Gears of War 2: Game of the Year Edition
2009
- shooter
- action
- science fiction
- single player
The story
Gears of War 2 is a 2008 military science fiction third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the second installment of the Gears of War series, with lead design by Cliff Bleszinski,. The game was officially released in North America, Europe and Australia on November 7, 2008 and was released in Japan on July 30, 2009. The game expands technically on the previous game by using a modified Unreal Engine 3 engine. The development team brought in comic book writer Joshua Ortega to help write the plot for the game. In Gears of War 2, the COG continues its fight against the Locust horde, who are attempting to sink all of the cities on the planet Sera. Sergeant Marcus Fenix leads Delta Squad into the depths of the planet to try to stop the Locust during the assault upon Locust territory. The player controls Fenix in the main mission campaign, with the ability to play cooperatively with a second player controlling Fenix's best friend and fellow Squad member Dominic "Dom" Santiago. The game includes several existing and new multiplayer modes including five-on-five battles between human and Locust forces, and a "Horde" mode that challenges up to five players against waves of Locust forces with ever-increasing strength. New weapons and gameplay mechanics such as "chainsaw duels" and the ability to use downed foes as "meatshields" were added to the game. On its release weekend, Gears of War 2 sold over two million copies, and within two months of release, had sold four million copies. It was the seventh best selling video game of 2009 and received several accolades. The game received similar praise as its predecessor, with the new gameplay and multiplayer modes seen as outstanding additions.
What it’s like
Grimy, cold-toned brown and grey with flashes of hot orange muzzle light, the palette of a war fought under ceilings of rock and in the ruins of drowned cities. Its underground caverns are lit by sickly green bioluminescence and the smoke of burning cover, while the surface stretches out in dusty, storm-darkened wastes under heavy skies. The camera hugs the shoulder of its hulking protagonist, so every firefight feels close and heavy, with chunky, weighted movement and the thud of cover being pressed against. The score is muscular and brassy in the big moments, and the battlefield is loud with roaring engines, chainsaw whine and grinding Locust screeches. Its vibe is grim, grinding and adrenaline-driven, a long night of tense ducking and sudden bursts of chaos rather than quiet reflection. It suits a weekend marathon with friends, a co-op session on the sofa, or a late-evening blast when you want to be fully absorbed. Mid-level violence is constant and bloody, with gore, explosions and chainsaw kills that land hard, though there is no sexual content and the tone stays earnest rather than cruel. It is for players who want tactile, macho third-person combat, stubborn camaraderie between soldiers, and an intense sense of being swarmed.
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