Gears of War 2 Review

I played the original Gears of War like everyone else with an Xbox 360 in the lean days before Halo 3.  Microsoft knew Halo had saved their original system, and the gap in time between the launch of the 360 and Halo 3 did not sit well with higher-ups at MS.  To fill this gap, Microsoft held a magnifying glass over developer Epic to encourage them to make a killer app for their fledgling system.  As a result, early adopters were treated to a fairly polished 3rd person shooter experience, complete with solid campaign mode and an engaging, competitive online multiplayer.  And you could chainsaw people in half.

Years have passed, and Halo 3 has come and stayed to take its place as the rightful heir to the Microsoft gaming throne.  But what has become of Epic Games and their intrepid band of chainsaw welding badasses?  With their second entry in the series, they have created a game that can stand proudly among the triple-A titles currently available. 

You've probably heard someone use the phrase "went there" as in, "Oh he went there," or , "I can't believe she went there!" or most regrettably, "I went there, put my thing down, flipped it, and reversed it."  Well this game goes there.  You thought the first Gears of War was a bloody, hyper-masculine brodeo?  Gears of War 2 makes the first installment seem like a Nicholas Sparks novel wrapped in a Thomas Kinkade painting.  Strong words, you say?  I drowned a few times in blood during the story campaign.  This is not a metaphor; my character was literally in over his head in blood and died as a result.  ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?! 

Full of excessive gore, disturbing imagery, and deliberate profanity, this game is not for kids.  This game works hard to earn its mature rating, and with the average age of a gamer now being 35 (yes, really) I have no problem wallowing in the depravity.  Disembodied hands and jaws are sent flying and jiggling around the screen while the camera is occasionally obscured by thick blotches of blood, but the exaggerated art makes it all plays like a violent cartoon rather than a naturalistic representation of bodies being eviscerated.  Once again, this game is not for children, but anyone older than 13 should be able to play this game and still remain a well-adjusted member of society.  

Adding to the typical campaign mode and multiplayer online matches, Epic has given us a simplistic little gem called Horde.  This involves you, along with 4 human controlled players, fighting off waves of increasingly challenging Locust baddies.  It starts off slowly but escalates quickly, forcing tight team work that usually results in a glorious Alamo-like last stand before you are overwhelmed by a throng of horrific creatures.  

Gears of War 2 is probably the best looking game I've ever played on the Xbox 360 game console.  I remember thinking how great the original Gears looked years back and the sequel is a significant graphical improvement.  It also boasts a far grander sense of scale, with sweeping vistas and cavernous underground environments to explore.  This game is a great deal of fun, and it encourages you to play it with friends.  What more could you ask for?  Well for starters how about a patch to finally fix all the online issues plaguing the game.  

While it might not do much for the "videogames as art" debate, Gears of War 2 is a polished and engaging work.  If excessive violence and gore are not your thing you may want to skip this one, but players looking for a fun, frenetic, and visceral experience need look no further.