I have been thinking about this for a while: which is the better GoW, God of War or Gears of War? I know that these games are completely different genres and each plays completely differently, but I can't help thinking about this problem. So I pose to you the question, and I will break down the different areas where these two titles differ so that you can decide which one is more deserving of the GoW acronym.

Area 1: Story

Gears of War and god of War couldn't be more different in terms of their plots. One is about a gruff soldier on an Earth-like planet who is fighting off hordes of mole people, and the other is about a former Spartan general who sold his soul to Ares and is now fighting to get it back. I'm not asking you which one you like better, I'm asking you which one is higher quality. So when you answer in the comments include which one has the best writing, more interesting characters, better scenarios, and which one is more original.

Area 2: Main characters



The main characters of these two games are both tragic characters. In God of War, you play as Kratos, the aforementioned Spartan general. Anyways, after Kratos sold his soul so he could win a particularly fierce battle with some crazy ass barbarian dudes, Ares instructs him to kill his wife and child and slaughter the people in his village so that he will have complete loyalty to him. Kratos does this and after a few years of service to Ares, he kinda regrets it (duh). Well, Kratos starts having these nightmares because of all his guilt, so he consults Athena and asks if she can take away his guilt. Athena tells him that if he kills Ares (who has gone rogue) that she will take the bad dreams away. Now, on to Gears. In Gears you play as Marcus Fenix, a soldier who was imprisoned for leaving his post during the Locust (Mole People) invasion. Well, it turns out that the Locust are killing lots of human soldiers, so they take Marcus out of prison so he can help fight off the encroaching enemy forces. Marcus is very rough and he talks a lot about killing those bad guys during battles. Kratos is very ruthless and he only cares about himself, as he is fit to kill innocent civilians to get what he wants. Kratos also screws about any willing woman he can get his hands on. Marcus curb stomps and chainsaws enemies in half with his Lancer, while Kratos rips their heads off with his bare hands and stabs them in the throat with his Blades of Chaos. I can't even describe how crazy some of the things Kratos does during boss battles are. Marcus is a semi-realistic main character who happens to hang around some testosterone-filled steroids junkies (birds of a feather...), while Kratos is merciless, self-centered, and not very forward-thinking, as he is used as a pawn by almost everyone who he thinks is an ally (that's what you get for dealing with Greek Gods). When you answer, remember to take into account which character has better dialogue, is more likeable, more realistic (for their setting), and more well-drawn.

Area 3: Enemies



Gears of War and God of War both have lots of enemies, so this section will be a little harder to answer. God of War contains a plethora of enemies from Greek Mythology. From Harpies to Gorgons, this game has 'em all. Each enemy is pretty well detailed for a PS2 game, and each enemy type has a different fighting style. The Gorgons stay a medium distance from you and try to turn you to stone with their Stare. The harpies circle above you and occasionally swoop down and peck your head. The Undead Soldiers are very aggressive as they charge you and use their big-ass swords to rip you a new one. There are too many enemies to list here, but lets just say that there are a bunch of them. Gears of War features a smaller amount of enemy types than God of War, but there are plenty of them. You got your plain Locust, which are the humanoid mole people Then you got the Berserkers, which are these 15 foot tall humanoid mole people who can't see and therefore use sound to locate you. You got Wretches, which are these little creatures who run at you and swipe you with their claws. You got Reavers, which are these flying octopus things. And finally you got Krill (not the plankton), which are these bats that eat you until you explode (what?). Remember, when deciding which one has the best enemies take their design, enjoyability of combat, and how naturally they fit into their environment into account. Post the image of your favorite character in the comments section for +2 gold pieces.

Area 4 (final area): Gameplay



Ah finally! The big one, the clincher, the deciding factor: gameplay. I know you're mentally exhausted by all the debate going on in your brain over which one's better, but just hang with me for a few more seconds. I'll just lay down the basic gameplay for each: God of War is an action/puzzle/platformer (emphasis on action, not so much on platforming or puzzle solving) and Gears of War is a tactical 3rd person shooter (emphasis on the 3rd person, not so much on the tactical). For this one, I can't really say “make your decision based on which one is higher quality, not which one you like more” because this is about gameplay, and different people enjoy different types of gameplay, even if it's bad (See: Dynasty Warriors).

Now, off to the comments to decide on which one is better! Just say which one is better in each area, and then your overall pick.