Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	9
Sound:	9
FunFactor:	10
PlasmaFactor:	9
Overall:	9.2

Gears of War 2 Review
December 30, 2008 by Jereme Puik

Locusts, chainsaws, death and destruction, the first Gears of War had it all it and introduced us to a universe of good and evil both races battling it out to survive. The Locusts bursting their way through Emergence holes, tried destroying the Cogs’ way of life and the people they share it with. With Gears of War, Epic Games successfully launched a brand new franchise that has birthed a sequel with a dynamic script and story. Gears of War 2 continues that and then some, being bigger, better and more badass.

Gameplay

Six months after Marcus Fenix and Delta squad detonated the light mass bomb to wipe out the Locust horde for good, the evil bastards have returned with for revenge by sinking entire cities into huge holes. With Jacinto being the last remaining stronghold, it was up to Delta squad to once again halt any Locust attack. Gears of War 2 gets you deep underground for a trip that surely opens anyone’s eyes peering over your shoulder.

Generally speaking, Gears of War 2 is pretty straightforward and about as linear as you can get when it comes to war stories. However, it still manages to take you for a ride the moment the first grenade goes off. With Josh Ortega back on board, you see signs of greatness in the script and bits of cheesiness (Dom’s love story, for instance) in between. You get a little deeper into Delta squads background as well as meeting new characters along the way that change things up at the right times. The addition of journals and general research lying around ads for a bit more back story making Gears a much deeper game. There are more to the Gears than meets the eye and whether or not you appreciate the story, there’s no denying that it actually has some meat.

The single player campaign stretches out to a good solid 8 hours of playing time minus the fact of completing your war journal which could stretch that number a bit. With so much bloody work to be done, the incentive to pick up those collectibles dwindles away and the war journal becomes nothing more then filler. Now, depending on dedication levels and difficulty levels, it obviously varies from person to person. You can play solo or with a friend, although the game will sometimes tilt favor toward the Locusts and give you practically no chance of surival. With a few impressive boss battles and environments to behold, Gears of War 2 certainly keeps the badassery in check.

There are new weapons like the mortar which is hard to control mostly because of the angle you have to set to make it effective. The mulcher which is basically a large machine gun that, depending on the ammo you have, let’s you just sit back and let it rip into oncoming Locusts. Apart from the new weapons a new multiplayer mode gives way with Horde mode. Horde mode is constant levels of waves of Locusts planning different attacks against you and up to five friends on any given map. Any new multiplayer maps presented on the marketplace can be used in Horde mode as well.  Basic gunplay still remains while the chainsaw duels change it up with the person who taps B the fastest is the victor.

Other effective gameplay additions are two shield mechanics with one being a “meat shield”. After downing a locust you can use its body as a shield to absorb bullets until it falters and it renders itself useless. Grenades as proximity mines make use for a nice strategic advantage during single player and multiplayer. Finally your sturdy shield is also helpful in cover and is absolutely a must have in Horde mode. Cover mechanics have greatly improved since the first Gears and no longer will you find yourself getting stuck to walls after a barrel roll.
Multiplayer isn’t something that should surprise you here. The standard deathmatches are back with at least one new match type. It’s well balanced and fair which makes LAN parties that much more exciting at home, though the matchmaking online can be a little stingy at times. With the new crawling mechanic before death, there’s a greater chance for survivability which makes the new finishing moves that much more important.  Horde mode greatly increases the games replayability and has you and fellow players trying to make it to wave 50 before being convinced the game is making a personal attack on you halting you from any advance past level 30.

Graphics

Gears of War 2 is pretty consistent when it comes to art design. Not much has changed since the first go around and manages to keep you tied into its cinematic presentation. You’ll swear you’re watching an animated movie when you reach certain cut scenes especially when the script shines. The boss battles are greatly detailed and environments are much more dynamic. The updated Unreal Engine 3 offers a new look into the Gears world this time with destructible environments that make Gears of War 2 a much more “realistic war experience”. The gore is still there and Gears of War 2 is as bloody as ever.  Characters have a more human feel to them and allow you to actually care for their existence.

Sound

The voice acting talent returns with many of the cast reprising their roles such as Fenix, Dom and even Cole Train. The new characters offer a new twist to the story while you still feel comfortable with Delta squad. The general soundtrack has also gotten a nice new sound to it and rings in nicely at epic times during the fight.

Plasma Factor

With multiplayer, Gears of War 2 expands the threshold a bit and gives you quality deathmatch with Horde mode in between. Both modes offer their advantages, though Horde mode may be more addicting than the other. Horse mode gives players constant waves of the Locust horde planning different ways of attack after every round and the best part about that is the difficulty gets higher as well. You could be on a roll and then suddenly stopped because the Locusts have figured you out and shut you down.
Your typical deathmatch rounds are pretty straightforward and offer a wide range of the all too familiar match types. With a few gameplay improvements, the experience is much more satisfying this time around. The chainsaw duels crank up the intensity and hopefully you’re playing with a team that’s actually well coordinated or you probably won’t survive very long. The best way to handle that is to get some friends together for a lan party.

Conclusion

Gears of War 2 is about as Hollywood-tier as your going to get in the shooter genre. The effective updates of the Unreal 3 Engine make it more, as I said earlier, realistic. One can only wonder where the 3rd sequel to this franchise will take the Gears. Gears of War 2 shows that it has depth and isn’t quite as shallow as skeptics may claim it to be. The dark nature of the story helps convey some of the emotion of the characters making them more human. Once again, Epic Games has shown that its top franchise is a well rounded game that can easily stand the test of time.