The Gears Keep Turning

I am partly through Gears of War 2, GoW2, so I will relate to anyone some of what is different, new, better or worse. The multiplayer side, a big part of many shooter type of games, recieved a complete overhaul from the previous version. The graphics and world remain stunning, even better with a new TV. They kept what worked with previous weapons and added some new flavors of weapons and definately increased the types of horde that you encounter.

Firstly the changes to multiplayer are huge. You now have the option of entering with a group of friends, and not having to search for the game created by someone. I'm sure there are glitches to be had and I already ran into people crying about the similarity between past maps and some of the new ones. Also I guess its not a good thing to have a Hammer of Dawn on the Day One map. Maybe you should be the group to get to it first then? I'm torn on whether chainsaw duels in multiplayer are a good thing, with lag and all, but I won both of the two I encountered so I'm not complaining!

The graphics are as good as ever, but they were outstanding in the first one. I do own a new TV and it makes everything more vivid and alive. The way the game flows and camera moves can make it really feel like you are in the fight. I an immerse myself in this world that is so different from ours and enjoy every moment of tearing the horse apart.

It is almost a given with a new game you will see new weapons and several old ones. Some of the old ones might be improved upon or taken out but I believe all of the old guns are present in GOW2, no removing a most loved weapon like the pistol from Halo Bungie! One of the new guns making a huge impact is the mortar. It definitely makes players aware if they are under cover knowing one of those are being lugged around the battlefield. Also a new trick of sticking grenades to a wall via a melee attack and turning them into proximity mines has huge uses. It is almost a critical mistake if you do not do this in a match with many teams or players. If you are playing wingman and you can not defend all avenues of approach, expecially if an enemy is to the front and you must concentrate, the proximity grenade can be an early warning system against rear or flanking attacks. Learn the different grenades and stickm to the walls.

New types of horde? There are quite a few, from a flamer packing locusts, to some mutated looking wretch, small suicide bombing bugs, Boomers now seem to carry more than just a rocket launcher, they can carry a huge gatling gun or you can fight a mauler that wields a flail and a shield. You can fire a pistol from behind the shield and keep in cover, but you don't see much from behind that piece o metal.

All in all, it is a fun and enjoyable game. See you online!