People have always enjoyed shooting people or aliens or what have you in video games, but with the release of Gears of War in 2006, gamers were given something new to play with: the chainsaw bayonet.  Now, instead of just beating enemies to death with the butt of your gun, you can chainsaw them in half in a shower of blood and gore.  Awesome.  Like it’s predecessor, Gears of War 2 is a good example of what a great shooter should be, and connoisseurs of the genre will not be disappointed by what it has to offer. 

Delta Squad is back, more masculine than ever.

Story

Gears of War 2 picks up pretty quickly after the end of the first game.  The Lightmass bomb has been detonated, but it did not do nearly as much damage as hoped.  Using some unknown force, the Locust have been sinking entire cities, and most of humanity has been pushed to the city of Jacinto.  Because of its position on a plateau, the Locust cannot sink Jacinto, so it has become the COG’s last stronghold.  Since the Lightmass bomb, the Locust attacks have been much more vicious, and the COG is losing ground.  The military leadership has decided that the only chance left is to take the fight to the Locust, to go underground and attack their stronghold, and that is where the story picks up.  The search for Dom’s missing wife, which was hinted at the first game, is now a major part of the story.  All of Delta Squad is back for the second go, even Carmine!  Wait, what? Oh, it’s dead Carmine’s little brother.  A few other new characters show up as well, some of whom are totally awesome.  Some questions are also answered in this game, or at least hinted at being resolved in the next game, such as where did the Locust come from and what was going on with Marcus’s dad?  Some aspects of the plot seem a little forced, but overall, the story complements the gameplay rather well.  Additionally, some of the dialogue is very juvenile and awkward, but I never expected much eloquence from guys with thighs the size of my torso.

This is Tai, one of the new COG soldiers.

Gameplay

Gears 2, like it’s predecessor, is an over-the-shoulder third person shooter.  The tactics of the game are centered around using cover to hide, and the game shamelessly ensures that there is ample cover around all the time.  Though very satisfying in single player, the game is better appreciated in co-op.  As in Gears 1, the game is made with co-op in mind, and there are sections of the game that require two people to complete.  While the AI of your buddies is one of the best I’ve ever seen, it’s still easier if you actually have a person as a buddy.  Gears 2 is much more friendly for single player, since one of the added features is the ability of your AI buddies to revive you.  In Gears 1, if you went down, it was game over, but in Gears 2, you can be healed by your buddies, and the AI is smart enough to recognize when you are down, and a buddy will often run from across the area to help you.  The AI of the Locust is also fairly good, and they will also use cover to their advantage.

Chainsawing enemies is as satisfying as ever.

Another added feature to the gameplay is the chainsaw duel.  What’s supposed to happen is when you engage the chainsaw bayonet against a Locust with a Lancer, the Locust will also engage the chainsaw, and you will both lock chainsaws and have a quicktime battle.  Unfortunately, for whatever reason, this does not actually happen that often, so, while it’s nifty, it doesn’t add much to the experience.  Some of the new locust varieties also change up the game a little bit. In Gears 1, only the wretches offered any sort of close combat, but maulers, bloodmounts and tickers have been added to Gears 2, and they will not hesitate to walk right up and mess you up.  In addition to COG tags, you can now find written material that will reveal some small plot information.  If you’re not a searcher though, don’t worry, because the information is not critical.  Some new guns and grenades have been added as well, including chainguns and mortars that can be picked up in addition to the three normal guns and toted around Halo 3-style.  Flame throwers have also been added, and they are super fun to play with.

You really don't want to let the Maulers get close to you.

Visuals

Like it’s predecessor, the graphics for Gears 2 are great throughout the game.  Using Unreal Engine 3, the environments are meticulously designed and sharply rendered.  At times the colors seem a little monotonously grey or brown, but that’s mostly underground.  The architecture on the Locust structures is rather unique and certainly interesting to look at.  The character design is very good, and the new COG characters break the standard COG appearance pattern.  Once again, the gore it thoroughly animated, which makes sense, since the main draw of this game is the fact that you can chainsaw someone.  Basically, this game just looks great.  It’s especially well-appreciated on a high-def TV.

This is Skorge. He's like Raam, except more ninja-like and cool-looking.

Audio

The sound effects are all very good, and the voice actors are commendable, but where this game really shines is the musical score.  Masterfully composed by Steve Jablonsky, who also composed the Transformers score, the music really complements the game well.  Epic orchestra and choir pieces accompany the wide-angle cutscenes and more tense music accompanies the battle gameplay.  Everything about the audio really only adds to the whole game experience.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer for Gears 2 has been improved and expanded since the days of its predecessor.  A few new games have been added, and some of the major complaints that people had about the Gears multiplayer have been resolved.  Online play allows for up to ten players in teams of five on five.  Execution, Warzone, Annex and King of the Hill are back from Gears 1, and Guardian, Submission, Wingman and Horde have been added.  Guardian is almost exactly the same as Assassination from the previous game, except you can now stay alive after the leader has been killed.  Submission is a fun mode in which the objective is to put down an AI enemy and then move the body as a team to your base.  Wingman is played in teams of two, and it’s a five team free-for-all.  The last new mode, Horde, is technically a co-op mode, but can be played online with up to five of your buddies.  The way Horde works is you and your buddies get attacked by waves of Locust enemies.  With each successive waves, it gets harder, with more and more difficult enemies showing up.  The online multiplayer for Gears 2 is fairly well-populated, and it’s never difficult to get in a game.

The chainsaw duel, which doesn't happen much in the campaign, happens A LOT more in multiplayer.

Lifespan

The campaign mode for Gears 2 only takes about eight hours for a well-versed shooter player on hardcore mode, but that can be easily expanded by moving to insane mode.  The time is also lessened when playing co-op, since the game doesn’t get harder if you’re playing with a friend.  But, even though the campaign may lack a little length, it’s very entertaining, and I was not bored at all by playing through it two or three times.  The online multiplayer also extends the playtime to, basically, as long as it takes you to get bored with it.

Recommendation

I really like this game and suggest it for anyone who likes a really good shooter.  Ultimately, my only real complaint with it is the sometimes-ridiculous dialogue.  The campaign is fun, the online play is fun, and the game just looks and sounds great.  With the expansive online play, you also really get your money’s worth out of the game.  And all that other stuff is great, but seriously, chainsaws attached to your rifle. Awesome.

Gears of War 2
System: Xbox 360
Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Find: Amazon - Gamefly - Goozex
All reviews are based on final retail code unless otherwise noted.

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