Why Was Gears of War SO AWESOME?! 

Control, this is Delta! Get up to 33% OFF your Displates by using code ACTMAN or my link: displate.com/?art=5f1a04cfccdfd and do some push-ups while you're at it. Gears of War is one of the most important shooters from the last two decades. But what exactly made it so special? How did Gears of War become such an iconic franchise overnight? The Act Man has all the answers...

“THE COLE TRAIN RUNS ON WHOLE GRAIN, BABY! WHOO!” One of my favorite characters fr lol

I'll never forget turning on my Xbox 360 and finally seeing the throne of my entire friends list playing Halo 2 one day, and then the next day EVERYBODY was on Gears of War. It was so unbelievable just how big of an impact GOW made. I even remember when Rainbow Six Vegas implemented the cover system and everybody was like "oh look another GOW mechanic clone." (Still loved vegas BTW) Great job as always!

Dimaggios voice… him talking to Carmine the iconic lines “I heard bugs come from the moon sarge” “They can eat shit and die for all I care” always loved that as a kid

Being friends with Cliff Bleszinski and having a signed copy of his book is my biggest flex lol

I honestly liked hearing the "Control, this is delta" because it felt like a military thing and the banter between the squad was funn. now as an adult and having been in the military, its 1000% accurate and makes me love the game even more

“It was a week Hosea, he left us for a goddamn week”

Fun fact: the game came with a comic book in the instruction booklet and back story to the world also they had a really good website with lore and a Leader board.

the title screen is enough to make this game AWESOME, genuinely one of the best title screens ever

HE FINALLY MADE A GEARS VIDEO!! I’ve been waiting for one of these for years

1. Big muscle bound guys that faced down monsters and developed a sense of brotherhood. 2. Cool setting with a believably backstory. 3. Locust were scary AF 4. All sorts of cool weapons. Most notably Guns with chainsaws attached dude!

Gears 1-3 were some of the best years of gaming ive ever had. Nothing comes even close to it and its honestly sad to see what Gears has become since then. I really miss the days of getting on Xbox knowing full well insane amounts of shit talk, toxicity and trolling were about to unfold. Now a days you cant even say a fraction of what you used to be able to say and text to people without getting banned. They really were simpler times.

I'll never forget finishing this game on coop with my friend, playing on a tiny old crt tv in split screen. Today is his birthday, he would have been 38.

Seeing what Epic Games was back then and seeing them now is so crazy

11:39 Out of breath Arthur saying "he's a rat" over a Micah rat getting squished by a Boomer was not on my bingo card today and i was not emotionally ready for it

For people who were too young to remember or weren't gaming then, Gears of War did what Dark Souls did for ARPGs everyone and their Mom had to get in on the cover shooter craze. And while some did good with it(like Rainbow Six Vegas) Gears of War did it better than any of the imitators. While it wasn't a super deep game story or theme wise it had a lot of heart and a great cast of characters that are still fondly remembered today. One of my personal favorite gaming trilogies and will always remember the great time I had with it and with my friends too.

The amount of imperfect reloads is really grinding my gears......❤

My favorite thing about this series is the fact that you can go back and play any of them and they still hold up perfectly. Truly was the blueprint to 3rd person shooters

Hello, resident military person who enjoys gears of war here. Just a little insight on the dialogue bit. I agree that opening is repetitive, but it is militarily accurate. Assuming control is monitoring comms for multiple squads, as in the military, operators are trained in the “hey you, it’s me” way of speaking. So whenever you open up comms, you need to use station identifiers so everyone knows who is calling who immediately. I actually enjoyed they put that in. Highlights the repetitive nature of the military. That’s all!

I still remember my cousin getting this game and hitting me with, "I got this new game and if you shoot someone point blank with A Shotgun. They turn into Diarhea". I was Sold to the franchise with that sentence alone when i was 10!

Fun fact: The director of the Mad World trailer went on to make Halo 3's Starry Night trailer, Tron Legacy, and Top Gun 2. The man knows his craft.

To be fair, “control, this is delta..” is how you’d start almost every radio transmission in the military if your callsign was delta and you would give obnoxious updates or the controller would be asking for it lol

My dad picked this game up back in like 2009 or 2010. It was only like $4 and it said it was co-op so we got it. We beat the game 2 days later bc we couldn't stop playing. We then got Gears 2 and anxiously awaited Gears 3 and got that when it came out. I've been a fan since. I was always Marcus and my dad was always Dom, so we got the McFarlane figures of Marcus and Dom for each other. We didn't get to play Gears 4 together but we did play Gears 5 and the dlc for it a few years ago. I'll always think of my dad when I think of Gears and that's why it'll always hold a special place in my heart

The "mad world" trailer is still one of the best trailers ever put together in gaming. Deserving for one of the best stories ever in videogames

24:16 “ Control this is Delta Bridge crossing operation complete. Request new orders ?” “Fuck You!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣 killed me

Another thing was just how satisfying the shotgun was in multi-player. There would even be duels where two players would melee the air at each other and it would signal them wanting to gnasher battle. Suddenly it was no longer a multi-player game it was a high noon gun duet between two gnasher slingers... and it was beautiful.

Im glad the lancer was kept. Its a core icon of this franchise for sure.

I remember when I was a kid and my dad repaired apartment units when someone moved out and he found a binder full of games in one of them that had been unoccupied for a minute. He brought them home and one of the games was gears of war which I had never heard of and played it and was just absolutely blown away. I still remember such intense moments in that game from the beginning to the end and how absorbed I was in the world. Such an amazing game and truly a masterpiece

Can't wait for Gears of War 2 & 3 videos.

I love Gears of War because it's undoubtedly a pretty insane premise with comically large slabs of men fighting what are basically mole people with chainsaw assault rifles, but it doesn't try to be cute with it. It doesn't do a tongue-in-cheek "ain't that wacky?" stance, it takes itself completely seriously, and that makes it work so damn well. The best example would be Marcus screaming "It's a giant worm! They're sinking cities with a giant worm!" with complete sincerity in GoW2. It's such a weird line, but it's taken so seriously by the characters that you end up taking it pretty seriously too. Of course that's not to say it's all just stupid yet cool stuff because the relationships between all the characters are genuinely well written, especially Dom and Marcus' friendship. All of that on top of solid, visceral gameplay is why I'm a Gears fan.

Growing up with a PlayStation I got a Xbox in middle school for 3 games, Halo, Left 4 Dead, and Gears of War. Horde mode has a special place in my heart 🥲

Brother late nights in Gears3 with the uncles and +10 year dudes than me were one the most fun times for me. I learned so many insults and life advice while doing trick shots with the gnasher and no scope with the sniper. It was amazing.

I loved the interactions between the characters because they made it feel real. The silly and weird comments they made were funny at times but also felt like the kind of conversations soldiers would actually have to pass the time or disassociate a little from the horrors of war. This kinda made it feel like you were a soldier and like you were having a real bond with delta squad.

10:02 that is the best shirt I’ve ever seen when trying to describe mid 2000’s

Finally a gears of war review!

I’ll never forgot that mission where the berserker first appears, the shaking of the building, the screaming, and the number of times I died trying to get it to break through the doors.

Man, Gears was so cool. So many great memories of playing Gears 2 Horde Mode with completely random people after class in USAF Tech school.

Drinking game: take a shot every time Marcus says "Control, this is Delta"

I'll never forget dom's face when finding maria in Gears 2, such a gruesome moment

One of my favourite franchises. I used to play fighting games competitively and PvP reminds me of that - positioning and specific weapons will guarantee an outcome if your opponent doesn't counter your tactics. It's one of the few games where you can feel in your gut if you will win or lose an encounter. Such a great game!

"Course. Regular or Extra Strength?" Marcus' reaction on that Baird's response is still today makes me laugh every time I remember it... 🤣😂

I was there, sniper battling in the trenches. 1v1’s and 2v2’s on Canals 3v3’s on Fuel Depot 4v4’s on Rooftops The sniper battling community in Gears 1 was impeccable, toxic and family. Creating clans and hosting matches. Getting supermanned or backpacked. Fucking great years.

As a 31 year old, i played SO MUCH gears 1 multi-player as a teen. It's definitely a definitive game for me. What an insane couple years 2006-2007 were too for game releases

I have been waiting SO LONG for you to do a Gears of War video, thank you actman, I am happy.

i realized about a week before i watched this video that the "skill check" mechanic when repairing generators in Dead by Daylight was EXACTLY the same as the action reload mechanic in Gears of War, and that had me itching to play Gears again, because of how epic it was. I remember the "that's one... that's two... that's three... that's four... THAT'S FIVE MOTHERFUCKER" moment with such clarity, so fucking cool haha

I will forever hold this series in my heart. My father and I only played this game co-op. I was Marcus and he was Dom. I'll never forget the first time I saw my dad cry, when Dom dies in the 3rd game. Greatest bonding experience I ever had.

2006... can't believe so much time has already passed

I'll never forget the first time I saw Gears in action. I was pretty fresh out of high school and wasn't really gaming much or paying attention to what was going on in that community. Went to my brothers buddies place where they were all around the couch playing it. I remember being super blown away by it, it looked unlike anything I'd seen before.

I remember playing the OG GoW on my roommates rear-projection TV all weekend. Now those are some beloved memories.

finally, now he can get rid of the soul patch

11:39 is the greatest thing Actman has ever edited together

Gears of war will always have a place in my heart. I love that theme song so much.

I still remember getting Gears of War 3 and having that Gears logo on my 360. So nostalgic and such great times in gaming.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing games from my childhood get retrospectives in the 2020s. Feels like I'm understanding what truly made me love these games as a kid and even more as an adult

God I loved the transition kid me experienced of going from halo 2/3 to Gears of War 2, jesus christ, legitimately i was shocked, stunned, and emotionally wrecked from that game, thanks dad, with your "Hey, try this game, the gamestore says its like Halo" i wouldn't have discovered such a masterpiece

I literally just replayed this last week. It was amazing to me how well everything in that game held up. I don't think younger me understood how good this game really was back in the day.

I'm so glad you're talking about this old classic! I've almost never wanted to be fitter then seeing Marcus!

chainsaw on gun does indeed trigger neuron activation

What's crazy is the fact that John Di Maggio voices Marcus who also voice acts Bender and Jake The Dog

This series is a special, I remember playing this when I was way too young. Me and my older brother would always play coop through the whole trilogy, good times.

I will still always credit Gears of War 3 for being one of the few games to ever make me cry. Dom's death is up there with being one of the saddest video game deaths. At this point in the trilogy, the characters and story definitely had some more depth. GoW was also a top notch couch co-op game. Dom was "player 2", and it had been established that he is Marcus' best friend and that they had been through hell and back together. The "brother's to the end" ad campaign further reinforces this. This is also the second instance in which 'Mad World' is used as far as I'm concerned. Which brings back that same "hopeless" feeling as the 'mad world' trailer does. I'll never forget my brother and I first playing through GoW3 and this scene happening. I'm the oldest, so my brother was naturally always player 2. The game continued on, but we definitely both needed to decompress after that dreadful scene. If I'm not mistaken, player 2 would finish the game as Anya, and it just didn't feel the same. The GoW trilogy is such a masterpiece for me. Side note: I'm a paramedic and radio communication is a part of my job daily. The "Control, this is Delta" was a funny compilation. But is extremely accurate. I must've said "Medic-52 to central" thousands of times at this point in my career.

22:44 Baird IS smarter than the rest of Delta squad. But that doesn't mean he's not still an asshole

Gears was such a Bar raising game, their was nothing like it at that time, its fast paced shooter, with great multiplayer really great score, awesome maps, and that DAMN CHAINSAW. I miss the 360 era

Fun fact: The Mad World trailer was the directorial debut of Joseph Kosinski, who would go on to direct Top Gun: Maverick.

Man i remember when the "Mad World" Trailer dropped for GoW, my god i was so damn hyped!!!

My dad used to be a commercial banker in North Carolina and somehow started working with Epic Games back during the peak of Gears. He got to go to Epic's office and see all the cool life-size statues of Marcus Phoenix and locust and even got to hold a lancer lol. Best part was, he was able to get me a signed copy of Gears 2 and it was, honestly still is, one of the coolest things I've ever been given

I already need more gears of war videos from Act Man. This franchise is quite literally my childhood when gears of war 2 was gifted to me AT 8 YEARS OLD as a birthday present by my aunt who didn't know any better including my parents.

I remember first seeing that gears trailer way back with the “mad world” song and just getting chills knowing this was gonna be one of the best games ever

When talking cover mechanics, why does everyone forget about the Rogue Trooper game from 2006? I think it came out before Gears. It was so good and deserves praise

I can't understate just how much Gears Of War means to me, and all of my Mexican brothers overall. I can't even count the times I beat the original trilogy on insane just because I wanted to experience the beautiful brotherhood between Marcus and Dom and their overall friendship with Baird and Cole. Brilliant story, well thought out dialogue, amazing controls, outstanding graphics at the time, and a revolutionary new cover shooter system inspired by Kill Switch. Gears Of War is the complete package for me. Great campaign, and an even greater multiplayer. I'm pretty sure the reason why Gears Of War hasnt died, even after the atrocity of Gears 5, is all thanks to Mexico. Just like Dragon Ball, even if the world forgets, we never will. Brother to the end ❤‍🔥

One thing that Gears of War did exceptionally well was design a game around it's current capabilities. Everything from textures to level design to weapons work flawlessly on the 360 and it's graphics still hold up well today. Considering it's a 18 year old game it doesn't suffer from that uncanny valley feeling that many graphics had at the time when revisted nowadays.

Still my all time favourite game series and always will be, started playing when I was 7 and I still play it from time to to ten years later, masterpiece.

My 1st experience on Xbox 360. I bought the console just for this game. Turns out I played many more, but it started with this. The graphics on this in 2006 were second to none. The multiplayer was all my friends played at the time; you bought the CD and thats it, you were in.

Never in my life was I so happy to be 2nd player than when it came to the first 3 Gears Of War games, especially the 2nd game. Dominic Santiago is still the man.

The storyline in Gears of War was just so captivating. Loved the post-apocalyptic vibe and some of its gore galore.

around 6+ years ago me and my brother replay Gears 1 and 2, and then continue playing for the first time 3, judgment, 4 and 5. What a fun time we had, I specially really like Judgment graphics, story and gameplay. Now with this video I really want to go back to those times, maybe I'll play Gears Tactics and/or finish the DLC of Gears 5.

Dude, Gears 2 I must have put 1000 hours into the horde mode with friends, we had two xboxs and just lan partied that for like 6 months every day after school. Such good memories! Great video analysis!

Gears of war was the first game to introduce me to gaming and the Xbox it holds a special place in my heart for gaming. Dont think I should’ve been playing this game at 5 years old but god it was amazing

Gears of War reminds me of Warhammer. Insane, over the top, giant men fighting endless waves of monsters. Pure machoness but also some deep and rich storytelling if you take the time to look at it.

Would love to see a continuous video about the entire Gears series all the way to the latest game and and rumors about Gears 6

10:01 the shirt is great

Gears of War was the best gaming experience on the 360 period. The original game gave my friends and I some of the most memorable multiplayer moments of any game ever. Way ahead of its time.

9:23 Cole yelling over the microphone actually made me laugh out loud, haha so good

Idk why I’m seeing so much gears of war getting love recently but I’m here for it. Grew up on the series

The chainsaw gun is one of the, if not the, most dope weapons in all of video game history.

Plays Gears as a kid, when I first came across the Beserker it absolutely scared the shit out of me

True fact, I played the series all the way through as a kid and until the 3rd game, I never realized the reload was a timing thing. I would just watch the bar thinking it was a visual timer.

Duuuude those Gears trailers with Mazzy Star and Sun Kil Moon legit make me get serious feels. They were BEAUTIFUL.

Never forget that Marcus Fenix was voiced by the same guy who voiced Jake the dog, Bender Bending Rodriguez, and Schnitzel from Chowder

God I LOVE this game series, so awesome to see Act Man covering this

The "Mad World" trailer and Halo 3's "Starry Night" trailer were both directed by Joseph Kosinski, the director of TRON: Legacy and Top Gun: Maverick fame

Loved Gears back in 2006! Those were some great times. I miss those days

Gears came out in 2006, and ever since then I've thought that most shooters could seriously benefit from Gears' reloading mechanic. I'm constantly wanting to hit that button and get a faster reload in all these other shooters.

Gears of war gotta me one of my favorite series

I replayed the games recently and I never underatood how tactical the dialouge and characters actually were when I first played it. It sounds pretty believable.

The Mad World trailer always made me cry even as a kid . So good .

The novels really surprised me with how great they are. I highly suggest them for anyone who loves Gears and has enjoyed stuff like the Halo books.

I remember playing this with my dad and my first childhood friend WAY back in 06. I was 5! I always played as Dom and my dad was always Marcus! On the last mission, on the part where you have to separate the part of the train to kill the berserker, I remember being on that part of the train WITH THE BERSERKER and my dad pushed the button anyway, killing us both! 😅 Some of the best memories of my life! Wish I could relive them again 😥 TONS of nostalgia! Thank you for making this video Act Man!

I enjoyed playing the Gears of War games back in the day on the 360, they were just gritty and dark shooters with incredibly solid storytelling, lore, and gameplay. I hope 2 and 3 get the remasters they deserve.

When I first watched the GOW trailer with the song Mad World by Gary Jules, I was in awe. It was and still is the greatest game trailer I've ever seen.