Gatling Gears Review for Xbox 360

System: Xbox 360, PS3
Dev: Vanguard Entertainment
Pub: Electronic Arts
Release: June 28, 2011
Players: 1-2
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Violence

Gatling Gears actually gets most of its replay value via online and offline co-op. When you drop into another player's game, you retain all your upgrades. This is magnificent if, say, you have a fully tricked-out mech and your friend is stuck noobing it up on the first few levels. The game doesn't actually change when you go into co-op mode, so you might notice that it becomes significantly easier. This isn't really a bad thing, as those hits you just had to take before are now more avoidable when another mech has your back.

Gatling Gears Screenshot

The second way that Gatling Gears squeezes out some replay value is from its survival mode, which basically just tasks you with killing enemies before they overrun you. This is the only mode which the co-op difficulty drop actually hurts. I started it up to see how long I could go with a friend, and the conclusion was "effectively infinite." No really, we just gave up eventually and turned the game off out of boredom.

Boredom is the one thing preventing Gatling Gears from being a perfect top-down shooter for a new generation. It has a really solid system built into a nice-looking environment with a decent story, and its only real downsides are the parts that drag. It's easy to put the controller down when playing Gatling Gears, but it's equally as easy to pick it right back up. A tiny bit more refinement and this could have been a smash indie hit.

Gatling Gears is a fifteen dollar game that I honestly got fifteen dollars' worth of enjoyment out of. If anything, it's the only new top-down shooter alternative out there, and it more than competes with Geometry Wars and Super Stardust HD. In my opinion, you should give the game a whirl.

By Angelo M. D'Argenio
CCC Contributing Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.9

Graphics
The game's stages are visually interesting, but the sheer amount of bullets that can crowd the screen is what's really impressive about the graphics engine.

4.2

Control
The game works just fine with the dual-stick control scheme that we have all come to know and love.

2.9

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music is kind of uninspired and the sound is just repetitive explosions. Audio is the weakest part of the game.

3.7

Play Value
Though some stages drag on far longer than they should, the game is overall an enjoyable experience.

3.8

Overall Rating - Good
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Upgrade your mech and unleash hell with unique power-ups.

Test your skill against wave after wave of enemies in survival mode.

Seamless drop-in/drop-out co-op play makes Gatling Gears a blast to play with friends.