Gears of War 2: Review (Irish Team)

On its own merits, Gears of War 2 is among the best on the Xbox 360, raising the bar that much higher on an already stellar list of games. As a sequel, Gears 2 improves upon nearly every aspect of the original, ruthlessly cutting off the fat while shaping and refining its core structure. As a result, we are left with a relentlessly enjoyable shooter from start to finish, with the best multiplayer experience to be found.

Continuing half a year after the original game, Gears 2 puts you once again into the huge figure of Marcus Fenix, recently promoted to Sergeant of the Delta Squad. After a raid on a hospital in Jacinto, the last remaining human city, you, along with the remainder of the Gears are tasked to infiltrate the Locust on their home turf and destroy them once and for all.

Though the plotline in the original Gears of War was largely an excuse for mass murder (and genocide), Gears 2 boasts a deep and memorable story, with all the intensity you’d find in a Hollywood action film, and yet with the soft emotional touches akin to dramas and romances. The plot is above and beyond not only its predecessor, but the vast majority of shooters available on any console, be they third or first person. Although the game offers closure while still paving the way for a successor, the game ends on a lacklustre (if not disappointing) note with a regrettably poor boss fight, which requires little to no skill to defeat, and blows the impact built up throughout the campaign.

The core game play mechanic of the first, the cover system, returns once again; this time with a sleek and improved body. While being intuitive and quick, cover becomes easier to grasp and loses the clumsiness found in the original, improving your chances of survival on the brutal battlefield. Coming round for a second helping as well is active reloading, negating a reform due to its already ideal implementation.

However, Gears 2 also adds variety into the mix, introducing the “Meat Shield”, the ability to use a downed opponent as mobile cover while shooting with a pistol. Used in both single and multiplayer modes, including a new mode centred around the feature, the meat shield proves invaluable, offering support when in a tight situation or when stuck in a group of rather unfriendly gentlemen. 

Another famed feature of Gears of War was co-op, which steals the show in Gears 2. Offering drop-in drop-out co-operative play, Gears of War 2 truly epitomizes social gaming among the hardcore audience. Simple to set up and quick to boot, co-op becomes a near necessity when friends are about, offering a helping hand from a friendly face. The main reason why co-op is such a big help is due to the poor companion AI. Dom, Cole, and whoever might be artificially tagging along get caught up frequently, and at some points may fail to appear at all.

Gears of War 2’s graphical fidelity is something to be admired and is quite a feat considering the massive improvement over the original. Although the Xbox 360’s limit is in sight, Gears 2 proves that the Xbox is no box of bits, offering a visual splendour of detailed environments and vivid images. Colour has been added to the equation, and its beauty is truly visible in the lush rolling hills seen on the second mission. It permeates throughout the whole game, offering far more to watch than just murky browns and dirty reds. Pushing the bar far higher than one could have imagined, Gears 2 is a master class in visual design.

However, its graphical feat is let down by an annoyance which seems intrinsic in the Unreal Engine; texture popping. Seen almost regularly, texture popping is a most noticeable defect to the game, but luckily is overcome by the visual payoff.

Multiplayer, which took Gears a step above the competition two years ago, comes fully loaded with the addition of the best mode yet: Horde. Thrown against waves of Locust, up to five players battle to the death with increasing difficulty, and it quickly becomes the most addictive, engrossing and terrifying multiplayer experience to be had. Horde joins the familiar line up from the original as well as Submission, a capture the flag mode with a clever twist: the flag is a civilian armed with a shotgun, and you must knock him to the ground and use him as a meat shield to win. With the improved game play and graphics, Gears of War 2 will be the one stop shop for your multiplayer needs.

Though minor discrepancies and annoyances occur, they are completely forgotten during the relentless and terrifically satisfying rollercoaster of Gears 2. With improvements all round, and a well written and implemented story to boot, Gears of War 2 is an unmistakeable classic which can be recommended to anyone without the slightest hesitation. Fighting for the survival of mankind has never been such a visceral, visual and fantastic experience.

-Jamie