A fun, intense, and explosive package that delivers well as a sequel to a groundbreaking game.
The bad: Host advantage is still sometimes a problem, players online sometimes use cheap moves, finding an online game can sometimes be tedious, certain game modes are very hard to play due to preference.
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Gears of War 2, released precisely two years after its predecessor, continues your role as protagonist Marcus Fenix, after the lightmass bomb didn't quite do the trick. Now, summer has turned to fall and winter is approaching, and the Locust Horde is badder than ever. In a whole new five-act campaign, taking you from the last untouched piece of human civilization, Jacinto, to the subterranean tunnels to the inside of a giant worm to the lair of the Locust Queen itself, the campaign is an adventure to live for. Sadly, you still can't do 4-players, and it is short as expected for a multiplayer-focused shooter, but still delivers the action fans had been expecting. You have your same weapons as before, such as the Snub Pistol, Lancer, Frag Grenades, etc. The hammerburst has changed though, firing slower, more powerful shots but still an automatic weapon nontheless. New weapons include a burst-firing Gourgon Pistol, Ink Grenades (which poison anyone around), and other heavy overencumbering items such as the Mulcher, a deadly gatling gun that could send an enemy into spectating before they can even know it, to a deadly Mortar and a Boomshield. Also, new execution moves have been added, including punching and kicking the downed enemy to even turning them into a meatshield (which yes, overencumbers you).
The multiplayer is what really turns this game into a game rather than the sample of the Unreal Engine 3 that the original game was. Instead of just four game modes (one which was seldom even played), Gears of War 2 has a plethora of different ways to put you in the online competition. You have your classic Warzone and Execution, where the object is simply elimination. Annex, which was added to the original game in April 2007, makes a return, as well as the PC-version exclusive from the last game, King of the Hill. The unpopular Assassination game mode has been replaced by Guardian, where in a Dr. Dodgeball-esque elimination game, the object is to first cut off the enemy team's respawns by killing their leader, and then eliminating them. Another game mode, Submission, is a twist on one-flag CTF using the game's new meatshield move. There's also Wingman, which is five teams of two players each, perfect for you and a friend alone. Lastly, there's Horde mode, in which a team of up to 5 players battles against waves of CPU-generated enemies. This can make for a lot of fun and achievements, as you can retry any wave you fail as well as start from any one of the 50 waves.
Unfortunately, the different game modes are grouped into different playlists, and the players have to vote for what they want. Execution and Warzone make one, and more often than not the players want Execution. Annex and King of the Hill are another, and you may be hard pressed to get into a game of KotH. What really is left out is Submission, since it is with Guardian and only once in a blue moon does it win the vote against it. Additionally, players will often complain as one stands out clearly against the others in kills, given that they are the host player.
If you are willing to shell out $20, you can have access to a plethora of new content through three map packs. All in all 14 new maps were released as part of DLC, from remakes of original Gears maps such as War Machine and Fuel Depot to various other maps set in parts of the campaign, including the Locust Highway. You'll also find lots of use playing Horde on these maps as you go for a total of 1750 gamerscore.
Overall Gears of War 2 is a good gaming package that shouldn't be overlooked. In both online and off, there is plenty of action to be had with some of the finest graphics around (hope you have an HDTV!)