By Thomas Hodgson

The Gears in the Sky Keep on Turning

The gears have begun to turn once again. If Metal Gear Solid 4 is the reason to own a PS3, then Gears of War has always been the reason to own the Xbox. Its relentless style and aggression is only matched by one other multiplayer experience: Call of Duty 4. On November 7th, your Xbox was given meaning again.

Gears of War 2 returns bigger, badder, and more brutal than ever. But does that mean better? The single player campaign is breathtaking; this goes without saying or needing explanation. Saving humanity with an epic plot blah blah blah. Forward to the multiplayer, the reason millions of people will buy the game.

The original Gears was a simple multiplayer formula. With all the latest additions and tweaks to the weapons, they’ve turned a game of chess into Risk. The entire dynamic of the multiplayer experience has changed. The addition of a fifth player was a sight for sore eyes, and chainsaw duels are awesome, but with the balancing of the additions, it’s as if Epic has taken one step forward and a few steps back. Give me a moment to paint by number my initial reaction.

First, the new concussive smoke grenade will kill any buzz you have. I anticipated playing this game like I was a kid taking the bow off his brand new bike for Christmas. The new smoke grenade took that excitement and put it down behind the ol’ tool shed out back. As the saying goes, it is better to die on your feet than live on your knees, and Gears of War 2 doesn’t give you much of an option now.

Second, the new lancer has been Barry Bonded into a juiced-up beast. If you thought people had incentive to sit behind cover and apply their e-Kotexes before, wait ‘til you play the game now. Add to that the shotgun being toned down to complete and utter uselessness and your microphone and anyone on the other end is going to be your new therapist and verbal punching bag.

Third, you can’t choose what map and game type you want to play. Every game is voted upon by the players and you are constantly stuck playing matches which are everything but Warzone, the bread and butter of the Gears experience.

Lastly, the match making system is HORRENDOUS. Every able-bodied foreigner with a Dixie cup and string internet connection is always made host. Matches take 2-10 minutes to load and as prefaced in the paragraph above, not being able to even choose what I want to lag through is a sea’s worth of salt in a chainsaw wound. You need a party of 5 at all times or you’ll be spending more time waiting than you will playing. And only 8 rounds maximum? Really, Epic? Really?

On the brighter side of things, the new game mode Wingman, where five teams of two battle each other, is epic. The addition of the mortar, chain gun, gas grenade ~ all epic. Graphics ~ epic. And if there is one redeemable thing from the multiplayer experience, it’s that Horde lets you and 4 friends play against endless swarms of enemy Locust. It is the end all, be all of the definition of an enjoyable multiplayer experience.

Your time spent playing Gears of War 2 is really what you make of it. The game is basically that friend who went to college and came back different. You used to love hanging out with him and you really want to love him, but his new taste in indie bands and wearing scarves is just not your style. It will take you countless nights of soul searching to try to find some sort of common bond again with your old friend, but deep down inside, you still love him because he’s your friend after all.

In a year of incredible sequels that has seen the likes of Metal Gear Solid 4, Grand Theft Auto 4, and Fallout 3, Gears of War 2 ~ I am assuming ~ will have players just as torn as I am. It’s going to be a love/hate relationship. The single player campaign alone can’t elevate it to an incredible rating because ~ as much as it pains me to say ~ the multiplayer is a pretty big disappointment. I would go so far as to say that Gears 2 might even propel people back to the original. But let’s be realistic: you’re not not going to play Gears of War 2. What I will say is that expectations were set extremely high by the hype and the original so that in the process, the ones that belong to many beloved fans will fall short. The additions and adjustments are new, but it falls to the player to determine if they’ve been improved. Either way, I love Gears of War 2, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, ‘til death do us part.

So this holiday season, while chestnuts are roasting on an open fire and you’re playing Warzone on Gridlock in a sea of empty boxes and crumbled wrapping paper, join me, FeedusSandwich on Xbox Live, and I will assure you my chestnuts will be roasting on your face. Happy holidays!

Pros: Campaign is incredible; graphics are vivid and luscious; a gaming experience like no other

Cons: The multiplayer has changed dramatically and is not what people will be expecting; matchmaking system is deeply flawed and almost ruins the experience entirely