An amazing shooter that can be very frustrating online, yet never ceases to hold my full attention! Read the review!
Gears of War 2 is my favorite sci-fi shooter and my second favorite tactical shooter. Sorry, but Rainbow Six is a little hard to out-do on the cover system. Although, I have stayed up late many nights playing this game. I have clocked more hours into the Gears of War series than any other shooting series. I am more of a fan of the first-person shooter myself, but Gears of War was just too good to keep me away. I was having too much fun to notice what the view was like! I realize that there are some pretty crappy third-person games out there, but Gears isn't one of them. It is one of the few third-person shooters that I actually rank highly.
The online is a lot of fun. However, it can be extremely frustrating if you are not very good. The co-op modes are a blast to play. Horde supports five players and you work together to eliminate the attacking groups of Locust. Story mode co-op for two players hasn't really changed. It still feels the same, which isn't a bad thing. The addition of Horde mode really brings the cooperative experience to a new level. Also, the multiplayer has been upped from 8 player to 10 player. Also, the modes have changed some. I haven't played too much head-to-head, so I can't really inform you about it too much, other than it still shines just as well as the first Gears multiplayer did. EPIC didn't tamper with the formula hardly at all, but then again why try to improve upon near perfection? If you haven't played the multiplayer before, I strongly reccomend that you go play it at a friend's house or rent it. Also, you and a friend playing on the same console can go online together, either in Horde or regular multiplayer.
The story mode is basically the same, except that obviously there are new levels and different events. There isn't much that I can say for the single-player aspect of Gears of War 2. It's still as good as the first game's, but I don't think that there is much to be explained as it is straight-forward. The only thing I could do is tell you the plot, but I'm not going to ruin it for you.
What would a shooting game be without guns? Well, for starters it wouldn't be a shooting game anymore. If you played the first Gears of War, you're probably tired of firing that Lancer and revving up its chainsaw bayonet, right? Maybe you aren't, I know I wasn't tired of it, but a lot of you are probably craving something different. Well what if I told you that there is a mortar gun, flamethrower, poison grenades, an uzi pistol, and a shield? And all of the guns you already know and love got a makeover and look fresher. Sound good? Of course it does.
Well that's about it. Gears of War 2 has amazing visual polish, fun game modes that can entertain you for a long time, the same multiplayer we all know and love, and a new arsenal for shoving those grubs back in the ground. If you haven't checked it out yet, I strongly advise you to do so.