Explosions. Gunfire. Revving chainsaws. Guttural yelling and screaming. Blood splatters. There is an undeniably harsh exterior to Gears of War which is often where people stop when looking at the game or playing it. But, when you pay attention there is deep tragedy and a sense of warmth to the story being told about Dom and Delta Squad.
Ardbeg Wee Beastie is a single malt that blasts you with harsh Islay peat and smoke, but underneath there is a subtle complexity and robust flavor that is mixed with hits of spice. Just as with Gear of War, the harsh exterior gives way to a great drinking experience.
Nose:
Game: For it’s time, Gears of War was a visual marvel in terms of graphics and cinematic scale. Yes, looking at it now it was a game that fell victim to the design of it’s time – muted colors, lots of brown, red, and gray – but that aside it was using the unreal engine which has set the highest bar consistently for graphics. What it does well is get you into the feel of the game early by making you experience the dinginess of the world with barrages of mud, gore, and dirt constantly being thrown at you. But you get brief breaks from that barrage to see beautiful horizons, detailed environments, and memorable character designs. The remaster that came out a few year ago did a great job of keeping the muck while upgrading the fidelity of this games graphics to match modern standards.
Scotch: Obvious notes of smoke and spice that hit hard up front, like the violence and noise of Gears of War that attacks the senses. Beyond that, you get some subtle apple and very faint vanilla. These sweeter notes remind you of the well rendered environments that immerse you into the story and gameplay.
Palate:
Game: The gameplay of Gears of War is really where it shines. They set the standard for cover mechanics for third-person games for so long because they developed a simple but very effective system for it. Taking cover is paramount to success in the game, and that lends to the feeling of being overwhelmed by chaos, just as the COG has been overwhelmed by the locust forces. You have your backs against the wall and you have to move from cover to cover, taking advantage of opportunities to pop out and fire off a clip or rush the enemy to get in close with your chainsaw and other melee options. The game performs beautifully and Gear later gives us a tremendous contribution to multiplayer gameplay with Horde Mode, where you and your friends have to survive wave after wave of enemies. Gears of War’s gameplay has influenced many games over the years with it’s system of cover mechanics, but I would argue that to this day it still has the best implementation across the series.
Scotch: The primary flavors that hit you are smoke and peat. Honestly, its the main driver of the flavors present in this scotch, but once you get past that (might take a few attempts) you get a nice warm spiced flavor with black pepper. Like with Gears, once you get past the initial brutality, there is a good and warm story underlying the noise and violence.
Finish:
Game: Gears of War is light on story, but what story is there sets up a great bond between your character and the supporting cast of your squad. That, combined with immersive and cinematic environments, serve to create a compelling universe that has room for many more great stories. With a solid story, great visuals, and even better gameplay this is a must try game!
Scotch: This scotch has a decent finish that has a hint of something other than smoke and peat on the end and makes you want to explore more. Just as with Gears of War, when you finish the brutal campaign, you are left with a desire to go back and play again and maybe learn more about Marcus and the rest of Delta squad. Ardbeg Wee Beastie is not what I would recommend as your first foray into the world of scotch. But, if you enjoy intense flavors like peat and smoke then you can find the Wee Beastie to be a good drinking experience overall. I would recommend this to pair with the revving chainsaws and brutally visceral gameplay of Gears that has a bit of warmth to it as well.
Story Mode Scotch 