Gears of War Obsession

The only video game I've played for the last four months is Gears of War on the Xbox 360. Normally I don't obsess over one game for such a long period of time -- even Halo 2 and Knights of the Old Republic didn't garner this much attention. In terms of dialogue and offering wide-open gameplay, Gears is below average. Missions must be completed in sequence, and the ever-annoying "sudden appearance" phenomenon (e.g., when the player crosses a certain imaginary threshold or changes rooms, new enemies suddenly appear out of nowhere) is used way too often for my tastes. Weaknesses aside, however, this is one of the more perfect system-based shooters available, simply for its over-the-top grotesque presentation, super-tight controls, and addictive adrenaline-pumping action. Blowing an enemy to shreds with the Torque Bow or chainsawing monsters in half with the Lancer rifle's supersweet bayonet never gets old.