The recent GearHeads podcast shed light on several new features, as well as changes to the old, that will debut in the highly anticipated Gears of War sequel. While some of the changes may not thrill you, the long list of enhancements proves (if nothing else) that Epic listens to their fans, and is not willing to simply rely on past success.

Hit the jump for the list along with my two cents on each feature.

Gruesome Torque Bow Headshots: Landing a successful headshot will tear your opponents head off and adhere it to the nearest structural object until detonation. If Epic applies the “chicken with its head cut off” theory, this could end up being a shit load of fun to watch go down.

Look Mom, No Stun: Anyone who has ever had their close range attack interrupted by a well timed pistol whip will be happy to know that Epic is eliminating the ability to stun an opponent with melee attacks. If you were a fan of this tactic however, sorry, but CliffyB just shit in your Cheerios.

Boom-Shaka-Reload: One of the most uber cheese weapons (if used correctly) from Gears 1 was undoubtedly the Boomshot. The second installment of the weapon now comes with four rounds instead of two, and allows the user to fire two simultaneous as a successful active reload bonus.

Active Snipe No More: If you are that active reload assassin who started each match by making a mad dash for the sniper rifle, you will be disappointed to hear that your bread and butter attack strategy is no more. Learn to live with faster reload and a slight increase to damage, or move on to another weapon.

Downed By Your Own Grenade: It was announced previously that this installment of Gears would allow gamers to mount grenades to walls allowing them to act as proximity bombs. That said, while a grenade mounted to a surface by your own teammate will not hurt you in passing, if an enemy shoots it while you are near, it will knock you on your ass. This seems like fair game to me and I am glad Epic threw this in.

Smoking Is Bad For Your Health: While not the single target damage whore many of us hoped for, the Scorcher allows for AOE type damage when going up against multiple opponents. In addition, its flames can temporarily blind a target. Visually, the weapon gives those hit by its blast radius an orange glow comparable to that of a cigarette.

Careful, You’re Bleeding: Critically injured enemies will now leave a trail of blood after being hit by a weapon that fires bullets. A great idea that will definitely help aggressive types hunt down runaways.

Head Over Shield: Shields will not only provide cover to pistol toting gamers, but those that maneuver their way in close enough, will be able to perform a decapitating execution move with their shield. It also appears that more than one individual will be able to benefit from a shield, as a teammate will be able to hide behind the holder and provide additional firepower.

Keep Your Distance, Or Else: A well timed toss of the new poison grenade will take out a group of tightly packed opponents with little effort. While the smoke emitted from this grenade type will be distinctive, it is best that you and your buddies don’t ride each others ass Socom style.

So there you have it. The podcast contains a good chunk of new information, but due to some editing issues outlined by the host durring the intro, it is at times a chore to listen to. I’m pretty confident that I got all of the main points down, but if you get the urge to listen in yourself, you can download the file here.

Tags: cliffyb, Epic-Games, Gears-of-War-2

• New Gears of War 2 Footage Reveals In-Game Achievement Tracker & More (Spoilers)
• Epic Games Bringing Gears of War Like Experience to PS3
• Ripten Radio: GDC 08 Wrap Up
• Marcus Fenix Voice Actor (John DiMaggio) Talks Gears of War 2 in IGN Interview
• Gears of War 2 to be Playable at PAX
• WoW: Wrath of the Lich King Site Update
• Comic-Con 08: Gears 2 Linking Achievements With Gears 1
• Kojima: Three More Projects On The Way

6 Comments »