Ok, this time I'm pretty much back on track with my schedule, so I actually got to writing this before the end of the month.
Anyway, this week I'm reviewing the much anticipated Gears of War 2.
Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)
What to say about this game...
Well, for the most part, the annoying things from Gears 1 are mostly gone, such as cheesy, CHEESY dialogue, glitches in the cover system, a weapon switching glitch, and other minor annoyances. Other than that Gears 2 is exactly what it should be: more of what I liked about Gears 1, with no dumb new "innovative features" we didn't want.
Gears 2, like 1, is a tactical shooter. This means about 15 minutes of frustration for me and my fellow Halo addicts to realize that you can't directly charge an enemy and expect to not die (especially on Insane difficulty, but we'll get to that silliness later). It also means I can't beat anyone who is good at Gears in a online match to save my life, NOT THAT I'M BITTER.
So the best part about Gears 2 is the weapons, at least for me. The reason I talk about the weapons in some games, and not in others is that the games whose weapons impress me enough deserve to be recognized. They have a lot of variety, and all the possible uses will keep you busy for a while.
We'll start with the Boomshot, a ridiculous piece of rape that is only dropped by the aptly named Boomers, who are essentially very dim-witted Hulks that can only speak one word describing their weapon. At any rate, this thing takes out anything in one go, save for a Reaver, and the active reload makes it shoot a cluster grenade. I personally got really good with this thing and it paid off because you can get all those pesky turret guys with it. Once it runs out of ammo though, drop it because you'll rarely find ammo for it again.
The Gears shotgun isn't a standout among shotguns as far as I'm concerned, but it does have a ridiculous range and will damage enemies almost a hundred yards away. Up close it's unfair and silly, but if you have to reload you're screwed. Just don't miss, you n00b.
The Gorgon pistol is carried by the annoying Kantus monks who roll and dodge bullets. The Gorgon has a 4 shot clip, but each "shot" is an approximately 10 bullets, making it a devastating shotgun alternative. If you get the active reload its damage becomes high enough to down even a Mauler. Also it has a zoom, making it incredibly versatile. Some people hate the Gorgon, but they're also probably the people who team-kill with flamethrowers.
Jackasses.
Next is the Hammerburst assault rifle, but what they really mean is "the carbine from Halo except it shoots metal and not that glowy plasma junk". Really that's what it is, it's a semiautomatic weapon with a decent zoom (and a kickback that takes getting used to) and I'd take one over a Lancer any day.
The Hammer of Dawn is useless in anything but campaign or Horde. In these modes however it is cheating because it kills everything you point it at in seconds, as long as you can aim. It summons a sky-laser from an above satelitte and blows everything into delicious chunks.The end.
Next up is the Lancer. It's a fully automatic assualt rifle with a chainsaw bayonet, which means it isn't really a bayonet, but simply a chainsaw. Whatever. Good damage, decent range, no zoom. Ugh. I think it's overrated, but I'm outnumbered 300 to 1 by all the 10 year olds who play Gears and rave about cutting people in half with the chainsaw. At any rate, you need to carry either this or the Hammerburst at all times.
The Longshot is a sniper rifle. A BOLT-ACTION sniper rifle, at that. I thought we stopped using bolt-action, after the invention of, you know, SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPONS. Despite its bolt-action-ness, it kills most everything in a single headshot, and if it doesn't, then most likely an active reload headshot will. If that doesn't work, switch to a different weapon, but you're probably screwed anyway. Also, don't bother aiming for anything but the head, as it does negligible damage elsewhere.
Now we have my third favorite weapon, the Snub pistol. 12 shot clip, semiautomatic, and a nice zoom. Perfect. Everything i need in a pistol, and also did I mention if you do it right, the active reload is almost instant? It even does good damage! :)
The Torque Bow is two things. One, it's the most ridiculous weapon. Two, it's by far my favorite. It shoots explosive tipped arrows that stick to anything, granted you hold the fire button for a little. They toned down the explosion radius from Gears 1, but it's still a formidable weapon. It has a line that shows its trajectory, making it easy enough for even a moron to use. It also has blades along the sides of the bow, which make it an effective melee weapon, but in all reality I kind of feel that it would pose a threat to the user, if he were to carry it on his back or something. At any rate, great weapon, learn to use it.
The Boltok pistol sucks hard. Hits like a truck but everything else about it is painfully awful. Avoid picking this up.
The Mortar is super-powerful, but takes a little getting used to. Practice in Horde mode. The active reload just makes the explosion bigger. Also never blind-fire it, it goes off wilder than your mother. Heheh.
ANYWAY, on to the Mulcher, a mountable machine gun that has terrible accuracy unless you are standing next to the target or if you have mounted it on cover. Use RB to cool it down, as it rapidly overheats, and keep an eye on the ammo, as it runs out faster than you'd think. This is a really useful weapon against Bloodmounts, if you can get it mounted before they are on top of you.
Finally there is the flamethrower. They put this in here, just like they did in Call of Duty: World at War, because people ALWAYS whine when there isn't a flamethrower (even Halo PC fell victim to this). Anywho, only use this if you're screwing around on Easy difficulty, and use it to get the achievement. It's really pretty terrible, and the active reload apparently increases the range, but it's still a useless
weapon.
As far as the enemies are concerned, there isn't a whole lot of variety, but that's OK, as it makes you feel more like you're fighting a faceless horde than a collection of heroes. Basically you have your standard issue Locust, pretty easy to kill and generally armed with Hammerburst. Then there's a upgraded version with more health, followed by the Theron guards who have good weapons and are bullet sponges. There's the Kantus monks who are really fast and take a lot of damage, and somtimes they howl, and if you're close enough it will knock you down. Next are the Boomers/Maulers/Butchers/Grinders, who use Boomshots, flails, cleavers, and Mulchers respectively. Bloodmounts are strong Locust who have Drones on their backs, and are very tough and are a high kill priority because of their speed and strength. Wretches are weak little enemies who are fast and can swarm you if you are not careful. Tickers are organic mines that should be dealt with from a distance due to their tendency to explode. Sires are quick, mutated Locust who melee only, and are little threat unless completely ignored. Finally there are Reavers, which take tons of damage and attack with missiles and turrets. Kill them quickly and from behind cover.
Now to talk about gameplay, the controls aren't awkward and they are in fact good. The HUD is nice and clean like Gears 1 was, and though the cover system got an update and isn't as glitchy, it still isn't wonderful and can be clunky. Other than that, everything else functions pretty smoothly, and it's a fun game to play.
Before i wrap this up, I just want to comment on how exceedingly difficult this game is on Insane. On Hardcore, it's not really even that difficult. When you put it on Insane however, the difficulty is ramped up so much, it's nearly impossible. Myself and another good friend spent a good five evenings or so playing it on Insane and finally beat it. Do not play on Insane if you want to have fun. Just a warning.
Alright then, in closing, Gears 2 is a solid and capable game, earning it a 8.5/10. Good, but not above and beyond.
Till next time everyone.
