Platform: Xbox 360

Rating: 9.3  |  0 User Reviews  |  Send to Friend

By Herry Pierre-Louis

Following up a ‘Game of the Year’ can be a hard feat, yet the creators of Gears of War 2 have gained enough of a following from their first outing to keep this franchise moving forward. At first glance, Gears of War may seem as a short-term substitute for the droughts between Halo and Rainbow Six releases, but Epic Games second installation has definitely solidified its placement among the top echelon of X-Box shooter games. Gears of War 2 builds on the creative game play of its predecessor while ramping up the overall storyline following Marcus Fenix and Dominic ’Dom’ Santiago. The biggest difference between this sequel and 2006’s Game of the Year is the intricate story line within the campaign mode. It adds depth (an element that was missing from the original), and makes Gears of War 2 more then just a lesser mix between Halo and Resident Evil. The story starts off six months from where the last game ended, where Gears of War 2 takes a note from the Halo series and put the gamers in touch with the characters. The game features a love story, builds on the friendship between its two main characters, and unlike most shooters, actually makes you care for their well-being. For those of you who just want to shoot shit up, however, don’t worry, Gears of War 2 also improves its famous chainsaw machine-gun, and even adds a flamethrower and other weapons which come in handy when fighting larger groups of enemies. Gears of War 2 also makes the revival process easier and more practical. By quickly tapping the A-button after you get injured, you can move closer to one of your teammates, a feature that was missing from the first game. The game’s improvements are fairly minimal, but after following a Game of the Year, the improvements in Gears of War 2 were enough to give this franchise some real staying power.

Game Play: 8.5
Fluid game movement throughout the campaign mode and online play.

Graphics: 9.2
The graphics are what helped the first Gears of War, and the second installment doesn’t disappoint.

Sound: 9.2
The quirky sound bites create realism throughout the campaign story.

Value: 9.5
Has created a new lane for X-Box shooters.

Overall: 9.3
No longer overlooked as a Halo lookalike, Gears of War 2 sends a message and leaves its mark.

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