While we’re a little bit late on the draw for this one, it doesn’t feel like that long ago when we were first thrown into the fallen world of Sera, where an invasion of an alien species had all but wiped out the human race as we know it. Marcus Fenix was released from prison for some reason, and we were tasked with killing as many of the Locust Horde as possible while yelling obscenities and looking tough. While some may have found this idea a bit convoluted when the original Gears of War hit just over two years ago, it’s time to return to the ruined world of Sera to continue the battle against our would-be invaders. Gears of War 2 takes place exactly where we last left off and puts us back into the shoes of Fenix and his Delta Squad.

The first thing you’ll likely notice about Gears of War 2 is that, yes, it does certainly look and feel a lot like its predecessor. Gigantic characters offset against a post-apocalyptic landscape, moving from cover position to cover position taking out enemies through the ancient art of duck-and-cover. And although the idea of defending humans from an invasion of evil creatures from a disgruntled soldier with a mysterious past may not be the most original setting, the gameplay of Gears still captures an element that many games of similar styles seem to totally miss out on. The game is a whole lot of fun to play; on your own, with friends or online, the game does so many things right in terms of controls, mechanics and a reward system that it continues to set a high precedent for shooters in this generation.

The campaign of the game takes off right away into battle, as you train your latest recruit into Delta Squad before getting assaulted in one of the last human settlements by the Horde. The sense of desperation you get from this experience is certainly more engaging than the more generic landscape of the original game, putting you on streets with amidst other soldiers and traversing through hospitals filled with the dead and dying. From the first world you are already treated to a more diverse landscape and as you travel from the outer-most regions of the city to the mountains to the depths of Sera itself, you’ll notice how well designed and beautiful the ruined world really looks. The graphics have a definite bump in that regard, and even the layout of each level feels a bit more fluid, with multiple cover spots and a lot of different ways to tackle the enemies in most worlds. The enemies are a little more diverse in the game, but it feels like even the bigger enemies are a little less daunting then in previous games due to a weird difficulty discrepancy between this game and the first in the series. Normal seems very easy, and Easy designed for those without much knowledge of shooting games at all. To be fair, it fits the description of the games, but certainly defies a lot of standards that Normal is going to offer you an adequate challenge for standard players.

While the story certainly isn’t the high point of the series, it has made a major leap in terms of the character development and exploring more of the world setting. While you still learn very little about the backstory of any of the events, you are given glimpses into the character’s lives, which certainly does more than the first Gears. There is even a little drama and heart-ache sprinkled in along with big guys shooting stuff, which is an interesting departure from the standard action-thoroughfare, but certainly not with an engaging amount of emotion. To be honest, though, the story in most games will usually take a backseat to the gameplay, and simply be utilized to compliment and understand the why of your in-game character. The game gives you motivations, makes you understand the progression, and get an idea of what you are jumping into and what you are fighting for. It adds gravity to the whole situation, and it does it minimally and effectively. While you may be a bit thrown off by the longer cutscenes (a phenomenon I dubbed Metal Gears of War Solid), but it doesn’t feel forced or too drawn out and actually compliments the game setting.

Shooting and running hasn’t changed much, either. You’ll find yourself given a familiar set of weaponry, including the infamous Lancer and Boom Shot, but there are quite a few welcome additions to your arsenal. The Scorcher may actually be one of the best flamethrowers I’ve ever used in game. It doesn’t feel underpowered or limited in range like many other similar weapons can, and certainly isn’t a guaranteed kill. It’s another addition to an actually well-balanced arsenal that encourages you to try out more and more ways of pulling off headshots. The Mulcher, a portable mini-gun similar to the Troika in the first game, is also a lot of fun to haul around, although you won’t be able to run or operate any other weapon in conjunction with it. The Lancer has also received a bit of treatment at its business end with multiple ways to dissect your enemies with the chainsaw bayonet, either from bottom-to-top, the standard face-to-hips or the always brutal “colonectomy” chainsaw attack from behind. It’s silly, but a lot of fun and especially satisfying when enacted on a player on the other side of a Horde V. COG battle.

On that note, the multiplayer has definitely seen quite a vast improvement. While the co-op mode for the campaign seems a lot of the same in terms of what it offered the first time around, it’s still a lot of fun to traipse around the campaign with a friend. The multiplayer modes outside of this have seen a vast improvement over previous efforts, as well. Gears of War was reasonably well known to have a fun, but flawed online component that was an afterthought for the developers. While popular, there were quite a bit of complaints regarding hosting games, and the balance of certain weapons and animations. Most of those, if not all, seem to be sorted out in the variety of modes and levels within the multiplayer portion of the game. The level design is very open, and gives a lot of variety in the strategy of how each faction or player will move. The fact that they have added a battle mode to chainsaws, when two players attempt to use the Lancer against one another, adds more of a competitive edge to the finisher instead of just dumb luck. It’s also possible to take out another player while performing this action, which is a big step up and makes it a more risky endeavour.

The variety of multiplayer modes is well done, although nothing too surprising. As of right now the multiplayer match-ups is still a bit patchy and slow, but it has gotten significantly better over the last two weeks and is actually still a fun experience. The biggest change to multiplayer has to be the addition of the Horde Mode, which pits you and four of your closest friends against wave after wave of Locust invaders. Up to 50 waves, in fact, and it is a brutal marathon that will cost hours of time and a whole lot of fun as the difficulty and sheer number of enemies that appear begin to overwhelm your party.

As saturated as the shooter market may be, and as ridiculously over-the-top the characters and story for Gears is, the game does something very right in almost every way. The levels are well-designed and beautiful, the weaponry is diverse and well-round, there are a lot of modes to play on top of a much longer and diverse campaign mode and the sound matches the epic scale of the battles and the visceral take-downs that occur within the game. Most of all though, the game is fun. It is. A lot of fun. Every action you take carries a lot of weight, whether it is moving into cover, mowing down a wave of Locust, or sticking the business-end of a chainsaw into the shoulder line of a nearby foe. The game gives great feedback to players, makes you feel rewarded for the work that you’ve done, and is simple to pick up and difficult to master. There’s a lot to do for any level of player, and whether you’re alone or by yourself, Gears of War 2 lives up to its critically acclaimed predecessor and is certainly worth grabbing even with so many quality games being released this fall. While it may not draw droves of new fans, it will certainly satisfy fans of the original and will be appearing as a top multiplayer game for a long time to come.

So what you’re really trying to say is…
Gears of War 2 is a big lift over the original in almost every way. Levels are vast and beautifully illustrated, as well as having solid design. The story and dialogue is still ham-fisted, but it kind of fits the whole universe. New weapons are great, and the Horde Mode is a big lift over the standard multiplayer modes. The game is still a lot of fun and is a must-play and probably a must-buy for 360 owners.