A very short time after the launch of Gears of War 2, I saw a video from Sci vs. Fi entitled Gears of War 2. The short movie interviewed several industry folk, including those behind Gears of War 2 to give us a little insight into the game, you know, what makes it tick?
I was watching this video when I possibly heard one of the most pointless comments regarding Gears of War 2’s new emotionally driven story line and character development to date. Such person was quoted saying “aww, boohoo, okay hugs. What do you want, like a tampon and a chocolate bar? Like, what do you want me to do? She’s dead.” I couldn’t believe that someone was so dismissive of the games new levels of emotional involvement even more so when I finally played the game myself, had they seriously missed the whole point of the game? I actually cried during Act 4, no seriously, I cried. In fact I found the games so involving that I craved more, I was so desperate to learn more about the characters I bought the new Gears of War book, Gears of War: The Battle of Aspho Fields written by Karen Traviss
The book takes place along 2 story lines, the first sees Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago and his brother Carlos growing up together, becoming COGs (Coalition of Gears) and fighting in the battle of Aspho Fields during the Pendulum wars, while the second follows Delta squad after the detonation of the light mass bomb (post Gears of War1 but pre Gears of War 2).
I’m always a little bit wearing of such books, I always feel like they are either to close to fanfiction (little to much yaoi there for my liking) or are poorly written and just used as an attempt to milk more money from a series, either way I hoped for the best and bought the book anyway. To my surprise the book was bloody brilliant and VERY well written. I was hooked. It developed the characters and there history way beyond what the game did, even though I felt the 2nd game did a fantastic job! The book was easy to read yet unbelievably engrossing, it takes what the 2nd game gave you and feeds your imagination so much more than what you already know. It helps develop answers to those questions you asked during the game, why is he like this? What did that mean? Why did he do that? I just strongly recommend the book for anyone who was left craving more from Delta squad. Personally, I think its damn worth it.
Heres jsut a little extraction from the book, no spoilors (promise).
“So what are you doing Cole?” Bernie asked.
“Writing to my momma.”
“I didn’t realize your family was still around.”
Cole paused, still staring at the page. “They’re not.”
Bernie took a moment to process that. Cole was probably the sanest of all of them, Mister Soild. It was hard to stay sane in a world that was more dead than alive, though, and maybe the definitions had to change for a society where everyone – absolutly everyone – had lost friends and family in the worest way possable.
she craned her neck to look at Cole. He sat at the desk, two sizes to big for it, writting painstakingly with a big smile and tears streaming down his cheeks. Barid didn’t seem to think it was significant. She bloody well did.
“Are you okay, Cole?”
“I’m just fine. I’m always just fine.”
Bernie got up and went to sit in the chair by his desk. He carried on writing for a while.
“Mind if i ask why?” she said.
He wiped his cheeks with his left hand. “Go Ahead. Baby.”
“why do you do it?”
“Sh*t, all the things I never said while she was still alive, I suppose. Just ‘cos she’s gone, don’t mean I can’t say ‘em and they’re better out than in.” He sat back in the chair, making it creak, and read what he’d written. Then he folded the letter carfully and slipped it into his poket.
“Hell, I miss her. Miss ‘em all.”
November 30th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Wow. I started reading the Gears comic book, and I don’t see it going this direction at all. I thik Gears has heart behind it, and this book seems to bring it out. I might have to pick it up! After I get Gears 2 though…ugh. I need more money.
December 1st, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Ok i have t vent now. GOW2 story line is really bad. The wife thing feels forced, and the voice acting is bad so it comes of cliche.
Now lets look into the plot holes that lead up to that point.
YES *SPOILERS COMING*
The lab they send you too. WTF they never even come close to explaining why your there, what they are making, how it has anything to do with the plot. and it never get resolved. oh here is this secret lab, with crazy monsters, have fun.
Them taking prisoners, and torturing them. Why? this was never explained, other then that it was somethings new. Thus there had to be some kind of motivation behind it. Why did they do what they did to Tai?? Again it feels like a forced plot point in order to create the moment with the wife in act 4.
Why are they fighting each other. All of a sudden there is a civil war between the Locust. no reason, but we want them to be fighting each other. Doesn’t get resolved. Oh there is the queen. oh she got away, and we learn nothing new about the story arcs.
Great game. HORRIBLE WRITING. and sadly the portion of the book sounds like it was written by a 9th grader. It sad since it such a great story idea, Characters, and world. they just seem to keep messing it up. GOW1 wasn’t much better, but I let it slide since the product was rushed out the door. GOW2 feel like they wanted to take all the plot points of HALO1 and reuse them (2nd enemy, 2 bad guys fighting each other) and failed.
December 1st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
See i agree with some of your point and not with others. I did feel the wife thing was forced but i loved how it was portrayed in act 4, the taking Dom back to reality, if it had been some good two shoes war movie, he would have found her, it would have been happy happy, but obviously in the world of seara, this isn’t how it works. I did however feel that after reading the book that the Dom x Maria story line in the game felt less forced because his motivation is explained further. on the other side the locus queen getting away and the lab thing, to me, feel like the start of separate plots that are to concluded at a later date, while blatant in there placing within gears of war 2, i think its obvious that they are there to be developed, not just left as GAPING plot lines (don’t let me down here Epic!)
The book however, was IMO well written, maybe not the best sample to give, but typing up huge amount to prove a point was a bit dramatic on my fingers, how ever that sample does give a small insight into learning about that characters, which to me was kind of the point, i wanted to learn more about them, who they were, where they came from etc, its certainly won’t be winning any awards, but i do feel that it helped develop so much more (and explain a hell of a alot behind GoW2 as well).
thing is without some more story writing and character development (i.e Dom x Maria) it would have been gears of war 1 + more variety of killing. But gears of war 2 didn’t to me feel like more of the same. I enjoyed Gears of War 1 ALOT, but not the way i’m LOVING gears of War 2. Maybe this links back to my first post about gaming mentality, I am a RPG gamer, so when Epic gave me more in the way of story i just ate it up, it was after all, what i felt was the only thing missing from Gears of War 1 (though im so happy i dont stick to the bloody walls as much!).
However you certainly arn;t alone in your opinions, i seem to have friends who feel both ways about the games. personally i wasn’t disappointed with the game at all, just really impressed.
December 1st, 2008 at 5:27 pm
i think the game is great, had a great saving private Ryan war game felling to it. much better then the first one. I just didn’t like a lot of the hanging story point,(Torture, Queen, Fighting Locusts, Secret Lab) but i did enjoy the setting and a lot of the set up. Just felt they were building to something bigger with a lot of the new sub plots and they just didn’t deliver. GOW3 better pay it off.
The wife scene was well played out. I think i had a little issue with Doms voice over so the very strong scene fell a little flat to me. Some reason his character is just kind of flat in the games. Thus the wife thing seem like it was forced in there to give him some meaning, but it just didn’t work. Tai, Cole, and Braid are all great characters but Dom just seems to be lacking.
December 1st, 2008 at 11:19 pm
hahah I spent alot of the time just waiting for Cole to talk, God I love some of the stuff that guy came out with.