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For Gears of War 2 we decided to do our review a little differently, we knew that everyone who was anticipating the game would be getting it on launch day anyway so we decided it would be better to hold off on the review and rather give a post mortem of our experience.
The hype has come and gone and we can now take a look at what has been delivered with a more critical eye.
I’m going to say what I think a few people are feeling and that is that Gears of War 2 is a bit of a let down.
It’s not terrible; far from it actually the game is really good but let us take a look at how it all fits together.
To me Gears of War 2 consists of 4 distinct parts which are campaign, multi-player, horde and co-op campaign.
First up Horde, horde is absolutely fantastic if you have 4 friends who are up for some serious Locust smashing then Horde is by far the most enjoyable game out at the moment. It eats up the time, builds the camaraderie and is an all round great experience. As a game by itself I would easily give it 9/10…
Next up co-op campaign, this has really been improved this time around and by simply allowing me to play on a different difficulty setting to my partner has made it the perfect co-op game to show off the power of the 360 and the fun factor of gaming. Again for this I would also give Gears a 9/10.
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However the co-op campaign has to run on top off a single player campaign that is decidedly ordinary, the love stories are poor, the big reveals in the game are pathetic and the overall quality of the script is sorely lacking and this is coming from someone who just plays for fun. I couldn’t count the number of times that I literally rolled my eyes when finding out what the next part of the story was.
Not to mention the pathetic boss fights that were either completely idiotic or just plain pointless. I enjoyed the campaign overall but it doesn’t even come close to building the type of story that we expected and is not even close to the quality of COD4’s single player campaign. For its campaign I would give it a 7/10.
So to the bread and butter of Gears of War, the multi-player.
Why oh why have you forsaken us Epic? The multi-player is horrible, truly awful. The matchmaking doesn’t work for anyone outside of the US of A and if you do get a game you quickly realise the weapons are unbalanced, the glitching is rife and the new grenades have just created a new style of warrior… the super human throw grenades and run with chainsaw warrior… not the most entertaining of experiences.
In its current state I give the MP a pitiful 4/10, it’s broken but it can also be salvaged.
If Epic want us to care about Gears 3 then they need to fix the match making by completely removing the idiotic idea and going back to how it was before. They also need to nerf the chainsaw a bit, take away some of the stun from the smoke grenade and patch all the old glitches.
To finish off I have to go back to the storyline, Epic… it was bad, real bad. You are made to feel that Gears of War 2 is an interactive Blockbuster and you are just playing your part in a greater story of love and survival but the story just doesn’t keep up with the action or scenery and in the end it feels like you are just rushed through something that Epic new didn’t quite turn out right.
I will never forgive you for that last fight…
Last Updated: November 19, 2008
DARKWOLF
November 19, 2008 at 08:15
yes i agree that the campaign is sort of a let down, but stil very good… cant wait for resistance 2 to come out , that game is going to be awesome!!!! 😈
Macethy
November 19, 2008 at 08:22
Campaign is definalty a bit of a let down,way too much time spent underground but still a good ride and definalty more epic than the first game.Bots are definalty pathetic though.Anyway bring on Gears 3 in 2010 or 2011 😉
SlippyMadFrog
November 19, 2008 at 08:32
I never liked gears for it’s story, it oozes cheese. It’s about the gameplay. If they delivered there then I’m happy.
janrik
November 19, 2008 at 08:45
GOW2 is way bigger better and more bad ass than gow1 in every single way.
MP is fantastic for people with friends….
koldFU5iON
November 19, 2008 at 09:13
I dig the MP, and I love the fact that I can just invite a mate into a Campaign mode even if I didn’t setup a co-op campaign! really awesome!
Back to the MP though I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the new system i think a lot of people are bitching cause they’re not used to the new mechanic it hasn’t really been done anywhere else now has it? one thing that does annoy me is if I get blasted on stairs and I have to falldown each step before getting up, and then only other glitch I’ve seen is the Chainsaw under Lancer fire. Other than that I think the MP has done a great job and I have no doubt that this bitching will cause changes in the game play and we’ll have even more gripes about the system because it aint perfect, truth is it’ll never end and gamers will never be happy.
The one thing I do wish they’d change is the lobby system someone had a good suggestion have 2 lobby one that sets up the game type and match settings and then the next to move/vote on the next map and change teams etc.
I’m still moving through the campaign at the moment and I’m enjoying it. and I’ll probably play it through again once I’ve unlocked insane
Goose ZA
November 19, 2008 at 09:22
Apart from the matchmaking issue (which doesn’t affect me coz i only play with people on my friends list) I don’t know what you’re on man. Seriously.
The campaign is awesome. Yes the dialog is macho and cheesy. It’s meant to be. That’s what Gears is all about. The campaign is absolutely fantastic and way way waaaay better than Gears 1 (which was also great). I will concede that the end boss fight is incredibly lame and a total letdown but the others are fine.
As for the MP, I can’t understand what all the crying is about. IT’S AWESOME! Horde is fantastic, as are the new modes like meatflag. I have yet to have a bad experience in Multiplayer.
Oh noes! I can’t down with my active Sniper anymore! Then get a headshot.
Onoz! The chainsaw is IMBA! – Then unload a clip full of lancer bullets into their face before they get to you.
Onoz! I can’t just roll into people and WTFPWNZOR them with my shotgun! You were never meant to do that in the first place.
And finally… ONOZ! The smoke grenade stuns me!!! Then move….
Perhaps this sounds a little harsh but I really can’t understand why people are so up in arms about these “issues”. This isn’t gears 1 so don’t play it like Gears 1.
Goose ZA
November 19, 2008 at 09:34
Agreed. I forgot to mention the lobby. That is a little disappointing. I miss being able to play a map rotation with no waiting inbetween….
Bboy
November 19, 2008 at 09:35
Agreed!
bl33k
November 19, 2008 at 09:50
10/10 for your review Goose. hit the nail on the head!
Wolfy
November 19, 2008 at 09:56
dont forget the stupid glitches aswel. I never got any glitches on GeOW 1 but 2 has quiet a few now that i think about it
spl0it
November 19, 2008 at 10:02
With all the moaning and Whining It seems all everyone ever wanted was Gears 1 with new maps.
Its NOT Gears 1 with new maps it’s called Gears of War “2”
Macethy
November 19, 2008 at 10:03
Such as? 🙄
CattleBruiser
November 19, 2008 at 10:32
Yep, the MP isn’t broken, its just different. +10 to Angus.
My favourite weapon is definitely the sniper rifle and I’m glad they removed the one shot down, although the chainsaw does need to be dropped with fewer shots. I’m sure they will fix that in a patch. Stopping power slows the game down and makes it more tactical and team based, if you don’t like it go play GoW1.
Aequitas
November 19, 2008 at 11:04
I gotta agree with everyone here who thinks the GoW2 mp is great. I always felt like my options in Gears 1 were limited in the MP … let me elaborate.
In gears 1, when you came across a weapon, you *always* switched out the lancer, cause it was way underpowered compared to the shotty. Smoke grenades were essentially useless, cause they didn’t even give a thick enough smoke to stop a sniper from either headshoting you, or downing you, and then headshoting you as you get up.
Now, in Gears 2, I have to decide whether i want to keep my lancer of my shotgun … and it’s a tough choice. Maybe you all still drop the lancer out of sheer habit, but with things like stopping power, and chainsaw duels, that’s not always the best option anymore ….. so guess what …. learn to play Gears 2!! it’s not Gears 1 !! amazing !!
Many of the Gears 1 “top dogs” are lone players, who don’t work well with a team. That’s not gonna cut it in Gears 2. If one of your teammates gets stunned with a smoke grenade, you can either shoot the approaching enemy to stop him getting near them, or hell, even throw your own smoke grenade in there, stunning an enemy on your turf …. could there *be* an easier kill ?!?!?
Bboy
November 19, 2008 at 11:04
What am I.. a f&*(ing botanist!?
DARKWOLF
November 19, 2008 at 11:07
can anyone tell me why there are no reviews, or any news on resistance 2 yet?
ewie
November 19, 2008 at 11:27
Because we get it only at the end of November.
Ace
November 19, 2008 at 11:59
i think the beginning of december even… i’m sure i saw it priced at around R850!
bokka1
November 19, 2008 at 12:01
I love the MP and SP. It is not gimped.
LazySAGamer
November 19, 2008 at 13:09
It just arrived for review purposes…
it will be published don’t worry
LazySAGamer
November 19, 2008 at 13:12
I am glad to see most people are not just blindly insulting me on this one, it makes for a refreshing change.
@Goose, I have never been one for playing MP seriously so it’s not about me losing that annoys me it’s the terrible matchmaking and lobby as well as the dodgy tactics being employed.
Also I love cheesy vocals and games but Gears tried to be something better and failed. It’s also not only the last boss that was an issue, I thought the worm was weak and the other main baddie could have been much better.
There were some awesome moments though.
Donkeybar
November 19, 2008 at 14:56
Absolutely agreed! Why buy/play a game when you just want a re-run of the last. This is bitching is the same as band being accused of selling out for producing an album that sells well! GoW2 rocks, end.
Atomic
November 19, 2008 at 21:48
Shun the non-believers!!! GOW2 rocks.. ok, the story was major cheese, but everyone complained that Epic did not expand on the story enough in the first gears, so this is compensating, MP – Yea, ok, so match making gives issues…
But still, what a flipping awesome game, it’s the only game that I played, finished, and look forward to playing 10 or 200 times over, no other game provides this level of enjoyment. (if there is let me know cause every other game I’ve played is crap compared to this)
I love it!
CraigCaz
March 27, 2009 at 17:23
GoW2 does not rock, Atomic, at all and it was definately a big let down. It was especially a big blow after the newest release of a patch that included a complete overall of the ranking system and implemented replacing lost players with AI bots. They did not even attempt, it seems, to try and fix any of the glitches or try and figure a way to stop lag switcher’s. I agree 100% with lazygamer that this gears was a big let down and it keeps rolling downhill, and picking up speed.
If you want a game to play try CoD 4 or 5. Better yet, wait until CoD4 2 comes out, I’ve been hearing great reviews about it.