And it's destined to be a classic – and not just because it's the first title developed by Epic Games exclusively for the Xbox 360.

You play as Marcus Fenix, an ex-con who leads the marines battle the enemy, the Locust Horde, in an epic struggle to save humankind. And the members of the Locust Horde are nasty creatures, rendered in breathtaking high-definition visuals.

There are several different modes you can play in, including single player, where Marcus leads the marines on his mission. To make things more interesting, there's also a two-player co-op mode and a four-on-four multiplayer match.

All modes, levels and scenarios are designed for co-op play, either against the A.I. or human opponents. It's almost impossible to separate your A.I. teammates from the human counterparts – they manage to take orders and act far more effectively than we've seen in the past with other similar titles.

If you opt for two-player action, you can do so by either Xbox Live or even on one console using split screen mode. One player takes on the role of Marcus while the other plays his squad mate Dom. If one of you dies, the other can even stand over their corpse to revive them.

The game play is quite gory – hence the high rating – but we anticipate that this will be one of the factors that make gamers love it.

It's early days yet, but if Gears of War is any indication of what Xbox has to offer in the upcoming war against the PS3 and Nintendo Wii, all signs are looking good for a Microsoft coup.