In a different time and place – say, high school – I would've adored Gears of War 2.
All the right elements are in place in this sequel to the popular third-person shooter that again pits Delta Squad against the Locust Horde: gorgeous visuals, intense action, cheeky humor. There's even that crunching sound enemies make when you tear into them and perform horrifically gratifying execution moves. And it's all incredibly fun.
But there's a growing divide between games that are fun, and games that break new ground. Halo took the classic space opera and altered the way we played first-person shooters. Half-Life brought us the traditional taciturn hero, and redefined how stories are told in videogames. The original Gears of War perfected the cover system, forcing players to pay acute attention to the in-game environment as they searched out shelter from the enemy's weapons.
Gears of War 2, on the other hand, is Gossip Girl for gamers: edgy, hip, destined to be consumed by the masses for its "extreme" attitude and over-the-top visceral nature. But no matter how cool the new chainsaw fatalities are, and despite the sequel's improved cover experience and wide-open levels, there's a lack of depth here – an amalgam of recycled mechanics and ideas that takes us on an entertaining ride, but never really gets anywhere.
The chief strength of Gears 2, an Xbox 360 exclusive that hits stores Friday, is how well it establishes its gritty presence. Every element is designed with a grim, testosterone-laden ideology in mind – from the hum of the chainsaw-equipped Lancer assault rifles, to the ungainly waddle of Marcus Fenix and the other hulking man-behemoths of Delta Squad. You can't help but feel powerful as you plow your way through the Locust hordes, crouching behind rubble and cutting your opponents to ribbons.
Every level is well designed, with locations that vary wildly, from the flaming wreckage of war-torn cities to expansive tunnels and ancient Locust strongholds. There are secrets to discover and – if you're playing the campaign in co-op mode, either online or with a friend on your couch – numerous moments where the trails branch off entirely, forcing both players to work together, offering cover fire or eliminating targets to make progress.
While the presentation shines, the execution is frustrating. I didn't really mind the numerous on-rails shooting and vehicle segments – moments in the game where developers insist you play a particular scene their way, because it's obviously so great. Nor did I mind the numerous scenarios where I was trapped in an area and had to kill every enemy before the doors would open. That type of construct is a genre standard, and fun to play.
No, the problem in Gears 2 is the focus on style over substance.
I never got over the feeling that I was playing an extended Mountain Dew commercial. The characters are so uninspired you can almost predict their next response or action – usually some variation of a grim, determined assertion of their physical prowess. There's a marked attempt to add some real emotion to the game, but it falls flat in the face of the game's hypermasculinity. And the love story that's been tacked on reads like teen fan fiction, right down to the wall-punching angst and eventual grim conclusion.
Don't get me wrong: Gears of War 2's campaign is quite a bit of fun, especially when played with a friend. If you were a fan of the original game's multiplayer offerings, you're in luck – they've survived intact, with a few additions. There's Wingman, in which pairs of players fight to become the last men standing. Submission is an especially fun capture-the-flag variant, where the "flag" is an armed, AI-controlled character who must be incapacitated and dragged back to a team's base.
Perhaps the most notable new offering is Horde mode, in which a team of players is placed on a map and pitted against wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies, for a total of 50 waves. The action is intense, and requires a lot of coordination and cooperation – every player who dies ultimately affects the team's score, and you'll lose outright if the entire team dies.
Gears of War 2 is an exciting, enjoyable experience, cramming in a wide range of action and doing so with an abundance of style. So what's not to like?
Plenty, especially if you've been behind a virtual trigger of some sort since the early days of the shooter genre. The game delivers the same grizzled, gore-laden action we've come to expect, and it does it extremely well – but it's as if the original Gears has gotten a face-lift, and been expanded upon, without much real change.
Fans of the original will definitely want to get their hands on this latest chapter in the Gears of War saga, but those who were unimpressed the first time around will find no reason to change their minds now.
Images courtesy Epic Games
WIRED Brilliant cover system, fun campaign and cooperative modes, great sense of humor
TIRED More of the same
$60, Epic Games
Rating: 
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