Gears of War 3 RAAM's Shadow

Gears of War 3 is the conclusion to Epic Games’ third-person shooter trilogy but that doesn’t mean that the story has to end there. Epic has released its first story based DLC for Gears 3 entitled RAAM’s Shadow and it is a treat for fans of the Gears of War franchise. Just how good is this DLC and should you buy it? Let’s dive in to find out.

Story

In case you didn’t know the story of Gears of War, about 14 years before the beginning of the first game, giant monsters called the Locust rose up from underground and started killing all the humans on the planet Sera. In the Gears of War series you play as Marcus Fenix, an ex-Gear (solider) that was imprisoned for abandoning his post to try and save his father. Throughout the course of the trilogy, gamers came to many revelations and finally stopped the threat in the third game.

So, since the trilogy ended with Gears 3, where else was the story to go? For this DLC, Epic decided to turn the clock back and give us a look at a story set before the first Gears of War game. This DLC focuses on both sides of the conflict as the Locust attempt to destroy Ilima city and the Gears attempt to evacuate civilians.

The story is told from both sides of the conflict but you will spend much more time as a Gear than you will as RAAM. The story is surprisingly deep, and it hits home on many emotional levels. The characters will make mention of the fact that they are destroying someone’s home or Barrick—the new protagonist that you play as—will remark on the fact that his home was destroyed and he was stranded.

Meet Zeta Squad

Some familiar faces return from the dead, so to speak, as Lieutenant Kim and Tai are in Zeta Squad. Epic does a fantastic job of re-creating these characters and even someone like Lieutenant Kim, who hasn’t been in the story since the original game and was only in it for a short time, still feels like the same character. Many small allusions to previous games are made (Kim’s constant use of the phrase “I’ve got the code.” is mocked) and overall the human side of the conflict holds a lot of emotional weight.

The new main character, Barrick, seems to be just what most people would be in this kind of world: a bitter, jaded and angry man. He saw his home destroyed by the Cog, himself stranded and the same thing happening to his fellow humans. His backstory is set on the table in a non-contrived way via his small rants about the Cog and this is appreciated since flashbacks would have been annoying to have to watch. Don’t get me wrong—a flashback can work, but it feels like it would have broken this story up too much.

The Locust side, however, has none of that emotionally deep story. RAAM is literally just walking from place to place, destroying Gears and setting up Seeders to ink the sky and allow for the Kryll to lay waste to the city. The Locust side didn’t need much story to be honest, and it is good enough for what it aimed to accomplish, which was to allow players to see both sides and play as RAAM.

Gameplay

The human side of the conflict isn’t a whole lot different than the regular Gears of War 3 gameplay mechanics. The most notable difference is in how the Hammer of Dawn is used. Instead of a handheld device, mobile stations are in place that allow you to fire the Hammer from an overhead view. If you’ve ever played Battlefield: Bad Company, it is just like bracketing the town with the artillery you find.

On the Locust side, RAAM has some slightly different mechanics to how he moves around and it feels totally different than being a Gear. While humans can’t take much abuse before dying, RAAM can take a ton before even being slightly hurt, so he doesn’t take cover-at all. In a game where cover is such a key aspect, it is surprising to see a character that never takes cover and is actually incapable of going into cover. But this feature allows you to see just how different it is to fight on the side of the Locust.

RAAM has two attacks: he can direct his Kryll shield to attack an enemy with his finger (this is his ranged weapon) and he can use his massive blade to impale soldiers using the “charge” mechanic like the retro lancer on the human side. RAAM can also pick up soldiers and crush their heads with his hand which acts as his execution move.

Presentation

Gears of War 3 itself is a very impressive-looking game but this DLC looks even better than the main game in many respects. Ilima city is a great place to set this DLC, as you get to see some “not so destroyed” Sera architecture. The graphics are phenomenal and some of the environments (puddles of water or tile floors) are almost photorealistic. Cut scenes are beautifully rendered and things like explosions and blood are both copious and impressive.

Woah, things just got real

You get to fight in a bank, through a construction site and inside a high school, so there is a variety to the locations. Epic set up the battles in unique and interesting ways, having enemies come at you from strange angles and making you feel like the city was being overrun. The variety of the locations adds a new feel to the old gameplay and makes it all fresh. It is a DLC that you won’t want to come to an end.

Final Thoughts

RAAM’s Shadow is an absolute must-have for any Gears of War fan. While this DLC might not make a non-Gears fan into one, it expands the Gears universe and gives fans some nostalgic moments in the form of references to older games and some new stuff that is fun to see. With Gears of War 3 out, many fans are wondering where the series will go. This DLC proves that prequels, explaining the actual war with the Locust, can really work well.

While this package is pretty neat, it would have been nice to see either RAAM’s side of the story fleshed out more or cut altogether to add more to the human side. It was a cool idea to put RAAM in as a playable character, but making him just “go to this place, kill humans, rinse and repeat” was a bit of a letdown. While it wasn’t enough to make this DLC not stellar, it was enough to keep it from being phenomenal on all fronts.

Gears of War fans should definitely take note of this DLC and buy it for the 1200 Microsoft Points that it costs, since it is well worth the investment. You can buy RAAM’s Shadow right now via the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Written By: James Pungello

For news, reviews, previews and updates on your favorite games, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Have something to say? Leave a comment below.

Read the review »