Point / Counterpoint: Gears of War 2

Sera needs saving...again.

"Point"
by Lou G.

A note before I get started: this review is part of a point/counterpoint discussion. Overall Gears of War 2 is a good game, however my objective with this article is to really pick it apart and point out some of its glaring flaws which I find unforgivable given the enormous budget.

If you look at our ratings guide it uses Gears of War as an example of an “Outstanding” game. That is the opinion of one DBTC reviewer, though he’s certainly not alone. After all, a game doesn’t become a Platinum Hit through mediocrity. I personally had a very different experience with the game as well as its first sequel. In fact, I was underwhelmed by the first GoW to the point where I would not have played GoW 2 if not to experience the much-hyped multiplayer modes that came so highly recommended. In this review I will strive to be as objective as possible; however, playing a game is a subjective experience. If the ride isn’t completely fun it’s hard to tell people it’s worth waiting in line.



Gears of War 2 is a lot like a roller coaster in that it has some truly thrilling moments strung together by dips, twists, and boring uphill climbs. It’s also similar in the sense that you’re on rails the whole time. I’ve never played a shooter that discouraged freedom of choice with such totalitarian authority with the exception of Sin and Punishment or Rez, if you can truly call those shooters (being on rails is kinda the point in those games so it’s actually quite forgivable). I found it insulting when the game tried to create the illusion of freedom by giving me a choice to press LT to go this way and experience a scripted event, or press RT to go that way and experience the same scripted event from a different angle. Whichever way you go, the odds are severely in favor of you dying a ridiculous, unavoidable death if you’re playing anything other than Normal difficulty; so you’ll probably get to experience both anyway. These are choices that should be and easily could be more organic. I suspect Epic Games programmed the game to present players with these “choices” for the same reason a 5-year old insists you look at his Play-Doh hamburger. He really tried to create something and wants you to be proud of it, even though you know it’s just an illusion of the real thing. In reality, the game actually holds you back from trying to improvise your way through a situation.

I’ll give you an example: during Act 2 Fenix and his Delta Squad are maneuvering through underground tunnels trying to reach the survivors of a downed aircraft. These tunnels have several twists and turns, and your squad travels down several hills. This means at some point you’re at the tops of those same hills. The game also provides you with a sniper rifle occasionally. Forgive me if I’m being too assumptive but you’re probably a gamer if you’re reading this, which means the gears (see what I did there?) in your head are already turning. Sniper Rifle + Vantage Point = ? Well, if you ask Epic Games, it equals your character exploding into several meatchunks if that vantage point isn’t a set-piece for this part of the story. I would let my squad head down the hill to engage the enemy while I stayed on higher ground to try to pick off Locust unseen. On several occasions my character would simply explode for no reason. At first I thought maybe I had triggered a proximity mine, or an enemy outside my field of view had tagged me with a rocket or grenade, so I investigated those possibilities and couldn’t find evidence of either explanation. When I would finally give up this tactic and head down to where my squad was, 9 times out of 10 a scripted event would be triggered, which explains why my sniper position was not allowed. If you don’t see a problem with this, let me put it in clearer terms. Essentially I colored outside the lines, so they took away my crayons. Gears is not an open-world game...I get that. It’s a cinematic experience first and foremost. But it IS a game. A game should let you be creative as long as you play by the rules, especially if they’re going to go to great lengths to add more guns and other fun tools for you to use. It’s like they threw in more toys but made the sandbox smaller.


Speaking of toys, the assortment of weapons in the game is honestly quite impressive. I can’t think of one example of a super-powered weapon with zero disadvantages, nor can I think of a completely useless weapon that you regret picking up every time. From the Snub Pistol to the Scorcher, every item has its own set of strengths and weaknesses that balance it out. It’s a shame that the player is given so much freedom to customize their weapon set to fit their play-style, yet restricted in their ability to truly control the tactical situation. While I’m on this topic I want to give a shout-out to the Lancer. A machine gun with a chainsaw attached to it is the type of thing that can only exist in a video game, and it is every bit as fun as it sounds on paper. I have to give respect to Epic for showing admirable restraint with the design choice. The Lancer is easily the most fun, versatile weapon in this and I daresay any shooter to date, yet it’s not like you can just go around chainsawing everything in your path like a maniac. Melee kills require skilled button timing to pull off, which increases the fun without taking away the challenge.

Gameplay aside, the biggest factor that makes Gears of War 2 falter is its story. Some feel it is too cinematic, with big distracting cut-scenes taking away from the action all too frequently. I don’t think the frequency or even the length of any of these scenes is the problem; rather it’s the content. Throughout the entire campaign I had the sense that I was saving the world...or defending it maybe. I knew I was on the side of the good guys...probably. Humans are living on a planet we colonized in the future and the indigenous species has guns and giant monsters and decides we need to get out. The point isn’t that these motivations aren’t made crystal clear. I’m actually fully aware that there is an expanded universe to Gears of War including books, graphic novels, and all of the minutiae that flesh out the history of everything from the COG to the Locust to the planet Sera. It’s expansive, and there wouldn’t be so much material if people weren’t interested. I’m just saying I don’t get it. At no point in the span of 2 games did I feel “drawn in” to the point where I wanted to explore this universe further. The roid-raging tatted up supermarines you play as are mostly one-dimensional tough-guy caricatures. The only moment of true humanity I found was the conclusion of Dom’s side-story with his wife. Marcus Fenix is a stoic, gruff, anti-authority badass, and that’s pretty much it. There is a lot of potential, given some of the lore hinted at with Marcus’s father and his history with the COG (he begins the first game in a jail cell), but the writers didn’t put enough in the game that I was dying to investigate. I just made my way through until I was engaged in a firefight, killing all the bad guys so I could move on to the next firefight.


The game shines best where the story isn’t even a factor. I’m talking about multiplayer. The online matches are seamless and incredibly fun, offering a variety of options for customization. Horde mode, where you and up to 4 friends face down wave after wave of increasingly difficult Locust forces, is an absolute blast. I can’t really say much more about the online modes, except that if I were to review them separately, I would give the game a 9.5/10.

In conclusion, Gears of War 2 is a game where the sum of its parts ends up greater than the whole. There are some really great elements that give it potential, but it doesn’t all blend together for a spectacular outcome that lives up to the hype. The graphics are beautiful, but no amount of polish can make me say “This is why I’m having fun”. The campaign mode is a 6/10 at best; however it is balanced out by a stellar multiplayer which is arguably the larger part of the game. Overall, I give Gears of War 2 a 7.5/10.

Score: 7.5

"Counterpoint"
by Evan

Now that Gears of War 3 has come and gone, a review of its predecessor Gears of War 2 (GOW2) might seem irrelevant. But the purpose of this blog is to review new and older games, especially older games that stand out among their contemporaries. Although not quite as good as the first Gears of War, GOW2 stands as an extraordinary third-person shooter, a thrilling experience from beginning to end, and one of the best games available on the Xbox 360.

GOW2 continues the epic story of survival and sacrifice introduced in 2006’s Gears of War. The human population of Sera fights a never-ending battle against the Locust, a race of subterranean monsters who have declared war on humanity. The Locust horde suffered a devastating defeat at the end of Gears of War, but has regrouped and is now threatening the last human stronghold, Jacinto. The Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) decides it has no choice but to take the fight to the Locust, deep underground.


Epic Games pledged to make GOW2 a more expansive and cinematic game, a “blockbuster experience.” Mission accomplished. Peppered with cut-scenes and packed with carefully staged action set-pieces, GOW2 plays very much like a movie. Those looking for more action and less story, however, will be slightly turned off by GOW2’s emphasis on cut-scenes and voice acting.

When GOW2 moves away from Hollywood aspirations and embraces what made the original so great – frantic, bloody action with a brilliant cover system – it truly shines. The action in GOW2 is more varied and larger in scale than its predecessor; traditional run and gun stages are mixed with vehicle stages and episodes in which players can mount Locust creatures. There’s also an unforgettable level that unfolds completely within the body of a massive worm.

In terms of graphics, GOW2 looks absolutely gorgeous. Landscapes, buildings, and characters are all highly-detailed and well-defined. Each region of the game has its own unique appearance and atmosphere, and is filled – sometimes overflowing – with dozens of enemies, items, and whizzing bullets. When the action gets particularly intense, the frame rate will lower noticeably, buts it’s a small price to pay for such spectacular graphics. Textures are sometimes slow to load at the beginning of stages, but again it’s not a deal breaker.


In addition to its stellar single-player experience, GOW2 offers several multiplayer modes along with split-screen and online cooperative play. GOW2 features most of the multiplayer modes from the original Gears of War, along with three new modes: Guardian, Wingman, and Submission. The most pleasant surprise in GOW2, however, is “Horde mode,” an addictive and highly original co-op mode that allows up to five players to fight off wave after wave of Locust enemies. Note: multiplayer action in GOW2 is sometimes interrupted by bugs, glitches, and connectivity problems.

Overall, GOW2 is a must-play for action fans. Featuring a substantial and varied campaign, excellent graphics and sound, and addictive online multiplayer modes, GOW2 is a complete package. It is probably the second-best third-person shooter ever made, after the original Gears of War.

Score: 9.0