Okay, I’ll admit it. It’s only been a few days since release and I’m utterly enamored with Gears of War. There’s simply nothing quite like it. There’s been a tendency of late for naysayers to limp-wristedly smack the hands of reviewers that have been handing out near perfect scores, citing their reasoning as something obscured by glasses tinted with gorgeous graphics and nothing else.

Sure, the graphics are amazing, but I’ve never been one to stick around playing a game just because it looks nice. The gameplay is fantastic. Using the A button as your go-to ninja action control creates a completely different beast than what most shooters provide, especially in the online arena.

The campaign is an action fan’s dream. Environments range from the dilapidated cityscapes that everyone will come to associate with the visuals, to rain-drenched factories and mines that fold into locust hives buried deep underground. The oft talked about “Stop and Pop” shooting tends to transition from slow and strategic to fast and frantic in a second’s passing, as enemies hop over barriers and flank their way to your location. Though their AI can be sketchy at times, as they’ll occasionally hide behind a barrier unwavering as they get lit up by your ammunition, their brute strength is enough to keep firefights blazing for a long time.

Gears of War rewards crafty fighting tactics with its melee maneuvers, especially the chainsaw bayonet. Make your way around that stationary gunner and cut right down the middle. This translates so well into online play that it’s ridiculous. The smaller 4-on-4 game type creates more tightly knit teams that are encouraged to play intelligently, distracting opponents while another runs in for the kill. It’s far separated from the gung-ho every-man-for-himself style of most shooters.

Variety is the name of the game, really. The five acts in the single player mode never seem repetitive. There are a few really interesting boss battles, a vehicle level, etc; there’s just always something happening here.

The bottom line is that I’m online playing this pretty much every night of the week, and you should be too. If you see the gamertag Moldilox running around on XBL, shoot a message and I’ll try and be gentle with the chainsaw.