Gears of War 2 Review
A Journalistic Review by DefiantParrot
*Warning: May Contain Spoilers*
Originally Written: 02/07/2020
Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Release: November 7, 2008
Alright folks it's sequel time! Moses and I have been itching to get back into the fray so I think it's time to strap on our ridiculous armor and make love to a chest high wall. But more importantly rejoin our friends in Delta Squad.
Now let's see here. I remember getting this game when it came out, I do remember beating it and the multiplayer I remember a bit of, but that's pretty much it.
I know I played it and a couple things stick out to me but I really don't remember my time with this game. Hmmm wonder why.
So it's been around six months since the detonation of the Lightmass Bomb. The COG succeeded in fucking the Locust up even killing all the Kryll (thank fuck) but the war still rages across Sera.
You once again take control of the man of masculinity himself, Marcus Fenix accompanied once again by his best friend Dom. The game opens with a young lad named Benjamin Carmine brother to Anthony from the previous games joining Delta Squad.
And you're pretty much thrown into it right away, soon after training the kid you're shooting up Locust in a hospital next to a new character named Tai.
Gears of War 2 can best be described as Gears 1 but with more. It's a very similar game and at times feels alot like a large expansion instead of a full sequel.
There's more characters to start, I mentioned Carmine earlier and I actually really liked this kid. He's green as grass and makes a few mistakes but he's also right beside you when the bullets start flying I really took to the kid, to the point when he got killed I did legitimately feel bad.
Now it was obvious he was going to fucking die, don't get me wrong. He might as well have had a countdown above his head but still credit where credit is due.
It worked alot better there than with Tai. Carmine you at least get a chance to know, I couldn't really tell you anything meaningful about this guy, so his death really meant nothing to me.
Then there's a truck driver named Dizzy who I pretty much fell in love with immediately. That's pretty much all that needs to be said there.
But as for the main guys not a whole lot of change. Marcus is still a gruff prick, Cole an enthusiastic child and Baird a douchebag.
And while Dom is the same we do follow up on the hints left in Gears 1, we knew that Dom was looking for someone. We now know that it's his wife Maria.
I gotta admit it's not much and while the scene when he finds her is very well done, I never really cared. Carmine's death was the closest this game got to making me cry.
The gameplay is largely the same cover based third-person shooter with just some minor tweaks here and there to make it a bit better.
For one when you go down in combat you can know crawl away from enemies and towards allies.
There are five new weapons including the Gorgon SMG, Scorcher Flamethrower, A Mortar, Ink Grenades and the Mulcher gatling gun.
While I don't go out of my way to use these weapons they are certainly a welcome addition to Marcus' arsenal and can spice up the gameplay in creative ways.
The Hammerburst has been tweaked to make it Semi-Automatic.
The game is also a bit longer than its predecessor.
None of these additions are bad really but I feel there could have been a bit more done here, and the look of the game really solidifies my thoughts on this being a glorified expansions.
The game looks practically identical to the original like, if I saw someone playing this it'd be the dialogue and characters that I'd recognize as Gears 2. Otherwise it's pretty damn close to the original.
Honestly it feels that the game is a series of set pieces strung along the campaign. Like riding on giant rigs while being followed and attacked by Reavers and Brumaks. Or being swallowed and cutting your way out of a giant fucking worm.
Yeah I don't remember much of my first playthrough with this game but I certainly remember that fucker.
Now I liked Gears of War 1 if you recall so more of the same isn't really a deal breaker for me. But if you were wanting a bit more from this I completely understand.
Another thing the game fixes thankfully is the Hammer of Dawn. I said back when I reviewed the original that it felt like the game forced the Hammer on you at several points in the game and it felt like the game wasn't gonna let you choose your own arsenal.
Here that is fixed there's only one point in the campaign where they tell you, you can use the Hammer and even then it's not mandatory. You could walk right by it and keep firing with your Lancer and Gnasher combo. Thank you game.
I mentioned the set pieces earlier but just like the original we got a few 'vehicle' segments in this game. I also said I didn't remember alot of my first playthrough all those years ago but I remember this fucking tank!
You have to drive this slow ass tank, while avoiding enemies and at one point have to cross a couple frozen lakes and I would like to invite this segment to dine on my ass!
It's just slow enough that it gets frustrating, it's clunky and hard to maneuver and it's just not fun to drive.
The others are a bit better riding the Brumak was pretty cathartic as was flying the Reavers.
There's also one segment where you and your partner have to carry a heavy box one handed and use your handguns to fend off enemies, and this segment takes finesse and coordination something Moses and I do not possess so we looked like a couple of fucking idiots with this thing. Like drunk Rent-A-Center workers I swear to Christ.
The bosses are pretty cool too. There isn't many of them but the fight with the Chainsaw staff wielding Skorge in the Locust Queen's throne room was really fun.
Oh yeah the Locust have a queen and she looks pretty human. I don't fucking know don't ask me.
But yeah this fucker is the follow up to RAAM from the last game and while I think RAAM is tougher this guy is cool as hell and I love his design.
The final boss is pretty goddamn pathetic though. I mean I don't think they meant for this to be tough at all but, I would've preferred a challenging firefight instead of this 'hold trigger to win' thing.
So yeah I think the reason I don't remember much of the campaign is I think I only played through it once. Yeah I'm pretty sure about that. Gears 1 I've done a couple times and Gears 3 was pretty much my life when it came out, this one just sort of set on my shelf all these years.
I did mention the multiplayer at the start of this review and I did get a chance to play a bit of it.
It was toward the end of this games life that I first got decent enough internet to take my 360 online for the first time. So I got a little bit of experience with this game.
I played your Warzones and King of the Hills and Executions and these were all fun. I fucking sucked at them but they were a good time. I made a couple friends playing these.
Now these days nobody is playing this game, but you can play these offline with bots which I think is a great feature for someone who cannot play online. Definitely not the same I understand but the feature is there.
But what I remember the most about the multiplayer is Horde Mode. This is a mode that has since taken on a life of its own and while I'm not sure if Gears 2 created it, I think it's safe to say it introduced it to alot of people.
You and four allies fend off wave after wave of the Locust Horde. Surviving for as long as you can and working together to survive.
I loved this mode and I had alot of fun playing it. But unfortunately these days as I said nobody is playing this game and you can't play Horde with bots... for some reason.
All in all I once again had a blast going back to this game. Moses and I were laughing and joking the whole way through as he was setting Grubs on fire and listening to their screams I was practically river dancing on skulls for all the curb stomps I delivered.
Gears of War 2 receives my Silver Seal of Recommendation
It's very similar to the original so it gets the same rating as the original. Gears of War 2 is a really good game and if you've played the original or the Ultimate Edition and haven't given this game a try. It's backwards compatible on the Xbox One now so it's all there for ya if you decide to armor up.
Man I cannot wait for the next one though...
*Warning: May Contain Spoilers*
Originally Written: 02/07/2020
 |
| Remember the Fallen |
Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Release: November 7, 2008
Alright folks it's sequel time! Moses and I have been itching to get back into the fray so I think it's time to strap on our ridiculous armor and make love to a chest high wall. But more importantly rejoin our friends in Delta Squad.
Now let's see here. I remember getting this game when it came out, I do remember beating it and the multiplayer I remember a bit of, but that's pretty much it.
I know I played it and a couple things stick out to me but I really don't remember my time with this game. Hmmm wonder why.
So it's been around six months since the detonation of the Lightmass Bomb. The COG succeeded in fucking the Locust up even killing all the Kryll (thank fuck) but the war still rages across Sera.
You once again take control of the man of masculinity himself, Marcus Fenix accompanied once again by his best friend Dom. The game opens with a young lad named Benjamin Carmine brother to Anthony from the previous games joining Delta Squad.
And you're pretty much thrown into it right away, soon after training the kid you're shooting up Locust in a hospital next to a new character named Tai.
Gears of War 2 can best be described as Gears 1 but with more. It's a very similar game and at times feels alot like a large expansion instead of a full sequel.
 |
| You did your family proud kid |
Now it was obvious he was going to fucking die, don't get me wrong. He might as well have had a countdown above his head but still credit where credit is due.
It worked alot better there than with Tai. Carmine you at least get a chance to know, I couldn't really tell you anything meaningful about this guy, so his death really meant nothing to me.
Then there's a truck driver named Dizzy who I pretty much fell in love with immediately. That's pretty much all that needs to be said there.
But as for the main guys not a whole lot of change. Marcus is still a gruff prick, Cole an enthusiastic child and Baird a douchebag.
And while Dom is the same we do follow up on the hints left in Gears 1, we knew that Dom was looking for someone. We now know that it's his wife Maria.
I gotta admit it's not much and while the scene when he finds her is very well done, I never really cared. Carmine's death was the closest this game got to making me cry.
 |
| A great scene nevertheless though |
For one when you go down in combat you can know crawl away from enemies and towards allies.
There are five new weapons including the Gorgon SMG, Scorcher Flamethrower, A Mortar, Ink Grenades and the Mulcher gatling gun.
While I don't go out of my way to use these weapons they are certainly a welcome addition to Marcus' arsenal and can spice up the gameplay in creative ways.
The Hammerburst has been tweaked to make it Semi-Automatic.
 |
| Nothing like a road trip eh boys? |
None of these additions are bad really but I feel there could have been a bit more done here, and the look of the game really solidifies my thoughts on this being a glorified expansions.
The game looks practically identical to the original like, if I saw someone playing this it'd be the dialogue and characters that I'd recognize as Gears 2. Otherwise it's pretty damn close to the original.
Honestly it feels that the game is a series of set pieces strung along the campaign. Like riding on giant rigs while being followed and attacked by Reavers and Brumaks. Or being swallowed and cutting your way out of a giant fucking worm.
 |
| Fucking. Mondays. |
Now I liked Gears of War 1 if you recall so more of the same isn't really a deal breaker for me. But if you were wanting a bit more from this I completely understand.
Another thing the game fixes thankfully is the Hammer of Dawn. I said back when I reviewed the original that it felt like the game forced the Hammer on you at several points in the game and it felt like the game wasn't gonna let you choose your own arsenal.
Here that is fixed there's only one point in the campaign where they tell you, you can use the Hammer and even then it's not mandatory. You could walk right by it and keep firing with your Lancer and Gnasher combo. Thank you game.
I mentioned the set pieces earlier but just like the original we got a few 'vehicle' segments in this game. I also said I didn't remember alot of my first playthrough all those years ago but I remember this fucking tank!
 |
| Fuck this over sized can opener! |
It's just slow enough that it gets frustrating, it's clunky and hard to maneuver and it's just not fun to drive.
The others are a bit better riding the Brumak was pretty cathartic as was flying the Reavers.
There's also one segment where you and your partner have to carry a heavy box one handed and use your handguns to fend off enemies, and this segment takes finesse and coordination something Moses and I do not possess so we looked like a couple of fucking idiots with this thing. Like drunk Rent-A-Center workers I swear to Christ.
The bosses are pretty cool too. There isn't many of them but the fight with the Chainsaw staff wielding Skorge in the Locust Queen's throne room was really fun.
 |
| Suck My Dick. Suck My Dick. Suck My Dick. Suck My Dick. |
But yeah this fucker is the follow up to RAAM from the last game and while I think RAAM is tougher this guy is cool as hell and I love his design.
The final boss is pretty goddamn pathetic though. I mean I don't think they meant for this to be tough at all but, I would've preferred a challenging firefight instead of this 'hold trigger to win' thing.
So yeah I think the reason I don't remember much of the campaign is I think I only played through it once. Yeah I'm pretty sure about that. Gears 1 I've done a couple times and Gears 3 was pretty much my life when it came out, this one just sort of set on my shelf all these years.
I did mention the multiplayer at the start of this review and I did get a chance to play a bit of it.
It was toward the end of this games life that I first got decent enough internet to take my 360 online for the first time. So I got a little bit of experience with this game.
 |
| Fear my crimson circle! |
Now these days nobody is playing this game, but you can play these offline with bots which I think is a great feature for someone who cannot play online. Definitely not the same I understand but the feature is there.
But what I remember the most about the multiplayer is Horde Mode. This is a mode that has since taken on a life of its own and while I'm not sure if Gears 2 created it, I think it's safe to say it introduced it to alot of people.
You and four allies fend off wave after wave of the Locust Horde. Surviving for as long as you can and working together to survive.
I loved this mode and I had alot of fun playing it. But unfortunately these days as I said nobody is playing this game and you can't play Horde with bots... for some reason.
All in all I once again had a blast going back to this game. Moses and I were laughing and joking the whole way through as he was setting Grubs on fire and listening to their screams I was practically river dancing on skulls for all the curb stomps I delivered.
Gears of War 2 receives my Silver Seal of Recommendation
 |
| For when your wife is DEFINITELY dead |
Man I cannot wait for the next one though...
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