Sloppy Potatoes

Gears of War 2: Epic, must-have

New enemies, weapons, modes and a better story

Gears of War 2 is one of the top 10 games on the Xbox 360, and easily one of the must-have games of this year.

The game looks great, controls even better and has a more meaty story than the first game, a masterpiece despite lacking in that department. I’ll have to review multiplayer after I’ve completed some online matches. Really, this is the only thing that could keep it from gaming Nirvana, where Halo 3 stands alone. Matchmaking, in my couple attempts, was far from responsive. I gave up before ever finding a match.

Single player

That said, this game is worth purchasing for the single-player campaign and it’s four difficulty levels. It definitely lived up to the pre-launch hype. The story, the weapons,  the enemies, the levels, all rock this time around.

Story

I don’t want to spoil much, but in GoW2 we:

• Find out how Locusts are burying whole cities
• Continue to search for Dom’s wife
• Fight some new bosses/adversaries that advance the plot forward.
• Are introduced to a new wrinkle that is then abandoned. I’m sure it was left for the sequel, and while I would have liked to know more, it’ll give everyone some forum fodder for the next year or so.

Weapons

The Lancer and it’s chainsaw bayonet returns, much to everyone’s delight, but the arsenal of new weapons is awesome. They made the single player game fun and could make multiplayer great, if I can ever get a match.

My favorites: The flamethrower — kicks major a$$ — and the mortar launcher.

Enemies

There are several kinds of Locusts in the army, but we only saw a select few in the first game. In the second we meet a few variations on the Boomer, and others. Players need to take a different approach to beat some of the new enemies.

While the game has boss battles, they are not as intense as the Berserker fights in the first game. I was shocked and disappointed there was not a single Berserker to be found in GoW2.

Levels

There are some very diverse levels this time. Much more diverse than before.

There are vehicles in some, amazing platforming elements in others and a wider range of visuals than the 10 different shades of brown and black in the last one. Several maps also make the game feel much more epic than the first contest. Believe me, it’ll feel like your fighting a war this time. not a few squad-based excursions.

Multiplayer warning

The biggest problem with this game: One of the best features is the new Horde mode, that pits you (and potentially some friends) against endless waves of varying enemies. I’ve made it to Wave 5 alone, and will keep trying to find some people to play alongside.

I want to play this, along with Meatshield (pick up a citizen and carry him in front of your body as a meatshield to a designated area). It’s like capture the flag, only the flag is alive.

Again, more to come after I get through a couple matches. I liked GoW 1 multiplayer, and Epic knows how to do multiplayer right, so I have faith it is good. But I don’t know for sure.

Conclusion

Like I said above, the campaign alone is worth your money. Add in the Horde mode and bots for multiplayer, and this is a full-featured beast of a game. It is a mature-rated title, so you must be 18 to play. However, if you are 18 and have an Xbox 360, you deserve to play this game. Rent it, buy it, whatever.