Review - GoW3 Forces Of Nature DLC

As the Season Pass content draws to a close, it's fair to say that Gears of War 3 hasn’t done too badly for extra content. Okay, so there was a little bit of consternation over the worth of the first expansion, when the free Booster Pack that followed rendered it largely irrelevant. Thankfully though, RAAM's Shadow blew us away with its substantial and brilliant chunk of campaign DLC and Fenix Rising did a decent job with its five new maps and introduction of the re-up (aka Prestige) system.

Rounding out the DLC for GoW3, however, is Forces of Nature – a pack that, as the name would suggest, is noticeably more weathered than its predecessors. Not just because of its wild, atmospheric differences, but also because its five maps includes two classic ones that have been repurposed to add new looks and tweaked layouts. All of the maps feel like they've slipped into the mix perfectly and immediately feel lived and fragged in.

The shifting climate patterns make this a particularly striking collection of maps, giving you more than just pretty new scenery on which to foolishly bayonet charge into an ambush and lob incendiary grenades behind cover to toast cowering COG troopers. They're visual changes rather than the nightmare-inducing Razorhail, adding snow, dense fog and heavy summer showers to maps to add some visual variety as you work through some of the new playlists.

Raven Down returns from the original Gears of War and its tightly-woven crossroads design is lovely and bright with its icy, snow-coated battlefield. It's as brilliant and tense a tiny map as it ever was, offering close-quarters battling in just about every mode you throw at it, with plenty of cover but nowhere to really hide or hole up. Things get even more awesome to look at when the snow begins to fall, and the snowstorm transforms the map with a claustrophobic snowstorm. It's a true classic, expertly reborn.

Keeping with the claustrophobic theme, Cove sees you battle around a fog-coated port turned into a stranded village, battling against the limited visibility to blow each other to chunks all across the pier. It has an odd feel to it, large and open but murky and littered with side-routes and a ship right in the centre. It's lighter on atmosphere than the other maps and is probably the weakest of the bunch, but the fog makes it an enjoyable experience - especially when it comes to hunting down a final target, or trying to hold out as enemies converge to get their final execution.

Also making a big comeback is Gears of War 2 favourite Guardian mode, which sees Locust and COG forces assigned a Leader to protect and given infinite respawns until their side's leader is killed. Leaders are marked by Stars everyone can see, but conversely the Leaders can spot every player's location on the TAC/COM. The game doesn't end when one Leader is killed, so a scattered or cut down squad can still pull off a victory. It's another welcome mode, further fleshing out Gears 3's insanely well-stocked multiplayer offering.

Aftermath can be one of the most chaotic maps to play Guardian and, well, just about any other mode on. A 'government park' after a tsunami, the imposing, sun-kissed architecture is loomed over by a ship deposited rather obliquely on top of a building. There's wreckage everywhere and the map is prone to both aftershock quakes and some flooding, throwing off aim and making it tough to sneak around. The map's only visibility foibles are the quakes – which makes it a more snipe-happy environment – and it's a great way to get back into Horde mode.

The return of Jacinto will be a happy moment for Gears veterans, especially since the new layout tweaks and visual touches are so neat. Even better though is the constant beat of the rain: it's pouring it down on the scorched, cracked ruins of the now lost city. Alternate pathways and tweaks to drop locales might nark long-time obsessives, but the map looks and sounds better than ever, with the added routes adding so much to the beloved, sodden, grim locale.

Rounding out the map pack is Artillery, a military base hiding a couple of One-Shot bunkers that eventually comes close to being turn up by a tornado. As you fight for control of the bunkers in and around the central yard, a storm builds and lightning flashes across the horizon, before winds pick up and dust and debris start to fly. It's an awesome transformation, one that can truly make the sound of a One-Shot charging up even more terrifying than ever, masked by the whipping wind.

Weather might not be the most obvious way to make a map pack exciting, but Epic has done Gears Of War 3 proud with this elemental collection. The throwing in of four extra character skins, plus the re-jigging some playlists and game types are nice as well, as is the inclusion of five new weapon skins and two more hidden ones, but it’s the maps themselves that truly shine. Horde mode even comes with its own awesome Easter eggs on each map: elemental-effected Cleavers!