Gears of War 2 takes place six months after the events of the original game. Despite successfully detonating the Lightmass Bomb, the Locust are still beating on humanity's doorstep. With their remaining stronghold Jacinto under threat from the enemy, the human government decide to return the favour. Marcus Fenix and the guys from Delta Squad remain at the forefront of the fight, protecting humanity's efforts to repel the invaders. Sent out on massive moving platforms known as derricks, the Gears can bury deep underground to take the fight directly to the Locust. Gears of War 2's story is also set to more emotionally involving. Dominic Santiago, Marcus' team-mate from the first Gears, is desperately searching for his wife, and this personal mission is said to be the underlying theme of the entire campaign. In an interview with the Official Xbox Magazine, the voice of Dominic Santiago; Carlos Ferro added weight to the claim, saying "[Gears of War 2] is going to be more emotionally effecting than Bioshock".
Gameplay now takes place atop moving vehicles.
Gears of War 2's core gameplay will remain the same – popping up from behind cover to repeal to the enemy. Fans of the reloading minigame will also be glad to hear that it makes a return – tapping the right bumper at the right moment will once again net a faster reload. Epic Games, nonetheless, are evolving the way in which players tackle the Locust. In the first game, fights generally took place in linear and more confined environments, with a smaller number of enemies. In Gears 2, fights will take place away from the ruined cities, in the mountains and atop the derricks. Epic are also promising that gamers will now be taking on high numbers of enemy Locust, including the mammoth Brumaks – the towing creatures with the artillery strapped to their back, which were seen briefly in the first Gears.
In the first gameplay video from the second Gears, Marcus Fenix can be seen on top of a moving derrick, defending the machine from Locust on the ground and in the air. Marcus can be viewed firing on a group of thirty or more Locust, in addition to the units swarming the derrick. Once a Locust solider climbs onto the platform, Marcus pulls out one of his new guns – a pistol that sprays bullets as quickly as an assault rile. The new pistol can be used to knock Locust off their feet, at which point they may be picked up and used as a shield, much like Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell. The video ends with Marcus throwing his 'live' shield off the edge of the derrick, defeating a Brumak with a mounted gun, and engaging in a 'chainsaw duel'. In chainsaw fights, players have to tap the B button as quickly as possible to overpower the enemy soldier and win the duel.
Players will go toe-to-toe with Brumaks this time around.
The original Gears of War still holds up well, but the follow-up is set to even further exploit the Xbox 360 architecture. Topping the list of visual improvements is enhanced lighting. If the gameplay videos are anything to go by, environments now look even livelier and characters stand out more then ever. Players should also expect more detail in the buildings and overgrowth, and improved particle effects. But most impressive is that all this has been accomplished in much vaster environments, with multiple enemies swarming on-screen at once.
Gears of War 2 will essentially play the same as the first – attaching to cover, popping up to shoot the enemy, and tearing Locust to shreds. What the sequel is seeking to add to the mix is a deeper story, larger engagements, and an improved visual experience. From all the details we have gleaned so far, Gears of War 2 is looking as though it will deliver on each of these points. With Epic Games just over two-thirds of the way through the game, we can expect Microsoft to be dropping more on Gears of War 2 in the lead-up to its release this Christmas.
I got my Gears voice actors mixed up for a second there.
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