Gears of War 2 lives up to its name, but doesn't push the boundaries like its predecessor.
The single player campaign for Gear 2 is rock solid, offering intense, cover-focused COG action yet again. Marcus, Dom, Baerd, and Cole all make a return, yet new characters such as Dizzy and Tai are introduced, and they're equally as unique. Clearly, the light mass bomb's explosion has only angered the Locust even more. For now, their queen has begun an all-out assault, and in doing so, has forced humans to retreat within their final remaining city, Jacinto.
Gears 2 improves the single player formula in many ways, but a few un-intelligent decisions made by the developers burden the overall experience.
A handful of new guns make their appearance here. Mortars, chain guns, flamethrowers and shields are worthwhile additions to a previously weak assortment of weaponry. Furthermore, a vast number of previously unseen enemies arrive for this installment and help to eliminate the redundancy in enemies the original game was plagued by.
The campaign shows moments of brilliance, introducing new environments each act and telling a compelling story, but oddly placed pre-set sections draw away from the fun. As a whole, Gears 2 is a blast for 80% of the way through, but awkward design choices hamper the other 20%.
A specific scenario involving a ridiculously large worm and an anti-climactic final boss top the list of poor gameplay decisions, but these moments merely increase your yearning for the next installment and more of the good areas Gears 2 has to offer.
Cooperative play with a friend via split-screen or over xbox live will inevitably be a blast time and time again. The multiplayer however is immensely frustrating but still surprisingly addictive.
10 brand new multiplayer maps have been released at launch, with more to come ahead via downloadable content on marketplace. Alongside these maps are a handful of maps remade from the original Gears. In total, there is a healthy number of quality maps that, if played correctly, can be loads of fun. Grenades such as smoke, toxic, and frag may now be mounted on walls and act as proximity mines. While this adds mildly to strategic moments, it also promotes camping, a personal pet peeve of mine. Not only that, but often multiplayer turns into a contest of who can retrieve the most powerful weapon first and hold onto it. Severe lag murders nearly one in every four games you enter, however a quality server is often very enjoyable to play in, given everyone is of the same skill level.
Running into people abusing shotguns or chainsaw bayonets is inevitable and a price one has to pay for playing Gears 2 online. Thankfully, the shotgun roll has been eliminated from Gears 1. Eventhough there are several complaints listed for the multiplayer, it is still extremely well populated and modes like team leader make for chaotic and monumental gaming moments.
Gears of War 2 is truly a blast when played with friends, be it cooperatively or competitively. The story mode is full of high notes, yet occasionally hiccups, and the multiplayer is riddled with bugs and annoyances however still manages to be addictive. Overlook the single players shortcomings and it will surely be a great time to play. Accept the multiplayers issues and it as well may be enjoyable. As a whole, Gears 2 is a good sequel, but not a great sequel. We can only hope that Gears of War 3 will return to refine and ultimately perfect the series. Until then, Gears of War 2 is still a ton of fun.