Back in the day I would say Gears of War 3 is a game that warrants the purchase of an Xbox360. Today after seeing how Microsoft has been doling out nothing much casual stuff in recent times, I can happily say it is now the game that has managed to redeem the Xbox360.

The latest instalment in the Gears of War trilogy has finally concluded one of the most significant gaming trilogies in recent memory.

The best shooter you'll find on any console; Great new weapons and enemies; Easy on the eye; Beast mode and Horde 2.0; Pretty much everything not listed under 'downs'

The cutscenes are appalling; Irritating, one-dimensional characters; Vehicle levels and boss fights still grate; May cost you your job/relationship/tan

Sam Gideon is simply the coolest third-person shooter action hero on a modern HD console. Sure, Nathan Drake clambers up ruins and trains with expert skill and quips at the ready, and Marcus Fenix brutes and shoots his way through the Locust hordes.

you're an action junkie; you enjoy blowing stuff up

you long for unlockables; you need more variety in your shooters; you want a mulitplayer game

There is little doubt that Gears of War rests in the library of every shooter fan that owns an Xbox 360. When you see announcements that brag about 2 or 3 million copies sold, realize that Gears 1 and 2 combined has sold over 13 million copies.

One Game to get in your Shelf. Just a must have!! Gears Of War is a beautiful first person shooter series.

Bigger. Better. Gorier. Funnier. Sadder. Faster. Prettier. If previous entries into the Gears of War series had the odd failing here and there, Epic Games have patched them up, and as an apology added ten great new things to make your jaw drop at every turn.

Razor sharp gameplay and an aggressive amount of features never fail to entertain. The campaign stops short of transcendence, but the level of blood, sweat, and heart clearly poured into Gears of War 3 creates a whole that is more than the sum of its parts.

Combat dialed to perfection; Improved Multiplayer; Unreal Engine is out-of-control beautiful; More than your money's worth

Story doesn't quite live up to the "Brothers to the End" hype; No solo Beast mode; Supporting characters should be seen and not heard

We won't tease you for longer than this sentence – Gears of War 3 is awesome. The campaign is epic, with action sequences that are more intense, weapons that are more powerful, enemies that are more formidable and heroes that are more relatable than ever before.

Campaign's intense action and ferocious enemies; Brutal yin and yang of Horde and Beast modes; Quality and diversity evident in every multiplayer map

Occasionally too predictable and too familiar story; Your kill-stealing; glory-hogging AI partners; Hanging out with Ice-T instead of Cole; Dom or Baird

Finally the last chapter to the epic trilogy of Gears of War is coming to an end. Since the launch of the series way back in 2006, gamers have fell in love in the story of lead character "Marcus Fenix" and his friend "DOM" as they save the universe from Locust.

Gears of War 3 is a spectacular and polished send-off for Marcus Fenix and the Delta Squad, writes Simon Parkin