The Gears of Wars series is one of Microsoft’s big hitters and is second only to the Halo games in terms of importance. The original title from Epic was arguably the first game on the Xbox 360 which did for this system what Halo had done for the Xbox. Microsoft had that all important “must have” title in Gears of War which had people rushing out to buy the console in order to play it. The release of Gears of War 2, as I’m sure you can imagine, is quite a big deal to many individuals.

I love playing games and discovering a nod toward film characters and events but only if it’s done as a friendly gesture. Within the first hour of the campaign you’ll find characters and events which appear to have been lifted straight from specific films and placed into this game. You know that bit with the speech about staying together and fighting the enemy on their own turf? Starship Troopers. Those squid-like creatures which fly in your direction and require you to spray bullets at them in order to survive? The Matrix. That enormous alien worm which devours everything in sight? Dune. How about that cool alien guy with dreadlocks and a big staff? Predator. It may be the tone of the game, and I can’t imagine that the developers were ignorant of these obvious similarities, but none of these examples appear to be handled in a good natured manner which is disappointing.

The campaign is similar to the previous game in that it’s best played in co-op but many of the levels do feel more spacious which allows for some alternative routes when dealing with the enemy. There is one level which I find quite ridiculous and would go as far as saying that it’s one of the worst I’ve ever played and it’s not the car-driving section although those should be removed from every shooter.

The level in question has you inside a giant worm and you have to take care of something before exiting again. This would be fine apart from the fact that on your way you must dodge giant teeth, spraying acid, and other equally annoying things. The crowning moment is when you’re trapped in a section of its body and have to find a way out while lack of ventilation makes your vision go from bad to diabolical. The greatest part is that when your vision is almost completely blanked out it lets you know that you’re suffocating, it even shows you the red damage marker, but you have absolutely no way of recovering. At this point I realized what Gears of War is really all about and that’s frustrating the players to the point they no longer want to play the game with the hope that they’ll be able to pull them back at the last moment. I happen to think that a system of challenge and reward is better than punishment and reward which is what this and some others like to employ.

I remember I had a lot of fun with the multiplayer in the original title until the moment I realized that it was broken and almost entirely based on fortune than skill. I am sure there will be some of you who feel that I’m only saying this because I wasn’t any good but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I certainly didn’t earn the nickname of “shotgun whore” for nothing and anyone who played with me will testify that I could more than hold my own against most adversaries. I gave up on the multiplayer around the time I got tired of getting a silly amount of kills in most matches and this wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t find the game to be broken.

I was hoping that the multiplayer would have been fixed by the time GoW2 came around and it hasn’t been. I accept that the large percentage of idiots who play the game are part of the reason why I hate this so much. It should be renamed “chainsaw tossers” as most people still run around the map with the chainsaw hoping for cheap kills as you’re sucked towards their blade. I find it funny that a game which boasts about tactics has absolutely none at all because its precious cover system gets you killed more often than not and most Xbox Live users are apparently minus a tongue or a brain.

By now you must either be thinking I’m a lunatic or that most other reviewers are dirty liars and the reality is probably somewhere in between. Don’t worry yourself too much as it’s not all bad news and this isn’t just because the graphics are as stunning as you’d expect. The additional Horde mode and the introduction of bots are really great despite the fact that the AI of the bots can be shaky from time to time. I found it surprising when the original Gears of War didn’t come with optional bots as Epic are veterans in this area with their Unreal Tournament series and their inclusion here offers a chance to escape those annoying little shits on Xbox Live. In Horde mode you must survive wave after wave of enemies, either on your own or with the aid of a few friends, which can become very intense and a great deal of fun.

I have mixed views on Gears of Wars 2 as the co-op campaign can be a lot of fun, Horde mode and bots are welcome additions, and the graphics are sure to blow you away, but I am not willing to avoid the negatives. The regular multiplayer feels soulless and heavily based on luck, much of the good work on the campaign is let down by some embarrassingly poor levels, and your fellow cogs have a habit of standing in your way or running right past enemies and being shot in the back.

I realize that half the world’s population have already bought this game but for those who are interested and have yet to make a purchase I urge you to be wary of the hype as this game is by no means a world beater. Those “chainsaw tossers” I mentioned earlier will love this game no matter what but for those who are after a more finished article perhaps Gears of War 3 will be the answer.

7.5/10

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