Welcome to the Gears of War PC Thread - Is it really better?

[Boost King]

Welcome to the Gears of War PC Thread - Is it really better?

I'm your host, Boost King, and today I will try to outline as much about the game to give you the information you need.

Topics are:
1. System Requirements
2. Single Player Campaign
3. Multiplayer
4. Achievements
5. Technical Comparatives

System Requirements
According to the box art, Gears of War PC requires you to have the following:

OS: Windows Vista or Windows XP
Processor 2.4+ GHz Intel; 2.0+ Ghz AMD
RAM 1 GB
Hard Drive 12 GB free hard drive space
Video Card NVIDIA GeForce 6600+, ATI X700+
Online Multi-player: Broadband Internet Connection, Games for Windows -- LIVE Gold Subscription

From my discussions with many IT stores, in terms of video cards, you need something with around 256MB of Ram or higher to run this.
I have installed Gears of War on both of my PC’s. Here are the specs:

PC 1
Pentium D 3.4Ghz
Ram 3 GB
Video Card: MSI ATI Radeon 2600XT (256MB DDR2)
Windows XP Media Centre
Comments: The game runs at resolution 1680 x 1050 (my monitors max res) with all settings set to medium. The game runs at a solid 30-40fps, and is not choppy, and plays well.
However, with earlier, this machine only had 1 GB of Ram, and the game was extremely choppy even on low settings, hence you do require in my opinion more than 1GB of Ram.

PC 2
Pentium Quad Core Q6600 at 2.4Ghz
Ram 3 GB (800Mhz Ram)
Video Card: Nvidia G-Force 8800GTX (768MB of Ram)
Windows Vista
Comments: The game runs flawlessly at resolution of 1680 x 1050 (my monitors max res) with all settings set to the highest possible levels. The game runs at the maximum 60 fps that the game appears to be capped at.

Note: I have read hardware reviews for this video card and it can run GOW on full settings right up to 1900 x 1200 resolution with ease.

Single Player Campaign
Ok, the first major difference with Gears of War PC is that it has extra chapters in the single player campaign, 5 to be precise.

The game plays identical to the 360 version. Acts 1 to 4 are identical. The extra chapters commence at the start of Act 5.

What’s it all about?
The new chapters take please on your way to the train station after you escaped the mansion at the End of Act 4. The story starts off with you arriving at a bridge crossing and cannot pass as the bridge is elevated. Hence your mission is to restore power to the bridge, which of course is no easy task. The 5 chapters take you through this task, as well as fighting the end boss, the Brumack, which so nicely made its appearance at the End of Act 4, yet was never heard of again in the 360 version.
Once completed, power is restored to the bridge and you can carry on and board the train, and continue with the game.

Multiplayer
The multiplayer mode is identical to the 360 version maps, and also include all downloadable content, so included are Old Bones, Raven Down, Process, Subway, Garden and Bullet Marsh. The PC version also gets 3 new additional multiplayer maps, they are:
1. Gold Rush
2. Sanctuary
3. Courtyard

All 3 maps are great, with the exception of perhaps Sanctuary which feels quite dark and small. I personally love Courtyard, the environment is very reminiscent of gridlock crossed with Mausoleum. While Gold Rush is like Tyro Station in terms of colours yet feels allot like Process. I’ll try to add some screen shots at a later stage.

Game Types
The PC version features the same games types, ranked and unranked matches, but also receives the following additional game type:
1. Live List Play

Live List Play is essentially a way of playing online matches even if you don’t have a Gold Membership. As you are aware, Silver membership is free and hence Live List Play is where all silver members congregate to play online.

If you have a Gold membership, you can play in the ranked and unranked matches as well.

Game Modes
The PC version has the standard Warzone, Execution, Assassination and Annex modes like the 360 version. The PC version gains one additional mode, called King of the Hill. This mode is identical to Annex, with 1 difference. The difference is you must stay in the captured area for the counter to rise. Leaving the captured area will result in the clock counter stopping.
Achievements
The PC version has very similar but different achievements.
All the standard achievements for completing the game on Casual, Hardcore and Insane are still present.
All the Domenic related Co-op achievements are still present
All the Reload and COG Tag achievements are still present.
All the Multiplayer achievements are still present, although are somewhat different.

On the Xbox 360 version, Multiplayer achievements were only earned on Ranked Play.

For the PC version, Multiplayer achievements are earned on both Ranked and Unranked Play. This is the first major difference.

The second major difference is on the Xbox 360 version, you need 100 kills with each weapon. So you could essentially in a 10 round match, score 20 grenade tag kills. These 20 kills count toward your achievement.

For the PC version, its somewhat different. You need to earn 100 kills on 100 matches of no less than 3 rounds. So this means if you were to repeat the scenario above and score 20 grenade tag kills in a match, unfortunately on 1 of those kills count.

Hence it is allot more time consuming to earn weapon achievements than most people assumed. It was thought that the unranked play would make it easier to boost them, but it actually takes much much longer to earn. Ie you need to play a 3 round match, so essentially you need to play 300 rounds (ie 100 matches of 3 rounds) to earn a achievement.

The PC version has also done away with the hosting achievement. It appears many didn’t have the bandwidth to even earn this achievement so it was pulled. In its place is a achievement for defeating the Brumack on Hardcore Difficulty.

Finally the PC version has the usual seriously achievement much like the 360 version. However, the PC version has a additional “Not So Seriously” achievement which involves getting 10,000 kills in player matches.

The only drawback (which I will discuss later) is that it is nearly impossible for anyone to earn the seriously achievement. This is because no one plays ranked matches at all.

Technical Comparisons
Graphics
Ok, I will cut to the chase. Many people want to know which version is graphically superior of the two. In Short, the PC is definitely the best looking of the two. However, you need to take the following into consideration. You PC must meet the specifications required in order to run the game, but you will need higher settings to run the game in all its glory. Hence if you have a PC similar to Option 2, you will have no problems in running the game on full settings.
The game is much crisper and brighter than the 360 version. The game also runs in much higher resolutions as well compared to the 360 version. This higher resolution and graphical details, make it much more prettier on the PC than the 360. For those with a marginal PC, your game would look on par with the 360 version, and if your PC is struggling, it would look terrible on PC, and much nicer on 360.

Part of the graphics question is the amount of frames per second the game runs at. Gears can run at 60fps. The 360 version has been capped at a solid 30fps. The 360 version is incredibly stable with minimal freezes and pauses. The PC version is littered with these freezes, drops in frame rates and general lockups. However, when it runs well, the game feels so much more fluid and solid at 60fps, opposed to the 360 versions 30fps. To put it simply, if you play the 360 version, then go play the PC version, then back to the 360 version, you will think the game has something wrong with it. It will feel slow and choppier by comparison.

Sound
Both are in Dolby Digital, nothing really differentiating here. However, extra commentary and phrases have been added to the PC version throughout the game, and also in the end of round sounds by the respective leaders are also different too.

Online Play
This is the biggest success of Gears of War in my opinion. The game may have had a shortish single player, but it made up for it 10 fold in online play. The PC version delivers in every technical way possible, plus a little more, but lacks in 1 crucial area – players. There is simply no where near the sheer size and amount of players as the 360 version. To compare, simply look at the amount of ranked players on the 360 leader boards. Last time I checked, some weeks ago, there was over 1.9 million players. By comparison, there is only 2,000 players online for the PC version. Now admittedly there are more PC players, however, due to no membership or their 1 month trial expiring, most play on live list. But either way, the player base is simply not there. Its funny to look at the rankings. I’ve earned on 30 or so online kills in ranked, and I am ranked number 200 in the world. Yet I am ranked 3000 or so on 360 version with 11,000 kills, so go figure.
In my opinion MS has done nothing to encourage people to buy a gold membership. They’ve actually discouraged it. Sure it was a great idea to give people a 1 month trial membership. However, people should once their 1 month is up, go out and buy a subscription. However, they decided to add a online mode called Live List, where you can essentially play online against your friends and its free.

This small gesture of niceness by MS is the total opposite on 360. If you want to play with your friends you must have gold, hence that’s the only differentiating factor between silver and gold memberships. But for PC owners, they are essentially getting a gold experience. The only reason for a PC owner to buy a gold membership is purely to earn achievements. Achievements are not earned under live list mode, and thus you must be a gold member to earn these. But, as a PC gamer who hasn’t had achievements before, paying money for a gold membership for achievements is completely pointless. Personally I think MS and Epic should not have allowed live list to even be a game mode on GOW.


Final Comments
Gears of War is definitely the best game of 2006, and the re-release on PC in 2007 certainly makes a great argument for still being one of the best games to play on your PC and 360 even a year on. It certainly had a decent amount of extra content to justify a additional purchase for many. Its funny to see that most of the PC GOW players are actually all 360 gamers, it tells a story of how 360 gamers really wanted this extra material. In my opinion it’s these hardcore fans that are trying their best to support GOW PC by buying the game and or upgrading their PC to play the game.

GOW PC is a fantastic game, a bit buggy and lacking online matches, but definitely a better looking game as opposed to the 360 versions. You truly cant appreciate the statement until you see this game in action before your eyes. It’s a fantastic game that I encourage all 360 owners to play if your able to on your PC.

I hope the above discussion can help you understand the difference between the 2 versions.

Look forward to GOW2.

[IIJoshIII]

'Atta boy Boost! Gears FTMFW!!! Good work.
The only thing that disappointed me in Campaign was the I didn't get a piece of the Brumack. When I get my new MBP, maybe I'll buy this so I can open up a can of whoop ass on him.

[Boost King]

Yeah, the Brumack Battle is certainly good fun. I really think if this extra content was in the original version, people wouldn't say it was short, cause it definately brings it up to the normal story length for sure. Just on casual mode, the extra chapters take a solid hour to complete.

Boost

[Boost King]

PS: I think game specs on Boxes need to be updated. No point saying Pentium 4 at 2.6Ghz, cause someone say with a new Quad Core 2.4 Ghz (ie me) may think they dont have the minimum system requirements. We all know that the chipsets get faster with less speed, ie since P4 theres been HT, D, Core Duo, Core Duo 2, Quad Core, Quad Core Extreme.

On the back of a box it should say, minimum spec 2.6ghx P4, 2.2Ghz Dual Core, or 1.6Ghz Quad Core, so its more relative.

Boost

have it on PC, its ****, just like on 360 its boring, overrated and not that pretty anymore.

[Kearney]

Originally Posted by shane32Eire

have it on PC, its ****, just like on 360 its boring, overrated and not that pretty anymore.

lol

compared to what ?

Originally Posted by Kearney

compared to what ?

Just about every other PC game released last year.

[Boost King]

Still, what are you comparing it too.

Besides, I am not a PC gamer, a total 360 gamer, but only 1 game has my interest and thats GOW, so thats why I drew the comparason.

And also, not from a biast point of view, but a honest technical comparason.

Personally I thought Bioshock and COD4 were better on 360 than the PC versions.

Boost

[Kona Palangi]

That's because it's all about the dual analog baby ... DUAL ANALOG FTMFW!!!!!

[Boost King]

Actually I never talked about controls.

Most reviewers say PC controls are far superior, but I much prefered to plug in a 360 controller and go for it.

To be honest, I own most people online, so if they have superior controls, I would honestly question that and would give em a run for their money.

Its funny cause the only good this is the mouse can move and spin your view much quicker than the right thumbstick, trouble is, you move faster than your character, so in a 3rd person, your looking one way, and you character on screen is still trying to turn around to match your view.

Also, aiming and shooting, use your right click to zoom in, left click to shoot, but dont move that mouse otherwise your shots go everwhere.

I think its too hard, Dual Analog sticks FTMFW - AGREED!

Boost

[Kona Palangi]

PC players babble on about their mouse and keyboard superiority but most fail to see the obvious ... It all boils down to skill. Take a bad ass CoD4 player and pit him against a bad ass PC player and you would get a competitive match regardless of controls.

[Scotracer]

Boost, if you're not a PC gamer why the hell do you have a top-of-the-line gaming PC?

[Boost King]

Originally Posted by Scotracer

Boost, if you're not a PC gamer why the hell do you have a top-of-the-line gaming PC?

Good point and question.

I needed to upgrade my PC as it was getting on, so I always have a rule to get the fastest processor at the time, and heaps of Ram.

The only thing extra needed to play games is a Kick ass video card.

So I bought the XPS Dell PC,which had all that in it, and I upgraded the video card. I figured again to get the biggest one possible so it lasts in terms of time etc. 768MB is heaps of Video Ram, and most games want 256MB or some 512mb, ie bioshock etc. So I should be safe for a couple of months.

I guess the only reason I got the video card, was for gears of war. A expensive game purcahse hey!

Boost

Originally Posted by Boost King

Personally I thought Bioshock was better on 360 than the PC version.

Severe Texture pop ups, slow loading times, odd FPS problem? Yeah Ill take 360 version aswell *sigh*