Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past year, you should already know about Microsoft’s gargantuan holiday title, Gears of War 2. It has guns; a necessity for almost every 360 gamer. It has gore; an attribute that makes all of us gamers passionately cheer when a head is blown off. It also has an excessive amount of manlove spread throughout the whole plot for gamers who want share their battlefield with other dudes. Most importantly though, Gears of War 2 has everything you need for one amazing, breath-taking experience on your Xbox 360. We seriously doubt if there is one single fan of the original Gears that will be disappointed by Epic's latest attempt, Cliff Bleszinski and team really hit a home run here.
Starting off right away with the storyline, Epic has packed in a lot of intense battles to keep gamers captivated. Within the first two hours of the game, you’ll encounter at least five brumaks, one corpser, two dozens reavers, hundreds of other Locust enemies that’ll make you squeal with delight. Taking the battle to the Locust due to the stakes being raised – Jacinto being the last safe resort for humans – Gears of War 2 is hands-down better than the original in terms of presentation and how compelling it is. While there will be times you’ll groan due to the dialogue (Dom in the first hour or so is cheesy), Epic has stepped up to the plate and hit the ball out of the park with the story. If you are able to look past clichés, there’s a lot of fun to be had with the single-player campaign.
Also, if you’re a fan of the original Gears, the whole gang is back to reminisce with such as Baird, Cole Train, Marcus Fenix, and the aforementioned Dom. Epic also introduces a few new standout characters such as Tai and Dizzy Walin who both serve their purpose excellently. Outside of those two, Maria Santiago (Dom’s wife) and Benjamin Carmine (Anthony Carmine’s brother) are on the annoying side and are your stereotypical characters. Replacing General RAAM this time is Skorge who is even more viscous then his predecessor. Overall, the characters get their job done and help the storyline stroll along.
Once you begin your love affair with Gears of War 2, you’ll enter into a world that is all too familiar. The A button still is your main action button to run, gain cover, jump out of cover, and much more so don’t be afraid of a major control overhaul. The button mapping is practically the same with reloading done with the Left Bumper, chainsaw and melee action accomplished with the B Button and everything else you should remember from the original Gears of War.
New to the control scheme is the ability to crawl towards your teammates when you are downed after gunfire. After tapping the A button, players can move with their Left Thumbstick towards their partners to be revived. Beware though, an enemy can still curb stomp you so don’t be crawling out into a street that contains a large firefight. If you want to show how dominant of a soldier you are, you can always take a down enemy as a “meat shield.” What this implies is that you are able to use an enemy as a shield to take damage while you fire away with your pistol. Once you become bored with an enemy, you can snap their neck and throw them off to the side.
On top of having a successful control scheme, players will immediately notice the gorgeous graphics. While there are occasions when textures pop in and out – especially after a loading screen – Gears of War 2 is one of the most astonishing games on the Xbox 360. Taking full advantage of the Unreal 3 engine, Epic has truly created a remarkable world to journey through with cities full of travesty and destruction. The first time you blow off a Locust head is when your eyes will pop out and scream for a friend to come watch you play. In fact, I’d dare say that gamers who don’t own a 360 will want to buy one for Gears of War 2 due to how spectacular it is with its visuals.
