Spring Break
All 'Geared' up and ready to go
'Gears of War 2' big on action, weak on plot
John Bailey
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Focus
The game hidden under all this flak is, unsurprisingly, a lot of fun, with all the dashing behind cover and rolling away from gunfire you'd expect.
Unfortunately, once you get past the insane banter and beefcake stupidity (there is literally a cowboy-hatted road warrior who refers to his car's lights as its "titties"), you'll find that the otherwise strong campaign mode is littered with moments that take that fun game and punt it into traffic.
Remember the astoundingly miserable "evil bugs are eating your car" scene in the first game? Apparently, they didn't meet their conniption quota the first time around, so there are plenty more annoying vehicle levels, along with a functional redux of the frustrating avoid-the-dark chapter, a boring, Flood-inspired zombie level and some punishing, pain-in-the-ass bosses.
The best part of this game is undoubtedly the new Horde mode, which takes you, a few of your buddies and an infinite supply of enemies and throws you in a level. It's a co-op gamer's dream come true, and it makes the perfect compliment to a night of beer, cheap pizza and death metal. It's playable online, too, but high-fives aren't nearly as visceral over the Internet, and as a college student it's unlikely you won't be able to find at least one buddy to take the copilot's seat on the couch.
And significantly, Horde mode has zero story, zero premise even, beyond "those guys are over there, and if you kill them, you go to the next level." It's fantastic, and by itself, it just about makes this game worth purchasing.
If "Gears of War 2" had spent less time flirting with pretensions of drama, it would have been a great game. As it stands, it's a fun way to spend an otherwise quiet Friday night, but honestly, there are plenty of other, cheaper ways to turn off your brain for a few hours.
Unfortunately, once you get past the insane banter and beefcake stupidity (there is literally a cowboy-hatted road warrior who refers to his car's lights as its "titties"), you'll find that the otherwise strong campaign mode is littered with moments that take that fun game and punt it into traffic.
Remember the astoundingly miserable "evil bugs are eating your car" scene in the first game? Apparently, they didn't meet their conniption quota the first time around, so there are plenty more annoying vehicle levels, along with a functional redux of the frustrating avoid-the-dark chapter, a boring, Flood-inspired zombie level and some punishing, pain-in-the-ass bosses.
The best part of this game is undoubtedly the new Horde mode, which takes you, a few of your buddies and an infinite supply of enemies and throws you in a level. It's a co-op gamer's dream come true, and it makes the perfect compliment to a night of beer, cheap pizza and death metal. It's playable online, too, but high-fives aren't nearly as visceral over the Internet, and as a college student it's unlikely you won't be able to find at least one buddy to take the copilot's seat on the couch.
And significantly, Horde mode has zero story, zero premise even, beyond "those guys are over there, and if you kill them, you go to the next level." It's fantastic, and by itself, it just about makes this game worth purchasing.
If "Gears of War 2" had spent less time flirting with pretensions of drama, it would have been a great game. As it stands, it's a fun way to spend an otherwise quiet Friday night, but honestly, there are plenty of other, cheaper ways to turn off your brain for a few hours.
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