At long last, nearly three months after the game’s initial release, we FINALLY have our first taste of Gears of War 3 downloadable content. Not that we’re complaining, as Cliff Bleszinski and his squad at Epic Games have promised us heaping handfuls of goodness to send off the conclusive trilogy marker in style. Leading the pack as the first of many downloadable pieces to the saga is RAAM’s Shadow, a game that puts you in control of both members of Zeta Squad and the much-feared boss from the original Gears game. It’s a little uneven here and there, but fans are sure to welcome it with open, bruised arms. The events in Shadow take place before the original Gears adventure, with the Locust horde raising havoc in the city of Ilima. The Kryll, a bunch of lethal bird-like creatures who devour anyone that isn’t protected by light, are slowly taking over the place, with the help of the Locust Horde forces.
Stuck at a standstill, the Zeta Squad are called into action, bringing back familiar faces like Minh Young Kim and Tai Kaliso, and pairing them up with newcomers like Michael and Alicia. Though they aren’t as good on the bantering as the original Delta Squad, they serve their purpose when it comes to using their weapons in a firefight. You’ll need to too, as Locust armies come running all over the place, out of the dreaded sinkholes. There is a question with pacing in this latest downloadable chapter, as there are a few slow spots you’ll need to get through before the action truly picks up again. Some of it is added merely for drama, while other set pieces feel like they’ve been added just to stretch out the game’s longevity a little bit. Not that fans will complain – some of them will like the return of the original game’s moody, desecrated atmosphere. Others, though, might be slightly bored. That said, the highlight comes in the form of being able to play as General RAAM, one tough hombre who fights alongside his Locust army, who do as he commands.
Some of the attacks that can be unleashed are sheer madness here, though there are times that human opponents are a little weaker than they were trained to be. That won’t stop you from indulging in some guilty pleasure, though – especially when you shank some poor sap with your power knife. It’s also interesting to involve the Kryll in the fight, and watching them pick off poor saps within milliseconds. RAAM’s Shadow does support both single and co-op play, so you can join in with friends and try to even the odds, both on the human and Locust sides. But aside from that, and a few Achievements and weapon tweaks, there’s really not much else to go on. The downloadable chapter looks as enriched and gritty as other parts of the game, and there’s plenty of carnage to go around, but once you get through it, you’ll find little reason to return again, save for reaching that one last Achievement or, if you’re one of those sick-minded folks, letting the General have his way with a few pithy humans.
It also doesn’t help that Zeta Squad isn’t quite as memorable as Delta. We know that Epic Games can inject personality into its characters without resorting too much on stereotypes, but here they just feel like runners-up to what Delta is capable of. They’re fun to play with, but hardly the type you’d return to for action when so many better characters are available. That said, RAAM’s Shadow is still worth checking out if you’re a dedicated fan. RAAM himself will remind you of the sick joys that the game’s Beast Mode brought, while the jam-packed action with Zeta serves its purpose. We were just hoping for a more memorable trek with a mildly better squad, or at least a few more surprises. Check it out at a friend’s house if you can before you dip into a purchase.
OVERALL: TRY IT
