Control, this is Delta! Get up to 33% OFF your Displates by using code ACTMAN or my link: displate.com/?art=5f1a04cfccdfd and do some push-ups while you're at it. Gears of War is one of the most important shooters from the last two decades. But what exactly made it so special? How did Gears of War become such an iconic franchise overnight? The Act Man has all the answers...
I'll never forget turning on my Xbox 360 and finally seeing the throne of my entire friends list playing Halo 2 one day, and then the next day EVERYBODY was on Gears of War. It was so unbelievable just how big of an impact GOW made. I even remember when Rainbow Six Vegas implemented the cover system and everybody was like "oh look another GOW mechanic clone." (Still loved vegas BTW) Great job as always!
I remember reading somewhere in Guinness World Records that this was the first popular Xbox Live game at the time that beat Halo 2 interms of player numbers, it was a time for sure 👌
I honestly liked hearing the "Control, this is delta" because it felt like a military thing and the banter between the squad was funn. now as an adult and having been in the military, its 1000% accurate and makes me love the game even more
The funny and clever banter between the squadmates while still retaining focus on the military objectives made the game very immersive. It feels like they’re talking to each other the same way a squad of US Marines might talk in the Middle East.
Dimaggios voice… him talking to Carmine the iconic lines “I heard bugs come from the moon sarge” “They can eat shit and die for all I care” always loved that as a kid
It's so ridiculous and hilarious that the world's gone to shit and that one of the few remaining soldiers is a well known FOOTBALL PLAYER. Proving that if you don't have 40 inch biceps you don't stand a chance in the gears world
1. Big muscle bound guys that faced down monsters and developed a sense of brotherhood. 2. Cool setting with a believably backstory. 3. Locust were scary AF 4. All sorts of cool weapons. Most notably Guns with chainsaws attached dude!
Former Marine here. I served during the time Gears 1-3 came out and I can verify that Marines in the barracks absolutely loved these games. Gears 2 launched right after we got back from Iraq and man was that madness. Great content ActMan, love your stuff.
@@TheActManyou mean the dead franchise that nobody plays anymore after kait killed the series? Then they had the gall to make you chose jd or del. Marcus has quite literally lost his whole family.
My favorite thing about this series is the fact that you can go back and play any of them and they still hold up perfectly. Truly was the blueprint to 3rd person shooters
Somehow all the Gears games have done the impossible: Being AAA games that take their time developing, work at launch, and have tons of content available without having to wait for season passes.
Hello, resident military person who enjoys gears of war here. Just a little insight on the dialogue bit. I agree that opening is repetitive, but it is militarily accurate. Assuming control is monitoring comms for multiple squads, as in the military, operators are trained in the “hey you, it’s me” way of speaking. So whenever you open up comms, you need to use station identifiers so everyone knows who is calling who immediately. I actually enjoyed they put that in. Highlights the repetitive nature of the military. That’s all!
I still remember my cousin getting this game and hitting me with, "I got this new game and if you shoot someone point blank with A Shotgun. They turn into Diarhea". I was Sold to the franchise with that sentence alone when i was 10!
My dad picked this game up back in like 2009 or 2010. It was only like $4 and it said it was co-op so we got it. We beat the game 2 days later bc we couldn't stop playing. We then got Gears 2 and anxiously awaited Gears 3 and got that when it came out. I've been a fan since. I was always Marcus and my dad was always Dom, so we got the McFarlane figures of Marcus and Dom for each other. We didn't get to play Gears 4 together but we did play Gears 5 and the dlc for it a few years ago. I'll always think of my dad when I think of Gears and that's why it'll always hold a special place in my heart
@@roguespectredelta1951 thankfully not haha. I moved away so I don't see my parents very much nowadays which is definitely a struggle but they're alive and well!
To be fair, “control, this is delta..” is how you’d start almost every radio transmission in the military if your callsign was delta and you would give obnoxious updates or the controller would be asking for it lol
Another thing was just how satisfying the shotgun was in multi-player. There would even be duels where two players would melee the air at each other and it would signal them wanting to gnasher battle. Suddenly it was no longer a multi-player game it was a high noon gun duet between two gnasher slingers... and it was beautiful.
The cat-and-mouse scenarios you'd get on Gears 1 were so fucking intense. No matter the weapon combo, if it came down to the last guy on each team and they were constantly rolling around and cover hopping, racing for ammo, getting the better position on the map....just such an adrenaline rush. So fun.
I think because the Gnasher duels were so popular in the first, they made a separate multiplayer mode in GoW2 that was just for that; 2v2 with only the Gnasher shotgun. Memory is hazy but it might've been there since the first one. I've put thousands of hours into Gnasher duels during all of the multiplayers. Good times.
@@BlameNam And even if you died to the Longshot it was always satisfying to know that the time to kill so short and you could bait shots by tapping the peek button, plus the fact that it's a one shot kill weapon if you hit a perfect reload headshot coupled with the reloading mini game mechanic made the duels very hectic and special. Can't go wrong with the head exploding from the shot with brain and skull parts flying all over the place either. Ridiculously over the top but bloody good fun.
The lancer was never gonna be cut. (Pun not intended) it was a marketing strategy by Microsoft for their new show to promote gears of War. They made her out to be the "enemy" of the show without her knowledge. She just made a video about it and called out the actman as well.
Fun fact: the game came with a comic book in the instruction booklet and back story to the world also they had a really good website with lore and a Leader board.
11:39 Out of breath Arthur saying "he's a rat" over a Micah rat getting squished by a Boomer was not on my bingo card today and i was not emotionally ready for it
I remember when I was a kid and my dad repaired apartment units when someone moved out and he found a binder full of games in one of them that had been unoccupied for a minute. He brought them home and one of the games was gears of war which I had never heard of and played it and was just absolutely blown away. I still remember such intense moments in that game from the beginning to the end and how absorbed I was in the world. Such an amazing game and truly a masterpiece
I will forever hold this series in my heart. My father and I only played this game co-op. I was Marcus and he was Dom. I'll never forget the first time I saw my dad cry, when Dom dies in the 3rd game. Greatest bonding experience I ever had.
Growing up with a PlayStation I got a Xbox in middle school for 3 games, Halo, Left 4 Dead, and Gears of War. Horde mode has a special place in my heart 🥲
I was the opposite. I had a 360 first and grew up with it. Then PS3 eventually caught up and I had fomo, so I sold my 360 and bought a PS3.... only for me to realize how good I had it back on 360 so I sold the PS3 and bought another 360 like a true big brain middle schooler lol
I loved the interactions between the characters because they made it feel real. The silly and weird comments they made were funny at times but also felt like the kind of conversations soldiers would actually have to pass the time or disassociate a little from the horrors of war. This kinda made it feel like you were a soldier and like you were having a real bond with delta squad.
I love Gears of War because it's undoubtedly a pretty insane premise with comically large slabs of men fighting what are basically mole people with chainsaw assault rifles, but it doesn't try to be cute with it. It doesn't do a tongue-in-cheek "ain't that wacky?" stance, it takes itself completely seriously, and that makes it work so damn well. The best example would be Marcus screaming "It's a giant worm! They're sinking cities with a giant worm!" with complete sincerity in GoW2. It's such a weird line, but it's taken so seriously by the characters that you end up taking it pretty seriously too. Of course that's not to say it's all just stupid yet cool stuff because the relationships between all the characters are genuinely well written, especially Dom and Marcus' friendship. All of that on top of solid, visceral gameplay is why I'm a Gears fan.
I think the thing that helped sell the giant worm line was the fact that Benjamin was yelling in the background; "Holy shit! HOLY SHIT!" which mirrors what the player is thinking, while the others are stunned into silence at that revelation. Cleverly, they covered the most obvious and likely reactions that the audience would have.
I see it as an over the top, sci-fi version of how the US army always gets depicted in movies. Invincible dudebros with constant banter and testosterone popping out of their eyeballs. Then, after Carmine's death, the facade gets dropped and the atmosphere gets so much more grim with each chapter. In 2 especially, it's suffocating, even visually. Then you learn the truth about the locusts, how they were created by human greed and profit wars (take your pick as to which nation this represents, you got plenty of choices), and everything clicks.
I'll never forget finishing this game on coop with my friend, playing on a tiny old crt tv in split screen. Today is his birthday, he would have been 38.
Gears 1-3 were some of the best years of gaming ive ever had. Nothing comes even close to it and its honestly sad to see what Gears has become since then. I really miss the days of getting on Xbox knowing full well insane amounts of shit talk, toxicity and trolling were about to unfold. Now a days you cant even say a fraction of what you used to be able to say and text to people without getting banned. They really were simpler times.
4 n 5 werent that bad tbh, multiplayer the maps were a lil suck as with the environments but it was prettey fun, closest experience to gears 1 ive had since they released gears 3. Aint done the 5 campaign, only played the multi but 4 was prettey sick overall.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing games from my childhood get retrospectives in the 2020s. Feels like I'm understanding what truly made me love these games as a kid and even more as an adult
Didn't get to play Gears of War till much later in my life BUT I did grow up playing two games that were heavily inspired by it, those being Transformers: War For Cybertron & Fall of Cybertron, both of which I think you should absolutely make a retro video on.
DUDE those games were fire. Especially the fall of cyber cybertron. Wfc controls were kinda janky but foc was smooth AF. It was fun yet wasn't that simple enough to go guns blazing. (Unless you have the glass gas cannon and that harpoon launcher) I still have those games installed on my old laptop.
God I loved the transition kid me experienced of going from halo 2/3 to Gears of War 2, jesus christ, legitimately i was shocked, stunned, and emotionally wrecked from that game, thanks dad, with your "Hey, try this game, the gamestore says its like Halo" i wouldn't have discovered such a masterpiece
When naming my youngest son, my fiance and me decided we liked the name Augustus but wasn't sure what to make his middle name. For some reason, Augustus Cole popped in my head and we rolled with it. I couldn't remember where I heard that from until I Google it about 20min later lmao. I have a brother named Cole and he called me thanking me for naming the baby after him.😂😂 Little Cole Train is going strong 💪
As a 31 year old, i played SO MUCH gears 1 multi-player as a teen. It's definitely a definitive game for me. What an insane couple years 2006-2007 were too for game releases
I will still always credit Gears of War 3 for being one of the few games to ever make me cry. Dom's death is up there with being one of the saddest video game deaths. At this point in the trilogy, the characters and story definitely had some more depth. GoW was also a top notch couch co-op game. Dom was "player 2", and it had been established that he is Marcus' best friend and that they had been through hell and back together. The "brother's to the end" ad campaign further reinforces this. This is also the second instance in which 'Mad World' is used as far as I'm concerned. Which brings back that same "hopeless" feeling as the 'mad world' trailer does. I'll never forget my brother and I first playing through GoW3 and this scene happening. I'm the oldest, so my brother was naturally always player 2. The game continued on, but we definitely both needed to decompress after that dreadful scene. If I'm not mistaken, player 2 would finish the game as Anya, and it just didn't feel the same. The GoW trilogy is such a masterpiece for me. Side note: I'm a paramedic and radio communication is a part of my job daily. The "Control, this is Delta" was a funny compilation. But is extremely accurate. I must've said "Medic-52 to central" thousands of times at this point in my career.
12:17 "The main menu music was so iconic" Yeah because we disconnected so god damn much we heard it for a good long while. I still get chills hearing that theme though, amazing
My dad used to be a commercial banker in North Carolina and somehow started working with Epic Games back during the peak of Gears. He got to go to Epic's office and see all the cool life-size statues of Marcus Phoenix and locust and even got to hold a lancer lol. Best part was, he was able to get me a signed copy of Gears 2 and it was, honestly still is, one of the coolest things I've ever been given
I already need more gears of war videos from Act Man. This franchise is quite literally my childhood when gears of war 2 was gifted to me AT 8 YEARS OLD as a birthday present by my aunt who didn't know any better including my parents.
I was there, sniper battling in the trenches. 1v1’s and 2v2’s on Canals 3v3’s on Fuel Depot 4v4’s on Rooftops The sniper battling community in Gears 1 was impeccable, toxic and family. Creating clans and hosting matches. Getting supermanned or backpacked. Fucking great years.
Gears was such a Bar raising game, their was nothing like it at that time, its fast paced shooter, with great multiplayer really great score, awesome maps, and that DAMN CHAINSAW. I miss the 360 era
I can't understate just how much Gears Of War means to me, and all of my Mexican brothers overall. I can't even count the times I beat the original trilogy on insane just because I wanted to experience the beautiful brotherhood between Marcus and Dom and their overall friendship with Baird and Cole. Brilliant story, well thought out dialogue, amazing controls, outstanding graphics at the time, and a revolutionary new cover shooter system inspired by Kill Switch. Gears Of War is the complete package for me. Great campaign, and an even greater multiplayer. I'm pretty sure the reason why Gears Of War hasnt died, even after the atrocity of Gears 5, is all thanks to Mexico. Just like Dragon Ball, even if the world forgets, we never will. Brother to the end ❤🔥
I think youre spot on lol a lot of the players I encountered in all the gears games were mexican or spoke spanish, dragon ball too I love both so much. gears 5 is hot ass
You right about that. Gears 4 and 5 were very popular in Mexico and almost all my games after the launch of those games featured 5 stacks all reppin the mexico flag. And constant in game text chat trash talk
Such a legendary game . Remember being around 10-11 years old when I got my 360. Got gears of war, Dead rising & saints row 1 …. Would wake up super early to play gear’s multiplayer. The music . The atmosphere. The characters & their quotes . One of the greatest universes ever created . “SHIIIIIIIT YEAAAA”
One thing that Gears of War did exceptionally well was design a game around it's current capabilities. Everything from textures to level design to weapons work flawlessly on the 360 and it's graphics still hold up well today. Considering it's a 18 year old game it doesn't suffer from that uncanny valley feeling that many graphics had at the time when revisted nowadays.
Gears of war was the first game to introduce me to gaming and the Xbox it holds a special place in my heart for gaming. Dont think I should’ve been playing this game at 5 years old but god it was amazing
For people who were too young to remember or weren't gaming then, Gears of War did what Dark Souls did for ARPGs everyone and their Mom had to get in on the cover shooter craze. And while some did good with it(like Rainbow Six Vegas) Gears of War did it better than any of the imitators. While it wasn't a super deep game story or theme wise it had a lot of heart and a great cast of characters that are still fondly remembered today. One of my personal favorite gaming trilogies and will always remember the great time I had with it and with my friends too.
I'll never forget the first time I saw Gears in action. I was pretty fresh out of high school and wasn't really gaming much or paying attention to what was going on in that community. Went to my brothers buddies place where they were all around the couch playing it. I remember being super blown away by it, it looked unlike anything I'd seen before.
Gears of War reminds me of Warhammer. Insane, over the top, giant men fighting endless waves of monsters. Pure machoness but also some deep and rich storytelling if you take the time to look at it.
Never in my life was I so happy to be 2nd player than when it came to the first 3 Gears Of War games, especially the 2nd game. Dominic Santiago is still the man.
@@z-man1237 He could have gotten everyone out and lived himself with ease in that one scene... yet obviously the guy was mentally crushed from everything.
"'Sup Bitches!" I played Dom in coop with my older bro. "I can smell you guys from here." Baird "There's room for one more, it's a F'in party down here!" Dom chuckling "No thanks" His death may be the only time in a video game where I was wondering who was cutting onions.
I remember playing this with my dad and my first childhood friend WAY back in 06. I was 5! I always played as Dom and my dad was always Marcus! On the last mission, on the part where you have to separate the part of the train to kill the berserker, I remember being on that part of the train WITH THE BERSERKER and my dad pushed the button anyway, killing us both! 😅 Some of the best memories of my life! Wish I could relive them again 😥 TONS of nostalgia! Thank you for making this video Act Man!
@@aayushdas19 its been a while since I played that game but I loved it! I love the first 3 Gears of War games. Haven't played the 4th or 5th one yet. I remember getting really emotional when Dom sacrificed himself I was like "my childhood hero is gone" haha but yea the 3rd game was cool! The new weapons were dope too!
I hadn’t realized how much this game influenced the gameplay of Helldivers 2 until I played it again recently. It was awesome that they gave the player plenty of health and durability in GOW so after you figure out the cover mechanic, it’s pretty difficult to get killed…..you gotta do something dumb. And while that sounds bad, it’s not…..it lets virtually anyone play the game the first time and not get pissed and quit within 5 seconds.
I see everyone else has also just all of a sudden to decide to look back at the gears series and all of its glory. I remember playing co-op with my older brother back in those days. I miss those times, gaming was much different then.
Gears of War was the best gaming experience on the 360 period. The original game gave my friends and I some of the most memorable multiplayer moments of any game ever. Way ahead of its time.
Gears of War 1 was such a masterpiece and truly ahead of its time. Loved the two sequels as well but there was something so special about the first one ushering in a new generation of action games.
I really love the fact the locust are a complete mystery in Gears, it allows you to figure it out as you progress through the games & I think the plot of 1-3 was amazing. “Control this is delta” also made it feel more militaristic
remember when the game came out and me and the boys played coop the campaign on highest difficulty and after that deep into the night PvP. the game was an absolute beast. and then it got even better with 2 and 3. 360 was best time of playing online. i played Gears remaster with my daughter some month ago. we had so much fun. still a great game
One of my favourite franchises. I used to play fighting games competitively and PvP reminds me of that - positioning and specific weapons will guarantee an outcome if your opponent doesn't counter your tactics. It's one of the few games where you can feel in your gut if you will win or lose an encounter. Such a great game!
I missed these videos It’s what got me into your videos over 3 years ago now. It’s awesome to see your content grow into other aspects but this is the real good stuff for me
After playing the original for over a decade,I can safely say it was the perfect storm of awesomeness. The matchmaking system was fast and efficient. You could see the name of each player hosting,how many spots were available and how solid the connection was. If you could get into a match and single handedly best the entire squad for multiple rounds you could find yourself back in the lobby. This was due to a host that got pissed and booted you. So much trash talking in the deadpool during matches. Our group of friends still play Gears Ultimate to this day at least once a week. The feeling of the original just can’t be duplicated.
Sooooo happy you’re talking about this. Back in the day, THIS (or more accurately gears 2 and 3) were my preferred multiplayer games when the majority played halo and call of duty. My god, Lowkey those were the days
Gears of War w/ great marketing, great visuals, they knew their audience target (unironically made me try Monster drink), and sound design w/ weighty feel for a great game
around 6+ years ago me and my brother replay Gears 1 and 2, and then continue playing for the first time 3, judgment, 4 and 5. What a fun time we had, I specially really like Judgment graphics, story and gameplay. Now with this video I really want to go back to those times, maybe I'll play Gears Tactics and/or finish the DLC of Gears 5.
Gears came out in 2006, and ever since then I've thought that most shooters could seriously benefit from Gears' reloading mechanic. I'm constantly wanting to hit that button and get a faster reload in all these other shooters.
Control, this is Delta! Get up to 33% OFF your Displates by using code ACTMAN or my link: displate.com/?art=5f1a04cfccdfd and do some push-ups while you're at it.
Gears of War is one of the most important shooters from the last two decades. But what exactly made it so special? How did Gears of War become such an iconic franchise overnight? The Act Man has all the answers...
How have you not made a review on this yet dude! You play xbone!
Can you please do a review on (Sunset overdrive)
Now play sleeping dogs
ZinNoChin thinks everything is Eminems fault...Even gamin experience🥲
When’s the next RDR2 stream going to be?
I'll never forget turning on my Xbox 360 and finally seeing the throne of my entire friends list playing Halo 2 one day, and then the next day EVERYBODY was on Gears of War. It was so unbelievable just how big of an impact GOW made.
I even remember when Rainbow Six Vegas implemented the cover system and everybody was like "oh look another GOW mechanic clone." (Still loved vegas BTW)
Great job as always!
I love hearing memories like this
I remember reading somewhere in Guinness World Records that this was the first popular Xbox Live game at the time that beat Halo 2 interms of player numbers, it was a time for sure 👌
Peak console multiplayer was Gears, Halo 3, and COD 4 all popping off at once. 3 shooters but all very different.
Same! I remember how big of a deal that really felt at the time. @@VioletElite4
Same here dude! Let me know if you ever want to game together sometime! @@TheActMan
I honestly liked hearing the "Control, this is delta" because it felt like a military thing and the banter between the squad was funn. now as an adult and having been in the military, its 1000% accurate and makes me love the game even more
The funny and clever banter between the squadmates while still retaining focus on the military objectives made the game very immersive. It feels like they’re talking to each other the same way a squad of US Marines might talk in the Middle East.
@@somm150 it's the same way I talk with my buddies in the army right now. So it feels natural
Yeah haha it's just funny to splice it all together 😂
@@TheActMan oh, absolutely. I was cracking up cause I never realized how many times they actually said it. Far less in the sequels. Lmao
@@Gearzilla117 you talk to each other on radios in the military, wow JUST LIKE BEING IN A VIDEOGAME
Dimaggios voice… him talking to Carmine the iconic lines “I heard bugs come from the moon sarge” “They can eat shit and die for all I care” always loved that as a kid
"what'd you call that thing? a monkeydog? here, i got a bone for it" 🤣
"speaking scientifically? WE GOTTA BLOW HIS BRAINS OUT IT S ASS"
-Cole Train baby
That line is iconic
“THE COLE TRAIN RUNS ON WHOLE GRAIN, BABY! WHOO!”
One of my favorite characters fr lol
Some people thought he said “THE COLE TRAIN RUNS ON COCAINE, BABY! WHOO!” 😂
Let’s not forget about his speech in Gears 2
Yeah Cole is one of the best characters in gears! And dizzy 👍
It's so ridiculous and hilarious that the world's gone to shit and that one of the few remaining soldiers is a well known FOOTBALL PLAYER. Proving that if you don't have 40 inch biceps you don't stand a chance in the gears world
I love his moment (in I think gears 3) where he needs to run that bomb or whatever, and it plays like he's still playing crash ball or whatever.
Being friends with Cliff Bleszinski and having a signed copy of his book is my biggest flex lol
Omg kommanderkarl I follow you on Tik tok didn't expect to find you here
That is one hell of a flex
My girlfriend being long time friends with him while him basing Tokki in Lawbreakers off of her (literally) is a bigger flex lol
Tell him I said fuck you for abandoning Unreal Tournament to chase console money with Gears and Fortnite. Tim too
the title screen is enough to make this game AWESOME, genuinely one of the best title screens ever
HE FINALLY MADE A GEARS VIDEO!! I’ve been waiting for one of these for years
I as well
GEARS 2 WHEN?
Same
it's about time
Same man
1. Big muscle bound guys that faced down monsters and developed a sense of brotherhood.
2. Cool setting with a believably backstory.
3. Locust were scary AF
4. All sorts of cool weapons. Most notably Guns with chainsaws attached dude!
Ah, so Warhammer 40k? lol. Still love Gears though it slaps
What more could you ask for in such a hardcore game!😎
Its hard to execute, but its not fucken complicated to concieve.
@@paulertjustice He said a believable backstory, so no.
Then they put a chick in it and made her lame and gay while making you chose if you kill off marcuses son.
Former Marine here. I served during the time Gears 1-3 came out and I can verify that Marines in the barracks absolutely loved these games. Gears 2 launched right after we got back from Iraq and man was that madness.
Great content ActMan, love your stuff.
Seeing what Epic Games was back then and seeing them now is so crazy
massive glow-up depending on how you look at it
Bulletstorm was one of the funnest and coolest games I played on the Xbox. That game was unique!
@@TheActManwent from a 3-4 billion dollar company to 30 billion (last time I checked, in like 2020)
@@theterrordivine Wasn't that mostly people can fly?
@@TheActManyou mean the dead franchise that nobody plays anymore after kait killed the series? Then they had the gall to make you chose jd or del. Marcus has quite literally lost his whole family.
“It was a week Hosea, he left us for a goddamn week”
IT WAS IN EXCHANGE FOR THIS VIDEO!!! A fair price, eh?
@@TheActManspoiler alert for rdr2: John finds Micah at a bar in Valentine and Micah says sorry for killing Arthur and then they both start gooning
he INSISTS to make the video first
The soab
@@McRibless 🤣 Jesus Christ
Fun fact: The director of the Mad World trailer went on to make Halo 3's Starry Night trailer, Tron Legacy, and Top Gun 2.
The man knows his craft.
That’s a legendary resume
My favorite thing about this series is the fact that you can go back and play any of them and they still hold up perfectly. Truly was the blueprint to 3rd person shooters
Yeah the campaigns were amazing
Game mechanic wise the 1st one is janky as shit, aged like milk as of today standards but it is the most darkest Gears I like that
@@Superassassinman15 precisely why there's an updated version of that game
Somehow all the Gears games have done the impossible: Being AAA games that take their time developing, work at launch, and have tons of content available without having to wait for season passes.
Resident Evil 4 was the blueprint for modern 3rd person shooters, not Gears. Still great games
Hello, resident military person who enjoys gears of war here. Just a little insight on the dialogue bit. I agree that opening is repetitive, but it is militarily accurate. Assuming control is monitoring comms for multiple squads, as in the military, operators are trained in the “hey you, it’s me” way of speaking. So whenever you open up comms, you need to use station identifiers so everyone knows who is calling who immediately. I actually enjoyed they put that in. Highlights the repetitive nature of the military. That’s all!
I still remember my cousin getting this game and hitting me with, "I got this new game and if you shoot someone point blank with A Shotgun. They turn into Diarhea". I was Sold to the franchise with that sentence alone when i was 10!
My dad picked this game up back in like 2009 or 2010. It was only like $4 and it said it was co-op so we got it. We beat the game 2 days later bc we couldn't stop playing. We then got Gears 2 and anxiously awaited Gears 3 and got that when it came out. I've been a fan since. I was always Marcus and my dad was always Dom, so we got the McFarlane figures of Marcus and Dom for each other. We didn't get to play Gears 4 together but we did play Gears 5 and the dlc for it a few years ago. I'll always think of my dad when I think of Gears and that's why it'll always hold a special place in my heart
That's awesome. I played this with my brother. Co-op games with family/friends when you're young, those are some great memories
@@famulanrevengeance3044real it got us so hyped we was ready for 4 n 5 but really gears of war 1-3 best
I am so glad this didn't end with "my dad recently passed away"
@@roguespectredelta1951 thankfully not haha. I moved away so I don't see my parents very much nowadays which is definitely a struggle but they're alive and well!
@@CoffeePotGamesgo and see them while you can. Enjoy it relive it.
To be fair, “control, this is delta..” is how you’d start almost every radio transmission in the military if your callsign was delta and you would give obnoxious updates or the controller would be asking for it lol
Fun fact: The Mad World trailer was the directorial debut of Joseph Kosinski, who would go on to direct Top Gun: Maverick.
no way
Another thing was just how satisfying the shotgun was in multi-player.
There would even be duels where two players would melee the air at each other and it would signal them wanting to gnasher battle.
Suddenly it was no longer a multi-player game it was a high noon gun duet between two gnasher slingers... and it was beautiful.
The honor among players back in those days were nice. People did that same "duel" with snipers, chainsaws, etc. I miss those times
The cat-and-mouse scenarios you'd get on Gears 1 were so fucking intense. No matter the weapon combo, if it came down to the last guy on each team and they were constantly rolling around and cover hopping, racing for ammo, getting the better position on the map....just such an adrenaline rush. So fun.
I think because the Gnasher duels were so popular in the first, they made a separate multiplayer mode in GoW2 that was just for that; 2v2 with only the Gnasher shotgun. Memory is hazy but it might've been there since the first one. I've put thousands of hours into Gnasher duels during all of the multiplayers. Good times.
@@BlameNam And even if you died to the Longshot it was always satisfying to know that the time to kill so short and you could bait shots by tapping the peek button, plus the fact that it's a one shot kill weapon if you hit a perfect reload headshot coupled with the reloading mini game mechanic made the duels very hectic and special. Can't go wrong with the head exploding from the shot with brain and skull parts flying all over the place either. Ridiculously over the top but bloody good fun.
@@nathanielwiens if you try to boil gears' success down to one thing you'll fsil because it did so many things well
Im glad the lancer was kept. Its a core icon of this franchise for sure.
It was never getting cut...
Misinformation is a son of a b**** i guess😂
The lancer was never gonna be cut. (Pun not intended) it was a marketing strategy by Microsoft for their new show to promote gears of War. They made her out to be the "enemy" of the show without her knowledge. She just made a video about it and called out the actman as well.
When they give you less than 20 guns through 4 games some our bound to stick
That chainsaw discussion was about a trailer, not the game. The chainsaw was never going to be cut from the game.
The amount of imperfect reloads is really grinding my gears......❤
Fun fact: the game came with a comic book in the instruction booklet and back story to the world also they had a really good website with lore and a Leader board.
There is a short introduction video in the game that gives you enough of the setting to just jump in and play!
11:39 Out of breath Arthur saying "he's a rat" over a Micah rat getting squished by a Boomer was not on my bingo card today and i was not emotionally ready for it
Honestly dude I loved that edit so much I'm still thinking about it
I remember when I was a kid and my dad repaired apartment units when someone moved out and he found a binder full of games in one of them that had been unoccupied for a minute. He brought them home and one of the games was gears of war which I had never heard of and played it and was just absolutely blown away. I still remember such intense moments in that game from the beginning to the end and how absorbed I was in the world. Such an amazing game and truly a masterpiece
I will forever hold this series in my heart. My father and I only played this game co-op. I was Marcus and he was Dom. I'll never forget the first time I saw my dad cry, when Dom dies in the 3rd game. Greatest bonding experience I ever had.
Growing up with a PlayStation I got a Xbox in middle school for 3 games, Halo, Left 4 Dead, and Gears of War. Horde mode has a special place in my heart 🥲
I was the opposite. I had a 360 first and grew up with it. Then PS3 eventually caught up and I had fomo, so I sold my 360 and bought a PS3.... only for me to realize how good I had it back on 360 so I sold the PS3 and bought another 360 like a true big brain middle schooler lol
Horde is one of the best game modes in all of gaming I love it
I loved the interactions between the characters because they made it feel real. The silly and weird comments they made were funny at times but also felt like the kind of conversations soldiers would actually have to pass the time or disassociate a little from the horrors of war. This kinda made it feel like you were a soldier and like you were having a real bond with delta squad.
I love Gears of War because it's undoubtedly a pretty insane premise with comically large slabs of men fighting what are basically mole people with chainsaw assault rifles, but it doesn't try to be cute with it. It doesn't do a tongue-in-cheek "ain't that wacky?" stance, it takes itself completely seriously, and that makes it work so damn well.
The best example would be Marcus screaming "It's a giant worm! They're sinking cities with a giant worm!" with complete sincerity in GoW2. It's such a weird line, but it's taken so seriously by the characters that you end up taking it pretty seriously too.
Of course that's not to say it's all just stupid yet cool stuff because the relationships between all the characters are genuinely well written, especially Dom and Marcus' friendship.
All of that on top of solid, visceral gameplay is why I'm a Gears fan.
I think the thing that helped sell the giant worm line was the fact that Benjamin was yelling in the background; "Holy shit! HOLY SHIT!" which mirrors what the player is thinking, while the others are stunned into silence at that revelation. Cleverly, they covered the most obvious and likely reactions that the audience would have.
You know nothing
Okay Derek@@derekmaullo2865
“It’s a goddamn LEVIATHAN!”
😂
I see it as an over the top, sci-fi version of how the US army always gets depicted in movies. Invincible dudebros with constant banter and testosterone popping out of their eyeballs. Then, after Carmine's death, the facade gets dropped and the atmosphere gets so much more grim with each chapter. In 2 especially, it's suffocating, even visually. Then you learn the truth about the locusts, how they were created by human greed and profit wars (take your pick as to which nation this represents, you got plenty of choices), and everything clicks.
I'll never forget finishing this game on coop with my friend, playing on a tiny old crt tv in split screen. Today is his birthday, he would have been 38.
whee is he bro
@@pkhaloobonaccio9883 he passed away in a car accident almost ten years ago
@@AK140785 damn bro sorry for your loss, i also lost a friend, he would have been 23 this year
@@pkhaloobonaccio9883 thank you for your kind words, sorry for yours too 👍
My empathies, bro
Gears 1-3 were some of the best years of gaming ive ever had. Nothing comes even close to it and its honestly sad to see what Gears has become since then. I really miss the days of getting on Xbox knowing full well insane amounts of shit talk, toxicity and trolling were about to unfold. Now a days you cant even say a fraction of what you used to be able to say and text to people without getting banned. They really were simpler times.
I should know better, but E-Day gives me hope
E-Day also gives me hope! Gears Of War 1,2,3 days were freaking amazing
4 n 5 werent that bad tbh, multiplayer the maps were a lil suck as with the environments but it was prettey fun, closest experience to gears 1 ive had since they released gears 3. Aint done the 5 campaign, only played the multi but 4 was prettey sick overall.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing games from my childhood get retrospectives in the 2020s. Feels like I'm understanding what truly made me love these games as a kid and even more as an adult
straight facts 💪🏻
10:02 that is the best shirt I’ve ever seen when trying to describe mid 2000’s
I didn't even notice until I saw your comment, seems pretty fitting for Cliff tbh
lol
Didn't get to play Gears of War till much later in my life BUT I did grow up playing two games that were heavily inspired by it, those being Transformers: War For Cybertron & Fall of Cybertron, both of which I think you should absolutely make a retro video on.
DUDE those games were fire.
Especially the fall of cyber cybertron. Wfc controls were kinda janky but foc was smooth AF.
It was fun yet wasn't that simple enough to go guns blazing. (Unless you have the glass gas cannon and that harpoon launcher)
I still have those games installed on my old laptop.
They definitely deserve a proper remake. I personally think they are the best transformers content available. Along with the animated prime series.
God I loved the transition kid me experienced of going from halo 2/3 to Gears of War 2, jesus christ, legitimately i was shocked, stunned, and emotionally wrecked from that game, thanks dad, with your "Hey, try this game, the gamestore says its like Halo" i wouldn't have discovered such a masterpiece
2006... can't believe so much time has already passed
When naming my youngest son, my fiance and me decided we liked the name Augustus but wasn't sure what to make his middle name. For some reason, Augustus Cole popped in my head and we rolled with it. I couldn't remember where I heard that from until I Google it about 20min later lmao. I have a brother named Cole and he called me thanking me for naming the baby after him.😂😂
Little Cole Train is going strong 💪
As a 31 year old, i played SO MUCH gears 1 multi-player as a teen. It's definitely a definitive game for me. What an insane couple years 2006-2007 were too for game releases
Even the years before. Half life 2, Warcraft 3, cs source....
I'll never forget dom's face when finding maria in Gears 2, such a gruesome moment
I agree, plus his death in Gears 3 broke my heart
@@darthcinema4262his brother died in a very similar way in the book when they escaped after stealing the prototype hammer of dawn.
@@michaelpecukonis5074 So basically Marcus lost both his best friends.
I will still always credit Gears of War 3 for being one of the few games to ever make me cry. Dom's death is up there with being one of the saddest video game deaths.
At this point in the trilogy, the characters and story definitely had some more depth. GoW was also a top notch couch co-op game. Dom was "player 2", and it had been established that he is Marcus' best friend and that they had been through hell and back together. The "brother's to the end" ad campaign further reinforces this.
This is also the second instance in which 'Mad World' is used as far as I'm concerned. Which brings back that same "hopeless" feeling as the 'mad world' trailer does.
I'll never forget my brother and I first playing through GoW3 and this scene happening. I'm the oldest, so my brother was naturally always player 2. The game continued on, but we definitely both needed to decompress after that dreadful scene. If I'm not mistaken, player 2 would finish the game as Anya, and it just didn't feel the same. The GoW trilogy is such a masterpiece for me.
Side note:
I'm a paramedic and radio communication is a part of my job daily. The "Control, this is Delta" was a funny compilation. But is extremely accurate. I must've said "Medic-52 to central" thousands of times at this point in my career.
11:39 is the greatest thing Actman has ever edited together
Agreed
I’m so autistic I read that as “11:39 is the GAYEST thing Actman has ever edited together.”
Finally a gears of war review!
bout damn time
The act man is the Marcus Fenix of reviewers, we are Delta Squad, supporting his efforts through the locust swarm called the TH-cam algorithm
@@TheActMan an unexpected surprise but a welcome one
@frostwickedpaw2218 Hopefully, none of us are Carmine 😂
@zackking4742 That would be me with my hatred of the Gnasher.....
12:17 "The main menu music was so iconic" Yeah because we disconnected so god damn much we heard it for a good long while. I still get chills hearing that theme though, amazing
My dad used to be a commercial banker in North Carolina and somehow started working with Epic Games back during the peak of Gears. He got to go to Epic's office and see all the cool life-size statues of Marcus Phoenix and locust and even got to hold a lancer lol. Best part was, he was able to get me a signed copy of Gears 2 and it was, honestly still is, one of the coolest things I've ever been given
I already need more gears of war videos from Act Man. This franchise is quite literally my childhood when gears of war 2 was gifted to me AT 8 YEARS OLD as a birthday present by my aunt who didn't know any better including my parents.
Yea the only games I bought when I got my first Xbox was modern warfare 2, gears of war 3, halo 3 and gta 4
@@eric8031solid lineup
Man i remember when the "Mad World" Trailer dropped for GoW, my god i was so damn hyped!!!
What's crazy is the fact that John Di Maggio voices Marcus who also voice acts Bender and Jake The Dog
and joker in the under the red hood movie
I thought I heard it. Dudes voice is iconic!
I was there, sniper battling in the trenches.
1v1’s and 2v2’s on Canals
3v3’s on Fuel Depot
4v4’s on Rooftops
The sniper battling community in Gears 1 was impeccable, toxic and family. Creating clans and hosting matches. Getting supermanned or backpacked. Fucking great years.
Gears coined so many terms that my homies and I still use to this day. GOATed series.
4v4 Exe on Mansion and War Machines were goated af too, my favourite game of all time
"On Sera, life was good until... Emergence Day." Somebody hasn't heard of the Pendulum Wars lol
Gears was such a Bar raising game, their was nothing like it at that time, its fast paced shooter, with great multiplayer really great score, awesome maps, and that DAMN CHAINSAW. I miss the 360 era
Best console Era in my opinion
I can't understate just how much Gears Of War means to me, and all of my Mexican brothers overall. I can't even count the times I beat the original trilogy on insane just because I wanted to experience the beautiful brotherhood between Marcus and Dom and their overall friendship with Baird and Cole. Brilliant story, well thought out dialogue, amazing controls, outstanding graphics at the time, and a revolutionary new cover shooter system inspired by Kill Switch. Gears Of War is the complete package for me. Great campaign, and an even greater multiplayer. I'm pretty sure the reason why Gears Of War hasnt died, even after the atrocity of Gears 5, is all thanks to Mexico. Just like Dragon Ball, even if the world forgets, we never will. Brother to the end ❤🔥
I think youre spot on lol a lot of the players I encountered in all the gears games were mexican or spoke spanish, dragon ball too I love both so much. gears 5 is hot ass
so this is like a well known thing? i swore the amount of brownies was just my own bias.
You right about that. Gears 4 and 5 were very popular in Mexico and almost all my games after the launch of those games featured 5 stacks all reppin the mexico flag. And constant in game text chat trash talk
Such a legendary game . Remember being around 10-11 years old when I got my 360. Got gears of war, Dead rising & saints row 1 …. Would wake up super early to play gear’s multiplayer. The music . The atmosphere. The characters & their quotes . One of the greatest universes ever created . “SHIIIIIIIT YEAAAA”
One thing that Gears of War did exceptionally well was design a game around it's current capabilities. Everything from textures to level design to weapons work flawlessly on the 360 and it's graphics still hold up well today. Considering it's a 18 year old game it doesn't suffer from that uncanny valley feeling that many graphics had at the time when revisted nowadays.
Very good point!!
18 years...wtf. Wild.
Plays Gears as a kid, when I first came across the Beserker it absolutely scared the shit out of me
The Mad World trailer always made me cry even as a kid . So good .
Gears of war was the first game to introduce me to gaming and the Xbox it holds a special place in my heart for gaming. Dont think I should’ve been playing this game at 5 years old but god it was amazing
5!? Jesus, I thought I was hardcore for watching Aliens and Terminator when I was like 7 😂
God I LOVE this game series, so awesome to see Act Man covering this
Just doing my duty
Gears of war will always have a place in my heart. I love that theme song so much.
For people who were too young to remember or weren't gaming then, Gears of War did what Dark Souls did for ARPGs everyone and their Mom had to get in on the cover shooter craze. And while some did good with it(like Rainbow Six Vegas) Gears of War did it better than any of the imitators. While it wasn't a super deep game story or theme wise it had a lot of heart and a great cast of characters that are still fondly remembered today. One of my personal favorite gaming trilogies and will always remember the great time I had with it and with my friends too.
"Hope Runs Deep" is one of my favorite video game themes of all time. Right up there with Mass Effect, Halo, The Witcher and Uncharted.
Man, Gears was so cool. So many great memories of playing Gears 2 Horde Mode with completely random people after class in USAF Tech school.
The storyline in Gears of War was just so captivating. Loved the post-apocalyptic vibe and some of its gore galore.
And the music completes it!
My dad was in the army and when he came back, He played this game and played all the others when they eventually came out
I love that the chapters are now acts for this video. Just amazing attention to detail!
The novels really surprised me with how great they are. I highly suggest them for anyone who loves Gears and has enjoyed stuff like the Halo books.
finally, now he can get rid of the soul patch
hardest thing I ever did was shave it
Is not as bad as the devs spiting blonde Baird and JD and have them be shaved/ bald 😒
Yeah jd lookin like an egg😂
No
@@odinulveson9101Bald Baird is hilarious what are you talking about. The cockiest character in the game gets humbled by and horrible, horrible fate.
I'll never forget the first time I saw Gears in action. I was pretty fresh out of high school and wasn't really gaming much or paying attention to what was going on in that community. Went to my brothers buddies place where they were all around the couch playing it. I remember being super blown away by it, it looked unlike anything I'd seen before.
Gears of War reminds me of Warhammer. Insane, over the top, giant men fighting endless waves of monsters. Pure machoness but also some deep and rich storytelling if you take the time to look at it.
Never in my life was I so happy to be 2nd player than when it came to the first 3 Gears Of War games, especially the 2nd game. Dominic Santiago is still the man.
Dom’s death still hits hard
@@z-man1237 He could have gotten everyone out and lived himself with ease in that one scene... yet obviously the guy was mentally crushed from everything.
"'Sup Bitches!" I played Dom in coop with my older bro. "I can smell you guys from here." Baird "There's room for one more, it's a F'in party down here!" Dom chuckling "No thanks"
His death may be the only time in a video game where I was wondering who was cutting onions.
23:20 - 23:53 way to pinpoint the same feeling I had as a kid 🤣. We're lucky to have you ActMan
I remember playing this with my dad and my first childhood friend WAY back in 06. I was 5! I always played as Dom and my dad was always Marcus! On the last mission, on the part where you have to separate the part of the train to kill the berserker, I remember being on that part of the train WITH THE BERSERKER and my dad pushed the button anyway, killing us both! 😅 Some of the best memories of my life! Wish I could relive them again 😥 TONS of nostalgia! Thank you for making this video Act Man!
How’d you feel during the GOW3 campaign?
@@aayushdas19 its been a while since I played that game but I loved it! I love the first 3 Gears of War games. Haven't played the 4th or 5th one yet. I remember getting really emotional when Dom sacrificed himself I was like "my childhood hero is gone" haha but yea the 3rd game was cool! The new weapons were dope too!
Drinking game: take a shot every time Marcus says "Control, this is Delta"
Dutch, I think you might lose your mind if you drink that much
@@TheActMan Have some GODDAMN FAITH!!!
@@TheActManHE’S GOT A PLAN, ACT-THUR
@@TheActMan The new "THE ENEMY IS BUILDING THE BRIGDE!!!!" moment
Rip
Man I miss these game reviews. The king is back
chainsaw on gun does indeed trigger neuron activation
That has me actually laughing, that damn monkey gets me every time 🫠
The Gears 1 - 3 era hits me with a massive wave of nostalgia. Simpler times..
I hadn’t realized how much this game influenced the gameplay of Helldivers 2 until I played it again recently. It was awesome that they gave the player plenty of health and durability in GOW so after you figure out the cover mechanic, it’s pretty difficult to get killed…..you gotta do something dumb. And while that sounds bad, it’s not…..it lets virtually anyone play the game the first time and not get pissed and quit within 5 seconds.
The lancer gun has truly earned the title iconic. The amount of chain-gun fights I've had with the Locust soldiers was truly something.
9:23 Cole yelling over the microphone actually made me laugh out loud, haha so good
I see everyone else has also just all of a sudden to decide to look back at the gears series and all of its glory. I remember playing co-op with my older brother back in those days. I miss those times, gaming was much different then.
Gears of War was the best gaming experience on the 360 period. The original game gave my friends and I some of the most memorable multiplayer moments of any game ever. Way ahead of its time.
Remember Gears 2 smoke grenade stun pre patch? Oh, f*ck as I would say! 😂
Gears of War 1 was such a masterpiece and truly ahead of its time. Loved the two sequels as well but there was something so special about the first one ushering in a new generation of action games.
I really love the fact the locust are a complete mystery in Gears, it allows you to figure it out as you progress through the games & I think the plot of 1-3 was amazing. “Control this is delta” also made it feel more militaristic
remember when the game came out and me and the boys played coop the campaign on highest difficulty and after that deep into the night PvP. the game was an absolute beast.
and then it got even better with 2 and 3. 360 was best time of playing online.
i played Gears remaster with my daughter some month ago. we had so much fun. still a great game
Gears 1 is one of the first games i remember playing with my dad back in the day… always will be one of my favorite franchises
One of my favourite franchises. I used to play fighting games competitively and PvP reminds me of that - positioning and specific weapons will guarantee an outcome if your opponent doesn't counter your tactics. It's one of the few games where you can feel in your gut if you will win or lose an encounter. Such a great game!
I missed these videos
It’s what got me into your videos over 3 years ago now. It’s awesome to see your content grow into other aspects but this is the real good stuff for me
DIS DAT GOOD SHIT
@TheActMan each notification of RDR2 gameplay would get my hopes up for a review like this of subnautica
The "mad world" trailer is still one of the best trailers ever put together in gaming. Deserving for one of the best stories ever in videogames
After playing the original for over a decade,I can safely say it was the perfect storm of awesomeness. The matchmaking system was fast and efficient. You could see the name of each player hosting,how many spots were available and how solid the connection was.
If you could get into a match and single handedly best the entire squad for multiple rounds you could find yourself back in the lobby. This was due to a host that got pissed and booted you.
So much trash talking in the deadpool during matches.
Our group of friends still play Gears Ultimate to this day at least once a week. The feeling of the original just can’t be duplicated.
The chainsaw gun is one of the, if not the, most dope weapons in all of video game history.
Yeah the Lancer is one of the most ironic and badass weapons in gaming history
My Dad had all 3 of the Gear of War Games. And I'm nearly through it. I can telm you for sure. It was one hell of a experience
I loved this series so much. Played SO many hours with friends and on live. Sad to see where it is now. Thanks for the video!
Sooooo happy you’re talking about this. Back in the day, THIS (or more accurately gears 2 and 3) were my preferred multiplayer games when the majority played halo and call of duty. My god, Lowkey those were the days
24:16 “ Control this is Delta Bridge crossing operation complete. Request new orders ?”
“Fuck You!”
🤣🤣🤣🤣 killed me
Reviewing games from the '90s and 2000s is something I wish you never strayed away from. You're really good at it.
Gears of War w/ great marketing, great visuals, they knew their audience target (unironically made me try Monster drink), and sound design w/ weighty feel for a great game
Been getting back into GOW and watching lore videos on it and now act man releases this. I manifested this video
around 6+ years ago me and my brother replay Gears 1 and 2, and then continue playing for the first time 3, judgment, 4 and 5. What a fun time we had, I specially really like Judgment graphics, story and gameplay. Now with this video I really want to go back to those times, maybe I'll play Gears Tactics and/or finish the DLC of Gears 5.
Gears came out in 2006, and ever since then I've thought that most shooters could seriously benefit from Gears' reloading mechanic. I'm constantly wanting to hit that button and get a faster reload in all these other shooters.
They messed it up in 4 and 5. Never felt the same or as satisfying
22:44 Baird IS smarter than the rest of Delta squad. But that doesn't mean he's not still an asshole
I knew a guy like that at uni once 😂
LOL true
Idk why I’m seeing so much gears of war getting love recently but I’m here for it. Grew up on the series