'Gears of War 2' a great sequel
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“Gears of War 2” is about as close to a perfect sequel as you can get. Everything that made the original so much fun -- from the innovative cover system to the great multiplayer modes -- has been completely retained or upgraded, and the new features are perfectly integrated.
Like the original, “Gears of War 2” puts you in the oversized power armor of Marcus Fenix, a grizzled veteran of an ugly war on an ugly planet. You and your squadmates battle the seemingly endless armies of the Locust Horde in a story that isn’t much better or sensible than the first, but at least seems to be trying harder.
The story isn’t really the main draw, of course, and the gameplay more than makes up for any failings of the narrative. The campaign focuses on refining and building on the mechanics of the first game, and it succeeds brilliantly. From early levels that have you tearing through creatures that once made for imposing boss fights, to later levels that have you using the bodies of huge creatures as cover from their attacks, the whole campaign is incredibly engaging and well-balanced.
The multiplayer is similarly both familiar and improved, and the new modes are the game’s most likely source of longevity. “Submission” is capture the flag with a tiny twist – the flag is a computer controlled character who struggles to escape from both sides – that really adds a new dimension of fun.
On the co-op side, you can – and should – play the entire campaign with a friend, as in the first game, but the newly added “Horde” mode, which pits up to five players against ever-increasing waves of computer-controlled opponents. It’s only fun in short bursts, but when everyone is working well together, it’s an unbeatable experience.
The few problems never really amount to much. The story and dialogue aren’t ever anything special, but the good voice acting and great graphics overall distract from that, and if you played the first “Gears of War,” you won’t be expecting that much. The gameplay as a whole can get old, but even a short break will leave you wanting more.
It might not do much that’s distinctly innovative, but “Gears of War 2” makes a lot of great refinements and, perhaps more importantly, doesn’t make the common mistake of adding distracting and irrelevant new mechanics. If you liked the first, the second is definitely worth the price. If you didn’t play the first, this definitely worth a rent, at the very least.
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