Somewhat of a mismatch here methinks! The ultimate shooter featuring macho gun toting types versus the serene yet often humorous point-and-click adventure from yesteryear.
In case you weren't sure which was which, Gears of War is the frag fest that pits hardened marines against the [as evil as they sound] Locust Horde.
Heralded as one of the biggest and best games ever to grace the Xbox 360 when it emerged in 2006, GoW has since been superceded by an equally successful sequel. Nevertheless, the original deservedly earns a place on this shortlist because it took a popular genre by the scruff of the neck and gave it a sound beating...GoW breathed new life into the third-person shooter!
It featured sumptuous graphics, bad-ass sounds and a fancy new cover system that was destined to be copied by a multitude of games. Diving for cover behind a wall, burnt out car or well-placed boulder is now commonplace in all manner of new releases including The Bourne Conspiracy and the James Bond offering, Quantum of Solace. None manage to capture the essence of diving behind something quite as effectively as GoW, however.
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge is an all together different kettle of fish. Dating way back to 1991, it was praised for its aesthetics and made use of the fantastic SCUMM control system - a list of verbs at the bottom of the screen that the player clicked to interact with objects...looking back, it had an almost educational slant to it. Unlike the text-based adventures that had come before it, the whole thing actually proved pretty effective.
Strange though it sounds in these days of funky controllers, SCUMM and a comfortable mouse were all you needed to get fully immersed in a game back then.
You took control of Guybrush Threepwood, leading him in search of treasure and love. It was arguably the best example of an adventure game back then, and was both original and fun to play. From Lure of the Temptress to Simon the Sorcerer, Monkey Island is still one of the best. It's still a giggle even today and was lovingly re-released only a few weeks ago on Xbox Live Arcade. You could do a lot worse than splash out a few credits to relive some gaming history.
But brilliant though it is, there can only be one winner. Gears of War is a hit; almost single-handedly it tempted millions of gamers to stray from Sony's grasp and make the Xbox their preferred home console.
- Originality -both take tried and tested formulae and give them a shake. Nothing too revolutionary though. Draw
- Longevity - Monkey Island has stood the test of time and hit the headlines again in recent weeks. However, who would bet against GoW spawning countless more mega-selling sequels and map packs? Draw
- Graphics - Gears takes the crown. Large, defined and detailed. Winner: GoW
- Sound FX - Grunts and gunshots win hands down. Winner: GoW
- Replayability - A new version of Monkey Island is bound to attract some new fans, but there's no sign of interest flagging for in Gears' online play. Winner: GoW
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