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[angelfly]

The game is VERY similar to the original. I've only played one act of the singleplayer campaign and if it weren't for the coop I'd honeslty say it's a very boring experience.

Multiplayer is like the original just with less shotgun and sniper whoring and better netcode.

Horde mode is the one thing I think makes the game worth it. If you like modes like Bloody Palace in DMC4 or Terrorist Hunt in Rainbox Six you should enjoy horde mode.

Thanks, I don't have live so I won't be touching any of the multiplayer stuff (horde mode did look awesome though). I was really hoping the was really different from the first one, especislly after watching the clips on 1up show. I guess I'll be saving my money then.

 

[Papercuts]

Yeah, you're right some of the executions in the OP are wrong, I've just been too lazy (busy playing Gears) to fix them.

The manual might tell you exactly what weapons have the specific execution, otherwise just hit Y with every weapon when you have someone down and you'll either get a special execution or the 1-2-3 punch.

They count the B executions for a few weapons actually, I know them now.

Quick list:
1. B with most weapons for a simple bash over the head
2. B with Longshot (Looks just like the first one but is technically different for some reason)
3. B with Torque Bow
4. B with Gnasher
5. X with anything
6. A for a meatshield then X to snap the neck
7. Y with Torque Bow
8. Y with Long Shot
9. Y with a few different weapons for the 1-2-3 punch
10. Y with Boltok Pistol
11. Y with Boomshield

Chainsaws aren't counted, so here they are.

 

[drohne]

alright, just finished act 2, and HOLY SHIT ANY AND ALL COMPLAINTS RETRACTED. after the somewhat false start of that first act, it's done a terrific job of setting the core gears gameplay in a much richer and more eventful context than the first game's.

Spoiler

i guess the gears team liked dmc3, huh

ok, maybe one complaint: hardcore seems much easier than it was last time. but i guess that's what insane is for

 

[Halvie]

In my experience, no. And I know its not a connection problem on my end when I get almost zero lag on CoD4, Halo3, and other online games Ive rented like B:BC on ps3. But hey, it could be a freak occurance and may have just happened those 4 times, but Bullet lag was the main reason I quit GoW1, and if it stays like that, I'm just going to play with bots and maybe horde mode unless they get their netcode crap together.

@Aladuf: Maybe it was a weird occurance. I should try again, but if I get it again, I'll stick by my statement lol.

That is odd about COD4....one of the things I HATED about that game. Fucking get killed while shooting someone and the replay shows you not even shooting...HATED THAT

 

[Flunkie]

Yeah, finished the story earlier tonight. Wow. Never let up.

 

[angelfly]

alright, just finished act 2, and HOLY SHIT ANY AND ALL COMPLAINTS RETRACTED. after the somewhat false start of that first act, it's done a terrific job of setting the core gears gameplay in a much richer and more eventful context than the first game's.

Spoiler

i guess the gears team liked dmc3, huh

ok, maybe one complaint: hardcore seems much easier than it was last time. but i guess that's what insane is for

So the first act isn't any indication of the rest of the game?

 

[Chiggs]

So the first act isn't any indication of the rest of the game?

Hell no. Act 2 is incredible.

 

[Papercuts]

So the first act isn't any indication of the rest of the game?

I don't know when the first act technically ends, but it just gets better from there. It starts off slow and seems the exact same as the first gears, but once it kicks in, it doesn't stop.

 

[drohne]

i can't really say yet, but i definitely think act 2's a lot stronger

 

[Sectus]

That is odd about COD4....one of the things I HATED about that game. Fucking get killed while shooting someone and the replay shows you not even shooting...HATED THAT

That's just how online play works since most player actions are client side predicted. The exact same thing will happen to your opponent if he dies and watches the killcam.

It may not happen to the host (although it's a possibility depending on how the netcode works in detail), but the advantage is very small and it's just one more reason to try to flank enemies instead of mindlessly attacking them headon.

 

[Darklord]

How big is the single player? Same as Gears 1? So far I'm up to the first sighting of the massive creature(I'm guessing a boss later on?).

 

[ghostmind]

Horde mode FTMFW

 

[∀ Narayan]

I've done nothing else but play the single player. I'm not done yet, but very close to the end.

All I can say is - I'm very impressed.

 

[Buckethead]

So the first act isn't any indication of the rest of the game?

I just finished Act 3 and each act has found a way to top the prior one.

Comments about the end of Act 3:

Spoiler

Fuck that stupid fish. Fuck him up his stupid asses. Stupid A-Button wouldn't work properly to run so I'd end up getting eated. Grr.

 

[NullPointer]

Just to chime in with the rest, it starts off slow and very much like a Gears expansion. And then ...

...it starts ratcheting up the tempo and scale, and it goes from "holy shit" to "jesus batshit christ OMFG"... words I actually uttered on a few occasions.

Your movement speed is slower, aiming feels better and tighter, especially with the Lancer. Boltok took some getting used to but hot damn - I love the changes.

Graphics get so detailed my eyes start fucking with me after awhile - like some kind of HD crispness fatigue. I honestly don't think my eyes can take anything more detailed than this game. This is no complaint. Also love the subtle but very responsive depth of field effects.

I'm midway through Act 3 and this game not only beats, but seriously ups the ante on Gears 1 in every facet imaginable.

Tomorrow night is all about Horde mode.

So far, Xbox GOTY imho.

If I have any gripes so far, sometimes your objective can be counter-intuitive, leading to some trial and error moments. The difficulty also seems easier than the first game - I'm soloing on Hardcore and so far haven't run into anything too challenging.

 

[CitizenCope]

As others have said the campaign starts of pretty slow and reallly looks just like the original. After a couple of hours I really didn't think I was going to enjoy this installment. Let me tell you it takes such a change for the better about 90min to 2 hours into the campaign. WOW was I floored by some of these levels. What atmosphere, graphics, music etc...
This game is outstanding!!

 

[angelfly]

Well I guess I'll be picking it up after my class today (yeah a Saturday class )

 

[TaKeRx]

Well I guess I'll be picking it up after my class today (yeah a Saturday class )

oh god talk about saturday classes. I had them in my last semester. Never picking a class on saturday again.

 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Just ended a long ass session. My friend bought the game so I went and visited and we played through in co-op in one sitting. Great game. They took the formula of the first game, made minor enhancements to the gameplay and added a ton of environmental variety.

 

[Shoogoo]

So the first act isn't any indication of the rest of the game?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. Game take off at act2 and doesn't stop until late.

 

[painey]

This game is everything a sequel should be in terms of gameplay upgrades. The incredibly slick in game prompts that detail your achievement progress, the much less linear levels, the phenomenal level detail in the webstats that record everything you could ever want, the added OOMPH in the guns, the new enemies, game modes and weapons just seem so much better. This truly is a masterpiece.

 

[Randy Lanzarote]

Not sure if it was the same in Gears 1, but I like the fact that Seriously 2.0 achievement tracks kills from across all game modes. At first I thought it was beyond hte vast majority of people, but with SP and Horde racking up the kills it doesn't look that hard.

 

[Wollan]

Finished the game earlier and a had a few stabs at offline MP.

Cons:
- Music took a slight step back from original
- Like in UT3, vehicle controls are a bit iffy
- Refinements (technically, gameplay wise) are less dramatic then they use to be between a original game and it's sequel
- The game has apparent bugs unlike the original. Well over a dozen times my team mates would disappear or just not react. The game (mostly revolving around Act 1) has sections (not moments) with large slowdown. Several times I would be clinging to my team mates leg waiting ten sec for a revive and then die.
- First game had a better ending

Pros:
- Campaign is quite long and quite varied in locals, probably 50% longer than the original. Minus the ending the whole campaign feels very calorie rich and full
- Epic are scripting with the best of them, the game flows very elegantly
- The new main guns (the lancer and the new Locust main rifle) are very satisfying improvements. The flamethrower, artillery gun and portable minigun are good additions as well. This ties in with the game still being one of the more potent games released so far when it comes to actual thrill of combat. It is very satisfying.
- I miss the berserkers BUT the enemy variety is quite improved from the original. The Kantus is my new favorite (reminding me or Arch-Vile in Doom II)
- The sound side and combat dialogue is of very high quality. The dialogue specifically really points out that Gears is more of a moment-to-moment game

 

[GDJustin]

Made it to wave 30 in Horde... there's actually a pretty easy way to make it through waves on Day 1. Collect a couple shields, then head up onto one of the upper catwalks (the more protected one). Place the shields on the steps, and your position is extremely defensible. At the end of each wave, just leave one enemy alive while everyone runs around and restocks on ammo. Power weapons like the mortar and Hammer of Dawn spawn up with you.

The only downside is... when our group goes back and starts again at 31 we're going to be fucked, because we'll be respawning fresh, without our power weapons and, even worse, without our shields. IDK how we're going to make it, honestly. Shit is INSANE.

~~

Overall, I'm super-impressed with Gears 2. But honestly, I loved the first so much that they could have basically re-released the first game, just with some tweaks, and I would have been in heaven.

All I needed:
1) True matchmaking system
2) No more invincible executions or chainsaws
3) More more randomness in chainsaw duals.

...those are literally the only complaints I had with Gears 1. So... all the OTHER stuff in Gears 2 is just gravy, for me.

 

[Creamium]

Everybody seems to quote 'that's five, motherfuckers!' but I don't remember that point in the game... maybe I didn't pay attention or we were talking through it. Can someone give me some context here?

And yeah, Dom's emo angle is nothing short of ridiculous :lol

 

[Wollan]

Everybody seems to quote 'that's five, motherfuckers!' but I don't remember that point in the game... maybe I didn't pay attention or we were talking through it. Can someone give me some context here?

You get a sniper rifle and Markus asks

Spoiler

if anyone is up for some sniper practice (with a patrol going by much lower).

He counts the kills as you shoot them.
1
2
3
4
5 motherfucker!

The most hilarious moment in the game imho was when Carmine or Dom

Spoiler

mentioned rumors of the Locust originating from the moon.
'Supposedly they need to eat imulsion'
'They can eat shit and die for all I care' /Markus

Hilarious delivery.

 

[Sectus]

Made it to wave 30 in Horde... there's actually a pretty easy way to make it through waves on Day 1. Collect a couple shields, then head up onto one of the upper catwalks (the more protected one). Place the shields on the steps, and your position is extremely defensible. At the end of each wave, just leave one enemy alive while everyone runs around and restocks on ammo. Power weapons like the mortar and Hammer of Dawn spawn up with you.

The only downside is... when our group goes back and starts again at 31 we're going to be fucked, because we'll be respawning fresh, without our power weapons and, even worse, without our shields. IDK how we're going to make it, honestly. Shit is INSANE.

Isn't wave 31 identical to wave 1 just with tougher enemies? So that means just some drones and those monkey dog thingies I forgot the name of. Even with extra health and accuracy those should be easy to deal with using lancers.

That's one complaint I have with horde mode. Although it's a lot of fun, it's a bit of a disappointment there's actually only 10 different waves. I would love to have seen some more variety.

Day One and River seems to be some of the easiest maps for horde mode. Day One has the area you described (and if you have enough players, you can also place 2 people on the other balcony where a sniper rifle/bow spawns), and River has the 2 houses which are rather easy to defend along with sniper rifles and bows respawning. And the bridge has a mortar and boomshot you can pick up now and then.

 

[captain wow]

Any tips for taking out the brumak at the end of the derrick stage on insane?

Edit: NVM. I hate that whole sequence!

 

[Gowans]

Horde is so addicting... and time consuming

yeah I've played with a couple of groups of friends and spent to much time on it.

Hope this is what Left4Dead feels like.

 

[Papercuts]

Day One and River seems to be some of the easiest maps for horde mode. Day One has the area you described (and if you have enough players, you can also place 2 people on the other balcony where a sniper rifle/bow spawns), and River has the 2 houses which are rather easy to defend along with sniper rifles and bows respawning. And the bridge has a mortar and boomshot you can pick up now and then.

On wave 50 on River we were able to block the entrance to one of the cabins with 2 boomshields and pick off the bloodmounts. :lol

I've heard Security is the easiest if you get everyone in the center, but I haven't tried that map yet. Still, even if some maps are easier than others I want to try out a variety for a completely different experience each time.

 

[sado]

Matchmaking in this game is garbage. =\

 

[Sean]

BTW guys, make sure you don't skip the end credits there is a brief teaser for Gears 3.

End credits spoiler:

Spoiler

There's an audio message from Marcus's dad, Adam Fenix

.

 

[Edwood]

Matchmaking sucks ass.

Unless you have 5 people in your party to start, you spend more time waiting to play than actually playing.

I'll take all the lag in the first Gears over the garbage matchmaking system in Gears 2 any day.

 

[painey]

its a shame the achievements for the two games werent switched. Because of Horde mode the 100 kills achievements would be quite obtainable without becoming tedious. I find myself with more Longshot kills in 2 games of Horde than my entire time playing Gears 1.

 

[mandiller]

Complete end of game spoilers. Don't read unless you've finished:

Spoiler

So....The Locust were actually humans who were mutated by imulsion? The Queen hasn't come in contact with much imulsion, is that why she looks practically human? I had my suspicions, but the mutation of the burmak at the end sealed the deal that imulsion was the cause of the mutation into lucusts.

Where did the people who became the Locust come from originally? Perhaps the cities and they wandered underground?

Also, what do you think Marcus's father was talking about when he was shocked at Jacinto sinking into the hollow? Wasn't that his plan to begin with? Or was the Queen playing you all along into doing it?

 

[Insaniac]

"I GO YO BACK LIKE A BUTTCRACK"

 

[Llyranor]

Horde mode.

Wow.

Just wow.

Anyone who remotely liked Gears1 needs to get this game. GOTY for me is between this, and potentially L4D.

 

[guise]

yeah I've played with a couple of groups of friends and spent to much time on it.

Hope this is what Left4Dead feels like.

Likewise. Is it wrong that half the time i was playing Horde i was getting hyped for L4D

 

[Shoogoo]

Likewise. Is it wrong that half the time i was playing Horde i was getting hyped for L4D

Same here. Altough Gow2 is loadsatonsoffun there is still L4D hiding in my mind

 

[WrikaWrek]

The game confirms Goty status when Cole

Spoiler

starts blasting on the mike.

 

[Brashnir]

Played the first several levels of the game up through

Spoiler

killing the riftworm.

This game redefines the word badass. I expected it to be crazy, but jesus - I just can't wait to see what's next now. I don't get this way with videogames ever, really.

 

[Private Hoffman]

Phenomenal game. I felt engaged pretty much throughout. Definitely the shooter of the year, no question.

Environments were more diverse than the first title, there were lots of different color shades (nice mixture of warm and cold throughout) and the detail has been beefed up. Such a saturated look to the screen at all times.

And even though the game is pretty much one core gameplay mechanic repeated, Epic managed to switch things up a bit. Act 2

Spoiler

inside the worm. LOL. Only epic could pull that shit off.

If Uncharted and Gears can keep alternating years to quench my third person shooter thirst, I will be very happy

 

[Lakitu]

Completed it and fucking loved it. Was completely awesome from the get go. Just loved it.

 

[Router]

I cant believe that I complained when Clifford B Awesome first said that most of the game takes place underground. Its fucking beautiful down there!

 

[donkey show]

The game confirms Goty status when Cole

Spoiler

starts blasting on the mike.

:lol

That was freaking awesome. Also loved it when

Spoiler

Cole started going on about the juice again and Baird replied with an excellent delivery. Or when they finally saw the Queen and Cole was like, "I thought the queen was supposed to be some ugly ass bitch!" And I'll never forget Horsey.

Never change Cole Train, number 83 baby!

 

[robot]

Made it to level 27 on Hoarde after a 4 1/2 hour session. Locking your team inside the center laser area on the Security level is freakin awesome...feels like Night of the Living Dead or something.

 

[painey]

Made it to level 27 on Hoarde after a 4 1/2 hour session. Locking your team inside the center laser area on the Security level is freakin awesome...feels like Night of the Living Dead or something.

4.5 hours for level 27?! shiit, im never gunna get to 50. Just did a 55minute session in Security and we got to level 17 but one of our guys dropped out after 2 rounds so it was just the 4 of us. I love how every game you play is just so different, and so much better than the slow, dull 4v4 of the last game. Its non-stop action which is just what it should be.

 

[JB1981]

Horde is so addicting... and time consuming

Horde mode is better than I ever thought it would be. I don't even feel like playing multi or sp, for that matter.

It's just so damn good

 

[Spoo]

Been playing non-stop for about 10 hours (yikes!), and I haven't found 1 thing to be dissapointed about

I love the MP (it's even better than it was in GoW imo), Horde is plain awesome, and the Campaign coop is fucking UNBELIEVABLE sometimes.

60 bucks is a steal for this shit.

 

[Facism]

So is the matchmaking system good?

It's ok, but needs to be complemented with an unranked server browser nd actual competent Guest play.