Gears of War 2

EPIC games’ sequel to the incredible Gear of War lives up to their name. Touted throughout its development as bigger, better and more badass it ends up making that sound like a parental warning. Gears of War 2 (Gears 2) is epic, relentless and downright fun. The game combines the stellar looks and gameplay of the previous iteration with better design, world and puts generous amounts on blood, swearing and polish on everything. The result is an instant classic that is without a doubt an advertisement for the current generation of consoles.Gears2 starts 6 months after the events of the first. The Delta squad’s valiant effort of dropping a light mass bomb in the rabbit hole does not yield the expected results. The Locust grow even fierce instead and the onslaught continues. Faced with an unknown force that can sink whole cities, The COG army stands up to protect its last stronghold, the city of Jacinto.

The game builds on the characters introduced in the first game with Dom getting the most airtime. Dom’s search of his wife ends with one of the moving moments in the game. Gears2 ventures beyond the emotional state of i-don’t-give-a-fuck of the first game and has its fair share of awe, horror and dismay. The new characters gel in perfectly and fans of the first would love to hear that Carmine’s brother plays a very memorable cameo.One thing that hasn’t changed is the sadistic humor, Marcus is still as cold as an Antarctic winter and his one liners never disappoint. Cole Train and Baird are back to their best and humanize the experience. The subtle references to the first game never fail to garner chuckles.

The only criticism would be that it feels like they wrapped it up too quickly. It’s not that the ending isn’t satisfying, because it definitely is, but the game seems to end almost abruptly and might leave some people frustrated over the fact that there was still much to be done, having said that the story is still a lot better written and driven throughout the campaign and the game does well to add some context to every situation.GameplayThe familiar stop and pop gameply is back with the intensity cranked to 11. The enemy count has made a huge leap with environments as big as complete levels from the previous game. Imagine taking on 2 Brumaks in the distance while over 30 Drones shoot at you from the other side, buildings collapsing everywhere and dozens of Reavers flying overhead. Its Christmas time for the sadistic, an exploding grenade throws chunks of concrete all over while corpses of obliterated drones show off rag doll physics. All of this while maintaining rock-solid 30 frames per second. It doesn’t get any bigger than this.

A few adjustments have also been made to the overall game play. For instance, your character sprints faster from cover to cover than before. Every weapon feels, sounds and actually is powerful than before. While the lancer might probably remain your weapon of choice throughout the campaign, there are some new and heavy additions. Mortars help start the festivities with their long range and deadly killing power, Mulcher also joins in as the hand held tank of destruction. To top everything off you can quell the fire in your belly with , what else?, a flame thrower!The improvements made over the previous iteration fine tune an already award winning formula to near perfection. Chainsaw battles are a spectacle to behold while the new executions really bring out the devil in you. Subtle changes to the weapons and ability to crawl while knocked down make sure all bases are covered.Enemy AI now reacts in a more realistic manner and displays good amount of intelligence. They’ll charge you when their health is low and constantly move from cover to cover to get the best angle. They also seemed to have learned how to throw a grenade, The academy must be proud. The friendlies also show more bite this time. Rather than pretending to fire a weapon, they actually take those hideous monsters down. Marcus’ promotion through the ranks also means that you are no longer the sole nurse of the squad and the AI friendlies can revive each other.

Experienced players should definitely start with “hardcore” difficulty while new gamers can ride with the training wheels in “normal”. Longevity has always been Gears’ strong points, the first one still makes the XboxLive most played list to this day. The amazing single player, Co-op and the brand spanking new multiplayer modes will keep you coming back for more.Horde mode is sweet gore filed dessert after a relentless main course. Your squad of AI or human teammates take on wave after wave of Locust with only one objective – Survival. The incredible design really comes to life with players putting on their best Napoleon faces and jostling for choke points to withhold the Locust onslaught till the 50th wave.

Multiplayer is as addictive as ever with addition of new modes like meatshield making things even more varied. The maps are perfect blend, some of them cramped and multi storied while other being the usual symmetrical battlefields. The Live integration is even expanded and the spectator views, replays and stat tracking make it a game that’s very hard to leave.The only irk worth mentioning is that the driving controls aren’t up to scratch. In a game where everything else works so perfectly they really stick out as a sore thumb.PresentationGears2 is a cinematic masterpiece. It’s a fist pumping collaboration of 2 genres and the experience is something that’s unique to the game.The best compliment you could give to Gears2 is that it makes the first one look bad. The environments are not only varied but they actually tie into the whole setting. You’re not just playing the obligatory bunker, factory and jungle levels. It never tries to get ahead of itself and the mantra of ‘destroyed beauty’ from the first game is fully realized.

The voice acting returns with a bang. The quality is top notch and the writing is also improved. Marcus is still his haughty depressed self but Dom and Cole Train steal the show. A hilarious ‘motivational speech’ by Cole Train later in the game will have you in laughing fits.Minor Annoyances with graphics include some overdose on the blur filter in the second chapter and a diluted color palette. The game also uses softer colors and might seem a bit washed out when compared to the steely grays of the first game but the expanded color palette more than makes up for it.The VerdictGears of War 2 is an adrenaline rush from start to the finish. It’s over the top, its ridiculous and its awesome. A game designed to be fun and delivering in bucket loads. Whether it’s single player or multiplayer, alone or co-op, Gears 2 provides fist pumping, gore filled hours of enjoyment. If entertainment is what you’re looking for, grab a ticket for this freight train.- Radd @ PakGamers