Even though some corners have been clamouring for a prequel, Gears of War 2 picks up right after the end of the original. The forces of Earth have combined to fight against the extinction of the human race at hands of an alien enemy known as the Locust. Team Delta, comprising of Marcus Fenix and his partner Dom Santiago, have just finished off a Locust General and helped with the mass bombing of their troops and are now preparing to defend against what seems a desperate assault. For the most part, the original (and probably the sequel) followed a rather standard meat-head plot. However, the sequel has us fascinated by a story that’s playing on just which side has the upper hand, not to mention undertones of Robotech (for those that are old enough).
The story was never the major factor driving Gears of War. While it was marginally better then a pure vehicle taking you from point to point, in reality, it was the action in between sequences that kept the game going. It’s was easily one of the best implementations of stop-and-pop shooting that has since been seen a fair bit more then before. However, while it was incredibly visceral and intense, there were a few discrepancies that bothered more than a few.
Locust burn well.
For better or worse, Gears of War 2 plays essentially the same as the original. The overall controls seem to have remained unchanged, though there are a few new and improved animations, especially concerning finishing moves. However, the design through out the first act was sharp enough so that there were very few moments that really exposed their weaknesses. That is, unless you did something rash like rush out too quickly. Admittedly, it remains to be seen whether this holds through out the campaign and those who didn’t like them in the first place probably won’t change their minds.
One area that was a definite improvement was that of the friendly AI. In co-op, Gears of War was quite enjoyable, but when you were on your own, the friendly AI was quite pathetic. Through out the first act, it was very noticeable that you are now accompanied by trained and battle-hardened soldiers. Obviously, there were still instances that required you to the bulk of the Rambo work (lest you end up at the restart screen), but it definitely did a lot to improve the atmosphere of the game. While it did make the game somewhat easier (even on normal difficulty), it certainly beat the frustration associated with needing to revive your stupid allies while fighting off massive hordes on your own.
The better AI complimented with what seemed to be a better thought out level design. You’ve still got your choice of different cover implements, but at the same time, you were rarely exposed and you still had a minor element of choice in paths. Gears of War 2 seemed to do quite a reasonable job of throwing in a mix of set pieces. With the style of play, you can’t do too much else other than trudge from one encounter to the next, but it was the nature of the encounters that was impressive. Gears of War 2 we assume will take things to the next level, as the first act covered virtually everything that you would have seen from playing the original.
And this is just the beginning.
At one stage we were defending a hospital from what seemed to be a Locust suicide mission, only to be thrown against Reavers and Nemcyst. There was also an exciting on-wheels segment that involved several Brumacks and a Corpser. Later on, you got to take on a Brumack with a little less fire power. Right at the end, we were introduced to a new enemy who looks like the game’s replacement for General Ram, and it looks like it's been inspired a bit by the Predator. Gears of War really does pick up just where the original left off.
One area of Gears of War 2 that will definitely not disappoint is in the visuals. Gears of War still looks fantastic two years after its release and is probably the best example of the grossly overused Unreal III engine. One issue with the original was that even though it fit in, the dull brown tones got a depressing after a while. As trivial as it may sound, the colour added to Gears of War 2 make a very appreciable difference to quality and atmosphere. It seems that once again, Gears will set the graphical standard for this holiday season. Not to mention, the game sounded quite hectic as well.
Gears of War 2 isn’t going to break any new ground or win over those who couldn’t get around the control scheme in the first place. However, it does make a couple of necessary improvements both aesthetically and in terms of gameplay and it sticks what it does well. That is, providing a visceral visual blockbuster with intense edge-of-the-seat action and that’s before anyone has touched the tweaked multiplayer. If the first act is anything to go by, we’re all in for one heck of a ride.
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