Epic's Xbox 360 game Gears of War has been injected with so much testosterone that the disc should grow hair. There's nothing in this game that isn't ridiculously big, covered in dirt, and infected with a bad attitude. Hell, even the grenades look mean. Anti-violence crusaders will no doubt retch when confronted with the blood and guts splattering the screen, but for everyone else, Gears is a big-budget blockbuster chock full of monsters, weapons, and mayhem.

The game actually has a pretty decent story that chronicles the war between humans and a race of creatures known as the Locust Horde. The main character, a mean looking soldier named Marcus Fenix, has been tasked with saving the world. Naturally, nothing goes according to plan, things get FUBAR, and a small team of army guys find themselves stuck in the middle of hell (not literally, however). There's certainly more to the story, but let's skip the formalities. Gears of War is all about grabbing a gigantic machine gun and killing big, ugly monsters that die about as well as any glorified Hollywood stuntman. Blood erupts from wounds, heads explode, and dismembered body parts fly in multiple directions. It's a gorgeous display of war at its absolute worst, a fabulous combination of delectable gameplay and luscious visuals that are shock and awe at its most demonic. It's also akin to watching Robocop for the very first time. Despite the gore, despite the all of the offensive material, it's the coolest damn thing, the type of experience that begs for a replay mode, just so the best kills are seen a billion times.

The game's cinematic cut scenes further enhance the experience. The voice acting is about as cheesy as a Gordita Crunch, but Epic did a remarkable job with the dramatic over-the-shoulder perspective, the shaky camera that follows the lead character as he hurriedly walks, and well-scripted cut scenes that perfectly communicate the game's dark, twisted tale.

Of course, a game is only as good as it plays, and Gears delivers on all fronts. It features a very simplified, two analog stick control scheme as well as quick weapon switching and a handy zoom feature. Almost anyone will be able to pick up the controller and start killing, though dashing into a firefight will result in a quick death. The artificial intelligence is well versed in the art of combat. It's not especially intelligent, but it does a great job making things dead. This is where the use of cover comes into play. Almost everything in Gears can be used as cover, and by pressing the A button while butted up against a surface, the main character will stick to it as well as modify his positioning. So, for example, if he's standing behind a wall with a window, he'll automatically duck under the ledge if he's maneuvered in the window's direction. He can also be instructed to pop up and attack, fire over his head without aiming (a cool looking but ultimately stupid idea), or leap over smaller objects when prompted.

Thankfully, players do not go to battle alone. Marcus' fellow soldiers accompany him throughout the horrific journey, and they're more than capable of holding their own and taking cover, but they're also prone to attacking a gun turret and getting destroyed. They cannot die (they simply fall to their knees and wait to be revived), but having to constantly heal them gets annoying. However, they do put up a fight so that the onus isn't entirely on the player, and they can be instructed to fall back or open fire at will with a single button press.

The single player game is cool because its designers throw the player into all sorts of thrilling situations. Multiple enemies will converge on their location, towering behemoths will attempt to skewer them with large pincers, and other terrors will lie in wait, using the darkness as cover. The wide-open spaces give the game a frenetic "storming the beach at Normandy" type feel, and the cramped darkness suffocates players with its claustrophobic hands. That is, if the monsters don't strangle them first.