Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360, 2008)

Gears of War 2 is different. I mean some will tell you the game is essentially Gears 1.5, but that honestly does not do it justice.

The Gears 2 story/campaign mode is epic. Every battle is on a much larger scale, and you just don't feel like a small elite squad involved in an isolated conflict anymore. Enough of the story though, because I would imagine most would want to hear about the gameplay.

As one of the reviews just stated above the gameplay seems a bit more streamlined, since one of my friends who had never played before could pick it up and do better than he could have done in Gears 1. The entire system, such as finding cover and running, all feels much more polished than the original. The weaponry has been expanded and new functions have been added to various weapons. These additions included the grenade, of which now there are 3 types, be setup as a mine that only goes off when enemies come near it. The shotgun has not been changed as the review above stated, and what has changed is the lancer and the new hammerburst. These two guns have had their effectiveness and power increased, and along with the new "stopping power" mechanic, make the game much less of a run and gun affair. The new highlight is the overall tactical and intelligent gameplay, rather than the run and gun affair that the host with the shotgun does.

One game type that I have to say is an amazing edition is HORDE. Get four of your friends together, get on the new map Pavilion, and see how long you last. Horde involves waves and waves of locusts coming at you, and becoming progressively more difficult. It's an affair that involves a lot of shooting, screaming, cursing, and reminsicing.

Anyway, Gears 2 is amazing. In an age of $60 video games, Gears deserves your money and a decent amount of your halo 3 matchmaking time.

GAMEPLAY: A+
This game still plays like the first Gears, except with a wider array of weapons and features (ie, chainsaw battles, different modes of executing a downed enemy). This is a third person shooter, for those who have not played the first one. And also, expect a lot of blood and violence, so if you are parents considering this game for your children, this serves as fair warning.

The campaign takes longer to beat this time around (10-20h I think). The graphics are very beautiful and realistic, and a lot more 'vibrant'. The first Gears was in general a very dark and gloomy game. You see a lot more color in this one. Co-op campaign gameplay continues to be addictive and I think a strength in this game. It is still as immersive an experience for all players involved as the first Gears was.

Further, the creators definitely outdid themselves in design of the levels. You should expect to be pleasantly surprised with every single level that comes up. While you can clearly expect to see yourself running around in the streets battling waves after waves of Locust, you will also see another order of magnitude of fighting, with sometimes even as many as 80-100 Locust rushing through your field of view. To emphasize the creativity of the creators, there was also, at various points later in the game (spoiler warning), a section where you had to traverse a pitch-black tunnel to safely escort a vehicle across, and even a level where your squad somehow ends up inside one of the Locust beasts and had to fight your way out...

Overall, this game has been quite an experience. It deserves an A+ and Game of the Year awards.

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STORY: B+
Given that this game promised to have more leads on the storyline of the series than the first one, it does a better job. A lot of the early story is centered around Dom and him trying to find his wife, amidst all the fighting. The voice acting is compelling for the most part, and you can tell a lot more easily that it's a dark time for humanity on this fictional planet. In the first Gears, playing through the story was mostly humorous because of the way all the guys were joking around in between fight scenes and the light talk that went on. In this Gears, there's a lot more of a sense of urgency. And cutscenes are well made.

Finally, instead of COG tags for collection, we have bits and pieces of 'collectibles' like newspaper clippings, ads, so on and so forth that in some cases contribute to the backstory a little bit, kind of like the way those terminals worked in Halo 3. All of these, when found, are put in some scrapbook that's accessible from the Main Menu, and arranged in a more or less logical order.

The reason the story only gets a B+: if you think about games like BioShock and Mass Effect and the Halo series with their very immersive storylines, GoW 2 is still not quite there. But it is closer to that state now than it was previously.

I won't reveal any more in this part, but definitely expect a lot more of a plot that serves as a backdrop to all the fighting that's going on. Epic Games did a good job of piquing your interest and making you want to learn more.

Overall a very good game. A+

Gears of War 2 is a fantastic game. The story is in depth. Enemy AI and Friendly AI is outstanding. Environments are great and detailed. Game was excellent.

My only negative on this game, is that it only took me about 9 hours to beat it on the 2nd difficulty level.

I give it a 9.5 out of 10

A pretty good action war game to have fun with a couple of hours.
I would only suggest the game for people that have Xbox live, because the achievement system seems to go to that direction.


Game hours about 10-14.

PROS: Everything you didn't like about the first Gears Of War has been improved. Now your Computer Team Mates can Revive you. And you can also run without getting tired. Co-Op offers different difficulty for each player. The new weapons are fantastic.

CONS: A bit too easy. Even on the hardest setting I felt like it wasn't as challenging as the first one.

RECOMMENDATION: Everyone who loves the first one, and anyone who loves gory shooters. Well worth buying.

Overall, I enjoyed the game. The campaign was qwesome. It had a good story. It could have been longer. The Horde mode was was very, very fun. However, the multiplayer was just like the first Gears. It was all host dependent. There was a lot of latency issues if you were'nt the host. If you liked the first Gears multiplayer, then you'll love this one. For me they didn't fix any of the problems from the first one. As a result, the game has no "staying power". That's why I have mine on Ebay after only 2 weeks. Hope this helps...

The Good
- The sequel to one of the best games ever and the story keeps twisting; one of the few games with characters you actually care about
- Some of the most awesome gaming sequences you will ever play
- Plenty of new weapons to go along with my favorite sniper rifle in video gaming
- You finally get to ride that Brumak that you were supposed to ride in the first game
- Multiplayer has been improved with matchmaking and training bots that allow you to have an endless gaming experience that will last you until Gears 3 hits and beyond
- Co-op is still the cream of the crop

The Bad
- No Berserker battle at all
- Getting up onto platforms can be a pain
- Finding a match online can also become a real pain
-AI teammates aren't always the smartest cookies in the jar

The Verdict
Must have 360 title and a top game of the year candidate for 2008. And unlike the Presidential Election, this deserves your vote and your time. Go pick it up. Oh and it's definitely not for the kiddies. 5/5

I love the graphics and the way the controller vibrates when you play. I think this would be a great game for anyone.

I was completely satisfied with my experience using e-bay. The game we purchased works perfectly and the prompt delivery was great too!!!

I bought this game because one of my friends let me barrow his for two days... yes two days!!!!! I got hooked within one hour. I played part one and was impressed but not "WOWED" like with part two. This game has it all and dare I say, it's better than the first one. Ok I will, it's way better than the first one. The story is more expanded and the loses the characters go through and the end is an ending but it leaves two or three unanswered questions. You will need more skill than in the original and you will be taking the ride of the year in this game. so buy it rent it or barrow it. You have to play it now.

I like the gameplay in this game, though it may not be for everyone. A lot of my friends have this game, but dont enjoy it very much. A good idea would be to rent it before buying it. Also, there are 3 DLC map packs. While this may seem awesome, with each costing 800 microsoft points, it can be pretty expensive. If you don't buy the map packs, it takes a while for the game to set up a matchmaking session online with other people who dont have the maps. Overall, I like this game's different approach to fps gameplay and it is worth your money.

For anyone who is curious if a sequel is as good or better than the original, this one is. If you played Gears of War, Gears of War 2 is a great return to this adventure.

What i like about the original was the insane battles where you had to think your way through. The God of War like boss battles were just something annoying to get through so i could get back to snipering grubs. But in this game, the "on rails" levels, and the giant bosses, and the gimmic levels, are like 70% of the game. Dont get me wrong, The graphics, sound, weapons, and level design are all improved, its just a little to much MOVIE, and not enough SHOOTER for me.

Great graphics. Good campaign mode. Great multiplayer mode as well. Only thing that makes the game not as great is if you don't have a good internet connection. The online multiplayer will lag causing poor gameplay.

This game is awesome, I thought the first one was great, but this one takes the cake. A few more guns to play around with, including the old ones, and alot of different achievements. Another cool feature, as lame as this seems, is the fact that you can turn off the gore and or the strong language. Very good if you have kids running around. Gameplay is strong, improved the lancer bayonet's responsiveness, and graphics are awesome! Multiplayer has improved greatly as well, a lot of variety in game types, plus taking on the Horde, which is wave after wave of locust that get more difficult with every wave. All in all, a very cool game, definitely one of my favorites!

The Games is really fun there is really nothing i dislike about the game very fast shipping low price it was in very good shape i bought it for my teens the like it to it saved mye alot of money if i bought at the store i would have payed more we will in joy this game you will also and again thanks

gears 2 is hands down better than the original, the gameplay is a dream. this is what youve been waiting for, halo, eat your heart out!

I loved the first release and the second part just got better, now with the new ability to be heal by your friend and drag your self away from the line of fire on the solo campaign is a great improvement also the improvement made to the weapons where really helpful, also I have to mention the big improvement done to the graphics and the ability to show more realistic damage to world objects and to conclude the new story line was just perfect. Although I would have liked that Dominic saved his wife instead of her dying.

Excellent game, I play it all the time.I couldn't believe how good the price was. There was also very good shipping and communication throughout the transaction.Thanks!

LOVE IT!!! best game I have played in a long long time! Excellent game play, co-op and multiplayer. best all around game i have played. Now i cant leave out the graphics.... all i can say is WOW AMAZING!!! I actually have not found anything wrong with the game. I would recommend buying it immediately. if you dont have it you dont have anything at all!

Unlockable: Kantus

To unlock Kantus for use in multiplayer, complete Act 2 in single-player mode on any difficulty.
Submitted by IGN Guides
Unlockable: Skorge

to unlock Skorge for use in multiplayer, complete Act 5 in single-player mode on any difficulty.
Submitted by IGN Guides
Unlockable: Flame Grenadier

To unlock the Flame Grenadier for use in multiplayer, complete Act 4 in single-player mode on any difficulty.
Submitted by IGN Guides
Unlockable: Insane Difficulty

To unlock the Insane Difficulty level, complete the game once through on any difficulty setting previously available.
Submitted by IGN Guides
Unlockable: RAAM

To unlock RAAM for use in multiplayer, have the “A Dish Best Served Cold” achievement on your hard drive from the original Gears of War.
Submitted by IGN Guides
Unlockable: Dizzy Wallin

To unlock Dizzy Wallin for use in multiplayer, complete Act 1 in single-player mode on any difficulty.
Submitted by IGN Guides
Unlockable: Anthony Carmine

To unlock Anthony Carmine for use in multiplayer, have any Act 1-related achievements unlocked on your hard drive from the original Gears of War.
Submitted by IGN Guides
Unlockable: Tai Kaliso

To unlock Tai Kaliso for use in multiplayer, complete Act 3 in single-player mode on any difficulty.
Submitted by IGN Guides

great game fast pace, graphics unbelievable, lots of different weapons. story line pretty good. hope to see gears of war 3 come out next year. highly suggest buying this game

This seller stole from myself and many others! More importantly, this seller stole presents from innocent little children at Christmas time!!! He had promised a refund to myself and others, but a week later, still nothing. No refund and no correspondence. He should be ashamed of himself!!