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Product Description
The gears of war continue to turn as Marcus Fenix and his squad of Cogs go back into action. Gears of War 2 continues the story of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad, locked in an increasingly desperate battle against the nightmarish Locust Horde for the survival of humanity. It is an epic saga of survival, loss, and retribution. Gears of War 2 raises the bar with the amazing technological advances of Unreal Engine 3, delivering a bigger, badder, and more intense experience.

Party system and skill-based online matchmaking - form a full or partial team with friends and continue together from match to match without the need to reform after each game. A skill-based online matchmaking system groups players of similar skill level together in competitive multiplayer matches

Amazon.com Product Description
The wait is over, Gears of War 2 has arrived. Ever since the original was released, fans have clamored for this sequel. Developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 by Epic Games, Gears of War 2, which has already garnered several awards, picks up six months after the events of the blockbuster original Gears of War. Players are thrown back into the role of Marcus Fenix, leading the battle for humankind's survival against the Locust Horde. With innovative third-person tactical action gameplay and unsurpassed high-definition graphics, Gears of War 2 is a must-have game for the Xbox 360.

Gears of War 2
Players:
Offline: 1-4
Online: 10

Gameplay Modes:
Single player, competitive multiplayer, cooperative multiplayer, system link multiplayer, online multiplayer with voice support.

Format:
16:9 Widescreen on HDTV 480p, 720p, and 1080i.

Gears of War 2 offers stunningly realistic, vast environments to play in. View larger.

The enemies in Gear of War 2 are huge and downright nasty. View larger.

Huge Environments, Bigger Gameplay
For those who loved Gears of War, Gears of War 2 builds upon it in every way, but with several major enhancements. There are more weapons, bigger vehicles, and more action. The enemies are more dangerous, and the total experiences is more immersive than ever. And with a revolutionary tactical combat system, the game will require not just fast reaction times and shooting skill, it will also challenge you to devise a strategy that will work against the enemies who exhibit smart AI.

Jaw-Dropping, Realistic Graphics
Just as Gears of War did the first time around, Gears of War 2 ups the ante for graphical prowess. Combined with the sweeping vistas and evocative locales of Sera, where the story takes place, Gears of War 2 offers jaw-dropping graphics that are made possible through advances in Unreal Engine 3. New visual effects include ambient occlusion, dynamic shadows, improved character lighting, the ability to render hundreds of on-screen characters simultaneously, improved water physics, additional blood and bullet decals, advanced destructible environments, new weather effects, and the introduction of fluid objects.

Immersive, Gripping Story
Taking place six months after the end of the first game, Gears of War 2 returns the cast of characters of the original, including Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, as well as several newcomers.

Novelist and comic book writer Joshua Ortega, who assisted with the writing, has created a story that is big on character development and personality. With a new in-game conversational camera system and multiple story arcs, the story is presented in a gripping cinematic style where characters gain an emotional depth that matches their realistic graphical representation.

More Characters, Upgraded Vehicles, Badder Weapons
Those who were impressed by the original Gears of War will be in for a real treat. New characters such as Tai Kaliso, weapons like the burst pistol, and huge vehicles like the COG Centaur tank will give players a whole new dimension and scope of gameplay in both single-player and multi-player modes.

Multiplayer Action with Xbox LIVE!
Gears of War 2 features a multiplayer mode that allows up to 10 simultaneous players for outstanding multiplayer fun. Taking full advantage of the Xbox LIVE service, which boasts 10 million gamers, Gears of War 2 features both competitive and cooperative multiplayer gameplay. Setting up games is simple with LIVE, and you have the ability to drop in and out of co-operative campaigns at any time.

Everything you loved about multiplayer in the original is back, including the classic death matches, but with this sequel there is an added emphasis on teamwork. New multiplayer game modes will require better coordination in order to win. The game also features voice support, so you can communicate with other players around the world -- whether you're on the same team or trash talking!

Gears of War 2 won several awards at E3 2008, where it was first presented, including Overall Best Shooting Game and Overall Best Graphics Technology of E3 2008 from IGN, as well as Best Action Game of E3 2008 from the Game Critics Awards.

Customer Reviews: Read 69 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Same Old Game. Not Much New Here November 22, 2008
To tell you the truth I feel bad for buying this game. I put it in and wasn't "Feelin' It". It's the same mechanics with different (albiet better looking) graphics and boards. I guess I'm just not that into it. It can't be the post apocalyptic stuff because Fallout 3 is awesome and much more interesting... yeah, I know it's not the same genre... but if you want to get a holiday game go for Fallout 3.

I should have waited for the game to be $30. $30 dollars for Gears okay... $60... too much. Bleh. There are so many better things to do with my time. I'd rather read a book than play this sameoldsameold.

1 out of 5 stars

Same Old Mistakes + more November 21, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

I would like to start off by saying Gears of War is by far one of my favorite multiplayer games of all time. That being said it has always been plagued by unforgivable bugs that cause me great pain when i think of all the fun that could have been had with this game.

Multiplayer...

Number ONE:
Matchmaking issues that should have been fixed were exacerbated by the inclusion of teams of 5 players and a ranking system. This game by far has one of the worst matchmaking systems i have ever used. Why should you have to wait for 5 minutes while a full game is created? Well because for some odd reason you are unable to join a match in progress. If they would have just copied the normal matchmaking style where you continuously fight with the same people until they get tired of it or you get tired of it, and rounds just keep rotating through, the jump in jump out model of matchmaking would have worked perfectly. Really all the problems that plague matchmaking in Gears has to do with the fact that you can't jump into a match that is already in progress: unfair teams (3 v 5), long waits to play, having to wait after every match, etc.

Number TWO:
Superweapons (boomshot, torque, hammer, and mortar) cause matches to be repetitive and one-sided. I understand that this will always happen in all mutliplayer games with pickups. The battles tend to focus on the uberweapons and then when one group gets the weapon the match is pretty much over unless the other team has some great players. For maps with a boomshot it is always the same thing over and over again, go for the boomshot and win the match. The other weapons don't affect the tide of battle as much but still cause the battle to center around them which gets very repetitive.

Number THREE:
The problems with the chainsaw are not new but some things were fixed while new problems arose. The biggest issue which really... really needs to be fixed is that there is no timer on revving your chainsaw after you get hit. You can just run through a shotgun blast and then latch on to your target with the chainsaw. It doesn't even stagger them to get hit with a bullet, so if you have any other gun out but the lancer your screwed... seeing as how it is the only automatic weapon.

...fix these three issues and I will be happy. Number 2 would require the addition of a new game mode or a choice for players before the match starts for no special pickups, just ammo.

Singleplayer...

Number ONE:
I have gotten stuck 3 times already: once in multiplayer and twice in singleplayer. It only bothered me in singleplayer because I was of the way through a boss battle when it happened the second time and had to start all over. And what puzzled me about where I got stuck was that it was on flat ground.

Number TWO:
Tank and rail portions of the game. It is great that they want to break up the monotony of the game by adding a tank level and a few rail shooting parts but come on. The tank level was the hardest part of the game... and not hard in a "My strategy needs a little fine tuning hard"... it was hard in the way where you throw your controller and turn off the game. This is due to bad design. It is never ok to cause the player to go up against something that is a one shot kill and can't be predicted. This gets even worse because if you make one mistake you die and have to start back further than where you died (ICE anyone?). Something like the tank and rail portions of the game should only serve as light interludes to the normal Gears gameplay not nuisances that remove the fun and replace it with frustration.

Note:
Most of these negatives are inexcusable because this is a sequel that uses the exact same engine. They added a few features; but other than that it is the same game. It is hard to believe that any good designer could have labeled these flaws as acceptable or that any tester worth his weight would let them go unnoticed. It is equally as hard to believe that it took 2 years to make this game with the pittance of new features and the minuscule length of the story.

Positives...

Great story.
Great gameplay.
Solid multiplayer (once you get passed the gatekeeper).

2 out of 5 stars

Striving to make part 2 "cinematic" killed the game's flow. Better to rent than buy--zero "replayability" November 20, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Gears of War 2 is a tremendous letdown. What made the original such a landmark game was the "flow" of the gaming experience. You battled your way through multiple battlefields, always feeling fully immersed in the battle at hand. Part 2 loses almost all of this flow, sacrificing it for what the developers tout as a "cinematic experience." Yeah, it's cinematic all right--it's almost nothing but cutscene after flipping cutscene. And the flow of the game has been slain. It's dead. Gone. In Gears 2 you spend a great amount of time trapped in constrained environments--whether on a gunboat or trapped atop a large land vehicle. This takes almost all the freedom and fun out of the gaming experience. You even have to spend a whole level steering a tank! Haven't game developers learned by now that vehicles in first-person shooters are ALWAYS BORING?!! In the end Part 2 might be more "cinematic," but the result is that it also has virtually zero "replayability." This means you'd be better off renting the game than buying it. One of the most awesome things about Part 1 was how many times you could play it without it getting old. My wife and I have beaten Part 1 many, many times. We will never play Part 2 a second time. If they wanted it to be a movie, they should have made a computer-generated movie instead--because they totally forgot to make a game. Developers' attempts to make Part 2 more "story driven" resulted in a game that is too bogged down by subplots. The resolution of Dom's quest for his wife is truly sad, but getting their is a big distraction from gameplay. Sadly, the only part of Gears 2 that even begins to hold a candle to the frenzied and fun gameplay of the original is the last level of the game! On a sidenote: little Dom and Marcus venturing into the Hive by themselves reminded me a little too much of Frodo and Sam trekking into Mordor.

5 out of 5 stars

Spectacular November 20, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful

Wow.

Graphics are incredible as you knew they would be if you experienced the first one. The sequel just looks better overall, sporting livelier colors and a little more variety in the levels. The first one was admittedly a bit murky and monochromed but this one does away with all that.

Sound is absolute mayhem, with a superb sound mix and a new music score by Steve Jablonsky of Transformers (the recent movie) fame. This is one loud game and you'll be able to tell the difference once you fire that Lancer which now sounds like it packs some punch.

The story is a bit more refined, even if the voice acting kind of bites in a couple of instances. I wouldn't necessarily blame the voice acting actually, just the way some of the lines were written, they just feel flat and forced. A lot of questions are put out there that are not necessarily answered and by the end, you'll still have a bunch of questions that'll demand some kind of answers. Still, Gears of War 2 has a much better story than the first one and is definitely more involving, especially in regards to the character of Dom who has a genuinely moving moment which I wouldn't dare spoil. You also have some boss battles that are simply stunning in their execution with bosses so large you have to take them out from the inside (and yeah, I'm not telling you anymore than that). Have a friend join you to take on the Locust cooperatively and the game just gets that much better.

Multiplayer is a blast as expected and before I go into that, I have to mention the controls. They've refined them to a point that the game just plays much more fluidly than its predecessor and its immediately noticeable. Being that the controls have been fine tuned, it makes playing the single player and multiplayer portions an even more rewarding experience. I felt the first one had some moments where I couldn't even take cover properly but thats been fixed. At any rate, there are some great multiplayer modes with an interesting take on capture the flag where the flag is a person you have to drag back to the scoring zone by force. And if you haven't heard by now, there's a new mode called Horde that lets you and four other friends (forgot to mention that the player capacity has been increased from eight players to ten in total in the versus modes) hold your own against fifty waves of Locust soldiers and beasts, coming at you faster and stronger with each successive wave of increasing numbers. Definitely my personal fave of the multiplayer modes.

What I love about this game is that it doesn't dangle a carrot in front of you just to take it away at the last second. The first one was definitely guilty of this, showing creatures and events transpiring that you never really got to deal with or simply had to watch in a cutscene. Not here does this happen and let me tell you, I couldn't believe some of the stuff that happened in this game in terms of the level design and what not. I would love to tell you more but I couldn't for fear of ruining the overall experience. Let's just say that you will not be disappointed or better yet, I don't think you CAN be disappointed. This game delivers on all fronts and is one of the years best, period.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent sequel!! November 19, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

I don't write too many reviews but sometimes I just have to! Let me start off by writing that I was not the biggest fan of the original GoW, I thought it was a good game but not the be all end all of gaming like many people told me. I planned on waiting to buy this game till after the Christmas Season but a friend convinced me to buy it to play on Live with him...HOLY CRAP!! WOW WOW WOW, awesome fun.

Last night I started the single player campaign mode and I have been hooked since.

I will keep it short, excellent game.