There’s an interesting article by Kieron Gillen up on The Escapist about the aesthetics of Gears of War and the game’s maturity level in general. His basic argument is that most of the people who criticize GoW for it’s ridiculous storyline and over-the-top machismo don’t rest the same harsh gaze on titles like Devil May Cry, which celebrate heroes and stories that are just as insipid. His point ends up being that there’s an important place for juvenalia in culture, but it also served to make me wonder just how low my standards are when it come to games. Personally I don’t think that Gears had the level of self-awareness that excuses something like Bad Boys II, but that’s just me. Either way, Gillen is always a good read.

Article here.