Gears Of War, the video game blockbuster series that received worldwide attention when it launched in November 2007, still holds its value.

At the time, “Gears” had amazing graphics, engaging competitive multiplayer and a very under appreciated storyline.

The story can be played either in solo mode or multiplayer mode with a friend or online, and features three difficulty settings: casual, hardcore and insane.

Each game, movie or comic needs an iconic weapon, and “Gears” is no different. In order to create a unique weapon, the developers at Epic Games created a fully automatic assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonet at the end.

Like all Xbox 360 games, “Gears” has an achievement system where gamers are required to perform some actions, like playing the entire game as the second player. Upon completion, the gamer is awarded points to his or her personal profile, or “gamertag”, which add up to an overall player gamerscore.

At the start of the game, players are thrust onto the planet Siera, which has been destroyed by a subterranean locust race that have hidden beneath the planet’s surface since the start of humanity.

Gamers are introduced to Marcus Fenix, the main character of the game, who is broken out of, a maximum security prison, known as the slab. .

As the game progresses, gamers find out that Fenix was a war hero during a time when humans still fought one another.

As the story unfolds more unforgettable characters are introduced, such as Fenix’s best friend, Dom Santiago, the unstoppable Augustus Cole, commonly known as the Cole Train, a former thrashball super star (think football with a round ball), the know-it-all, Damon Baird and the unlucky Anthony Carmine.

Unfortunately the story is a bit short, with experienced gamers able to finish it on the easiest difficulty setting within a day.

“Gears” truly shined, however, with its multiplayer mode.

At its launch, “Gears” had four multiplayer game types: warzone, assassination, execution, and annex.

Each game type had its own set of rules, but essentially boiled down to the same concept: kill the opposing team before they kill you.

As time went on, some “professional” gamers developed play styles for the multiplayer modes, one of the most controversial being dubbed “wall bouncing.”

Wall bouncing is taking advantage of the cover system to “bounce” from wall to wall and blow the opponent to meaty chunks with the gnasher shotgun.

“Gears of War” was one of the first Blockbuster game series for the Xbox 360, and as a result has spawned three other games with more in progress. A book series as well as a comic book series is out and a new game is being produced by Black Tusk studios.