We just finished the Gears of War 3 campaign tonight (it's short!), and—if you're a fan of the series, or meant to be but never got around to it—it's totally worth blowing off some work today if you can grab a copy. (Although judging from the lines in Times Square, you might have needed to pre-order.)

Gears has always been fairly ridiculous, what with the massively muscular bodies and tiny heads, a game world that is self-consciously gruff and gritty and in every way be-weaponed, and its almost parodic dialogue (it is no coincidence, we think, that same voice actor plays both thick-necked Marcus Fenix *and* Bender from Futurama), etc. But the series finale manages to get everything that's fun about Gears righter than ever—like the multiplayer, the blockbuster set pieces (which, like the rest of the game, look great), and the over-the-top bloody action—while alleviating some of the heavy-handedness and repetitive level tedium of earlier installments. If you crapped out on previous Gears, you might actually be inspired to finish this one.

The variety in Gears 3 is gratifying, including pre-apocalyptic flashbacks, many levels with vehicles and mechs (yes: you get to pretend you're a giant dude *inside* a giant robot, like a wish-fulfillment sandwich), and at least one bit of narrative trickery with two arcs told out of sequence. Clever for a AAA game! True to the series, the dialogue is still pretty ham-in-fist, especially in the game's "emotional" moments, but we laughed wayyy more than we thought we would—like maybe the writers actually had some fun wrapping up the series. Sergeant Fenix, may your weird little goatee rest in peace. (That is not a spoiler. He doesn't die. That is not a spoiler either. Maybe he dies. Or maybe just his goatee dies. Who can say?)

If you like exposition, you will love this opening cinematic.

The Stranger Testing Department is Rob Lightner and Paul Hughes. (And thanks to Shane for helping check out Gears!)