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Sports Legends features reviews from our panel of experts, including our editors as well as editors from our sister sites. We rate games on a scale of A+ through F. Anything we score in the A+ through A- range is considered excellent, B+ through B- is good, C+ through C- is average, D+ through D- is bad, and F is terrible. At long last, here is our exclusive Gears of War 2 Xbox 360 review.
Despite a few flaws carried over from the original, this new Gears chapter shows an impressive level of polish. Gears' gameplay isn't mindless warfare -- it's intensely focused, visceral fun.
It's not like the story is meant to be taken seriously. Take one look at protagonists Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, with their impossibly bulging biceps and redwood-tree-thick physiques, and you realize that these guys are designed to appeal to the sci-fi set and the jock set, not pull at our heartstrings. And yet, in the world of videogaming in general (and certainly in the mind of this reviewer), it's gameplay, not story, that usually proves pivotal in elevating a game to greatness -- meaning Gears of War 2 once again takes the spotlight as one of this generation's premiere shooters.
Still, this wasn't necessarily apparent after the first hour of a three-day offsite Gears of War 2 review marathon. It's actually easy to think of the game as something closer to Gears 1.5 at first. Gears' unmistakable third-person cover-based combat instantly feels familiar (even bringing over the same minor problems, like occasionally "sticking" to the wrong object or wall), the visuals once again stun, and the campaign proceedings open in a dreary hospital with the beefy Delta Squad members falling into their light-on-talk, big-guns ways. But it's when you start hacking into the meat of this epic-expectations sequel that you appreciate what an excellent campaign, juiced-up multiplayer, addictive new co-op Horde mode, and new enemies, items, and weapons can add to what still stands as one of this generation's best core gameplay systems. Firefights are won not by charging toward enemies outright but by slamming against cars, buildings, or other objects in a desperate attempt to conceal your body, and then letting rip when the time's right. It's simple -- repetitive to almost an absurd degree -- yet through its second tour of duty, the cover-then-shoot mechanic remains unquestionably addictive.
This time through, the humans' struggle against the Locust focuses on the fate of the last human stronghold of Jacinto. The Lightmass bomb you dropped to end the last game didn't quite finish the job, but perhaps that was for the best. The sequel's 10-hour to 15-hour journey and the means by which you go about completing it are far more diverse this time, with varied backdrops (from a snowy outpost to a foreboding Locust temple with adjustable cover), not-always-enjoyable turret-based and Reaver-riding sections, and some memorable showdowns (big creatures like the lumbering Brumaks are far more prevalent). And more so than in the original, a number of moments and locations stand out. One scene puts you in the midst of a razorhail storm...which, as you'd probably imagine, consists of precipitation that rips into flesh and armor, Locust and human alike. You've either got to hightail it from overhang to overhang while minimizing exposure or make use of a deployable shield, one of the game's handy new items that serves as portable cover -- or, in this instance, a makeshift umbrella. Meanwhile, another stage is almost bewildering given the game: It's essentially a platformer, as you'll need to leap past acid-spewing nozzles and dodge piston-like obstacles designed to smush you.
This level variety is great and assures that you'll get your mitts on all of the new weapons (handily keeping track of each different weapon kill you get with its "Variety is the Spice of Death" Achievement tracker). Standouts include the flamethrower (one of the few in a 3D game that has some heft to it -- it's a joy to use) and the firebombing mortar, which satisfyingly keeps track of how much power you put in each shot, making subsequent volleys all the more simple.
The story leans on ample action-movie clichés and grunted dialogue, as you'd expect, but it adds some character to the characters. Dom, as the last game hints, is willing to take major risks to find his wife. Of course, you also have guys like the 10-gallon-hat-wearing, gung-ho Dizzy, who's as one-dimensional -- and likeable -- as you could want. While it doesn't come close to reaching the confused gravity of a Metal Gear Solid 4, Gears 2's story, and more specifically the journey, will engage you enough to keep you wanting to continue through to the end at a gallop -- ideally with a friend, as once again, it's an easier go with co-op. A second player can jump into Dom's role at any time or leave at will, which puts Dom back under the control of the computer A.I. (Once again, your computer-controlled companion is sometimes adequate, but other times he has you wondering what in the hell his binary mind is thinking.) Like in the last game, multiple split paths force you apart from your partner, either for solo fights or for one player to cover the other as they progress.
As great as the campaign is, the game will see its longest legs from multiplayer. And from the multitude of competitive match types to the addictive and strategic co-op Horde mode, what felt like a hugely entertaining afterthought in the original Gears now easily stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the campaign. Among the notable additions, the matches now support up to 10 players and bots, who, depending on their difficulty, do an adequate job holding their own. And the modes themselves deliver (and it should be noted that all testing was done over a local network, not the Internet). Warzone is still a classic deathmatch, while Execution gives you one life to do the same. King of the Hill and Annex make use of capture points and different kill rules. They're all fun, as is the keep-one-guy-alive Guardian, but the highlights are the new Submission and Wingman modes. Submission is essentially capture the flag...but with a flag that fights back. Known as a "meat flag" during the game's development, this computer-controlled character doesn't want to be caught. So while your job is to gun him down and drag him to the scoring zone (one of the game's new moves is to hold an enemy in front of you as a shield), he's not so agreeable. In one of our test matches, the shotgun-toting "flag" actually had 31 kills. And with this guy and the other team fighting back, Submission matches can turn into a methodical tug-of-war.
Wingman, though, offers a much different form of intensity. It pits you and a partner against other two-person teams, and everyone has one life. The winning team is determined by total kills over multiple matches, so in addition to working out strategies with your teammate for staying alive, you're forced to be aggressive to compete. A fun phenomenon: having teams with one human and one bot, then watching as the eliminated human futilely cheers on or cusses out his bot partner for the remainder of the match. In all, the competitive multiplayer portion feels much more fleshed out compared to the original game's effort, with some great maps, including both revamped old ones (Canals wears a coat of ice, and Mansion has a weathered look) and new (Avalanche's midmatch namesake can easily eliminate half your team, and Stasis may be dreary, but it offers plenty of corners and hiding spots). And based on our test matches (carefully tracked by fellow EGM reviewer David Ellis, who loves this type of thing), some bugs showed up, like chain saws slicing their way through melees...at least the "host advantage" from the first game seemed to be gone.
Finally, the new Horde mode is also a treat. This co-op excursion pits up to five players against waves of enemies. It's an exhilarating battle for survival that demands teamwork. Though the maps all vary in terms of specific strategies, you'll want to find a place to hole up and then hold on. Ammo runs low, the enemies get more aggressive, and the choice between saving a bleeding-out squadmate or staying a safe distance from a relentless Bloodmount (one of the more memorable, and relentless, new enemies) can dictate whether you progress. The mode has 50 waves, with downed teammates respawning between rounds, while the enemies' damage and health increases every 10 waves. Most of all, it's a blast, and even with a good crew it will easily take a couple of hours to get through, especially on the harder difficulties.
But much like the rest of the game, that fact shouldn't give you pause. Gears' gameplay isn't mindless warfare -- it's intensely focused, visceral fun. The cover system, despite its returning flaws, is still addictive. Likewise, hunkering down in the game's Roadie Run -- during which the camera pulls down close to your character as he ducks and runs -- again feels limited, as it's not conducive to either keeping an eye (and the camera) ahead of you or making tight turns. For such a stunning game, these held-over missteps seem odd, but they have little impact on Gears 2's impressive level of polish across the board. A nice, thick coat of blood red polish at that.
PROS:Better narrative than its predecessor; stunning graphics, even when pitched against its predecessor; awesome new weapons; multiplayer still rocks; large number of variety; lots of replay value
CONS:
Story may still not totally impress when compared to better offerings (ie. Mass Effect); campaign about the same length as the original
