1: Gears of War 2
Gears of War 2 is a fantastic game. That’s not entirely surprising, given it had a great foundation to work with, but Epic’s motto of “bigger, badder, more badass” really does shine through in the sequel. It jettisons the few real issues the original game had and aims to improve or just scrap what didn’t work. Not a fan of commanding your squad? That’s gone. Hated dying instantly the moment you were down? AI teammates can now revive you when you’re down. Most importantly, you can now prevent yourself from being chainsawed up the strap with chainsaw duels.
The chainsaw duels are backed by a well written and consistently entertaining story, a marked improvement from the first one’s straightforward tale. The tone between meathead bro-bonding and relatable human drama sometimes shifts disjointedly back and forth, but the characters are all engaging and memorable in some capacity, even little Ben Carmine. Even if the story isn’t your main draw, the action set pieces are more than worth playing the story mode alone. Is there anything cooler than riding a Brumak, carving your way out of a giant worm, or getting into a chainsaw duel with the Predator?
Multiplayer had its issues, mainly in connectivity, but it was Horde mode that elevated it. Five players versus 50 waves of Locust in growing difficulty ended up being addicting to play, and a mode plenty of games would recreate years later. At the time, there was quite nothing like it, and it still holds up to this day. Working together is truly encouraged if you’re all going to survive. The competitive modes are all well and good in their right, even if it does feel like the shotgun is still a god-tier death dealer. The standout mode among them continues to be Guardian, where players have infinite respawns until they kill the enemy team’s leader. It’s a fun mix of lone wolf and cooperative play, especially when both teams are neck and neck and the timer’s running out. Regardless of what mode you play, Gears of War 2 is certainly bigger, definitely better, and without a doubt more badass.
What’s your favorite Gears of War game? Let us know in the comments below.
