2008 was a very strong year for video games, one of the best ever if you ask me. Particularly in the run up to Christmas there were a ton of great games releasing, and among them were some highly anticipated sequels. It had been three years since players first got to step into the shoes of Marcus Fenix, leader of Delta Squad; and whilst Gears of War had certainly changed the way many third person action games functioned, time had moved on since 2005 so Gears of War 2 certainly had its work cut out for it to stay relevant.
Humanity thought that the Lightmass bomb would destroy the Locust, however they gravely underestimated just how powerful their enemy was. The Locust hit back and harder than ever, cities have begun sinking into the ground and people are disappearing. Humanity’s last bastion is Jacinto, a city that must be saved no matter what, so the fight needs to be taken to the Locust. Fenix and Delta Squad must head underground into the Locust hollow and strike them where they live, their primary target being the Locust Queen.
In the opening few hours of the game Gears 2 goes out of its way to show you just how much grander in scope it is than Gears 1. After defending a hospital you’re ferried into a series of large-scale battles in arenas that take place in more open areas. It introduces a wide range of new side-characters and makes a decent attempt at making the members of Delta Squad more three-dimensional people. Gears of War 1 was often criticised for its narrow scope which can make the story feel barebones at times, Gears 2 does everything in its power to try and make that no longer the case…at least in its opening few hours.
Humanity thought that the Lightmass bomb would destroy the Locust, however they gravely underestimated just how powerful their enemy was. The Locust hit back and harder than ever, cities have begun sinking into the ground and people are disappearing. Humanity’s last bastion is Jacinto, a city that must be saved no matter what, so the fight needs to be taken to the Locust. Fenix and Delta Squad must head underground into the Locust hollow and strike them where they live, their primary target being the Locust Queen.
In the opening few hours of the game Gears 2 goes out of its way to show you just how much grander in scope it is than Gears 1. After defending a hospital you’re ferried into a series of large-scale battles in arenas that take place in more open areas. It introduces a wide range of new side-characters and makes a decent attempt at making the members of Delta Squad more three-dimensional people. Gears of War 1 was often criticised for its narrow scope which can make the story feel barebones at times, Gears 2 does everything in its power to try and make that no longer the case…at least in its opening few hours.
It doesn’t take long though for the game to fall back into the old ways of Gears of War 1’s storytelling in that side characters are either heavily minimised or forgotten about altogether, all story outside of the current objective is pushed aside, and our main characters stop talking about themselves and only about the circumstance. If anything, this to me is more problematic than Gears 1’s story because it’s clear that either corners had to be cut to narrow the games scope, or Epic simply stopped caring.
Characters like Tai Kaliso and Dizzy are introduced as interesting secondary characters that we’re going to have regular interaction with. Dizzy disappears after the games opening and isn’t seen again until Gears 3, and Tai is promptly killed off midway through the game after having been absent from the plot for several hours. These aren’t the only examples, Dom’s storyline with his wife Maria is alluded to many times throughout the story but its appearances are spaced so far apart and only brought into the fray sporadically to add artificial drama rather than be an aspect of the plot that has anything meaningful to contribute.
The one thing Gears 2 does do consistently well with its broadened scope is give the Locust a personality. We learn more about what they are, why they are fighting humanity, and how their society functions. It’s still relatively limited info, but it’s enough to sow the seeds of intrigue for the big reveals in Gears 3.
The fundamentals of gameplay haven’t changed all that much. It’s a cover based third person shooter. But the cover mechanics have been made much smoother this time around, so there’s less chance you’ll get stuck on a bit of wall you didn’t intend to get stuck on. There’s also an expanded arsenal though most of them are special weapons that rarely show up in gameplay like flamethrowers and miniguns. Enemy variety is also expanded to include Tickers, small but fast-moving units that have bombs strapped to them. Kantus, which are very tough and have the ability to heal enemy forces. Plus, three new types of Boomer, the Grinder, Mauler, and Butcher, each of which have their own methods of attack and weapons.
Alongside the campaign there’s a revamped multiplayer system with a ranking system and new game modes. As well as Horde mode, a wave survival mode that pits you and up to three friends against fifty waves of increasingly difficult enemy forces.
Gears 2 is a good time if you enjoyed the first game, and whilst it does make attempts at being bigger in almost every way, it ultimately fails in some key areas under the weight of its own ambition.
Characters like Tai Kaliso and Dizzy are introduced as interesting secondary characters that we’re going to have regular interaction with. Dizzy disappears after the games opening and isn’t seen again until Gears 3, and Tai is promptly killed off midway through the game after having been absent from the plot for several hours. These aren’t the only examples, Dom’s storyline with his wife Maria is alluded to many times throughout the story but its appearances are spaced so far apart and only brought into the fray sporadically to add artificial drama rather than be an aspect of the plot that has anything meaningful to contribute.
The one thing Gears 2 does do consistently well with its broadened scope is give the Locust a personality. We learn more about what they are, why they are fighting humanity, and how their society functions. It’s still relatively limited info, but it’s enough to sow the seeds of intrigue for the big reveals in Gears 3.
The fundamentals of gameplay haven’t changed all that much. It’s a cover based third person shooter. But the cover mechanics have been made much smoother this time around, so there’s less chance you’ll get stuck on a bit of wall you didn’t intend to get stuck on. There’s also an expanded arsenal though most of them are special weapons that rarely show up in gameplay like flamethrowers and miniguns. Enemy variety is also expanded to include Tickers, small but fast-moving units that have bombs strapped to them. Kantus, which are very tough and have the ability to heal enemy forces. Plus, three new types of Boomer, the Grinder, Mauler, and Butcher, each of which have their own methods of attack and weapons.
Alongside the campaign there’s a revamped multiplayer system with a ranking system and new game modes. As well as Horde mode, a wave survival mode that pits you and up to three friends against fifty waves of increasingly difficult enemy forces.
Gears 2 is a good time if you enjoyed the first game, and whilst it does make attempts at being bigger in almost every way, it ultimately fails in some key areas under the weight of its own ambition.
STORY: 6/10
GAMEPLAY: 7/10
PRESENTATION: 6/10
LIFESPAN: 6/10
SCORE: 6/10
Whilst certainly not a bad game, Gears 2 does not leave behind the same kind of pedigree the original game became iconic for.