Some of you may already be familiar with the fact that I didn’t play through the campaign mode of the original Gears of War the first time around, and instead spent countless hours lost in the game’s multiplayer mode. Well, being that I was going to review Gears of War 2, I felt the need to go back and complete Gears of War 1 first.

With the assistance of Dan Landis, I cleared through the Gears 1 campaign in co-op mode, and then played through the Gears 2 campaign in single player mode over the course of two nights. In terms of multiplayer, I ran through a few of the classic formats and tested out Horde Mode with Dan, Zung, Dlyan, and some 14 year old kid I’ll refer to as “Superman” because he almost always decided to run off and save the world from Locust on his own.

Alright, enough small talk, let’s “dig in baby”.

Level Design & Gameplay Variety

Gears 2 looks great. That said, I’m not one to scrutinize textures or lines of resolution. I tend to focus on the overall impact of an environment’s design as a whole. In doing so, I’d have to say that Gears 2 features some of the best map designs you’ll see in a video game today. The combination of lighting, color, structure, and interactive elements is well thought out and does its part to engross you in the fictional world.

Without giving too much away, you will be treated to a mix of different level types. Some will focus more on enemy interaction, while others will pit you against the level itself, combining aspects of puzzle solving and timed movement. I found that the change of pace was enough to keeps things moving along. The variety helped to battle any boredom that may have otherwise set in without the addition of a campaign co-op partner.

Weapon Selection

The weapons in Gears 2 feature a few new additions, but I usually found myself clinging to a sniper rifle and a lancer throughout most of the game. In the name of experimentation however, I did from time to time pick up items like the flamethrower, toasting tickers for shits and giggles. It was fun, but not something I’d let supplant my trusty longshot — not by a long shot (see what I did there?).

Other, non replacement items (won’t force you to drop a main weapon), such as the mulcher, mortar, and boomshield were definitely worth picking up when given the chance.

The mulcher is a no brainer, as its slow walking human turret capability easily plows through pretty much anything that gets in your way. The boomshield is great for situational cover on the go, and the mortar can do some serious damage with a little practice. Think of it as an alternative to the hammer of dawn that can be used indoors.

Character Development, Storyline, Enemies, and Boss Fights

Having played both the original and the sequel back to back, I felt like I was in a pretty good position to compare any advances made in the overall plot and character development.

The original Gears was pretty straight forward but it did a great job of introducing you to the various COG personalities. Gears 2 builds on that foundation, adding depth and additional insight into each character’s background. Some attempts are better illustrated than others, but considering the pace at which things move, I felt the team at Epic did a great job here.

The story itself, continues where Gears 1 left off, as you must once again team up with your fellow COG soldiers to foil the plans of the Locust horde and their demanding Queen. New enemies are introduced — both big and small — requiring you to think on your feet and employ different strategies to take them down.

I found the boss fights to be creative and climactic for the most part. The high speed chase sequences kept me on the edge of my seat, and the the environmental interaction required during certain battles forced me to stay on my toes and be aware of my surroundings.

As the game nears completion, I felt that one of the final battles (though multilayered and exciting) could have been executed better on the tail end. Something as simple as an additional camera shot clearly reestablishing the villain would have been enough to do the trick in my opinion. Instead I was left asking myself “Was he on that? Did I just kill him?”

Character Design, Animation, & Controls

The character design in Gears 2 fits the world, and subtle animation/interactions between characters add a layer of believability to their dialogue. New enemies and new allies alike are well designed and act/move as you would expect them to.

In terms of control, the game responded well, and the scheme was in line with the previous Gears setup — a simple one button mentality which makes most movements second nature and easy to perform. The result is that I rarely thought about controls, which left me free to focus on the actual gameplay.

Multiplayer and Horde Mode

Multiplayer offers up several modes and is more fun than ever, but if you want to thoroughly enjoy it against others, you will need to dedicate yourself to the art. Exploits are still there to be had, and it’s better to know them than it is to die by them. The introduction of environmental interaction during levels like Avalanche (self explanatory) make a nice addition.

Guardian, Wingman, and Submission modes are all fun in their own right. Guardian asks one player to designate themselves leader of the group, tying respawn ability to that individual. Once downed, a team will no longer be able to respawn. Wingman is a point based battle broken into multiple rounds consisting of up to five two man teams, and Submission is the meat shield version of capture the flag.

Wrapping up the multiplayer discussion is the addition of Horde Mode. A battle of up to five players against wave after wave of progressively more challenging groups of locust. If you buy this game and have internet access, Horde Mode is something you have to try. Fun times.

Closing Thoughts

Gears 2 combines practically everything I loved about being a kid into a video game. It’s G.I. Joes riding Tonka Trucks through the mud while fighting a massive army of beefed up albino Skeletor clones. It more than borrows from our pop culture past, and I don’t mind it one bit.

You will often be reminded of moments from Star Wars, and some may even see the influence of Disney’s Pinocchio — crazy, I know, but it works.

One thing you won’t be able to deny is that Gears of War 2 is a roller coaster ride of variety that keeps things fresh and fun. The action is fast paced, and the story/dialogue offers just enough depth to make you care about your cast of COGs, and motivate you to kill anything that gets in their way. If you own a 360, Gears of War 2 is a must buy.

Keane’s Take	9.5
I was never the biggest fan of the first Gears of War. The actual gameplay always appealed to me hugely. Gears gets all the little things right in a big way – the way every gun feels heavy and powerful, the satisfying crunch of slamming into cover. But I was never sold on the near-broken multiplayer, much less the campaign’s seemingly boneheaded tale of aliens vs. jocks. It was a huge surprise, then, that I found myself head over heels in love with Gears of War 2.  Chad’s already broken it down in the text above: it’s perfectly paced, the visuals are splendid, and the levels varied and action-packed. Most of all, there’s just something so fundamentally fun about it that I’d say that any gamer, regardless of prejudices, will find something to love at the core of this game. Even the story won me over. My main issue with the game is that it manages to keep up such a perfect flow of action for most of the game that when it hits an occasional snag, it’s really freaking annoying. A handful of vehicular sections and other objectives that require you to do some serious trial-and-error to get past them drag the whole thing down. But that’s really a flaw that only manifests itself because the rest of the game sets a higher standard. Overall, Gears of War 2’s one of the best action games in recent memory, and an example of gaming (on any platform) at its finest: ceaselessly entertaining, visceral and satisfying, a blast to play from start to finish.

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