Gears of War 3, What needs to happen??

So, I'm a big fan of the GOW franchise and have greatly enjoyed the first two games. The first blew me away with the stunning visuals and really made me appreciate the 360 as a next generation console, the duck and cover system gave a new feel to the 3rd person shooter genre and had the most immense use of a chainsaw in any game.
It was also the first game that enticed me in to the online multiplayer mode, quickly becoming addicted and craving the destructive shotgun blast or the satisfying 'pop' of a well placed headshot.
There were definitely some flaws with the game (host shotgun springs to mind), however i hadn't really considered these until the second game was announced, merely accepting them as liveable tradeoff's.However when Cliff Blezinski famously announced with his chainsaw bayonet in hand that Gears 2 was on its way and it was to be "Bigger, Better, more Badass" it got myself and many others salivating at what that meant exactly.So I thought, given the likelihood that GOW3 could be on the horizon (Nov 2010 anyone?) I'd have a look at what, in my opinion, worked in Gears 2, what didn't and what needs to happen in Gears 3?? 

What worked in Gears 2? 

• The New Engine (This brought some excellent Physics to the game and allowed far more characters on screen) 
• New Weapons (added extra depth seamlessly) 
• New Enemies (Grinders, Flamers, maulers, Kantus and more, It's hard to imagine not having them now!) 
• Horde Mode! (Fantastic fun, a real challenge in later levels and very addictive) 
• Levelling System (Everyone likes points, but what do they really mean?) 
• Other New Multiplayer Modes (although I still end up on Execution or Warzone) 
• Drop in and out Co-op (with separate difficulties!)
• Chainsaw Duel's (it had to happen and it did and it was awesome!) 
• Some great new Map's and a selection of the classic ones too 
• 5 v 5 teams 

What didn't work so well? 

Issues with Multiplayer:

For me the biggest disappointment in Gears 2 was the multiplayer.
Now i still very much enjoy playing multiplayer, the feeling, that unlike other games where u simply re-spawn, in GOW, life is precious.
However for me, too little was improved and more importantly some things got worse.Lack of Choice:

In the original, you would look at the games available (public), where you could see who was hosting,how strong the connection was, what type of game mode was being played, which map was being played and what the weapons were set to (all snipers for example)
This kind of choice was excellent as everyone had their favourite maps and didn't rely on voting on random maps.
With the new matchmaking system, you simply choose your game mode, it finds you a team and you vote on a couple of map choices.
What if i want to play Gridlock for 5 hours???
Now i can see the benefit of the matchmaking system and there are always private xbox live options, but why get rid of the choice completely? 

Occasionally of course Gridlock is dangled in front of you to taunt you and within seconds snatched away again by the voting masses.
Plus nobody seems to have a mic anymore so there is little hope for negotiation, which brings me on to my next point!

Lack of community: 

Nobody talks anymore!
As I mentioned earlier life is precious on GOW and communicating with your team is vital to success.
For some reason with the matchmaking system, people just stopped talking. You find a team, play in silence, win or lose and then they are gone from your life unless you are 'matched' again.
Most likely people are talking in 'party chat', however if you fancy a game yourself, you are confined to silence.
In Gears 1, I quickly became part of a group of around 20 people who had all met in the game, so there was always someone you knew playing the game and as everyone knows it's always more satisfying to chainsaw someone you know!
And if you know the people, you know their skills, which leads us on to..Lack of Balance:

In Gears 1 if the team was particularly one sided at the end of the match, people would swap sides to balance the team, you would get to know the people and get to know their style of play.
The matchmaking system proudly states 'Searching for opposing team of similar skill' and then you face the sad reality of a team of level 90's against your team, peaking at lvl 33, who then proceed to storm your side of the map like an infestation of mice in a cheese shop. Within minutes it' all over,the consolation being you wont need to hear them gloat, just painful silence.Issues with Campaign: 

Too damn short and the most unsatisfying ending to a game in recent memory!What needs to happen in Gears 3? 
Single Player:

• Bigger, 6-8 hours is NOT enough.
• Better, some of the 'Dom's wife' plot seemed so cheesy and i don't think i cared once. Now Tai on the other hand, was a character i liked and barely got to know. A plot line trying to save him,fighting our way out of a locust stronghold where it was touch and go would have been quite exciting. 
• More Badass, shooting a Brumak with a Hammer of Dawn for a couple of seconds is not a sufficient ending to a game, at least General Raam was a challenge. 

Multiplayer:

• 4 Player Co-op Campaign please 
• Dedicated servers please, you are punished for leaving a game early , even if you are lagging like crazy and teleporting all over the place. 
• Customisable Multiplayer characters. Why cant you design your own character, with new options being unlocked as you go up levels (Rainbow 6 anyone?) 
• New Horde style modes. I would love a 'war' type mode which had 20 - 50 on each side, initial weapon choice dependent on character level, with prizes/unlocks being given out to the highest contributors. This kind of mode would most likely need to be a scheduled event but would be awesome none the less.
• More options for matchmaking and allowing choice of gametypes.
• Better matchmaking.
• Encourage use of Mic's.
• Seriously, Dedicated servers please!!! 

General:

• More retail bought options not reliant upon DLC 
• More linked unlockables to previous games achievements 
• Even more weapons 
• Even more enemies 
• More locust playing options 

As i said at the start , I'm a big fan of this franchise and will be pre-ordering it as and when it is announced, however a quick scan of my ramblings and you can see there is a lot that could still be improved.

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