The best of the meathead space marine shooters.
So I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed Gears of War 2. And I think that's mainly due to the fact that Gears 2 is honest-to-god funny. It makes you laugh! Sure, it has its bleak moments and its dark moments and its serious moments, but Gears 2 is one of the rare video games that can genuinely give you a grin.
Slashing through absurdist levels like the intestines of a colossal-sized worm? Genius. Getting coated with thicker and thicker layers of blood as you and your partners slash through arteries and hearts trying to fell the massive beast? Awesome. Gears 2 is awesome because its developers recognize how ridiculous it is and have fun with it. So it's a little surprising considering that Gears 2 makes an obvious effort to improve its storytelling. They try to fit in some adult themes of love and loss amidst the aburdity, which is a noble (albeit weird) mix. But clearly Gears is at its best when Marcus is sneering, Cole is yelling, and you're about to leap into ridiculously outsized battles.
It certainly helps that the cover and shooting mechanics are polished to a tee. You never really feel like you're fighting the controller or interface. The guns feel great and are a blast to try out, even if the default chainsaw gun turns out to be the most reliable weapon of all. Shooting mortars is unexpectedly enjoyable. I just wish grenades didn't take so long to throw out. Here it makes you miss the instant tosses in the Halo universe.
Epic has also done a great job mixing up the environments and improving the pace of the game where you feel like you're making even progress. Some of the vehicle sections are frustrating to get through at times, but still a welcome diversion from the running-and-gunning. There's tons of variety and creativity in the level design, reminding me of how well Half-Life 2 took you from showcase level to showcase level, each one feeling like an entry in a greatest hits package with tons of memorable moments.
I enjoyed the first Gears (playing on PC) but never really bought into the universe or looked forward to playing. I just played it to get through it and see what all the hubbub was about. Now, with Gears 2, Epic has clearly stepped up their game beyond having the shiniest graphics engine in the land and are making concerted efforts in building character, story, mood and pacing. Gears 2 is a great game and a huge improvement over the original.