Gears of War 3 Wind-Up DLC and Other Stories from the Frontlines

The deeper I got into the game, the more I liked and enjoyed it -- and that is not something that I can honestly say about every game that I do the guide for. In fact being brutally honest here, it is not something that I can say about ANY of the other games I wrote guides for, because the process of doing the research and the multiple play-through sessions for guide writers tends to derail any enjoyment you might otherwise have obtained in a game -- but as shocking as this was for me G3 retained both its attraction and its entertainment levels throughout!

The process of becoming reacquainted with the boys of Delta Squad is a welcome event -- almost like a reunion with old school mates that you have not seen inf a long time -- Dom, Marcus, Augustus (who we do not call Auggie to his face), Damon, and Clayton, with Anya rounding out the team. Jace Stratton is new but not new since he was there behind the scenes in the previous games... Samantha Byrne is a new addition, and some old mates reappear -- most notably Dizzy Wallin, and a few characters who reappear as surprise elements to the story...

---

---

And then there is the realization that one of your mates is going to die which leaps upon you with only the barest of notice -- and before you can even begin to get used to the idea you are confronted by a selfless act of bravery and sacrifice in what has to be one of the most poignant death scenes ever in a modern video game. The hair stands up on my arms even just thinking about it...

Of course it does not hurt the series that the developers approached the launch date with a deep and aggressive plan for the DLC that would follow it, or that they very carefully structured the game both in the story mode and the extras to encourage co-op play! The fact that the story mode in the game is more than just a simple make-do nod to convention means that you can not only play it solo if that is what you want -- or need -- to do -- but the rewards for playing with friends are both obvious and easily felt.

The true motivation behind the story mode (what is generously referred to as "Campaign Mode" in the game is a gesture by the developer, Epic Game Studios, to provide closure and the answers to questions that bother us so -- and the carefully orchestrated flow in the story survives several major moments that stun, and even as it provides closure there is at once the promise of more to come!