Gears of War 2 Xbox 360 Review

Exactly two years after its predecessor's release, Gears of War 2 was unleashed upon the gaming world. Amongst Halo-esque hype, Epic Games promised their sequel to one of Xbox 360's most successful titles would be "bigger, better and more badass". Did they deliver? The answer is a resounding yes.

Gears of War 2 takes place six months after the events of the original Gears. The Lightmass bomb that Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad detonated was not the successful strike against the Locust they had hoped for. The war between COG soldiers and the Locust Horde is quite literally tearing the planet Sera apart. The Locust is sinking entire cities and has set their sites on the last human stronghold, Jacintha. Humankind and their civilization are on the verge of extinction. The war cannot continue, and so, with one last united push, the humans decide the only option left is to go on the offensive and strike at the Locust heart underground. Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago and thousands of others begin this last desperate act for hope and life. This truly is war.

One of the weaker elements plaguing the first Gears of War along with countless other action shooters is the story. The narrative of Delta Squad and the Locust War definitely has some unique facets, but nothing is really fleshed out and fully developed. Given its jaw dropping action and graphics, few seemed to care at the time of its release.

For the sequel, gamers wanted a deeper story with more character development. Who, and why were these COG soldiers on the forefront of this fight, and who or what was the catalyst that caused Emergence Day. In scope and scale, the story in Gears of War 2 is bigger in every way from the original. That does not necessarily mean that there is "more" story per se. I found few questions from Gears of War answered, and even more questions were posed during the new campaign.

The increased depth of story and character development comes through the tones and atmosphere portrayed throughout each Act. No longer is Delta Squad fighting alone in abandoned courtyards and backstreets. They are fighting alongside hundreds of fellow soldiers in a common cause. Desperation hangs thick over their heads as this is their one last shot at ending this war. You're surrounded by battles claiming the lives of friends and allies. You're rescuing comrades, or being rescued. Gears of War 2 truly feels as if the world around you is at war, and Marcus and his squad are part of something bigger.

One significant story that runs parallel to Marcus's role in this war is that of Dom's search for his missing wife Maria. For the life of me, I can't remember any mention of her in Gears of War, but this added storyline for Dom puts a compelling human touch on the characters and the war. We realize Marcus, Dom and Delta are not merely mindless brutes, but humans fighting for something. The outcome for this side story is actually one of the more emotionally poignant scenes in recent video game memory, all highlighted by an amazing score piece.

At first glance, it is easy to dismiss Gears of War 2's graphics as more of the same considering it is using the identical Unreal 3 engine now over two-years old. After ten minutes or less, there is little doubt Gears of War 2's visual aesthetics are not only vastly superior to the original game, but set a new bar for high definition gaming graphics on consoles as well.

The first notable difference is in the color palette. The Gears palette is no lo

Revolutionary

It takes a talented developer to make a truly outstanding game. It takes a more talented one to make an even better sequel. So when websites began to state that “Gears of War 2” would simply be “more of the same”, some people may have felt disappointed, and yes “Gears of War 2” is more of the same. Now add in the fact that the original “Gears of War” is one of the five best games I've ever played, and “more of the same” suddenly doesn't seem like such a bad thing. So now let's also add that “Gears of War 2” demolishes the original in every single aspect, and what are you left with? I don't think there's a word yet to describe it.

“Gears of War 2” begins several months after the events of the first. The Delta squad lead by Marcus Fenix struck a crucial blow to the Locust horde by detonating the light-mass bomb in their underground networks. Yet now the Locust are back and they've brought something with them that is capable of sinking entire cities into the planet. With their backs against the wall humanity launches a last ditch effort to end the war by burrowing into the planet's surface and taking the fight directly to the Locust. “Gears of War 2” puts a much heavier emphasis on story telling than the original did. The result pays off in grand fashion mixing in equal parts of grandiose and personal themes. There's plenty of compelling secrets revealed about the mysterious Locust horde and their origins, which only compelled me to play more.

As mentioned the core gameplay is more of the same, but everything has been enhanced. The weapons are more effective, the enemy and partner A.I. is more aggressive and the cover system is more responsive. Just as in the original you will again need to be taking cover, peeking out to take your shots before ducking back down again. The cover system feels tighter this time around and you won't find yourself sticking behind objects you weren't intending to utilize. The biggest and best new addition is the ability to grab wounded enemies and use them as a “meat shield”. This might not seem like a noteworthy addition but I cannot even begin to count how many times I have used this to escape a tight spot. Epic Games has also included “stopping power” to its firearms. No longer can players effortlessly run through a hail of bullets towards cover; now, every bullet that hits not only slows your character down but also staggers him. This helps make the game far more strategic and forces players to take things slowly instead of rushing every opposition. The grenades have also been given a hefty facelift. A new “ink” grenade has been added that explodes into a ball of poisonous gas. The previously useless smoke grenades now not only emit smoke but knock any nearby enemies off their feet. Grenades can also be stuck to walls and used as proximity mines for approaching enemies, an invaluable tool in keeping foes from sneaking up behind you in large rooms.

Graphics- 10
Gameplay- 10
Sound- 10
Overall- 10

Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)

GAMEPLAY: A+
This game still plays like the first Gears, except with a wider array of weapons and features (ie, chainsaw battles, different modes of executing a downed enemy). This is a third person shooter, for those who have not played the first one. And also, expect a lot of blood and violence, so if you are parents considering this game for your children, this serves as fair warning.

The campaign takes longer to beat this time around (10-20h I think). The graphics are very beautiful and realistic, and a lot more 'vibrant'. The first Gears was in general a very dark and gloomy game. You see a lot more color in this one. Co-op campaign gameplay continues to be addictive and I think a strength in this game. It is still as immersive an experience for all players involved as the first Gears was.

Further, the creators definitely outdid themselves in design of the levels. You should expect to be pleasantly surprised with every single level that comes up. While you can clearly expect to see yourself running around in the streets battling waves after waves of Locust, you will also see another order of magnitude of fighting, with sometimes even as many as 80-100 Locust rushing through your field of view. To emphasize the creativity of the creators, there was also, at various points later in the game (spoiler warning), a section where you had to traverse a pitch-black tunnel to safely escort a vehicle across, and even a level where your squad somehow ends up inside one of the Locust beasts and had to fight your way out...

Overall, this game has been quite an experience. It deserves an A+ and Game of the Year awards.

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STORY: B+
Given that this game promised to have more leads on the storyline of the series than the first one, it does a better job. A lot of the early story is centered around Dom and him trying to find his wife, amidst all the fighting. The voice acting is compelling for the most part, and you can tell a lot more easily that it's a dark time for humanity on this fictional planet. In the first Gears, playing through the story was mostly humorous because of the way all the guys were joking around in between fight scenes and the light talk that went on. In this Gears, there's a lot more of a sense of urgency. And cutscenes are well made.

Finally, instead of COG tags for collection, we have bits and pieces of 'collectibles' like newspaper clippings, ads, so on and so forth that in some cases contribute to the backstory a little bit, kind of like the way those terminals worked in Halo 3. All of these, when found, are put in some scrapbook that's accessible from the Main Menu, and arranged in a more or less logical order.

The reason the story only gets a B+: if you think about games like BioShock and Mass Effect and the Halo series with their very immersive storylines, GoW 2 is still not quite there. But it is closer to that state now than it was previously.

I won't reveal any more in this part, but definitely expect a lot more of a plot that serves as a backdrop to all the fighting that's going on. Epic Games did a good job of piquing your interest and making you want to learn more.

Overall a very good game. A+

Gears 1.5 (or so).

This game is great fun to play, but is only a slight improvement on the original. Gameplay is similar, as a duck & cover 3rd person shooter. Host lag advantage has been minimized, however actually getting into a multiplayer pub match can take a very, very long time. The game is in desperate need of a patch to solve the slow matchmaking process.

The single player campaign is great fun, reminiscent of the varied and exciting content of the second Halo. Co-op play is seamless -- friends can drop in or out with ease. Controls have not been changed significantly from the original.

The truly wonderful thing about Gears 2 is the achievement tracking. Every time you make progress toward an achievement, an on-screen indicator pops up, letting you know how far you have yet to go before earning the cheevo. This makes for much less frustration and guesswork, especially when you've played the game for a long time, and are wondering when you'll get that difficult achievement.

For people new to the franchise, the learning curve is steep. For people not used to shooters, the learning curve is nigh on unbearable. This game is for the truly addicted, with little middle ground for the casual gamer.

That said, it is also one of the best new shooters around. It must rank up there with Halo 3, Shadowrun, and The Orange Box when considering what is available on the Xbox 360. (My friends would also add CoD 4, or Rainbow Six: Vegas, but those are not my cup of tea.)

Should you rent or purchase?

Here's the deal: if you like shooters, buy it. It is a very good game, with plenty of varied play experience. The matches are fair, the maps abundant, and the bugs are minimal. Also, if you buy, you get bonus maps and other nifty content.

If, however, you are on a limited budget, or you are only a casual shooter, try it first. I have become very tired of waiting to connect to other players and other teams in matchmaking -- a process which often allows me to run to the restroom, have a cigarette, and goof around on the internet between matches, with plenty of time to spare. I also don't think the gameplay has changed dramatically enough between the first and second features. Sure, you can use downed players as 'meat shields,' and all that, but its essence is Gears 1 with some new bells and whistles. Which is fine if you are a devoted fan. For others, like me, I want more out of my Gears 3 and Halo 4 experiences, when they inevitably come out.

If you like the first Gears, this one's even better

Gears 2 is a bit different from Gears 1, and it features a lot of gameplay changes and nifty new tricks to make it an all-around excellent game for anyone who like its prequel.

I'll put the important stuff at the beginning for those who don't feel like reading a lot. In order of decreasing importance, here's what's new.

-Gears 2 has a longer campaign and an actual plot. Gears 1 had a respectable campaign and a tiny plot. I nearly cried at a couple of parts in Gears 2.
-Now when you get knocked down, you can crawl around. Believe me, this is a huge deal!
-Multiplayer isn't all about snipers and shotguns anymore. Mid-ranged combat is a viable and important part of the game now for all skill levels.
-The campaign involves more allies, more enemies, more enemy types, gigantic bosses, and more over-the-top ridiculous action sequences. Now it feels like there's an actual war going on.
-Large support weapons like miniguns and mortars have been added.
-Grenades can be planted like proximity mines. Smoke grenades now stun, also. A gas grenade has been added.
-Players can play with bots or with the awesome new "Horde" game mode where players must survive waves of attacking locust NPCs.
-Old weapons have been changed and rebalanced while a few new ones have been added. The biggest difference is that the locust hammerburst assault rifle has been revamped and made into a powerful mid-long range weapon.
-Players can protect themselves by picking up shields or downed enemies.
-Environments are now more destroyable. Cover becomes a little less useful as it gets chewed up by bullets and explosions.
-Chainsaw "ties" become dramatic-looking duels. Whoever can spam a button fastest wins.
-Players in co-op mode can each select their own difficulty level.
-The campaign involves driving some vehicles that are a bit more useful than the stupid buggy from Gears 1. These parts are actually fun.

So, just like you may have suspected, Gears 2 is just like Gears 1 but with a few changes. Campaign battles are bigger, crazier, and feel more like an actual "war."

If you really loved the first Gears, you can stop reading here and go get Gears 2.

There are no boss fights quite like the one from Gears 1 where you face an enemy who just won't die. There are several more like the Corpser and Berzerker battles where the player must do some sequence events. I personally don't care for these, but they are so over the top and entertaining that I can still enjoy them even if the gameplay aspect is weak.

The "normal" battles between boss fights are the highlight of this game. In Gears 1, firefights typically restricted motion that wasn't simply forwards or backwards and it often felt like you had to work your way down a hallway. Gears 2 involves much more wide-open battles. The enemy AI shines in these situations because the locust work together. They'll distract you while their buddies sneak around the back, or they'll lay down cover fire while they try to surround you and overwhelm you with superior numbers. They bail out friends in trouble, and they charge your hurt or isolated allies when they have superior numbers. Lone locusts play conservative, hide a lot, and either try to escape or wait till you pass to take you out from behind.

The game also has situations where splitting up with your squad is now optional.

Anyway, Gears 2 isn't revolutionary, but it takes the strengths from its prequel, builds on them, and adds a little extra.