Smell that Dom? Fried locust. I love the smell of fried locust in the morning.
This review is restricted to the single player mode as my experience with the multiplayer aspect was limited to Horde. Like the original, this game is about the conflict between humans and locusts on the Earth-like planet Sera. As Marcus, you the player lead the humans' struggle for victory and survival. In GOW2 you continue the fight against the Locust who are currently winning the war, and are mounting a siege on Jacinta, the last human stronghold on the planet Sera.
In this game there is a sense of dread that perhaps is absent in other similar shooters not only because of the gore factor but also because Marcus is an ordinary (albeit tough and experienced) soldier with the vulnerability of an average human being. On the other hand, the locust (who look like a cross between a human and lizard) are very tough, robustly built opponents. On the higher difficulties unless you're using the shotgun, it takes more than a single assault rifle magazine to take a single one down.
GOW2 falls a little short in the innovation department but it's a definite improvement on the original and like that game, it's a knuckle-whitening ride till the end. Areas that have been improved include the graphics, audio, weapons variety, controls and friendly AI.
Gears of War (GOW) was no slouch in the graphics department but the sequel is markedly superior in that aspect--presenting a combination of vibrant colours and sharp textures that almost seem to rival those on grunty gaming PCs. The guns sound fantastic! The Gnasher shotgun sounds powerful, meaty-just like its counterpart in FEAR and Far Cry. The Lancer's rapid fire staccato is now distinguishable from the Hammerburst's heavier caliber, slower firing and more baritone-like report. This is a definite improvement because both assault rifles sounded anemic not to mention too-similar in the original.
New weapons are available and they add much needed variety to the combat mechanics. You'll want to replace your default pistol with the Gorgon because of its Uzi bullet-spewing capabilities, you'll love the barbequing effect of the Scorcher (flamethrower) on the faces of harpless locusts and the Mulcher minigun will you make you feel like Arnie as you mow down rows upon rows of locusts. Those of you who prefer your fighting up close will welcome the new bayonet close-quarter-combat feature. It will let you go mano-a-mano with the locust. The spray of locust blood as its head cleaves in two is a visceral experience that enhances your sense of victory. Those of you who have Rommel fever will relish the opportunity to destroy (with ease) multipe locust gun emplacements with a tank.
The controversial cover mechanism has been improved in this game. You won't be sucked aside into a wall as you sprint past it (at the very least it will happen less often): a frequently occurring and frustrating flaw in the original game. Overall, the controls are smoother, more intuitive than in the original game, allowing you to focus on the action rather than being distracted with "fighting the controls" which was often the case in the original game. For those of you haven't played this game, seeking cover, flanking and team work is vital to success. Charging the guns like the Terminator will result in almost-instant death, especially on the higher difficulties.
In GOW2 part of the job involves the search for Maria, Dom's missing wife. This was a touching gesture that added some humanity and substance to a fairly limited storyline (are shooters known for their story lines, you ask). I thought it was great, but at the same time wouldn't miss it if it if it there. Perhaps less "callous" gamers may disagree.
The friendly AI is overpowered. In the original, I was mystified how (especially on Hardcore and Insane where you need to keep them alive to progress) despite the fact that Dom and your other AI partners are your equals in regards to military capability-you would spend an inordinate amount of time trying to keep them alive. This was a common complaint from gamers and Epic Games have obviously listened and made changes. Unfortunately, I think they went too far. Now, Dom will kill all the bad guys himself-if you sit back and let him. The effect of this is that: while GOW2 is still a robust challenge it is not frustratingly so like the original. In fact it felt a little too easy on Hard Core when I played co-op with my equally GOW-hardened partner.
GOW's highly stylized design is evident in the grayish hues of its "destroyed beauty" environment and pseudo-Gothic styled weapons. But this approach though visually grabbing, doesn't always work and this is the case with the tank. Although a welcome addition to the game, the tank felt light and jittery to control almost like you were controlling a featherweight go-cart. The tank is also inappropriately structured to be plausible-from a design perspective. It's high centre of gravity and structure and the lack of sloping armor design is an affront to tank design orthodoxy.
Spoiler alert! If you haven't played the game yet you may want to skip this paragraph. Now, in the main boss battle you get to fight Skorge, a Raam-like figure except Skorge is tall and wiry and has Predator-like dreads. He welds a staff that has chainsaws on both ends. Fighting Skorge was a disappointment because compared with the Terminator-like Raam, he was relatively easy to beat down.
By the way, GOW2 only missed out on a 9.0 in my books because of the innovation factor. GOW fans who haven't tasted of this sequel's ambrosia-like goodness will not be disappointed. For those of you who are new to GOW, for continuity's sake get both games. Play the original first, then this one. Then get set to feel the hot adrenalin rush….and cold creeping dread.