Good grades for new Gears of War
I know the game just came out, but it was so good that it didn't take me long to get through it. I fear how quickly I would have went through it (at the hardest difficulty available when you first load up the game) if it wasn't for my day job and musical obligations.
Gears 2 starts off six months after the first game ends. I don't like going into too much detail about the story of games because that's something that really affects your experience (I tried staying away from most reviews and spoilers). I'll just say that the Locust Horde are still trying to eliminate mankind while our hero, Marcus Fenix, and the COGs are going full force deep into the Locust's world to stop them.
The game does tries to get you to attach to the characters in the sequel but, for me, the story or character development wasn't strong enough for me to really care. I was intreaged with the plot but in the end, it left me with more questions than answers.
Getting back to what really matters, the game play. I'm happy to say that anyone who has played the original Gears will be able to pick this up and start laying waste to Locust scum within minutes. The improvements in the game play basically come from a couple of new weapons (like the flamethrower) and improved AI. The baddies are a little smarter this time around and will work with each other to flank you.
This point leads me to my first gripe. Sometimes the buddy AI seems too good because if I was holding back from a fight to look for secrets, my team could easily clear a room without any assistance from me. Where's the fun in that? Perhaps because of this flaw, I found that the game was actually too easy compared to the first one.
The second hardest difficulty (the hardest one available for your first run through), I had no problem getting through the game and found that there were only a couple of spots where I had to really strategize. I've started the game already on the hardest difficulty and now I'm really finding a challenge. I also think the game needed more mini bosses.
Bitching aside, the game is solid, fun and will have you hooked for multi-hour play sessions, especially when you take into account the revamped and improved multi-player. The game features a plethora of maps out of the box and new game modes. If you buy the game brand new, you get a coupon for some maps that were featured in the first game, all prettied up. I wish I had the time to go through them all here, but I will say that playing “Horde” is a treat. Here, you and your team have to survive wave after wave of Locusts who are increasing in difficulty as time goes on.
