We all are cogs in the Gears of War…

So, who all bought Gears of War 2 the day it came out? I did.  I bought three copies actually, 1 for me, and 2 for the last two contest winners…  A LOT of my friends bought it…everyone in the gamestop I was at bought one.  Well it turns out a lot gamers wanted to sign up and the continue the fight against the Locust Horde…Gears of War 2 did pretty good for a day one release on a Friday to the the tune of 2.1 million copies sold on day 1.

Like a Brumak busting out the gates Gears stole the show for game sales this Weekend!

Gears of War offers an experience to Gamers of many different skill levels.  The team at Epic Reeeallly put a lot of effort into making this game fun and enjoyable. I have to start with Horde…

If Horde released by itself (with more levels than 50) it would have been a nice addition to anyone’s xbox 360 game library.  In fact, if more shooters had a “horde” mode; (hint) halo series fans would be going nuts for that as well.  Imagine starting with fighting grunts in any of the multiplayer maps on Halo 3 in level 1. By level 4 you are fighting more grunts and jackals, then by level 15 brutes and Hunters show up.  With each level you pass the enemies would adapt to your fighting styles and change their plan of attack. By level 50 your team would be fighting all levels of Covenant and Flood with Vehicles intact…that would be nice….but Epic made it a reality.

In Horde you and up to 4 friends face off against the on-coming forces of Locust Soldiers.  In each battle you are scrambling to help your team defend an area by taking down an incoming squad of Locust.  What I loved about this mode of the game is that after each Wave you beat they will adapt to your teams battle tactics.  Lets say you cruise through 5 levels pretty easy.  The game has a unique spawn system and enemy selection that will counter your actions.  Team work is essential in this mode.  Stray to far from the group to get some ammo you may need to be revived…in a hurry.  I have played it by myself, with my wife, and with up to 4 others.  Nothing beats having 5 people on a team together working to take down the Horde…

Horde is what a lot of gamers have been asking for.  It is really fun to play against other people in death matches and other modes, but Horde is something else.  It combines a brand of teamwork against a common enemy without the pressures of playing Gears of ‘Pro’ players.  The Multi-player modes are interesting as well, but Horde is a different breed of fun that is a fan service done right!

Gears of War 1 = pretty cool but short campaign…Gears of War 2 = Answers the basic question of why we are fighting, and gives a lot of moments to look and say let’s kill those Locust!  The campaign is really roboust this time around.  I would say between campaign and horde alone Gears of War 2 is the best shooter on the 360 this year. The best thing about the campaign are the large battles.  Gears of war 1 was nice, but the battles never got out of hand in size.  Gears 2 opens the world up to gamers to see the size of this war.  This is one war I wouldn’t wish upon any nation.

I won’t go into details of specific events…but gamers will love the battles and overall story direction in Gears of War 2.  Single player is nice, but the game is really made to be played Co-op.  There is nothing like going to war with a buddy by your side.  Some people may be dissappointed that it is not 4 player co-op, but I think a lot of the battles would have been watered down if two other players joined this battle.

As you can see from these screen shots..Gears 2 is the best looking game on 360 right now.  I would go on to say one of the best looking game in this generation on any home console.  It doesn’t have the complex story from Half-life or the art direction fron Bioshock, but to find a better action shooter will be hard to find.

The controls for this game are spot on.  If you played a shooter before you will pick this game up and hit the ground running.  This game is near perfection in every way possible.  BUY THIS GAME if you have the ability to do so…it will be worth your money and time.  The Holiday season of gaming has started and Epic has struck the first and possbly the strogest blow this season.  Finding a better game this holiday season will be hard to do.  If you don’t own a 360 yet…what are you waiting for!!!