Daimon's Lair

Immersion: I wouldn't quite call Gears a tactical shooter, but I wish most tactical shooters would emulate Gears' cover system. Hide, pop out and shoot, duck back, hop over, SWAT turns, etc. all occur relatively seamlessly--aided by the on-screen hints.

Despite being light on a storyline, I actually found Gears to be quite immersing, because events take place in such a focused storyline. You never join a larger unit, you occasionally split up, but you feel like you're always right there. The scenery does the Xbox 360's hardware justice, and the sound design is top-notch (despite a relatively so-so soundtrack--especially compared to the Halo trilogy).

The story of Marcus, Dom, Cole, and Baird is full of rather blah banter but there's some really good lines. You get a sense of each of their personalities, and while the tactical command menu is basically worthless, they have some of the best friendly AI programming available in a shooter (especially compared with my latest experience with the abolutely worthless Arbiter in Halo 3's early levels).

Another thing which contributes to the sense of immersion are the nearly ever-present Kryll, which threaten to nearly-instantly devour you if you stray into the dark (a la Pitch Black). The relatively simple puzzles required to get your way through the darkened streets represent a requirement to always be aware of your surroundings--even when there are no apparent enemies. That's something I really like.

One final thing I have to comment on is how beautiful the COG architecture is--despite it's mostly ruined state. Before E-day and especially before the Pendulum Wars, the planet Sera must have been one beautiful place.
Replay Value:

Core gamplay is quite good for the campaign, but I could take-or-leave the multiplayer (especially since I tried it after already being on Halo 3's server for many many hours). At least it's not glitchy like the sequel still is. So I'm not piling on adulations like other critics. Then again, I haven't liked many multiplayer shooters apart from the Halo trilogy, Goldeneye, and Perfect Dark.

Balancing:

So far, I've only played through on casual--despite having played through numerous shooters, simply because I wanted to get through the game. I found it challenging, but I'll probably play through on Hardcore (but probably not Insane, though we'll see).

A couple criticisms: despite my liking for the Kryll as a gameplay mechanic, I found the UV turret level stuck out in a game otherwise lacking in vehicular combat (something notably present in the sequel).

A much bigger gripe is the Berserkers. I appreciate the challenge they represent, especially given the time-delay required to lock on the Hammer of Dawn. The thing is, they're never really integrated into the Locus horde as a whole (e.g., you never see a member of the Theron guard releasing one, they just show up all of a sudden, and (thankfully) alone). And despite being alone, they somehow manage to be even more annoying than the Hunters in the Halo trilogy. Which, trust me, is saying a lot.

Final Impressions:

I got this game for free, but I had always planned on buying it. I would still buy it again, but buy it if you're the type that likes singe or two-player co-op, not online multiplayer, because the multiplayer sucks. A must play, but I game I'll probably eventually trade in.