To defend Gears of War, you guys were all clearly playing it on single player. The co-op is okay and fun, but even then that wasnt the point of the game. It was a ridiculously sick shooter which thrived on online play aka the team deathmatch and execution, etc. It was extremely fun, fair (if you were good), and incorporated new things to involve everyone (like downing people and picking them up, grenade tags, chainsawing, among other things). Most of the maps offered in multiplayer were also very awesome, balanced, and they all incorporated a different playstyle. So if everyone was talking shit on Gears of War solely based on the single player, you havent played the game yet.