First of all, I'm an average gamer, not great but not horrible either. In multiplayer games I usually rest somewhere in the middle of the stats boards, but still have fun. In single player campaigns it usually takes me a bit longer to win the game then it does most of my friends.
I love Gears of War! It's simply one of my all-time favorite video games. It probably ranks only below the Halo franchise. The end boss, General Raam, is a real challenge to defeat. My first time through the game I played on the Hardcore difficultly level (there is Casual, Hardcore and Insane) and it took 30 plus tries for me to finally beat the boss. Second time my son and I played coop and it took us 3 times to defeat him, but this was on the easiest difficulty setting. I've spent weeks and weeks working my way through the campaign on Insane difficulty. It's brutal!
Fortunately, I've had some help with a friend, DaStuph (Chad), and my son, Gladiator Ninja (Justin). Some levels I was brave enough to take on my own, however. But, not the last fight in the game with General Raam. I assumed it would take 50 or more tries to beat him spanning a weeks time. Last night I fire up a game inviting my son to play. First try we gear up before the end boss battle with grenades for both, a sniper rifle for me and a torque bow for my son. I consistently snipe Raam to lower his shields and get a few headshots while my son launches the exploding arrows from his bow once the opponent protection is depleted. As Raam gets close I blindly toss a couple grenades in his direction. Next, I tell my son I'm running to the barriers on the other side assuming he'd follow. Instead my dash for safety distracts Raam away from my son to focus on my fleeing character. My son takes this opportunity to equip a grenade, get close enough to melee tag Raam with it and ninja roll away. Cut scene, achievement(s) unlocked, high fives! A very proud father/son moment! Defeating General Raam on Insane the first attempt is quite the accomplishment!
