Gears of War 2 is pretty much everything you want in a Sequel....
Campaign mode has become more dramatic, cinematic and even more emotional .... with many more vehicle scenes which will make more playing the story more varied.
Funnily enough, even though the new approach to story telling and music, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed in comparison to the first. Some of the story stuff included in the sequel seemed quite predictable / Cliched.
Online Multi player is has changed quite a bit, some changes have improved it while a lot of others have somewhat ruined the game further in my opinion.
5 vs 5 is a great addition to online multi player, as are the extra modes that are variations of common shooter multi player game types like capture the flag, VIP / Protect the leader ,doubles/partners and king of the hill.
Weapons balancing however is another matter , there's lots of good news and bad news.
Personally, I could have done without the inclusion of things like the mortar in Multiplayer , as I think stuff like that ruins the balance and nature of the game.
Some old weapons have been rebalanced , now the shotgun no longer dominates in a lot of situations. The Assault rifle is much more useful since it's bullets will cause moving forward , to be pushed back slightly as they are advancing , to stop people just rushing in. This change has made taking cover much more valuable , as was the original intention in the first game.
Chainsawing people however has become much more easier , which can get quite annoying.
But the worst addition by far has to be smoke grenades now have the ability to knock people of their feet, setting up for almost certain death , as your opponent has more than enough time to run up to you and finish you off.
It seems like such a lame tactic that is available to everyone since everyone spawns with a smoke grenade .... apparently smoke grenades aren't used for smoke anymore ... what a joke that is ... all it is now is a set up for an easy kill and not a tactical vision obstruction tool like it should be.
Also planting grenades seems like a good idea at first .... but just seems such a lame effortless kill, especially if people are just planting them at spawning points.
Includes weapons like the motor and smoke grenades throwing people of their feet has really played against the cover system in my opinion.
So multi player has been heavily tainted.
Gears of War 2 does have a better matchmaking system than it's predecessor though , if you ask me .
It has random match making now and vetoing. Although the system does take a long time to find match though, despite the high number of people playing. It was much worse last year though before it was patched.
Co-op is still there too , but also is a brand type of Co-op gametype that has got to be the best thing about Gears of War 2 and my personal favourite part of the game. Co-op Survival !
The Horde mode is a survival mode which pits you against groups of enemies of increasing difficulty and quantity over many rounds.
Basically it's Gears of War's own Survival mode and it is extremely fun.
It can be played by yourself , but is much more fun when played with friends. ( Up to 4 Players )
This mode encourages great team work as you fight against the hordes of enemies and is quite possibly the most exciting mode of GOW2.
I could play horde mode all day and I doubt I'd get bored.
It's such a great thing to play to blow off a little steam after a hard days work.
Seeing how far you can fight against the oncoming armies of Locusts without a story to get in the way.
so Horde mode might provide enough merit alone to warrant a purchase. What they have done with multi player is subjective , I feel it has overall improved ( Although I don't get the same rush as the first one for some reason ) , but some poor decisions in the implement of of new ideas.
But overall , still a great play and most would say an essential purchase for Xbox or at least Shooter fans !
The Good:
- Of couse eyegasmic graphics :P
- More emotional drivven story
- Horde Mode
- Co-Op
- Great set piece battles
The Bad:
- Matching at launch was abysmal
- Unbalanaced Multiplayer
- Pretty Cliche'