10 Best Campaign Moments From The Gears Of War Trilogy

3. Dom Finds Maria (Gears Of War 2)

Gears of War 2 is a big game. The emphasis was always on scale, but one of the series' best subplots is a smaller, more intimate one. Dom's quest to find his captured wife, Maria, proved that Gears of War wasn't just about massive dudes with tree trunks for necks putting chainsaws through aliens - Epic Games were telling an emotional, compelling story underneath it all.

You know it's unlikely to end well. Gears of War deals with death in a harsh, real way. Not too long before this moment does Gear veteran Tai Kaliso take his own life in an incredibly unexpected twist. When Dom finally finds Maria, the scene's effectiveness is brutal. She steps out of her cage untouched and beautiful, but that's only what Dom want to see - the cold light of day soon shines on the situation, revealing a skeleton of a woman whose mind is long gone, her body scarred by Locust torture.

It's a heart-wrenching cinematic to watch. Dom's quest, your quest, has ended in failure. You were unable to reach her in time. If there was any doubt in your mind that the Locust were monsters, then let this tell you otherwise. As Marcus walks away, and a gunshot rings out to silence the music, it's not just Maria who was killed on that day.