Gears of War 3: Multiplayer Beta

Gears of Duty? Thankfully not: firing in firstperson is activated by zooming in, and the speed and precision of the shots feels like a typical Gears rifle. Though it's definitely a precision tool, it takes quite a few shots to do serious damage and it's not capable of strafing multiple enemies to death in a single clip. Aiming in first-person in Gears doesn't feel much like a first-person shooter; it just feels like Gears's sniper zoom has been pulled back a bit.

A quick word for our favourite new weapon, the problem-solver that is the tunneling mine. Teams that bunch up and camp can be an absolute nightmare in Gears: this beauty, when aimed in their direction, moves under the ground at a lick then pops up automatically near a body and blows the commie bastards to bits.

Aiming it is more leap of faith than science, but when it surfaces among three Locust, gives a little beep and then sends bits flying everywhere while awards clunk down your screen like match results... Well. You do feel like your balls are a bit bigger.

The execution moves, though, have been ramped up to daft levels. If you've downed an enemy, the Y button executes them – a series staple. In Gears 3, high level players can extend out these beatings – so you're occasionally treated to one of those 15-second respawns while watching a guy beat your corpse with your torn-off arm while grunting with the exertion.

It's kind of funny the first time. But when it keeps on cropping up at the end of rounds, with everyone watching... You just wish they'd get on with it.

It's there, of course, because beating someone beyond senselessness is a very manly thing to do, and this is a very manly game. The COG characters are manly beefsteaks, though this time around Epic have decided to emancipate Anya, the blonde secretary from previous games, by strapping her in a COG outfit and crafting an incredibly detailed, shiny arse on it. Play as a female character 10 times and you'll bag the 'Battle Mistress' medal, we noticed. Very droll.

But what else do you expect from a game that has a weapon called the mulcher on a map called Oldtown? Gears 3 ain't new, or subtle. How different is it really? In terms of the changes that franchises like this can go through, which is to say pretty limited, we're not even talking jetpacks. If you've played any Gears of War game, imagine it playing a little smoother and looking a little better – that's what this multiplayer beta is.

But what it lacks in flair it makes up for with its meaty interplay of weapons and positioning, a formula oft-copied but never bettered, and the sheer gusto it can bring to an exploding chicken. Most importantly of all, if this beta's anything to go by, Gears 3's multiplayer will have an incredibly important quality at launch. It'll work.