An oldie but still a goody

Gears of War 2 is a sequel to the highly successful Gears of War.
It is a 3rd person shooter that features co-op campaign play as well as various multi player modes and the highly popular Horde mode.

Set in a futuristic world, the Human race is threatened by another life form known as the Locust. This alien race however has not come from some distant planet, but from beneath the very ground that the humans walk on.
Take control of Marcus Fenix and his Delta Squad as you battle to save the human race from being wiped off the face of the planet.
This story promises to give you all the action you need from a shooter, as well as a personal story line that could have been written in Hollywood

Epic Games (the developer) have done a fantastic job in creating a beautiful, yet slightly depressing future world. The futuristic technology is there, yet it seems to be no match against your enemies relentless attack. As resources dwindle you are shown the devastation that has been caused as you progress through the campaign. You will travel from urban areas to the country, from arctic regions to deep underground. Not one of these regions ever seem out of place or unnecessary.

Despite this game now being a few years old the graphics are more than a match for some of the more recent games.
From stunning backdrops that would not look out of place in an oil painting, to the close up visuals of a chainsaw tearing through a locust (cool right ) epic Games' 'Unreal' Engine does not disappoint.
A lot of attention to detail has been put in place, from empty round cases ejecting from your weapon to small pits of cover being shot away as you hit them.
The cinematic cut scenes look amazing, and are not too dissimilar from the actual game play.
The only downside is probably the look of the Locust themselves. Considering the amount of detail portrayed on the human characters, some of the Locust characters could have used the same attention. But that is being picky
On the whole GoW2 is visually stunning, and a real credit to the developers.


It is important to note that it is not required to have played the first gears to know what is going on here, which I think is a real bonus.



The story itself centres around your character Marcus Fenix and the rest of his team 'Delta Squad'.
Although a bit of a cliche, it is your job to try and save the human race.
But to only say that is not doing this story justice at all.
GoW2 offers up a story line that will see you become more and more involved with these characters as you progress. It is gripping tale of anger, vengeance, worry and even love (don't worry it fits in well).
I wont say too much because anything could potentially ruin it for you, but rest assured, the story is as immersing as you could hope to get in a game of this genre.



With simple controls and a nice tutorial level for you, this game is very easy for anyone to pick up and play. It will take a while to make full use of the control system but by the time you really need it, you will already be at a competent level. The game is structured to bring your skill levels up gradually and I think this works very well.
It is based on a 3rd person (over the shoulder) view, which although can take some people a bit of getting used to, you quickly learn how to use it to your advantage.
The ability to use cover, move at different speeds, jump and switch weapons all work very well together and it starts to happen seamlessly as you move through the game.
With various tasks you have to carry out, operating vehicles and variety between missions. The game play does not become boring or repetitive at any point, and with cinematic cut scenes scattered throughout the campaign, you seldom want to put down your controller.
There is no mission 1 etc, it is one long story, only separated by these cut scenes but it all works very well together.



On the whole GoW2 is a fantastic game, more than worthy of being dubbed one of the 360's greats.
With a gripping story, fantastic visuals and multi player that seldom gets old, its a game that just 'works'.
With more achievements than you can shake a stick at, and various levels of difficulty, the replay value of this game is massive.
A worthy addition to any gamers library GoW2 can be bought for as little as £5 pre-owned at some retailers right now, and with GoW3 set to be one of the biggest releases this year, now is the time to get it.

Also if you pre-order GoW3 from selected outlets you will be given an access code allowing you to take part in the beta.