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Gears of War 2
Marcus Fenix and the Delta Squad return in
Gears of War 2 which goes beyond the original game and brings gamers a
truly immersive gaming experience as they battle the nightmarish Locust
Horde.
Although the original game was a truly epic experience, the
sequel ups the ante with improved gameplay, graphics and story which
will become a staple diet game for the 360.
An impressive feature of Gears
of War 2 is that the best parts of the original game such as the hectic
and fast gameplay still remains, however the developers have flushed out
the characters in the game and included a variety of new characters
which goes a long way in the story telling experience.
Match that with
some impressive multiplayer options with four new modes, 10 new maps and
up to ten players instead of 8 and Gears War 2 is worth every penny.
Definitely cool!
For those who have never
experienced the joys of Gears of War, the title in essence is a third
person shooter with basic squad mechanics and is set in the distant
future where mankind has finally colonised space.
Unfortunately for man,
the inhabitants of this planet had other ideas and this colonised planet
was decimated by the Locust Horde. Fortunately for those remaining
inhabitants, a small group of soldiers in the Delta Squad team turned
the tides of war but peace was short lived.
In Gears of War 2, the story
takes place six months after the victorious win of the Delta Squad,
however the human survivors are once again up against the Locust Horde
and a deadly disease called Rust Lung.
What sets Gears of War 2 apart
from its predecessor is the storyline which contains drama, romance and
action which nicely sets the pace of this amazing game.
Although the gameplay is quite reminiscent of the previous game, the
developers have added a few new twists to game which include new
weapons, an improved cover system and best of all, the ability for your
comrades to heal you and your fallen teammates.
In relation to healing,
if one of your squad is down, you can now rush to their aid which allows
for some adrenaline pumping gameplay. As you use the environment to
assist you in completing the missions, the developers have thrown in a
variety of new weapons which now include a flamethrower and nothing is
more satisfying than burning your enemies to a crisp.
There are even
some heavy duty weapons which I do not want to spoil here but as you
play, the urgency does increase as do some of the weapons which become
available.
The AI of the title has also been improved and even though the first was
a truly war-like experience, the sequel is like being in the midst of a
deadly battle. The violence of the original game still remains, however
there are now new ways of defeating your foes through some special
maneuvers such as punching your enemies to death or the meat shield
which allows you to grab your foes as shields. Thankfully the chainsaw
returns which of course gives you some deadly ways to slice and dice the
Locust Horde.
The missions in the game
are quite varied and entertainingly diverse which uses a variety of
means to complete the level and of course vehicles. With that said, the
game takes around 10 hours to successfully complete, however once you
have finished the game, why not try to finish it with a friend or try
again on a higher difficulty as the game is that entertaining that
another time around will be equally enjoyable.
The campaign mode has been tweaked in Gears of War 2 which features new
difficulty levels for two players as the first game was quite easy with
two players, however now the game gives the players a real challenge.
Online play features all the original gameplay modes from the original
game that include Warzone, Execution, Assassination, Annex and even the
PC's version of King of the Hill. Match that with three new gameplay
modes that include Submission, Guardian, Wingman and Horde.
Submission
is a variant of the capture the flag, however gamers must carry the
"civilian" who is also armed which makes for interesting gameplay.
Guardian is a team-based death match that requires the players to keep
their "leader" alive, however regular players can respawn and is quite
faced past.
Lastly there is Wingman which is a team-based death match
and allows you and a partner to work together as they attempt to
eliminate their foes. Horde is my favourite multiplayer options which
allows a team of players to fight an almost unending line of enemies,
however if one player survives, they can all move onto the next level.
As you progress, so do the enemies which makes this such an entertaining
gameplay model.
Graphically, I was not sure how they could top the original, however the
developers have added a variety of new special effects that makes the
game world even more realistic.
The gaming environments are not as
claustophic and feature larger levels. Match that with a kick ass
soundtrack and some of the best voice acting on the XBox 360... and of
course the guttural sounds of the Locust Horde and the futuristic
weapons and this is probably one of the best looking and best sounding
games on the console.
In conclusion, Gears of
War 2 is truly an epic game that goes beyond its predecessor and offers
gamers another truly outstanding gaming experience. Could we say
Perfect? Well.. almost but if you enjoyed the original game, you will
definitely enjoy the sequel and if you are a lover of science fiction
games with a healthy dose of action than this may be the game for you.
At the end of the day, Gears of War 2 is one of the best games that I
have played all year.
Brilliant! |
