Gears of War. It was the game that got me into next-gen gaming. I remember seeing and reading about the game in the months before it’s release and thinking, “now it’s time to upgrade.” Importantly, the game did not disappoint. Despite the naysaying from the Monday morning quarterback clubs across the internets, I enjoyed the game, the goofy story, the “stop” and “pop” combat mechanic. The co-op was fun and while the single player campaign was a bit short, I did play it through a number of times, in co-op and on higher difficulty levels, which is more than I can say for Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3.
I know, I know, we do give Cliffy B a hard time around here, mostly cause he deserves it. He’s a better groomed Dyack, constantly in the news chattering about Gears of War 2 this, world politics that. Enough already, time to deliver the goods.
So, here’s the question that I’ll answer after the jump: Does Gears of War 2 live up to the hype?
Let’s start at the beginning. Gears of War 2 doesn’t immediately separate itself from the first game. This is a good thing. Being immediately immersed in the GOW universe is quite the initial thrill after the 2 year wait. You’ll be immediately introduced to a old friend, in a ridiculous scene that touches just enough of the right note, which that keeps it out of cheeseville. Besides this old/new character, you’ll actually meet quite a few new characters in this game, all with distinct, yet cliched personalities, from the stoic Samoan to the crusty ole truck driver, complete with a broken down cowboy hat. Instead of detracting from the story, the goofy characters add to it. I mean, come on here, this isn’t Shakespeare. This is the same game featuring the “Cole Train” for god’s sake. Let’s give Epic a bit of leeway here…
Anyway, back to the action. In the first game, the fights were restricted to mostly indoor areas, confining you and your team in a room or hallway, to face off against a handful of Locust. There was the rare outdoor firefight, but for the most part, it was small scale stuff all around. Not so in Gears of War 2. I was continuously impressed with the size and scope of the various skirmishes you’ll fight in the game. There were times when you’ll see hundreds of Locust at a time, but realistically, the most I counted in a fire fight was closer to right around 20, which is an impressive feat in and of itself. Obviously you’re not facing 20 Locust at once, but it sure seems that way sometimes.
The set pieces where these battles are fought are also quite impressive. The Unreal Engine can really pack some detail in the environment, whether it’s fighting through rain called “razor hail” that will tear you apart or running your way through the intestine of a large Rockworm, the environments never fail to impress. Stop and look around once and a while to enjoy it, because there are some really fantastic settings in this game. These things aren’t just for show either, the different settings will drastically effect how you tackle the battles within these areas. Even better, the different settings will effect not only you but your foes as well, which adds to the overall satisfaction of each battle.
The actual battles play out as you would expect in Gears of War. New weapons such as the flame thrower and the Mulcher minigun do add a bit of flair to the festivities, which change up the pace nicely from the regular stoppin’ and a poppin’ you’ll do throughout the game. Many of the new weapons allow you a nice variety of tools to attack the scenarios in a number of ways. Items such as the Shield, or the Mortar launcher really take the game to the next level and challenge you to find new ways to rip through the Locust Horde.
One word to the wise, if you’ve played GOW before, start your single player experience on the Hardcore difficulty setting. Normal is just too easy. You won’t enjoy it.
Gripes and the wrap up, on page 2.
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I find this game a glorified Gears 1. I am not impressed at all. I enjoyed the first ones story and all. Sure I have compared the story with the likes of Rainbow Six Vegas. Kept wondering why I was shooting at these things cause I could not remember any story. Thank god I am only renting this game.
GOW2 is a significant improvement on the original game. The insane graphics and smooth cut-scene rendering are testament to the improved Unreal engine. Moreover, the multi-player is very addictive. EPIC fixed the shotgun and chainsaw exploitations (although I wouldn’t be surprised if gamers find a new glitch).
at least there IS a story now, huh?
I really enjoyed my play through of Gears 2. Although, I do agree about the centaur tank level…could have done without it. The tank was especially terrible on the “frozen lakes”. I actually think that the vehicle on Mass Effect was easier to control. So, even with it’s flaws, I’m glad that I bought it and not rented it. I expect to play through it a few more times before I trade it in…if I even decide to trade it in.
Hmm, I never played Gears 1, so this game will be a fresh experience for me regardless, should I choose to purchase it…
The campaign is miles better than the first game, the environments and enemies are more varied and there’s a much bigger sense of scale.
I thought the story was actually much better than Gears 1, it seemed like they were actually trying to flesh it out. It definitely isn’t perfect, but I thought it was decent.
Oh and, my tank never dropped like a rock. Did you use your boost before jumps?
you guys worry wayyyy too much about the story
@ Waffle Boy: of course I boosted. The car still doesn’t go far and drops like a rock over bigger jumps.
im not that far in but i think the story so far is pretty good
Epic have made a truly epic game. Agree 100% with you about Dom’s wife, should have been left out, and worst tank controls EVER. I’m surprised you didn’t mention the Brumak level, that was a heck of a lot more fun than the tank. You also forgot to mention Horde, the best multi player game mode EVER, getting to level 50 even on casual is manic
RK1 WhiteKnight: Dude… Spoiler alert …. I didn’t want to give that away…
As for reviewing the Horde mode, this post was a review for the Single player campaign only, hence the title.
LOL I love that everyone complains about the tank level when I didn’t die on it once. All it takes is some patience, and a little bit of perception. Here’s a hint: The darker patches of ice are the ones that’ll break. If you play videogames for awhile, a lot of areas that are breakable or have some sort of interaction have some sort of distinction to the scenery around it. I’m surprised Lono didn’t catch it
.
@Lono
Not really a spoiler… anybody who’s seen the trailers saw the cutscene. Those who couldn’t put 2 and 2 together deserve to be spoiled.
@Ummm yeah: dude you didn’t die once? Damn, you must be some uber gamer… I saw you bragging about finishing the L4D demo on expert too… you da man now dawg!!! You don’t even need this review, cuz I bet you already had it beamed to your head cuz you so awesome at video games!!!
On a more serious note, whether you died or not on the tank level, it still sucked.