30 day video game challenge day 9

   Now when I first picked up Gears of War, never did I imagine that two games down the line it would even be a contender for the saddest game scene. But Gears of War 3 pulled it off. Damn, I did not see that one coming, not in a million years. The Gears of War trilogy has been hailed by many as an extreme testosterone fest- myself included. The male characters look like they have been fed a hardy diet of nothing but steroids and cows since birth, and females are few and far between. Hell, your signature weapon is a gun with a chainsaw attachment, that's manlier than a sweat kebab. However once you get past the intimidating wall of meat that is the Gears cast and actually play the game, you will find the characters have some real substance.

      The scene in question is the death of Dominic Santiago- arguably the joint protagonist of the Gears titles. If like myself you were introduced to Gears as a secondary in co op play, you will have played as Dom throughout Gears 1, 2 and most of 3. Suffice to say you will have familiarized yourself with Dom's tragic and disturbed past by Gears 3- the death of his entire family at the hands of the Locust horde, and his constant struggle with the recent death of his wife- and will be rooting for him to pull through as a redemptive figure. Unfortunately, life is harsh, and Epic Games pulled a bold and surprisingly upsetting move in killing off Dom in the final portion of the Gears trilogy.

The execution of the scene was masterful, and to fully understand its power you will first need to watch this- the poignant original trailer for Gears of War. The melancholy tone of this trailer perfectly encapsulated the feeling of isolation attached to the Gears trilogy, and emphasized the need for comeradery felt by Marcus Fenix- GoWs rough skinned protagonist (voiced by John Dimaggio, the voice of Bender. Do wonders never cease?). Now skip two games down the line. Things are looking grim and you find yourself up shit creek without a wetsuit, but things are looking up as Dom finally comes to terms with his brutal past. And then this happens. See, I am not known for being forthcoming with my emotions, but I am sure this scene will have left a lump in the throat of all Gears veterans- something that will be lost on those new to the game or perhaps even those with no knowledge of the original trailer, I blame Mad World entirely. But after fighting through increasingly impossible odds and coming out on top every time, it is difficult to treat this scene casually. Credit where credit is due, if a third person shooter has achieved the saddest gaming scene they must be doing something right.