When a game comes along with a number after its name, more often than not this means it's a successor to something. As such it becomes hard to judge it on its own merits, without comparing it in some way to what came before. Gears of War 2 is the follow-up to, somewhat predictably, Gears of War; a loud, violent third person shooter with emphasis on taking cover. The original was a fantastic game in which high production values and intense action combined to make a hugely successful game. So is the sequel as good? In short; no, but it's still a damn fine game.
As before, the action is viewed over the shoulder of your improbably proportioned combatant, and the camera shakes and judders and he scrabbles through a decimated landscape. Occasional outcrops provide much needed cover from which to shoot forth a stream of red hot death in the general direction of unspeakably unattractive enemies. The game is all about cover and the combat, which is dirty, gory and intense. Aim for the head for a quicker kill, or shoot out their legs until they fall to their knees, then lift their limp frame for use as an impromptu human shield.
Little touches like this really add to the game, as does the slew of new enemies and a few new weapons with which to turn them into squishy cubes of meat. Also now your AI comrades can revive you from minor injuries, which is rather useful in the middle of an intense firefight, and portable shields are available in places (these offer movable cover but while carrying them you're limited to using a pistol). However, large areas of the campaign are curiously free of enemies, despite having oh-so-tempting cover spots which just beg to be hidden behind. Expect to spend a good few minutes wandering through pretty but vacant areas, kind of like being inside a Playboy Bunny. I'd imagine. Oh, and there's a kitten-punchingly frustrating vehicle section in there too.
This time the developers have put more emphasis on to the story, although you'd be hard pressed to really notice it. As with so many games the plot can be adequately abridged to "go here, kill this", which works fine within the context of big burly chaps carrying guns the size of children. What doesn't work so well is when these slabs of beef try to emote, for instance just try not to cringe when Dom vacantly gurns "I miss my family!". To be fair though the final part of Dom's story line is quite well done, although the whole thing seems slightly unnecessary.
Script aside, Gears 2 is a beautifully produced game. The visuals make the very most of an updated Unreal 3 engine and everything looks absolutely stunning. Perhaps a little too much of the game is spent underground, as the best views are of the crumbling human architecture, but even the subterranean sections glow with bioluminescence. Vast caverns stretch out in front of you, and swarms of enemies march on screen at once. The sound is also excellent, and although the voice acting isn't really suited to emotion, the gravely drawls of the soldiers fit when screaming in pain or shouting obscenities to a recently despatched foe.
Gears 2 also features a solid online or local 2 player co-op mode, in which the entire campaign can be played. This is really the only way to enjoy the higher difficulties and elevates the game to greatness. As well as this there are the standard multiplayer modes for online and offline play (Epic have included bots to make up the numbers, which is very welcome), often with a little twist such as capture the flag where the flag is an angry gun-toting man. And special mention must be made to horde mode, a game for up to 5 players where the only rule is to survive wave after wave of ever-harder enemies. If you die in a wave, you don't respawn until the next wave arrives, and this can lead to some pretty hectic scenarios.
All of which sounds pretty appealing, so why say Gears 2 is not as good as its predecessor? Quite simply, because Gears 1 was more fun, at least in the main campaign. In my opinion, the important part of a game is the main campaign, and any multiplayer elements are an extra bonus. The experience seemed slightly more pure, the combat more intense, and there were far less empty spaces. Gears 2 also feels a bit too easy on any difficulty bar the hardest. But assuming you've played Gears 1 to death, or if you put more importance on multiplayer modes, there simply isn't a finer third person shooter than Gears 2.
Recommendation: Buy it, you'll be playing co-op and horde for months.
As before, the action is viewed over the shoulder of your improbably proportioned combatant, and the camera shakes and judders and he scrabbles through a decimated landscape. Occasional outcrops provide much needed cover from which to shoot forth a stream of red hot death in the general direction of unspeakably unattractive enemies. The game is all about cover and the combat, which is dirty, gory and intense. Aim for the head for a quicker kill, or shoot out their legs until they fall to their knees, then lift their limp frame for use as an impromptu human shield.
Little touches like this really add to the game, as does the slew of new enemies and a few new weapons with which to turn them into squishy cubes of meat. Also now your AI comrades can revive you from minor injuries, which is rather useful in the middle of an intense firefight, and portable shields are available in places (these offer movable cover but while carrying them you're limited to using a pistol). However, large areas of the campaign are curiously free of enemies, despite having oh-so-tempting cover spots which just beg to be hidden behind. Expect to spend a good few minutes wandering through pretty but vacant areas, kind of like being inside a Playboy Bunny. I'd imagine. Oh, and there's a kitten-punchingly frustrating vehicle section in there too.
This time the developers have put more emphasis on to the story, although you'd be hard pressed to really notice it. As with so many games the plot can be adequately abridged to "go here, kill this", which works fine within the context of big burly chaps carrying guns the size of children. What doesn't work so well is when these slabs of beef try to emote, for instance just try not to cringe when Dom vacantly gurns "I miss my family!". To be fair though the final part of Dom's story line is quite well done, although the whole thing seems slightly unnecessary.
Script aside, Gears 2 is a beautifully produced game. The visuals make the very most of an updated Unreal 3 engine and everything looks absolutely stunning. Perhaps a little too much of the game is spent underground, as the best views are of the crumbling human architecture, but even the subterranean sections glow with bioluminescence. Vast caverns stretch out in front of you, and swarms of enemies march on screen at once. The sound is also excellent, and although the voice acting isn't really suited to emotion, the gravely drawls of the soldiers fit when screaming in pain or shouting obscenities to a recently despatched foe.
Gears 2 also features a solid online or local 2 player co-op mode, in which the entire campaign can be played. This is really the only way to enjoy the higher difficulties and elevates the game to greatness. As well as this there are the standard multiplayer modes for online and offline play (Epic have included bots to make up the numbers, which is very welcome), often with a little twist such as capture the flag where the flag is an angry gun-toting man. And special mention must be made to horde mode, a game for up to 5 players where the only rule is to survive wave after wave of ever-harder enemies. If you die in a wave, you don't respawn until the next wave arrives, and this can lead to some pretty hectic scenarios.
All of which sounds pretty appealing, so why say Gears 2 is not as good as its predecessor? Quite simply, because Gears 1 was more fun, at least in the main campaign. In my opinion, the important part of a game is the main campaign, and any multiplayer elements are an extra bonus. The experience seemed slightly more pure, the combat more intense, and there were far less empty spaces. Gears 2 also feels a bit too easy on any difficulty bar the hardest. But assuming you've played Gears 1 to death, or if you put more importance on multiplayer modes, there simply isn't a finer third person shooter than Gears 2.
Recommendation: Buy it, you'll be playing co-op and horde for months.