Gears of War 3 is officially available, and I'm sure many of you are staring at the clock while working, waiting to pick up your copy and spend the evening happily pushing chainsaws through the bodies of human and Locust alike. The game comes with a variety of game modes and options, and after spending the past few nights playing online, we have some ideas on where to start. Also, this is a good time to catch up with our official single-player review to really get your blood pumping.

So... where should you start?

Play the campaign with some friends

The campaign is a good length, and as you increase the difficulty level, you'll increase the amount of time it will take for you to fight to the credits. The story isn't going to win any awards, but it does bring the trilogy to a satisfying end while providing closure for a number of characters. Don't bother waiting for a message or sequel tease after the credits roll; the last scene in the game is refreshingly the last scene in the game. There will certainly be more Gears titles, but there are no hints shared about the future.

You can definitely play the game by yourself, but things are much more fun in co-op, and the game supports up to four players in the campaign at once. There are also enemies that seem designed to be tackled by two or more players, and the included AI teammates aren't very effective in battle. The game supports split-screen if you don't want to play online, so heed our advice and grab a friend. If you don't have any friends interested in playing, why not find someone in the comments of this story?

Horde 2.0 mode

Beast mode allows you to control a number of Locust forces to attack the heroes of the game, and it's a fast-paced way to play Horde mode in reverse. It's more of a snack than a meal, however, so we think you should move onto Horde 2.0 once you've finished the single-player game. In this mode you have to defend your team of up to five soldiers against 50 waves of enemies, including a number of boss battles. The Horde mode has been significantly upgraded from what we saw in Gears 2.

You earn money by taking down the Locust, and between every wave you have the opportunity to expand your base as well as purchase turrets, barriers to help control the enemy's movement, and weapons. This adds a very light element of tower defense to the game's strategy, and it's a welcome change. I ran through 50 waves last night on the lowest difficulty to get a feel for this mode, and my teammates and I were definitely put through our paces in the last few waves. On the higher difficulty levels this is going to be a nightmare.

You'll need to communicate with your team, adapt your strategy to the different enemies that are spawned, and save your big guns for the boss battles. You'll also be unlocking new items to purchase on the battlefield, and that system is persistent; the more you play the more powerful items you'll unlock. This is a great time.

Spot the enemies, use the Tac/Com view

If you see an enemy, aim at it and click the left analog stick on your controller. Now everyone on your team will be able to see the enemy and focus their fire. A team that's consistently spotting the enemy players is going to have a huge advantage. It's simple to do, but after a few multiplayer matches it's clear that spotting enemies may take a while to catch on. Show your team why it's such a crucial move by using it effectively and you'll be a hero.

The Tac/Com view is even simpler, but more important to use well. By holding down the left bumper you can see each of your teammates through walls, as well as the position of weapons and grenades. This gives you a wealth of data to use to your advantage. If you see one of your teammates take a knee and start to fire, you can get a good idea about where the enemy is located and move to a flanking position. You can also bring up this view to check out the location of each weapon on the map, and you can set up ambushes around the more important upgrades.

These abilities may not jump out at you when you first play, but they have the possibility of changing the entire flow of battle if used well.

Remember to have fun!

Gears of War 3 is a tremendous value, and the team at Epic has done a great job of keeping the feel of the series while updating the gameplay in a number of ways. The story is also brought to a satisfying end, which is rare in large-budget franchises. Learning how to use the new guns, the new tactical options, and fighting on the new maps will keep you busy for weeks, if not months. We also have a great community of players who enjoy the Gears of War series and organize games in our forum. Pop into the thread and say hello!