GAMETECH: Mechanics create the most important part of any console experience
When a game really nails this feeling, success often follows. Mario, Street Fighter, Call of Duty, Halo, Angry Birds — all driven by superb mechanics. In turn, those games have inspired a thousand clones. Gears of War is another on that list.
This week, Microsoft revealed a new trailer for Gears of War 4, which will hit shelves (but not mechanics, leave them alone) later this year. It’s a strange thing to acknowledge, but Gears of War is a retro game these days, one that inspired a generation of third-person action games. When the first in the series was released, critics and gamers alike argued about the ‘snap-to-cover’ feature, wondering why the whole story was designed like a carnival game, where boxes and cars were conveniently placed in front of giant alien invaders as they ravaged Earth. No one complained about how fun the game was though, or how this new cover system allowed for fresh strategic elements in third-person shooters.
