GB Face-Off: Gears of War vs Uncharted

GB Face-Off is our new weekly feature which will be carried out every week from now on, where we will put all the biggest gaming rivalries under test and try to set the records straight once and for all. You can also suggest us what you want to see in the next Face-Off and we’ll try to pull that off…fairly. Ok guys, time to start this thing off. So here goes our first Face-Off.

There is no denying that Gears of War and Uncharted have been AAA star new IPs for both Xbox 360 and PS3 respectively. Both titles have created a huge amount of hype and have been system sellers. Now we here at Gamingbolt thought to put these games face to face and see which one is the ultimate King of the Kings. We’ll judge both these franchises under three different scales and the one winning on two of them will be our winner. So without any delay lets start our first ever GB Face-Off.

Characters:

Who kicks more @$$ with ease?

Gears of War: In Gears of War, you assume the role of Marcus Fenix, a former prisoner and war-hardened soldier. This dude defines the word bad-ass, literally. He fights hordes upon hordes of locusts without any fear or sense of mercy. He takes cover, times his moves tactically and takes down the enemies with ease. And when he runs out of ammo…that becomes a nightmare for locusts because that means CHAINSAW time. One of the most awesome ‘oh-snap!’ moments this generation happens right there.

Uncharted: Uncharted features the journey of protagonist Nathan Drake, supposed descendant of the explorer Sir Francis Drake. Now this guy has got some moves. He’ll come at you from places, of which you’ll have no idea. He can jump from impossible heights, stealth kill you, use his large variety of weapons and take you out one by one. In other words when you are up against Nate, you can never feel safe.

Verdict: Both characters are personal favourites of mine. But when it comes to intense level of bad-ass-ness, combined with sheer level of believability and sense of charm, Nathan Drake gets our nod. He is without any doubt one of the most lovable characters this generation.

Sales and Scores:

Its about $$$!!!

Gears of War: Gears of War was the most hyped Xbox 360 title back in 2006, when it was first released. And it lived up to all the expectations. It won great praise from critics and it sales sky rocketed. With original Gears scoring 94 and its sequel 93 on Metacritic, these games were hitting the spot. Both Gears of War titles have sold above 11M combined to date.

Uncharted: Uncharted was also a much hyped PS3 exclusive. And it didn’t disappoint either. Although the first Uncharted title didn’t score that high on Meta, with an average score of 88, it’s sequel was met with amazing critical acclaim with a Meta score of 96. However the sales paled in comparison to Gears, with original Uncharted selling just over 2.5M and although it’s been just over 2 weeks since Uncharted 2 was released but initial trends(1.1M so far) show it will be tough to better 4M-5M.

Verdict: Uncharted 2 has just released so it’s a bit unfair comparing its sales with Gears of War but still there is no doubt in its potential to outsell Gears. So Gears of War with average Meta of 93.5 of both titles up against Uncharted’s 92, and far above all time sales means Gears of War takes this part of Face-Off fair and square.

Overall Package:

King of the Kings!

Gears of War: When Gears of War was released back in 2006, it was without any doubt the most visually stunning title anywhere. Everything from high resolution textures to high polygonal characters models was amazing. And it raised the bar again with its sequel although it wasn’t much of a leap. But still it was the best looking console game at its time. Aside from graphics, other aspects of the game were also top notch; mainly the multiplayer, which added a great deal of life to the game. Presentation and sound were the other strong aspects while story was the weakest link.

Uncharted: Naughty Dog created an amazing new PS3 IP in the shape of Uncharted. It boasted amazing levels of graphics with the original title but it sky rocketed to new heights with the recently released sequel. Uncharted 2 raised the bar so high, in terms of production values, that it almost abused it. Everything from story, voice acting and presentation to non-stop action was of Hollywood standards. With multiplayer added, it’s one of the most complete gaming experiences out there in the market.

Verdict: Although Uncharted 2 was released almost a year after Gears 2 so it’s a bit unfair to compare them in terms of visuals but what Naughty Dog was able to pull off with Uncharted 2, we highly doubt even the might of Epic Games isn’t in the position to compete right now. So Uncharted gets our nod again on this scale too.