

Gears 2 keeps the same weapon switching mechanic from the first game and whilst it seems tricky to have to switch to grenades to throw them, you soon get used to it again and with a quick tap of the button you can stick a grenade onto a Locust or slam it against a surface where it primes as a proximity explosive. Epic have added a knock-back value to their weapons design as well, so there's stopping power to a lot of the guns, the shotgun especially. Unfortunately the Locusts will use the stopping power of their weapons to prevent you from closing for a melee kill and it's almost impossible to get a chain-blade kill for the same reason. Gears of War 2 is a good looking game, better looking in lots of ways than the previous title. Epic have pulled out all the stops and it shows, the shadows are deeper, the lighting is better and the graphics engine can handle structural integrity simulation nicely, allowing the player to see visible changes to the surrounding environment as the battle goes on.
Epic's architecture and level design for this game is excellent, they have also taken steps to ensure that every battlefield in Gears 2 provides a fresh set of challenges to constantly keep you entertained. With the new graphics engine it is also possible for Epic to simulate hordes of enemy troops, so Gears 2 has more Locusts to blast than before. There are some truly awe-inspiring moments in the game in terms of battles and cut-scenes. With the Locust AI being better than ever these combats are frustratingly good, as you battle against sniper fire, mammoth new Locust types and incoming mortar shells. On the harder levels it's nearly impossible to get through on your first try. It's not just the single player game that's taken a new look, Epic have improved the multi-player aspect as well, adding scores of new maps, redesigning favourites and allowing a mix of human and AI players across all of the new modes. There are many modes and types to choose from, with an expansive tutorial that lets you get right into the action and learn these game types before you play them against others. Epic have once again proven that they are kings of game AI, since the bots from Gears of War 2 are excellent and provide a solid challenge at the higher levels of play.

With all of this good, some bad did leak in. The game suffered terribly from matchmaking issues with massive wait times for players online. This has been fixed by Epic in a patch over Xbox Live and the game will automatically update when the title is launched. Some of the weapons are a little weak and there are AI issues with Dom in some places within the single-player game. The story from Gears was epic and the story in Gears 2 is even more so, answering questions from the first game and asking even more in this installment, its great fun and deserves to be on any serious shooter fans shelf. It's great to play on your own or in matches against friends.