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I have a dream. I dream of a day when Mechs and Gears can coincide peacefully and be rid of the weight society has put on
their mechanical shoulders to remain separate. But... until that day, I may as well talk about how different they actually
are. Gears definitely have their own style. They can detect each other with radar, and by ducking or crawling around they
can increase their chances of not being seen. This adds some new strategy when it comes to reconnaissance or missions
where you need to be discreet. In battle, Gears can duck to avoid fire or quickly strafe in either direction. Jumping is
also a nice feature and can get you out of the way of a mortar shell or grenade quickly. Any time you need to get out of
the way even quicker, Gears can be equipped with jump jets that boost them into the air. Finally... Gears are equipped
with wheels that let them roll around at a much faster pace. These wheels do have a penalty as well. While rolling around,
your mobility is decreased and such options as jumping or ducking are not available. They are mainly used for chasing or
running away when in trouble.
The player can customize his Gear to fit different playing styles, and the same goes for selecting a Gear initially. You
may choose from a wide selection of Gears in the "Instant Action" game, which is a type of mock deathmatch. If I remember
right (those memory pills from the infomercial are taking their effect right now), then in this section Gears skip
together through the flowery fields holding hands and singing Barney songs. It is quite amusing. You can select and
customize your Gear, then battle a number of enemy Gears in an environment of your choice. Some examples are: wastelands,
forests, swamps, and even the set of Jerry Springer. There are levels take place in space, and are considerably more
"spacious." Simply select a Gear that suits your style, be it fast and light or slow and heavy, then customize it with
weapons and features you want. In the single player mission, only a few Gears are available to choose from, but they too,
may be modified to suit your needs. The missions have several objectives, and there are a few ways to complete them. This
gets the player more involved and adds a lot of replay value to the game. The missions are well laid out and have a
cinematic feel. Enemies and allies communicate over radar while you charge past trees and swamps hunting those poor saps
that were so foolish to attack you.
When you start the single player campaign each squad member has an assigned type of Gear, and you get to choose yours. You
may modify any Gear, except each has a "threat" factor depending on what type of Gear it is and the weapons it currently
has. The Gear's threat factors for your squad and you range from 900-1800, with a 10,000 limit and six members total,
including you. By switching and adding weapons it is fairly easy to get your Gear over 4000 threat factor, but you can't
do much with my squad members. This makes you think about what is worth changing and how you plan on playing the game.
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