with a raft of extremely well realised effects. Aside from a general increase in the overall detail level, perhaps the most impactful improvement made to the game concerns the lighting. In previous Gears titles, the effect has always been direct, often overly bright and unnatural, giving a somewhat harsh look to the highly detailed art, with specular elements in particular sticking out somewhat (and adding to aliasing issues in their own way).

Things are different in the new game: the team has utilised the Unreal Lightmass global illumination tech to excellent effect: light and shadow now have real depth and volume and work in combination with UE3 real-time effects such as the god-rays/sun-shafts we saw in the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Bulletstorm released earlier this year.

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Comments (132) Latest comment 8 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • richarddavies #1 8 months ago

    @Mervyn

    Hmmm ok but could do better. I'd give you a 6 out of 10 on the trollomitor.

  • hiscore #2 8 months ago

    Richard, if it doesn't do AA, if it tears and drops frames to 25fps.. then I wouldn't call it a technical achievement (no matter how many particles are flying our way). It would have been if this was 30fps all the way with constant vsync enabled + AA.

  • mojo_x #3 8 months ago

    Great read. Cheers. I'm surprisingly interested in this...it's been a while since I've turned the 360 on.

    Any chance of getting an F1 2011 PS3 vs XBox360 performance comparison done before the end of next week? I'm holding back on my purchase until I know which one is the better buy

  • Douche #4 8 months ago

    @Mervyn_Def_Perving

    Mentioning the Wii, you are clearly on the wind up. Or maybe you are just that retarded. Who knows eh?

    Anyways, game looks pretty stunning. Roll on Tuesday.

  • DozyKipper #5 8 months ago

    Queers of Bore. Why did that make me laugh? I'm an intelligent adult, for goodness sakes.
    Edited by DozyKipper at 17/09/11 @ 13:52

  • des #6 8 months ago

    Queers of Bore...lololol

    Have to use that somewhere,lol

  • technicianTed #7 8 months ago

    Should have got the guy who wrote this article to review the main game.
    As i thought, it's one of the best games around and 8/10 is a tad lower than it should have recieved.

    Not that i'm complaining, it still got a good score although Johnny Minkley won't be on cliffyB's xmas card list i would have imagined(not that he'll care) :p

  • KimboDice #8 8 months ago

    I tell you you what! monday's midnight couldn't come any quicker this game looks epic. FTH

  • Feanor #9 8 months ago

    I wish these features didn't rehash the review we have already read. Just stick to the tech stuff.

  • Xardan #10 8 months ago

    Reads like a 10/10.

    A better review than the actual Gears 3 review.

  • Khosrau #11 8 months ago

    No doubt this is technically a very good game, but am I really the only one who thinks the art direction of this game is awful?

  • Vlad27145 #12 8 months ago

    In terms of technical accomplishment, this game is HUGE, and between some aspects handled better and others worse I think it's pretty much on par or slightly better compared to what the best PS3 exclusives have to offer.

    Artistically though, it still sucks really badly for my tastes...

  • sfp_noodle #13 8 months ago

    Just got my copy today from thehut.com and it's stunning :D Want to try it online so badly but I'm gonna wait until Tuesday to avoid being banhammered because of good customer service from thehut for once. Can't believe they actually sent something out to me 4 days before release and used first class delivery too.

    Playing it in splitscreen with my bro and I still haven't noticed any tearing or frame drops so far but that's because the game looks and plays so good that I really don't give a flying fuck. Those of you who are still awaiting copies,you're in for a real treat come Tuesday. The gameplay is pretty standard with added benefits like swapping weapons and ammo with squadmates but so far it's married the best parts of Gears1+2 together. That's no bad thing when the first two were already very good games.

    Also, those of you mocking the story and characters - Yes, they aren't going to win any awards, but when the game is this much fun to play who gives a shit? Look at Vanquish - I skipped pretty much every cutscene because the plot was stupid but the game was fucking brilliant. I ended up finishing it three times in two weeks. A good game is a good game. Just because one or two parts of it aren't given as much attention as another doesn't mean it should be dismissed.

  • TheSpaz #14 8 months ago

    Technical achievement? Don't get me wrong... I don't hate on the 360 when it has good games, but this one is not a technical achievement. Disengaging v-sync and frame drops are not a good thing no matter how good the still screenshots look.

    Look at Uncharted 2... 30fps 99% of the game and not a single tear the entire time. On top of that, it has top notch graphics and dynamic lighting. THAT'S a technical achievement.

    Sorry, 360 fans, I call it as I see it. I'm not saying it's a bad game (because I haven't played it), but the visuals leave more to be desired. I would have liked to have seen v-sync permanent and a constant 30fps.

  • casodi #15 8 months ago

    And here i thought bulletstorm was the best looking u3 game. It looks great. Still think god of war 3 and uncharted 2 are the best looking console games.
    Edited by casodi at 17/09/11 @ 15:53

  • Walkerj #16 8 months ago

    well bearing in mind this but bearing in mind that this guy has too many bears in his mind.

  • Xardan #17 8 months ago

    Oh look, most of the comments are from non Xbox owners. I'm sure their opinions cant be biased at all...

    The fact that people have to troll in here and in the Gears 3 review comments, in order to make themselves feel better about their own console exclusives is pathetic.

    Seems Gears of War 3 is an impressive achievement, and the article here is evidence of that. If you can read it and then still feel like you cant accept that, then i feel sorry for you.

  • casodi #18 8 months ago

    @xardan oh sorry i never knew reading an article and posting a comment is considered trolling. Just because people have preference doesnt make them insecure.
    Edited by casodi at 17/09/11 @ 16:10

  • Badassbab #19 8 months ago

    To all the PS3 fanboys on here laughing at the lack of triple buffer and frame drops. Yeah you have a point. Now point to a PS3 graphical tour de force that features a lot of hi-res alpha, high quality textures, motion blur, shadows and lighting @ 720p all rolled into one while providing 4 player campaign co-op? Exactly. I'm sure if UC2, KZ3 and GOW3 featured hi res alpha effects in the same way Gears does then we would see similar frame rate hits (actually even worse due to the limited bandwidth on PS3).

  • darkmorgado #20 8 months ago

    Just got my copy today from thehut.com and it's stunning :D Want to try it online so badly but I'm gonna wait until Tuesday to avoid being banhammered because of good customer service from thehut for once.

    What? They won't ban you for getting the game early as long as it's legitimate and not pirated.

  • casodi #21 8 months ago

    @badassbab while what you say might be true, gears of war 3 is a game on its own that features 4 player co-op. Saying that its not on ps3 doesnt mean its not possible. Oh and those 3 ps3 games you mentioned checks all but the high res alpha but honestly can you tell the difference between high res and low res alpha without this website telling you.

  • Bander #22 8 months ago

    Wait wait wait, 'arcade variations'? What does this mean?

    I've been wanting story-driven action games to include something I think of as an 'arcade mode' for ages, ripping out time-consuming features that keep me from replaying a game more than once. So what are these variations? Are they for offline gameplay?

    I did want to buy Gear 3 at launch, but changed my mind as it seems other upcoming games are of more interest. If 'arcade variations' are what I hope they are, this could swing my decision back again and have me camping outside a shop at midnight. But the review didn't say anything...

  • darkmorgado #23 8 months ago

    I'm assuming he means stuff like Beast and Horde modes.

  • mfolwell #24 8 months ago

    "Frame-rate is capped to 30 frames per second, ensuring a consistent look, with v-sync engaged. However, it's incredibly tough work to keep to a specific rendering budget, so when performance dips, v-sync is disengaged and torn frames crop in."

    Now I'm no expert, but surely v-sync is actually not engaged at all. As I understand it, if the engine can't cope and v-sync is on, you get dropped frames (and a lower framerate), but you get torn frames if v-sync is off.

    So if Gears tears frames when it can't fully render them at 30fps, doesn't that just mean that there is no v-sync? What would be the point in having it turned on, if you're just going to turn it off whenever a frame isn't fully rendered?

  • Bander #25 8 months ago

    darkmorgado, it went on to say that it wasn't factoring in the multiplayer game modes, so it seems like the variations relate only to the main campaign.

    Edit: typo.
    Edited by Bander at 17/09/11 @ 17:02

  • jetsetdemo #26 8 months ago

    @Mervyn My garden gnome is freezing

  • koshien #27 8 months ago

    "the level of screen-tear is significantly increased over the 2D game"...mmm...
    From the Motorstorm Apocalypse article: "One area that we try to be very careful with is dynamically adjusting the inter-axial to prevent window violations. Also you won't find any frame tearing when Apocalypse is running in 3D. Those two things are incredibly important for having a 3D experience that is comfortable and easy to view."
    I hope tearing in Gears of War 3 won't be too annoying.
    Not that I have a 3D tv, but I think I will buy the Sony oled HMD in December, so I really care about a well-done 3D :)

  • Badassbab #28 8 months ago

    Casodi,

    Thanks to DF I can spot low res alpha very easily. Resistance games (and to a lesser extent Killzone) feature them in spades. With PS3 I much prefer particle based effects. When it comes to alpha based effects the 360 does have a big advantage the best example being Halo Reach but yeah it still drops frames when there are a lot of them on screen at once.

  • casodi #29 8 months ago

    @badassbab come to think of it i havnt seen an alpha heavy game like halo on ps3. These bandwidth issues on the ps3 is really a punch in the face. Thats why i stick to exclusives and play the rest on my buddies xbox.

  • Badassbab #30 8 months ago

    Casodi-

    I wouldn't really say it's a terrible disadvantage because like I mentioned earlier the developers can resort to other types of effects. PS3 exclusives such as Uncharted and Killzone use (imo) fantastic looking dense fire & smoke and particle based effects which don't require any alpha.

  • casodi #31 8 months ago

    @badassbab yeah i guess those are special cases as u3 games on ps3 tend to run into bandwidth issues alot

  • rojjer #32 8 months ago

    @Mervyn_Def_Perving

    trollololol small man, trollolol

  • Pirotic #33 8 months ago

    Considering how well the engine has been optimized to get every bit of power out of the '360. I can't wait to see the party it has when running on the next gen systems which should be at least 4x as powerful.

    Hurry up Microsoft!

  • hliouxas #34 8 months ago

    Mervyn i am a PS3 owner and dont you say that Xbox is finished, if i recall Xbox360 kicked PS3's ass in terms of antialiasing and resolution wise in multiplatform , games like Gears and Uncharted (killzone 3 was a failure) are the ONLY games that move the consoles one step forward(battlefield 3 also MAYBE) , have you seen the screenshots kid? Have you ever SEEN the game in motion? It's not just good , it's simple mindblowing, but you must be the typical sony fan boy not a true gamer who is butthurt from games like these cause it is not on your console... Anyhow , i have seen the game , and i have finished Gears 1, 2 and deffinetly gonna borrow a 360 from a friend and finish Gears 3 cause Goddamn... This game is pure awesomness! And these graphics are simply amazing , so what if it tears abit, so what if there is a lack of antialiasing, come on guys the game itself is gorgeous :D

  • The-Jack-Burton #35 8 months ago

    "release may lack in terms of surprises or innovation"

    "a ringing endorsement of what the Xbox 360 is capable of handling when the right people, the right tech, a lengthy development cycle and an inordinately large budget"

    *sigh*

  • casodi #36 8 months ago

    @mervyn perving lol i see what youre trying to do

  • Dizzy #37 8 months ago

    Best looking game on any console atm. Case closed.

  • Retro_ #38 8 months ago

    All I can say to Naughty Dog is 'No pressure'. Saying that, you just know that UC3 will be utterly jaw droppingly stunning.

  • Nephirion #39 8 months ago

    Looks good I guess for console standards but would run at double the frame rate with full AA on PC without breaking a sweat. Shame that experiences like this are restricted to such 6 year old tech.

  • Number1Laing #40 8 months ago

    A game with no AA, tearing, frame drops, and low quality, blocky videos that actually hinder enjoyment of those videos is a "technical achievement"? Am I being trolled by DigitalFoundry here?

    It sounds like Epic has done everything they can with 360 hardware, which is reasonable (IMO Gears 1 is still one of the system's best looking games, and it is 5 years old). Time for new hardware?

  • The-Jack-Burton #41 8 months ago

    "You rarely feel challenged into trying something new, the same tactics generally just seem work from start to finish. In this sense, the eyes and ears are well taken care of, but the brain doesn't really get a workout"

    *sigh*

  • mr2ange #42 8 months ago

    Agree with most comments here, It does look quite nice although Brown like the last two...

    I can't see how DF can say this is one of the most advanced games of this gen at all... UC2 and GodOfWar3 look far superior in static shots and in motion. plus UC3 is just round the corner...

    plus it drops to 25fps... A masterpiece in my eyes has a set framerate and holds it strong.

  • funkateer #43 8 months ago

    So in short, it's a great game that looks stunning and all technical issues such as lack of AA, tearing, slowdown and low quality videos are forgiven.

    "We see enough PS3 games shipping on 25GB Blu-rays with bandwidth-starved Bink video that perhaps we shouldn't be too upset when we see a 360 DVD-based game doing the same."
    Ah, so it's okay because on PS3 we have to put up with shoddy looking videos that don't utilize Blu-Ray? Strange logic there.

  • HugePS3Fan #44 8 months ago

    This just made me ten times more hyped for this game

  • man.the.king #45 8 months ago

    /finished reading Mervyn_Def_Perving's drivel

    Am incredulous.

  • man.the.king #46 8 months ago

    @Dizzy

    "Best looking game on any console atm. Case closed."

    The "impartial", "unbiased", great and honorable Dizzy has stated thus - I guess that settles it. No more room for debate.
    Edited by man.the.king at 17/09/11 @ 21:31

  • Pinky_Floyd #47 8 months ago

    This game really looks the part!  Pity that its wrapped around some fairly uninspiring gameplay.
    Naughty Dog will deliver on both the looks AND the gameplay.

  • flanker22 #48 8 months ago

    i love lit tracers its crazy so few games have this effect

  • bladdard #49 8 months ago

    I don't understand some folks complaining because of FMV quality or dropped frame rates; technically Gears 3 has moved on massively with a small amount of compromise.

    Epic should be congratulated for their achievement, then again imagine what this could've been if Microsoft still supported the PC platform.

  • Xardan #50 8 months ago

    Wow just wow.

    It is staggering the about of trolling and hate from PS3 and Uncharted fans in here. GTFO out of here and go back to the articles you can relate to, you pathetic drones.

    Just so you know i am ignoring you all. And go ahead and downvote if it makes you feel better about yourself.

  • shad0wprince #51 8 months ago

    One can only imagine how many games on the PS3 would have been better if it weren't for the stupid Xbox and it's limited space problems! Developers are forced to make games for both together and all that good space on the PS3's blu-rays remains unused. No seriously....didn't the face-off for a really big and good looking game go in the PS3's favor? LA Noire, I'm looking at you. :)

  • Marshall2008 #52 8 months ago

    Seems odd to have constant comparisons to Uncharted 2 which, while being a brilliant game left me with no inclination to replay the single player mode and multiplayer was of no interest and is poor compared to the gears series.

    Getting gears 3 and uc3 day 1.

  • Badassbab #53 8 months ago

    Shadowprince-

    Yeah ex PS3 exclusive got a slight nod in favour of the PS3. What a surprise. Ex 360 exclusive Bayonetta was far superior to the PS3 version. If developers want to they can release games on multiple disc as we have seen a few times for the 360. C:LOS, DS2 and FFXIII spring to mind. Also if the game features a lot of FMV then it's up to the developers to utilise the extra disc space for higher quality FMV. See Darksiders.

  • zztopp #54 8 months ago

    Currently the most technically advanced games are both on the Xbox360 (according to Digital Foundry and other sites): Crysis 2 (xbox360 version) and now Gears of War 3. The level of detail of textures in Gears3 in particular is astounding - its way beyond what the PS3 can handle.

  • inutaihanyou #55 8 months ago

    Trolls everywhere on both the Xbox and PS3 side it seems.

    Well, i'm just here to congratulate Epic on their achievement. From what i've seen of GOW3, its engine looks massively improved from the previous games. To streaming effects, to lighting improvements, to artifact bonuses, and texture improvements.

    I for one, will be picking this game up for sure.

  • stepleftstepright #56 8 months ago

    Gears of War: ODST
    Gears of War: Reach
    yeah. Confirmed.

  • altitude2k #57 8 months ago

    Eh?

  • womble #58 8 months ago

    Wow, check out all the angry PS3 fanboys.

    Some of you guys take your console white-knighting a bit too seriously.

    IT'S OK. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO OWN A PS3 AND A 360 AND A PC.

    If you can't enjoy Gears of War 3 (or Resistance 3) then THAT'S YOUR OWN FUCKING FAULT. DEAL WITH IT.

  • kirankara #59 8 months ago

    Lmao at womble criticizing ps3 fanboys and in process coming across as a total 360 fanboy in process .
    Fuck sake people, grow up! Both consoles are very similar with own pro's and con's.
    This is illustrated in how devs choose to design games on each console when they are exclusive or specific format led.
    360 has huge bandwidth advantage and can handle infinitely more alpha teansparencies, whilst ps3 has it's own advantages if they're catered for too.
    Ps3 couldn't replicate gears as it exists on 360, no matter how it was optimized . Similarly 360 couldn't do an exact replica of say uc3. It has it's own strengths , as illustrated by Dice saying ps3 will have superior lighting affects.

    Games are a subjective experience too. If you enjoy one game over another, doesn't make the other
    Crap as an objective truth.

    Just enjoy your games and discuss them like mature adults.

    Let be honest both systems are bloomin outdated now anyway, so fighting over which ones best , is like fighting over which turd u have is the best.

  • jetsetdemo #60 8 months ago

    @Mervyn ......Buy me an Ugg Boot, Ultrasonic Supercollider..... It's all been a load of Joey Deacon cock wank since Sabre Wulf any way.

  • bluetoothion #61 8 months ago

    Seriously ?

    The game looks very nice and probably will be enjoyable as hell what worries me though is that ... it had a healthy development time and enough cash flowing and as the guy says lots of people worked on it...the end result is an article that gives out the impression of a well accomplished game with great alpha- effects and great art and improved lighting
    but doesn't say the exact resolution nowhere.... some dropping frames some screen tearing no AA and Bink codecs which it wasn't the Evil SE that inexplicably used them for XIII but its used even in the most exclusive game of 360,

    I ask where is RL to scream for this injustice.... you get the bitterness i suppose...also 3D is a different story which is for the few but it is stated its somewhere in the middle of it all.

    Don't get me wrong but DF nurtured me with the beastly side of 360 beating down PS3 at every chance.... making PC comments few and sparce.... and now the tides are turned.... PC supremacy is first stated to ensure excuses as if PCs weren't always on top of things from day 1 and now... is the clarification needed.
    If this is what a full exclusive with generous resources gets us on 360 and you are happy with it (technically speaking for those who care) i don't know what to say anymore.

    question perhaps i m blind what resolution is the game running at again?
    Edited by bluetoothion at 18/09/11 @ 12:38

  • Brettman2008 #62 8 months ago

    The game will be native 720P as advised in the Gears of War 3 beta analysis in the link below. As an Xbox gamer I think that this will be one of the most graphically impressive consoles games this year. Probably not the best, that mantle will likely be taken by Uncharted 3, but one of the best. Which is fine by me.

    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digita...
    Edited by Brettman2008 at 18/09/11 @ 09:17

  • GamesConnoisseur #63 8 months ago

    Man!

    It's ruddy Sunday and can't we give it a rest and take a break from consolewarz?!

    True gamer will appreicate the best of the games, whether technical marvels, gameplay, pacing, storytelling and so on, my excitements at Gears 3 and Uncharted 3 getting pumped up with every article, preview or media.

    There are actually flaws on all the games, even if minor in the large scale of things, it's always critical how the whole package comes together and outweighs the quibbles or not. See debates around the game Dead Island.

    Gears 3 clearly got lots of things going for it, seem very spiteful to tank the game just cos it's exclusive or doesn't fill BluRay?! There are lots more cross the divide respects and admirations for Uncharted series. So what does some of those PS3 diehards admire on X360?

  • Geordiemp #64 8 months ago

    As gamers we need Unreal III as it lets devs blast out some great games with large single player, borderlands and Batman AA etc, which must give thanks to the easier to implement engine....

    However, it just seems that they have selected smoothing off and v sync off to get more effects, not too sure if UEIII has taken big steps in performance from the article - thats what I was looking for.

    I awlays found gears to be too cumbersome / slow movement wise, prefer my shooters to be a bit more fast and twitchy, but many gamers like the cover to cover gameplay...

    Will try it eventually and hope its a bit faster than Gears 2 - coop campaign is a plus.

  • Hindle #65 8 months ago

    Post deleted at 23:04:43 04-04-2012

  • jokerz798321 #66 8 months ago

    I have to say i'm looking forward to this. I usually prefer the PC or PS3 but this game looks good!!!

    Gotta disagree with the article though. It does look like like a really visually fantastic game but I think God of War III and UC2 are still top. BUT, he should have said the best looking game on the Xbox which would have been better.

    But then again when I get this game this week I may end up correcting myself!!!!

  • Zerobob #67 8 months ago

    Looks like a pretty amazing game, but argh, bloody ell. Low-quality FMVs. They ruin so many games. God Of War on PS2 springs to mind. Can't everything be done with the in-game engine given that it is already so lovely to look at?

    OK, it would take more time to animate, synchronise and optimise the action in busy cut-scenes, but other games have done this in the past and this is a huge title for Xbox and Microsoft. Show your quality and justify people's Live subscription fees Microsoft!

  • ectotropic #68 8 months ago

    "First seen in Batman: Arkham Asylum, Darkworks' middleware was integrated into Unreal Engine 3 a while back and made its debut in Ninja Theory's Enslaved" (top, page 3) - this is a clumsy sentence anyway but add in the fact that Batman uses Unreal Engine as well and it makes little sense. First seen before it made it's debut?!?! Ok so I see the point being made (I think) but it's pretty sloppy.

    On Bink - Bink sucks! For anyone wondering the only reason it's still used is because it provides decompression with constant CPU and RAM usage - better codecs require differing values for both to decode each frame, result is that they are difficult to budget for. I believe they are working on a new version but it's not easy to provide fixed decode costs so I dunno when it might be seen.

    "major advances in visual technology are being held back by the hardware limitations of six-year-old architecture." - I'd wager perhaps not quite as much as expected. Next gen I expect full AA, 1080p@60Hz for all titles, but the visuals will not get a huge bump IMO - I'd expect something a little nicer than this gen, but not the huge leap most seem to be expecting. If nothing else Avatar like visuals come at a major art cost - meaning even higher budgets. Not sure we really need much more TBH - I'd much rather see more stylised & highly polished games than anything looking like Avatar.

  • mukki #69 8 months ago

    Allright pre-ordered...
    dammit will have to renew xbox live membership
    horde mode here I come

  • NeoTechni #70 8 months ago

    "major advances in visual technology are being held back by the hardware limitations of six-year-old architecture. Gears of War 3 begs to differ. "

    I disagree. We've had color for generations, GeoW simply decides not to use it

  • Carlo #71 8 months ago

    So 'sync locked at 30fps is engaged', unless it can't cope, then it drops frames.

    Might as well say it's off then.

    And 30fps? Fucking joke for a 'landmark achievement'. Article is as shit as the game's technical achievements then.

  • DoctorFouad #72 8 months ago

    I am disappointed with this article. it doesent go deep enough and answer important questions :

    1. what is the resolution of the main alpha effects used in the game ? full 720p (a la bayonetta, or lost planet) ? 75% of that ? 50% of that (a la killzone 3, or uncharted games if i am not mistaken) ?
    2. are textures in Gears 3 improved over what we got in gears 2 ? (more textures ? higher res ? more layers of textures per objects ?)
    3. what about number of polygons ? do we have more polygons per frame ? per object ? do we have more objects in the same screen ?
    4. what about draw distance ? LOD ? are those things improved in gears 3 ?


    please if anyone could answer these questions I would be grateful, thanks in advance.

  • Badassbab #73 8 months ago

    Best ask Epic

  • SaberEdge #74 8 months ago

    PS3 fanboys are so funny. I'm a PC gamer and I'll tell you right now, there isn't a damn bit of difference between the best PS3 and 360 games. Gears 3 looks as good as any PS3 game. If you want better graphics than that, get a decent gaming PC.

  • smelly #75 8 months ago

    Brown is the new grey...

    Are people seriously not bored with this stuff yet? AW[link url=http://www...]http://www...[/link] how sweet!

  • Darksjeik #76 8 months ago

    For the next gen I could live with only a small increase in detail as long as the visuals run at native 1080p and 60fps. That truly should be the new standard. 60fps adds so much to the visual experience.

  • tnt_2008smum #77 8 months ago

    Jesus just when I thought this thread couldn’t get any worse that twat smelly turns up!!!!

  • obihobson #78 8 months ago

    @Mervyn

    I think i must be one of the few that find you funny :o)

  • DoctorFouad #79 8 months ago

    From IGN :

    "It's also worth noting that while the game looks super slick, the framerate will often collapse under the crush of a multitude of enemies on screen, or too many bullets fired too fast while using ironsights. And like other Gears game before it, Gears 3 doesn't really give a flock about collision in the environment, a phenomena that mostly occurs in single-player. Just try and run along almost any wall, and your weapon and hands will go right through them. Ostensibly, a small trade-off for the fidelity and level of detail we're treated to elsewhere."

    collision detection is really horrible in this generation of gaming...hopefully this would change with the next one...

  • DoctorFraud #80 8 months ago

    There's nothing on the PS3 that looks this good. More importantly there's nothing on it that plays this good.

    Easy GOTY.

  • ectotropic #81 8 months ago

    @DoctorFouad - the kind of collision detection your are after is unlikely to be here any time soon. The challenge is less to do with console power and more to do with what you do when such a collision is detected in terms of animation - the permutations that preventing clipping creates are mind boggling. That is, it's an unsolved problem generally - regardless of hardware. That it seems so noticeable in Gears may be because everything else is so nice, or because they let you move closer to the environment than other games.

  • kirankara #82 8 months ago

    @spacedelete.

    I like many others here, have both. Now that's living!
    Get the best of both worlds, and there really are a bunch of great ps3 exclusive games that simply stop me getting rid of it. I like gears and halo, but uncharted is far better game IMO , but I respect that others may not think so too.

    I also prefer ps3 pad( one of few I know), so if a multiplat looks good, I prefer ps3 version.

    Gears 3 is great looking game and definitely one of best this gen. The lack of aa does stick out like sore thumb sometimes though, with certain levels on video I've seen made me want to poke my eyes out due to jaggies and artifacting etc

    Kz3 and uc2( uc3 will no doubt raise that bar) are still best looking games this gen IMO , although rage and bf3 will have a few things to say about best looking game argument .

    Overall, don't see much between the best each console has to offer at all, but for me the ps3 exclusives edge it. Their overall polish seems more important to me than alpha effects in terms of deciding best looking game. The particle based effects are sufficiently good in manner they're used, and in some cases better, like the water in uc3 seems more natural and organic ( fire effects in uc3 stil look too low res though) , although I recognize advantage of being able to use full res alpha.

    People still arguing about 360 and ps3 need to get over it. This gen almost over, and each has pro's and cons. Surely u got better things to do with ur life???

  • geeza2020 #83 8 months ago

    Played a bit of Gears of War 1 last night. It looks rubbish these days :(

    This looks much better.

    Can I have a job now plz DF?
    ;-)

  • CatWeazle #84 8 months ago

    "there are plenty of "jaggies" in evidence"... So I guess Microsoft relax their famously anal TRC's for 360 exclusives?

  • BuckEntropy #85 8 months ago

    I wanted to wait and see a little longer but it's time for bed, and sadly the action seems to have wound down.
    So I just have one thing to say:

    BEST

    TROLLING

    EVER

    ...on Digital Foundry. This is a monument, and Epic better feel well freaking honored!

  • Machiavellian #86 8 months ago

    In all honestly, just play the damn game. There are enough reviews to tell you that this is the best game of the series, that its not going to hurt your eyes and it has enough replay value for singleplayer and multiplayer gamers. last but not least, none of it's shortcummings hamper the overall game and thus you will get your money worth. All this willy waving about other games doing this or that is pointless.

    Most of you do not even know what the hell you are talking about. Throwing this game or that without know how a developer was able to achieve certain visual effects while covering up their weaknesses. Both the PS3 and 360 have their strengths and weakness and it's the developer skill in bring the strengths out and hiding the weaknesses that show up game after game instead of the actual hardware most times.

  • kirankara #87 8 months ago

    @spacedelete , clearly you are incapable of understanding the idea of subjectivity.

    Im not only one to prefer ps3 pad, and have used gamecube, dreamcast, snes, nes, n64, medgadrive, amiga console , atari jaguar, atari 2600, xbox, wii, 360, master system and almost any other console pad you can think of, so the fact i prefer the ps3 pad, is simply down to me preferring its pad over 360's.

    same applies to uc2. u may not think it's that great a game, but i really didnt think much of Gears 2 either.(surprise surprise i dont always agree with other games that people think are great or bad etc, but difference between us is, I can accept that there's such things as different opinions)

    what makes me laugh, is how narrow minded and completely aligned to a single console.

    i personally just like good games, and dont care for a particular brand or console, and to get best choice, i need both consoles (had wii, but didnt have time to play games on it, and justify owning it)

    if you love ur 360, great, happy fuckin days, but why this means that others cant prefer their ps3, or like games other than those you like( those that actually own both, and are qualified to be able to offer an opinion based on not just their experience of one console), is beyond me.

    pointless talking to fanboys like yourself


  • bluetoothion #88 8 months ago

    better deformed hands mate rather than stuck brain mate.

    seriously you got an opinion different from some..... why is it your opinion outranking being more objective than anyone elses..... a lot of people here have gone through horrible controllers ( atari jaguar anyone) to over simplistic 2 button era of MS ( master system for those young enough ) and NES.... if you think dual shock is for deformed hands you are seriously out of your mind....or rather xbox was your first console and you grew attached and accustomed to it.

    Calling your self a gamer means you enjoy games no matter they are from....you are allowed to take sides but not blindly rejecting everything else....i ve been unlucky and not income enough to follow my every gaming wants to the extend i intended by i m gone through every company on way or they other...try it with an open mind ( and wallet) and see what you are missing out ( except money from your wallet....)

  • kirankara #89 8 months ago

    My hands work pretty well with both controllers thank you very much.
    I'll give gears 3 a workout tomorrow , then rage on ps3 in week or so, FIFA on my 360 ( friends online are mainly on 360) followed by bf3 on ps3( superior version of multiplat in this case, according to dice ), and then in nov I'll pick up uc3 and have last guardian to look forward to as well as ico and shadow of colossus hd remakes . Damn that ps3 and my crippled hands.

  • BuckEntropy #90 8 months ago

    Seriously kirankara... you just can't see it can you?

    The sheer volume of material that can fit these classifications:

    I prefer PS3
    You just said something pro-360 that makes you a fanboy
    Here's something pro-PS3, just in case you forgot about it
    HAHA you called someone a fanboy so you're a fanboy
    FFS where's the argument people
    How dare you say something against my opinion... [argument]
    You said something pro-360 again... [argument]
    OMG you just suggested this game is as good or better than... [argument]

    Are you even like, aware that this is a thread about a 360 exclusive, and so people have every right to express that they're fans of it?

    /staring into space
    Edited by BuckEntropy at 20/09/11 @ 06:27

  • kirankara #91 8 months ago

    @buckentropy

    Im completely at a miss as to what your point is tbh.

    It's a 360 exclusive thread and so people can praise a game? So? What's your point?
    People are doing so, and that's they're right. I have no issues with that, and people can sing a games praises till the cows come home for all I care. People have right to come in and express their views and thoughts on this game, technical article in here too though , even if it is a 360 exclusive.

    I am picking up my copy of game today in fact, although I'm not certain it's going to grab me, as gears 2 didn't , but I'm hoping it will.

    People in these forums should be able to express opinions in a mature manner and not resort to your system is shit, mines better, this exclusive is shit, mines better etc etc

    I like both my consoles and bought a 360 specifically for halo and rubbish ports of games, but if it came to crunch , I'd choose my ps3 over it.

    Does that make me a fanboy ? Maybe!

    However, I fully accept others have differing opinions, I just don't think other people should express their opinion as some sort of universal truth that is not subjective , when it in fact is. This works both ways though . If someone suggested 360 or a 360 exclusive is shit, I'd happily tell them that's simply an opinion, not a fact. So when idiots ( mentioning no names ) start telling world uncharted to is overrated and ps3 is crap, the controller is crap etc , I simply point out that's just their opinion, as my experience is anything other than what they're claiming, and it's my console of choice, but they're free to prefer 360 , but should recognize not everyone shares their opinion. Each has it's pro's and cons both as hardware, and in terms of software, and a lot if this is dependent on personal taste.

    I'm 33 in few weeks, I've far outgrown these ridiculous fanboy arguments .



    Edited by kirankara at 20/09/11 @ 10:40

  • BuckEntropy #92 8 months ago

    I'm 33 in few weeks, I've far outgrown these ridiculous fanboy arguments.

    But "fanboy" is your favorite word! Are you sure you can make that sacrifice?

    Again, seriously, I'm not even the one proclaiming whether you are or aren't here: YOU are the one who routinely calls OTHER people fanboys on criteria that isn't even as defensive/offensive as your very own MO. But for that I wouldn't even bother... you say the right words sometimes, but you're actually contributing to the problem.
    Edited by BuckEntropy at 20/09/11 @ 10:59

  • kirankara #93 8 months ago

    yawn buck, so what else do you call someone who cant appreciate the value of, or another's opinion of a console?

    We can call the "fans" of a particular console if you want, we can call them narrow minded, we can call them morons, does any of those sound more appealing to you?

    i have played many, many consoles over the years, and have no affiliation to one Brand or particular machine. i like the ps3, as the choice of games, suits my gaming needs better than 360 currently, and I prefer the feel of the controller. would i vilify another console, or a user of another console, simply for liking that console? absolutely not! why? , because I can appreciate the merits of both systems, the software they offer etc.

    id abandon either one at the drop of a hat, if the other better meets the criteria i want met. Heck, id buy a console from AlQuaida , if it made the best system, and offered best games.

    That's the different between me and a "fanboy". I dont care about the brand, I dont care that i own one system and not another, I just want to be able to play the games I like, and will do whatever it takes to do so. Im not making judgements of anyone here. their actions dictate what they are, in same way a racist is given away by their actions and comments, fanboy's actions and comments indicate that they are a fanboy. Let's cal la spade, a spade, and not hide away from it.

    If an individual cant appreciate the merits of another system, or opinion of another individual's experience of a game etc, they are narrow minded and blinkered by extreme bias. in a psychological sense, we'd say theyre incapable of empathising with other individuals. In these forums we call them a fanboy.

    You however are worse, youre just a cock!

    [link url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_(person)
    ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_(person)
    [/link]
    "A fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom. They may show their enthusiasm by being a member of a fan club, holding fan conventions, creating fanzines, writing fan mail, or by promoting the object of their interest and attention."



  • BuckEntropy #94 8 months ago

    womble -

    Wow, check out all the angry PS3 fanboys.

    Some of you guys take your console white-knighting a bit too seriously.

    IT'S OK. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO OWN A PS3 AND A 360 AND A PC.

    If you can't enjoy Gears of War 3 (or Resistance 3) then THAT'S YOUR OWN FUCKING FAULT. DEAL WITH IT.

    kirankara -

    Lmao at womble criticizing ps3 fanboys and in process coming across as a total 360 fanboy in process .

    Come on then, explain to me how you aren't a hypocrite.

    How is it that womble becomes a fanboy just for "calling a spade a spade" while you do not?

  • kirankara #95 8 months ago

    @buckentropy.


    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz u still talking?

  • BuckEntropy #96 8 months ago

    ^expected

  • kirankara #97 8 months ago

    TBH Buck, I totally owe Womble apology in this case, as I totally misread his post, and thought he was having a go at resistance 3 in his rant.

    So, i humbly apologise to Womble for my criticism of him in that post, and in the process making myself look ridiculously retarded(in my defence it was a little too early for me when i posted, and I was bleary eyed from a late night)

  • kirankara #98 8 months ago

    Your posts are predictably pedantic too tbh Buck, hence my boredom at replying to them.

    i am grown up enough to accept that i wrongly criticised womble, and tbh, i wouldnt have known I was wrong in doing so, unless you had pointed it out, and for that i thank you, and apologise to Womble.

    However, you really do get boring with your attempts to paint me as some sort of fanboy, even though, I attempt to provide an opinion, and make sure i paint it purely as my personal opinion, and never openly criticise either console or it's software, saying that my opinion, is simply personal preference.

    I have regularly stated that fanboys of each denomination are morons, and defended each console and it's software. In the previous tech analysis of the beta, I stated that I thought this was one of best looking games this gen, right up there with uc2 and kz3 etc.

    i personally prefer the aa provided in those games(even though problematic in themselves) over the lack of aa provided here and alpha effects, but each console clearly has their limitations visible in their exclusives. The 360 has it's edram acting as a limitation of sorts, whilst ps3 has bandwidth limitations, making alpha transparencies a major no, no, unless low res. I find the particle based effects a reasonable solution to this issue, but not perfect by any means. I also criticised uc2's and uc3's use of low res alpa transparencies when displaying fire too though, as unlike some of the usages of them in those games, where they are only briefly on screen, it sticks out like sore thumb.

    BF3 seems to be a slightly better game visually on ps3, due to the use of spu's for lighting and physics etc, and the limitation provided by edram on 360 (necessary use of tiling) , but im guessing Dice avoided heavy use of alpha transparencies, otherwise we'd be seeing an issue on ps3 in that manner.

    I have repeatedly said, each has pro's and cons, and people if they cant have both, simply pick what meets your needs, but i prefer to have both to give me choice.

    Hows that fanboy in nature
    Edited by kirankara at 20/09/11 @ 12:17

  • man.the.king #99 8 months ago

    @kirankara

    BuckEntropy is a 360 fanboy - my "virtual spats" with him had established that impression of him in my mind. Well, him and his possible alter-ego, Savatage, who always comes rushing to his aid (I fully expect Savatage to show up here shortly). The only thing BE can do is come rushing to the aid of 360 fanboys like spacedelete, and berate and express contempt for anybody who does not share his love of the MS console.

    In my opinion, his only saving grace is articulateness.

    Seriously, someone who is not able to recognize spacedelete as a troll and a fanboy and lashes out at someone who is arguing with him (spacedelete) - that puts to rest any misconceptions of him being anything more than a common, garden-variety console fanboy.
    Edited by man.the.king at 20/09/11 @ 17:15

  • kirankara #100 8 months ago

    @mantheking

    I agree with u 100% tbh.

    He always tries to articulately manoevre the argument into a position where others are at fault , even when the original discussion was unrelated to where his argument takes him.

    I was at fault with womble tbh, but the rest of his argument was pretty pathetic, and only gained any credibility by the way he writes, as opposed to the content.

  • kirankara #101 8 months ago

    There's a difference between offering opinion and being an ignorant, blinkered troll, who propagates opinion as fact and us unwilling to give credence to opinions of others .

    There are fanboy morons on both sides, and the level of moronic activity from one party or the other can vary from article to article, but in terms of general moronic posts, the xbots win in the moron stakes( usually as they've got more to crow about, as multiplats usually favour 360.

    I've no time for either of them tbh. Most intelligent and reasonable people who own one console only, or own both , came to conclusion a long time ago, that when all the pro's and cons are taken on board, there's not much between the hardware, and that you should just pick the one that suits your own needs, and get on with enjoying playing games , instead of swinging a virtual cock around , arguing which console is better ( compensating for lack of a cock in real life , no doubt)

    Grow up the moronic child!

  • man.the.king #102 8 months ago

    @spacedelete

    "man.the.king its funny how you sony fanboys think your holier than thou when your not.
    im not a troll i just voice my opinion and thats when Eurogamer was for. voicing your opinion. you don't mind throwing your weight around bashing innocent 360 owners so why should i ?
    get over yourself."

    Most 360 gamers ARE innocent of trolling. That description, however, does NOT fit you.

    And most non-fanboys are well aware of that.

    That's why you will see people criticising YOUR posts. Not other 360 gamers' posts, ONLY the drivel YOU post.

    And of course, the posts of other idiots like you - e.g. spankyspangler aka djclownshoes aka other banned IDs.
    Edited by man.the.king at 20/09/11 @ 18:58

  • man.the.king #103 8 months ago

    @spacedelete

    "god you ps3 fanboys must love arguing with 360 owners..."

    Nope, not 360 owners, just idiotic fanboy trolls like you. Don't try to lump them in the stinking cess-pool you revel in.

    And if arguing against nonsense like the drivel you post is being a "PS3 fanboy" in your "dear diary" toddler scratchpad, then so be it.

    If I remember correctly, based upon some of the posts I've read on EG, some 360-only owners also criticize you for the garbage you spew - guess that makes them "PS3 fanboys" too.
    Edited by man.the.king at 20/09/11 @ 20:58

  • kirankara #104 8 months ago

    spacedelete
    20/09/11 @ 20:14

    "god you ps3 fanboys must love arguing with 360 owners. guess those " amazing " exclusives aren't that amazing considering you spend more time bragging about them and arguing with 360 owners than actually playing them."

    Surely even someone as stupid as you can see the irony of your post , on the release date of 360's second biggest exclusive ?????

    Idiot!

  • BuckEntropy #105 8 months ago

    Well kirankara, apparently you aren't able to see any irony in the fact that, (after the obvious joke account got axed) it is you that have twice as much material in this thread as anyone else. 90% of which is fundamentally antagonistic, either to the game itself, or to it's supporters / defenders. And then you condescendingly (and repeatedly) proclaim how bored and above it all you are... ?

    Whatever spacedelete is or isn't, you're the one playing along with him right now, no one else.

  • kirankara #106 8 months ago

    Really buck my material was antagonistic to the game? Really?
    I don't think so ? Antagonistic to it's defenders? Again I don't think so. Against morons who are pointlessly criticizing another console and it's games, absolutely?

    I'm here as my copy of gears 3 never arrived today, and I got nothing else to do as my family have taken over the tv's.

    Now there's some fucking irony for you. I actually have bought the game, and own a 360 too.

    So calling me antagonistic towards the game is just plain old dumb. saying I am apathetic to gears 2 is very true , I'll accept that. Saying that I don't like the lack of aa is also true, saying I think it's one of best looking game this gen is not even remotely antagonistic. Saying youre a cock, ok , that's kinda antagonistic , but heck, everyone has their guilty pleasures in life.

    Do I think gears deserves an 8/10? No idea till my copy turns up, do I think the series is a favorite of mine? Nope, not up till now at least. Am I prepared to give it another chance, absolutely!

    So what is your point exactly? That I am not a staunch 360 fanboy who's only pleasure in life is criticizing other consoles and their owners? Well I'm guilty of that charge for definite. That I don't bow to your pathetic arguments? Guilty as charged.

    Honestly mate, you're just laughable these days. Can't even take you seriously any more. You're a shadow of your former troll self . Clearly need to work harder on your material mate, as no one is biting any more.

    Cheers for making me laugh though, I needed a bit of cheering up.



  • BuckEntropy #107 8 months ago

    ^*kirankara"not biting"*
    Edited by BuckEntropy at 21/09/11 @ 06:18

  • man.the.king #108 8 months ago

    @kirankara

    Good post, but I don't think BuckEntropy has the capacity to recognize or admit his own fault. Over and over and over and over, his posts demonstrate that he is incapable of such a thing. He will only twist your words to make it look like you said something else. When we last had our verbal spat, he basically ran out of words (imo) and acted outraged, insulted me one last time, and claimed he was putting me on Ignore - the Internet equivalent of "I am incapable of debating and reasoning logically and you suck and I'm not going to listen to anything more you say lalalalalaImnotlisteninglalalala..".

    The only thing he knows to do is to berate any commenter:
    (1) who is not worshipful enough of the 360
    (2) who happens to like the "other" console
    (3) who is not sycophantic about MS.

    The only ironic thing here is him having the misguided audacity to bring up the word "ironic".

  • kirankara #109 8 months ago

    @mantheking

    The troll has gone back under his bridge it seems , waiting for it's next victim , but one that can't fight back .

  • womble #110 8 months ago

    Wasn't going to pick this game up so soon, but the reviews convinced me to give it a go.

    The production design is awesome. The audio is amazing. The story is actually interesting (if rather reminiscent of Bulletstorm.)

    And make no mistake: when it comes to visuals, this game is one of the highlights of this generation.

    BTW, there IS some selective AA going on. It's not fullscreen, but some elements are definitely being antialiased at various times. The effect is most clearly seen on character models. There is also a DOF effect widely used which (effectively) AAs a lot.

    But really, the AA is a moot point. This is a glorious looking game, and quite a technical achievement. And, so far, precisely zero tearing on my 720p display. (Hooray!)

    (It could be a little harder though. Hardcore isn't very hard so far. Pretty common problem these days.)

    Curiously, there seems to be a bug with the status display in the top right corner. It is supposed to fade on with a white flash, but instead has an ugly outline. I've seen this in YouTube videos, too.

  • Savatage #111 8 months ago

    @man.the.king

    Dizzy - "Best looking game on any console atm. Case closed."

    man.the.king - "The "impartial", "unbiased", great and honorable Dizzy has stated thus - I guess that settles it. No more room for debate."

    If you wish to add me to your list in your ongoing (and creepy) 360 fanboy/troll witchhunt then by all means go for it, however, I would ask that you refrain from calling me anyone's "alter-ego" again. This lunatic obsession of yours to seek and call out all those who would dare to question the might of the sacred PS3 - even in a thread related to a 360 exclusive, see above - does lead you to some thoroughly odd conclusions. Perhaps it's time to find a new hobby?

    "I fully expect Savatage to show up here shortly"

    Before you happened upon kirankara's spat and "came rushing to his aid", insulting me in the process, I had no plans to contribute to this thread - I have zero interest in Gears of War 3. Which is pretty bizarre for a "360 fanboy".

    Jesus Christ, I can't believe wasted my morning tea break answering your drivel - thats right, it's MORNING here in New Zealand, where I live, it would be a pretty neat trick to somehow be Buck's "alter-ego" wouldn't it? I've got to get back to work, so I'll leave you to conjure up some more equally daft accusations. Perhaps you can find a link between me and the PS3 hackers. Or possibly global warming?
    Edited by Savatage at 20/09/11 @ 23:50

  • womble #112 8 months ago

    Special mention must go to the texture pop-in, or lack thereof.

    I'm so used to UE3 texture and shadow streaming in games like Borderlands (or even Gears 2) that I didn't realise at first just how quickly Gears 3 is loading (from the HDD install) and just how little texture pop-in there is. They've REALLY been working on the texture streaming system for this game.

    Having played Left 4 Dead recently, and waiting for its interminable (and frequent) load screens, this comes as quite a relief. Hopefully these improvements will make their way in to other new UE3 titles.

    Gameplay wise, well there's nothing much new so far. It's... Gears. Simple as that. Hopefully there will be some new weapons later in the game.

    The lighting, overall, is great. (See the character rim lighting.) The god-rays work as advertised, and really add atmosphere to the game. But there are a couple of places where they've made bad lighting choices, deciding to showcase the god-rays inappropriately. (Anya, doorway intro.)

    Also, the fire extinguisher... eek. What were they thinking? Looks poor, handles poorly, and really sorta pointless.

  • man.the.king #113 8 months ago

    @Savatage

    As predicted, right on time.

    You did not disappoint.

    ...it would be a pretty neat trick to somehow be Buck's "alter-ego" wouldn't it...

    BTW, alter-ego has meanings other than "another side of someone". Look it up.
    Edited by man.the.king at 21/09/11 @ 02:03

  • Savatage #114 8 months ago

    Apologies. Please, enlighten me as to what you meant, exactly, by "possible alter-ego."

  • man.the.king #115 8 months ago

    @Savatage

    Apparently insincere, sarcastic, apologies accepted.

    Please refer to meaning number 2 here.

    Alter-ego can be used figuratively to portray multiple individuals speaking as one, which is what I was referring to.
    Edited by man.the.king at 21/09/11 @ 03:11

  • BuckEntropy #116 8 months ago

    @kirankara - I made a little clarification of my previous post, since it left room (for you) to misinterpret. However, I can promise I will not be giving you anything to "fight back" against after this, in that sense you have defeated me. Even after your moment of contrition you could not even back off and genuinely reflect for a moment, but pounced right on the next softer target you saw. And you have no idea how many such opportunities *this* troll passes up, without a second glance. The sad thing is that, you have never once fought back against the only fight I was ever actually bringing to you.

    Because if you did you might actually learn something, something that you don't want to learn.

    And all of your most scathing indictments are of what you actually seem to aspire to. I choose to fight for a greater climate of fairness on my own terms, and I have no reason to apologize for any advantages I may find in that fight. The joke is that you condemn me by what you are clearly trying to be yourself. Or even that other troll who's presence here I see echoes of...

    Every single point of confrontation I have ever had with you is only on the issue of double-standards. And there's no better illustration of that, than the hypocrisy in how inexplicably palatable you find that other cockmeat?

    So bite on that. Or better yet, for once (literally) instead maybe DO as you SAY and just... DON'T.

    But I wont care either way, your public displays of unity, and enmity, will remain fully out of my sight now.

    And I'll cut about half the chaff out some of these threads in the process, god why have I waited this long...

    *click* *confirm*
    Edited by BuckEntropy at 21/09/11 @ 07:18

  • bluetoothion #117 8 months ago

    @Kirankara

    your only crime is that you utter the phrase I prefer ps3....and after that no matter if you said under which specific criteria that applies only to a handful of games, doesn't matter if you clearly state its down to preference...it doesn't even matter if you already cashed out money for the game in focus here neither that you have an xbox360 nor that when to recognized an error and apologized for it....in here you must not utter that words regardless of context....because Buckman is gonna get you... j/k

    @ Buck

    you think that if someone utters the word fanboy is some sort of provocation? that it doesn't help ? what its like not calling the Boogeyman or Beetlejuice so they won't turn up? In case you haven't noticed you provide some sort of shelter to people who troll.... and yes i m the chairman of the deformed hand society thank you. You are good enough with words and tech stuff to make both a valid point even twist one if you want, and posters like spacedelete sit comfortably making insulting posts knowing that someone will eventually support them even if unintentionally so by sort of correcting posters like Kirankara which have been closer to objectivity than most in my book. he is no need of defense but just saying that in that sense you are not helping either..

  • BuckEntropy #118 8 months ago

    Well, I guess it takes a point twister to know one bluetoothion. ;)

    I've never, EVER, criticized anyone for saying they prefer PS3. On those terms I've only called kirankara on his hypocrisy in judging others merely because they've been too positive about their own preference.

    As for "sheltering" anyone:

    kirankara makes gratuitously insulting posts

    spacedelete makes gratuitously insulting posts

    I haven't directly defended either, but YOU are here defending one of them?

    And which one actually expects to be taken seriously?
    Edited by BuckEntropy at 21/09/11 @ 10:06

  • kirankara #119 8 months ago

    "I've never, EVER, criticized anyone for saying they prefer PS3. On those terms I've only called kirankara on his hypocrisy in judging others merely because they've been too positive about their own preference. "

    so a fanboy then, by the definitions we were adhering to from the dictionary then?

    How is there any hpocrisy in calling someone a fanboy, when I take a more objective viewpoint, and offer an opinion, but clearly state it's an opinion, and not some objective fact which cant be debated or has nbo value, nor devaluing the console or games they play in an objective, ultimate truth type fashion.? The fact I am defensive of both systems, and both sets of software on each format, seems to deride your notion that I am in fact a hypocrite for calling spacedelete a fanboy, as i am in fact, not fitting the definition of a fanboy, with no real allegiance to either party. i may prefer to use my ps3 where possible, and I may prefer one game on one format over a game on the other, but if this is suggestive of a fanboy, then by your logic, anyone that ever liked one exclusive on a system, is indeed a fanboy. the fact I prefer to play fifa on my 360 as my friends play online on 360, does this make me a fanboy too? it's all getting awfully confusing here buck.

    How about if I prefer the ps3 pad for certaion games, and 360 pad for other games, which line of the fanboy divide do i stand on then?




    this is what spacedelete does, offers his opinion as fact, giving no credence to opinions of others,as you do in fact.


    "kirankara makes gratuitously insulting posts " only at you my friend. If you consider calling spacedelete a fanboy, then im guilty, but then im only guilty of making a judgement on his actions and words, a crime you too are guilty of by calling me a hypocrite, and saying I am judgemental of peoples posts, whilst you sit and make judgemental decisions on mine. The irony is thick here.

    So by your logic I am unable to state anything about anyone on here without being guilty of being judgemental, but you and every person on here make judgemental decisions based on the posts we read before our eyes, every time we come on here and reply. thats the way the human mind works.

    If you think im a fanboy because I call someone else a fanboy, or that somehow Im a hypocrite for doing so, then fuck it, i guess i am.

    "And which one actually expects to be taken seriously?" You, you pretentious, windbag!

    "And all of your most scathing indictments are of what you actually seem to aspire to. I choose to fight for a greater climate of fairness on my own terms, and I have no reason to apologize for any advantages I may find in that fight. The joke is that you condemn me by what you are clearly trying to be yourself. Or even that other troll who's presence here I see echoes of...

    Every single point of confrontation I have ever had with you is only on the issue of double-standards. And there's no better illustration of that, than the hypocrisy in how inexplicably palatable you find that other cockmeat?

    So bite on that. Or better yet, for once (literally) instead maybe DO as you SAY and just... DON'T.

    But I wont care either way, your public displays of unity, and enmity, will remain fully out of my sight now.

    And I'll cut about half the chaff out some of these threads in the process, god why have I waited this long...

    *click* *confirm*"

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M










  • man.the.king #120 8 months ago

    @kirankara

    Great post. Buck thoroughly owned. When BE finds other people countering his gasbag insults with insults, he runs away and clicks ignore.

    The only thing Buck can come up with is long-winded words.

    A spaghetti of Empty, Baseless, Words.

  • funkateer #121 8 months ago

    ...what a ridiculous discussion...
    I don't think anyone 'owned' anybody, but some look more silly than others.

  • kirankara #122 8 months ago

    @funketeer

    Couldn't agree more. It was a thorough waste of my time and energy, but i refuse to be pushed around by some pompous, pathetic , fanboy troll, no matter how erudite he likes to think he is .

    If you think he's correct , please inform me why.
    Id rather never have had the conversation at all tbh, and my intention isn't to argue with people in here, let alone own anyone, but I'll be damned if some pseudo intellectual troll, is going to tell me what opinion I can and can't hold.

    It's not in my nature to have conflict with people, but buckentropy is a class A t**t.

  • man.the.king #123 8 months ago

    @funkateer

    You are right, I should not have stooped to such immature depths as claiming that somebody 'owned' somebody, but damn if BE did not have that coming to him :)

    @kirankara

    I gained a new respect for you dude. I saw how you had always managed to stick to a more or less impartial and respectful line, until BE became that one abusive troll too many, I guess.

  • kirankara #124 8 months ago

    @mantheking

    Cheers, I guess.

    Normally I try to discuss things in a rational manner with people, but Buck acts like he's the god of the forums and his opinion is all that matters.

    Got no time for morons with no respect for other people and their opinions, and it became an argument of principle , rather than about what he was saying to me. Why should people be made to feel pushed around by that twerp ??
    He tries to paint others as being at fault, when the reality is, it's his perverted perception of reality, that makes him twist words of others, so that somehow they are the evil ones, and he's fighting the good cause. He tries to act objective, but is a total troll.

  • SidiousCyanide #125 8 months ago

    Am I the only one who's noticed that whenever you pan the screen left/right, up/down many objects and scenery elements at the edge of the screen will flash white because they haven't rendered fast enough? I gotta say I've noticed it so much during the campaign that it absolutely bugs the hell outta me, yet no one seems to have picked up on this.

  • Josh128 #126 8 months ago

    This bickering is some of the most childish shit I've seen in a while. The game looks incredible, and apparently utilizes the most advanced graphics engine ever in a 360 game. Does it look "better" than the best the PS3 has to offer? The answer is a purely subjective one, so who gives a flying sh!t?? There is no way to "prove" it has better or worse graphics than UC2 or God of War 3. This is a monster of a game, so why not just enjoy it for what it is and stop all the silly name calling???

  • womble #127 8 months ago

    @SidiousCyanide

    Are you playing it from the disc, from a HDD install? I've only seen a few (mild) instances of texture pop, and maybe one or two white flashes. Otherwise it's pretty flawless for me.

    (If your'e playing from a disc, you are probably hitting texture/geometry streaming issues due to the disc seek/read delay.)

  • SidiousCyanide #128 8 months ago

    @womble

    I'm currently playing it from the HDD, but I've also tried it from the disc and it's the same for both. I've nearly finished the campaign and it's my biggest gripe, it's usually at its worst in large areas but I constantly notice it.

  • womble #129 8 months ago

    @SidiousCyanide

    Hmm, that's really weird. The lack of texture stream issues has been one of the highlights for me.

    Having said that, I'm no longer playing the game. It's just too samey for me. Also, some of the level design and visuals are less than awe-inspiring (compared to the first Act). It's a bit too inconsistent.

    BTW, I woud LOVE to see DF tackle the (cough) "HD" remaster/remake of Resident Evil 4 HD. They could have a lot of fun with it. It's such a terrible, trashy port of a good game.

  • Zappa #130 8 months ago

    LOL,what a jagfest!!

  • BlinkeredAxis #131 8 months ago

    Huge Kudos to Womble and sidious for keeping to the topic.

    Just a small request, but could some of you please keep the noise down a bit - this is supposed to be the serious, technical bit of EG, not the babygarden.

    My first impression of Gears3 is that it is the first console game I've played that looks like a PC title, but viewed on my 32" screen. Except for the cut-scenes, which have been discussed already. My view is that Epic economised on the cutscene detail in order to allow DVD space for the core gameplay to be as great as it is. If so - kudos to them for making the tough decision in favour of gameplay.

  • Architect_z #132 8 months ago

    Just so all of you know. Gears of War 3 sucks