Gears of War was a smash hit when it debuted on the Xbox 360 a few years ago. Because Gears is an Xbox 360 exclusive, the game helped sell thousands of Microsoft’s newest console during a critical time for industry dominance.
The original Gears of War introduced a new style of shooter gameplay that hasn’t been seen before. The use of cover as a primary strategy medium provided very satisfying gameplay, and analysts have compared it with the same exhileration as playing paintball in the real world. Gears was also one of the first games to do away with the “health meter”. That means no more endless hunts for Health Packs; if you take too much damage at one time, then you’re down (but not necessarially out).
When Epic announced Gears of War 2, everyone was wondering how they could possibly top the amazing innovations they’ve already accomplished. The answer is both simple and complex. It’s like baking a cake. If you have an award-winning recipe you don’t change it, but if you want to top yourself you make more layers, and make them bigger. Gears of War 2 definately tops itself. Read on to find out why:
The core gameplay hasn’t changed much, but there are some new features thrown in. This is one of the primary reasons why Gears 2 is so fun: you’re able to pick it up and just play it. All of the same gameplay dynamics are there, and the controls are the same. Strategy primarially is cover-based, and you use the same controls to stick to a wall, turn a corner, blind-shoot and aim. The Roadie Run and Active Reload features are still intact, which are very satisfying features that make the game seem more realistic.
One of the new features Epic has implemented is a little mini-status of how far along you are to achieving some Xbox Achievements. Every time you make a kill with a new weapon, a little popup appears on the bottom-left of the screen that shows you a bar on how far you have to go to unlock the “Variety is the Spice of Death” achievement (basically make a kill with every weapon in the game). There is another achievement where to achieve after wasting 100,000 enemies, using Meat Shields, and other stats that must be built up.
There are a few new weapons that add to the gameplay. There is now a portable heavy Chain Gun (referred to as a Meat Grinder), which lays down a huge spread of Lead Death. Some new huge Locust have huge shields that you can take, which provides portable cover. While carrying the shield, hold the left trigger to cover your body, which lets you move while under cover. You have your right hand free, so you can only use your pistol in this mode, but it lets you get right in front of mounted guns and infiltrate the enemy line. You can also plant the shield right in the ground, which frees your hands up to use your other weapons. Using this tactic you can get into a perfect strategic spot by adding cover.
Speaking of dynamic cover, you sometimes encounter barriers that can be destroyed or even removed. While in the Locust Stronghold, there are levers and valves that can remove your cover (or the cover of your enemies). If you can flank them, you can turn off the cover that the Locust are hiding behind, which lets your team totally mow them down quickly. There’s even a scene where you must cross a body of water, and the Locust are trying to turn a valve to start the waterflow again (which will drown you). These gameplay dynamics give you an immediate mini-goal to accomplish while completing a larger objective.
One of the more difficult gameplay areas is traversing your tank across a frozen lake. You’re trying to make it to a Locust Stronghold in the snowy mountains, and the roads are blocked: so you must cross a frozen lake to continue the trek. Well, the Locust make it difficult for you by firing rockets into the lake, creating large holes for you to sink into. It’s hard enough with a sliding tank without having to suddenly change course to avoid a watery death.
Some of the huge boss battles are also over the top. In one area your tank completely loses power. In the dark. You can see the eyes of some large creatures surrounding you. As soon as you get power back and the lights on, you see 3 Corpsers surrounding you, with your back to a wall. There’s another scene where you’re on a gunboat in the middle of an underground lake (where even the Locust don’t venture) and must battle a huge Leviathon-like creature. Its tentacles try to take your boat down, so you must use your Lancer to cut them off in time. The beast chomps down on the front of your boat, so you have to do some quick thinking before he takes the boat down (I won’t give away how to do it just yet, though).
Another satisfying strategic element to the gameplay is the ability to use a Meat Shield. When you take out a Locust soldier, he may not be completely dead. He may start crawling away to get help. Instead of just curb-stomping them like in the last game, you can pick him up and use him as a shield. Since your left hand is dragging the soldier, you can only use your pistol. If your Meat Shield takes too much damage, then he is destroyed, leaving you unprotected. You can also choose to dispatch the wounded soldier at any time.
Oh, yeah, and there’s chainsaw duels now. If you run into an enemy with a chainsaw, you are locked together and have a button-mashing session until one of you is the victor.
The original Gears of War had an amazing story. We were immediately drawn to the character of Marcus Fenix, but his past was shrouded in mystery. We were thrust into this ficticious post-apocalyptic war against the Locust horde with only glimpses of the past. Gamers definately came to care about the main characters (which is an amazing accomplishment for any writer) and we want to know more.
Believe me, you get a lot of satisfying answers about the characters, world, and the past. There is a lot of character development, and some open chapters are closed. We also get to see how the Locust Horde is able to sink cities, and even get to go deeper into their world.
Sound
The sound designers were not content with many of the “canned” sounds present in many video games (I still hear the classic Doom “pistol” sound even in modern games). Most of the sounds were designed from the ground up. The sound designers even went so far as to throw real meat against the wall, stir macaroni & cheese, and squish fresh produce to create very realistic sounds of ripping and popping flesh.
The musical score was composed at Skywalker Ranch with a live orchestra, and was recorded in much the same way a film score is produced. There was a large screen of the movie or gameplay, and the orchestra synchs itself to the video. The orchestral music is definately Hollywood quality, and literally gave me goosebumps at times.
Graphics
The graphics on the original Gears was some of the best on the Xbox 360. I thought that graphics could not get any better, because the framerates on Gears 1 became choppy, especially during cutscenes. Apparently Epic has been making huge improvements to the engine, because the graphics are better, and the framerates are much smoother.
The complexity of the characters, environments, and monsters are extremely detailed. There are even tons of enemies on the screen at one time. Epic modified the engine to allow for hundreds of Locust at once, which gives the game a more “war-like” feel. Each soldier is handled independently, so if you take out a soldier from a distance you can actually see them go down.
Shooting walls or cover actually removes chips and chunks from it, which changes its shape, or even exposes a little more of your enemy. The previous Gears only “painted” damage onto walls.
It is a major accomplishment that Epic has made the game engine even more complex, but has not only managed to maintain high framerates, but in some instances improve them.
Gears of War is still one of the most popular online experiences on Xbox Live, and it has gotten even better. Multiplayer matches now support more players with five-on-fice play and a total of eight multiplayer modes. There’s a new “Wingman” mode where players slip into two-player teams and watch each other’s backs while fighting to be the last team standing. “Submission” is a variation of the “capture the flag” mode in which you race to take out a hostile Stranded and carry him to a capture point.
The main menu even has a “What’s Up?” feature, which lets you immediately catch up with online buddies and see what they’re doing. Gears 2 features a new party system that makes it easy to find friends or form a full team. You can also continue between matches without the need to reform after each game.
There’s a new skill-based matchmaking system which allows players of similar skill level to get together in multiplayer matches. This is a godsend for many gamers, as many have complained that they don’t get a chance to hone their skill because they’re immediately preyed upon by more experienced players.
There’s a new co-operative Horde Mode, where five players team up on any multiplayer map to fight off increasingly difficult waves of invading Locust. There’s an achievement if you can last 10 waves and 50 (there are 50 waves in total). It’s important that teammates work together tactically to ensure survival.
The co-operative play of the original Gears was extremely satisfying, and this mode has been improved in Gears 2. You can now drop in and drop out of a campaign with your friends without disrupting your game. Each player can select their own difficulty level so that players of different skill levels can now play together in co-op mode.
The core gameplay of Gears hasn’t changed, and this is all for the good. Epic has added a lot more to the series to make is awe-inspiring. Epic has made this new production as big as any Hollywood Summer Blockbuster, as there is so much over-the-top action, highs and lows that truly make the gamer feel like they’re on a roller-coaster ride.
The sound production is also top notch. The music and sound were recorded at Skywalker Ranch, where many large movies get their soundtracks. Instead of using “canned” sounds, Epic created many of their sounds from scratch. The Epic sound designers went so far as to get fresh meat and produce from the grocery store and throw them against the wall to make some of the most authentic flesh and gore sounds… and it works. I cringe somewhat when breaking out the chainsaw bayonet on my Lancer.
The game also pushes the graphics capabilities of the Xbox 360 even further. While the original Gears had some of the best visuals, Gears 2 has bigger and more complex scenes, numerous and complicated monsters, and delightful details: and even managed to improve the framerates while doing it.
It almost seems like 2006 all over again. Epic and Valve have presented some of the strongest contenders for Game of the Year, and all worthy games were introduced in the last quarter of the year (when game sales are their strongest). Gears of War 2 definately tops itself, and is again the contender for Game of the Year.
Gears of War 2 is much more fun than the original. It’s bigger, longer, and harder (get your mind out of the gutter). This is THE best game on the Xbox 360 right now: bar none. If you don’t have a 360, then this is the reason to get one. Gears of War 2 definately deserves OCmodshop’s highest honor: a Perfect rating.
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4 Comment
Special edition does not get you new maps… buying the game gets you the maps. And tbh golden lancer is for people who want to show off, it doesn't make you better cos you have a gold lancer it just means ill know where you are and pwn you!
Dude! Awesome review actually… I agree with a lot of points you made.Even though you're crazy optimistic for this game though I didn't feel it lived up to that much.I reviewed it myself actually on EverHYPE and gave Gears of War 2 64.Mike
yo just take it in GEARS OF WAR 2
The Special Edition is worth buying too. For an extra $10 you get an art book, an extra disc with "making of" videos, and keys for exclusive downloadable maps and Golden Lancer!