***Official Gears of War 2 thread***

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
I'm a little disappointed in the difficulty level of this game.

GOW had three difficulty levels; Casual, Hardcor and Insane. GOW was one of the first games I played when I bought my 360 in October '07. I thought I'd have a difficult time adjusting to playing FPS on a console after several years of PC FPS gaming so I played GOW on 'Casual'. Several months ago, and many console FPS games later, I played GOW on 'Insane'. I loved it.

With GOW2 you now have four choices of difficulty; Casual, Normal, Hardcore and Insane. I started playing this one on Normal thinking that it'd be slightly more difficult than GOW's Casual, but the Normal difficulty in GOW2 seems to be easier than Casual on GOW. I wanted to start the game over on Hardcore, but I was towards the end of Act 2.

Anyone else agree?

i played through on hardcore co-op the first time through and thought it was just as hard as the first one on hardcore, if not harder. there were like 2-3 parts we had to repeatedly do, especialy this one part on act 4 which i didn't remember doing in part 1. some of the parts on rails were kind of annoying to replay too.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Is there a way to do split screen coop where the split is side-by-side instead of top/down?

I hate playing top/down split on a widescreen.

 

[shlemielo]

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five
Is there a way to do split screen coop where the split is side-by-side instead of top/down?

I hate playing top/down split on a widescreen.

I remember when Halo did the side-by-side view and I absolutely hated it. You have absolutely no peripheral vision. Anyway, to answer your question, I don't think GOW2 supports that view.

 

[pennylane]

Originally posted by: UpgradeFailure

Originally posted by: sygyzy

Originally posted by: UpgradeFailure

Originally posted by: mc866

Originally posted by: UpgradeFailure

Originally posted by: R Nilla
Awesome, my copy is waiting at my doorstep as of 10:46 AM. Amazon Release Date Delivery FTW!

Me too! I love Amazon so much. I was worried because i didnt get a shipping email til 9 PM last night. I :heart: Amazon

Did you have to pay extra for the release date delivery?

I did the Amazon thing too but opted for the free shipping which went USPS, I HATE USPS tracking by the way, you get two dates estimated date it's picked up, and the date it was delivered but this info doesn't show up till 3 days after it was delivered. Anyway the ETA date is the 10th, grrrrrr.

I'm an amazon prime member, and it's free for members. Otherwise I think it's like 6 bucks or so. They ship it overnight the day before.

This has nothing to do with prime. Amazon is shipping it to EVERYONE overnight for free. It's part of their "Release Date Guarantee"

Um no. To get the Release Date Guarantee, you have to pay extra for it (Or it's free with prime). It's shipped overnight then, the day before. Non prime members have to pay for it

I used free super saver shipping and I got my copy on the 6th, one day early. Shrugs.

 

[R Nilla]

Originally posted by: fanerman91
I used free super saver shipping and I got my copy on the 6th, one day early. Shrugs.

Nice!

 

[SneakyStuff]

Got it yesterday, after playing for awhile... WOW, the story mode is 100x better and horde mode is really cool!

 

[UpgradeFailure]

I'm lovin' it so far. The sound is fantastic too.

 

[blurredvision]

Got the game tonight at Circuit City, and got my raincheck for the free 1600 points card since they were out of them.

So far, everything about Gears 2 is better than the first. The character development is better, the originality is better, the graphics are better, the sound is better, and the overall gameplay is better. The pacing in Gears 2 is perfect so far in my play through the first 2 acts. Everything just feels so right. Just like the first game, this game again has a few of those "holy shit" moments, something that is so rare in games these days. Oh, and Gears 2 takes the gore/blood crown, hands down.

 

[R Nilla]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
Oh, and Gears 2 takes the gore/blood crown, hands down.

I don't see how anything could possibly get any bloodier than Act 2.

 

[sygyzy]

How come I am having such a hard time melee-ing? Can someone offer some tips? With what gun? Any. Try the Lancer.

 

[Kabob]

Beat it in one sitting (granted, one LONG sitting...)...adding my thoughts to my OP when I can.

 

[schizoid77]

I've been playing since Friday morning. Haven't finished it yet because I keep starting over with different friends at different difficulties - so far this game is exceeding my expectations greatly. Though on Normal, it's way way too easy.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: R Nilla

Originally posted by: blurredvision
Oh, and Gears 2 takes the gore/blood crown, hands down.

I don't see how anything could possibly get any bloodier than Act 2.

That's exactly what I was referencing.

 

[mesthead21]

How far has everyone gotten on Horde? I got to 29 last night and was pretty happy with that. Anyone want to try and beat it later tonight? Its much easier if you actually work as a team.

 

[mikehartl]

*SPOILER ALERT

My buddy and I got this game Friday night and beat the campaign on COOP. Was anyone else NOT impressed by this game?

Granted, it had its moments... but I felt that watching that ending movie I was seeing the EXACT same ending as Gears 1... a giant ass bomb goes off and a bunch of locust die but the queen survives. Also, did I miss something in the first game? (Played it through twice) what the hell happened to Adam Fenix? He came out of nowhere in Gears 2 and he is in the cliffhanger after the credits, but I have no idea what his involvement in the story was. He suggested they sink Jacinto... ok, but who the hell is he and why does his opinion matter?

I would have also liked an explanation why Fenix was in prison in the beginning of the first game. I guess I was expecting an explanation or flashback to flesh this out. Also I didn't like riding the Hydras or the Brumak. I mean it was fun for a minute or so to blow shit up riding the Brumak but after that it just felt like a gimmick or filler in the game.

Graphics were good on the game, sound was excellent and they did a good job with voice acting/etc. But the story is definitely lacking to me.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Originally posted by: mesthead21
How far has everyone gotten on Horde? I got to 29 last night and was pretty happy with that. Anyone want to try and beat it later tonight? Its much easier if you actually work as a team.

I've played waves 1-10 and 30-50. Gets pretty hard.... on Casual.

 

[Kabob]

Finished the review, if anyone else wants to add one just post it and I'll add it to the OP.

I started the campagn on Insane, it's definately tough although having someone help out by playing on normal difficulty helps (I didn't plan it that way, it was an annoying 11 year old but he kept quiet most of the time...).

As for Horde I've played waves 1-8 on Hardcore and we got through it pretty easily, but I had to leave after 8 so I dunno how much harder it gets. Having a team that works together is VERY nice. I joined a random game and everyone played as a team.







Spoilers (look away ye spoiler avoiders!)

Originally posted by: mikehartl
Granted, it had its moments... but I felt that watching that ending movie I was seeing the EXACT same ending as Gears 1... a giant ass bomb goes off and a bunch of locust die but the queen survives. Also, did I miss something in the first game? (Played it through twice) what the hell happened to Adam Fenix? He came out of nowhere in Gears 2 and he is in the cliffhanger after the credits, but I have no idea what his involvement in the story was. He suggested they sink Jacinto... ok, but who the hell is he and why does his opinion matter?

Crap, I actually didn't see the credits (I thought there'd be a movie at the end but I had to jet and didn't see what happened afterwards, MAN there were a ton of them!) Yeah, there was a big explosion at the end, but for a totally different purpose and in a different way. The bulk of the story is completely different, there are different objectives, different motives, and to helps flesh out what has happened before. Sure, stuff blows up in the end, but come on, how else do you want an action game like this to end? Marcus and the queen run out and start singing "It's raining men!" or something?

I would have also liked an explanation why Fenix was in prison in the beginning of the first game. I guess I was expecting an explanation or flashback to flesh this out. Also I didn't like riding the Hydras or the Brumak. I mean it was fun for a minute or so to blow shit up riding the Brumak but after that it just felt like a gimmick or filler in the game.

You learn why Marcus is in prison in the first game (well, at least in the booklet with the first game I think). Since I'll assume everyone has played the first I'll just tell ya. He's in prison because he was ordered by his commanders to go some place but found out that his father was in danger and instead of going to fight where he was told to he went to help dad...is that correct enough everyone? I think that's the long of the short...

I will agree with you on one thing, riding all the beasts did feel gimmicky. The Nemecyst was boring, and the Brumak, while cool for a minute, was also overdone in the end. I liked the idea that they are "bad" guys, not just random beasts you can control as well...





/spoilers

 

[Stuxnet]

I'm usually not much into campaigns (with the exception of COD4), so I usually try to get my money's worth out of the multiplayer. Am I the only one who is seriously put off by the matchmaking system? Is this system not the biggest pain in the ass since ... ever?

1. You must have 5v5 to start a game
2. People can't leave/enter once a match has started
3. Matchmaking takes anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes
4. After a match has ended, there's no lobby - the entire gathering simply terminates (which means you get to do #3 again after every single game)

What a royal PITA!!!

I'm glad they added bot support. Bot matches may not be as exciting, but they don't cause migraines.

 

[purbeast0]

i am having no issues with matchmaking, it works pretty much like any other matchmaking system i've used other than COD4, which would automatically search for the next games for you instead of eltting you choose a new gametype or not.

also you do not need 5 people to get matchmaking going, i've done it with every possible combination and you don't need to have 5 people to get it going.

kabob, how did you start on insane on campaign? you have to beat the game once before you unlock insane.

*SPOILER*

and i agree about some of the vehicles/creatures you are on. the "on rails" parts were my least favorite of this game and I could have done w/out a few of them. the end also was a disappointment. act 5 was so simple to complete and was not even a challenge, but w/that said, i had a ton of fun on that act. i just wanted a really tough leader like I had in gears1 with Raam, but that wasnt there at all. i played it on hardcore co-op my first go through and the end on this was even a joke.

 

[Kabob]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
i am having no issues with matchmaking, it works pretty much like any other matchmaking system i've used other than COD4, which would automatically search for the next games for you instead of eltting you choose a new gametype or not.

also you do not need 5 people to get matchmaking going, i've done it with every possible combination and you don't need to have 5 people to get it going.

kabob, how did you start on insane on campaign? you have to beat the game once before you unlock insane.

Nonono, I didn't start on insane, I beat it on normal and am going through it a 2nd time on insane.

I'm with jbourne on matchmaking, it can get frusterating. Sometimes it will just sit there looking for people, othertimes it finds a game instantly. Also, I hate how there is no "in the middle" multiplayer. Either you play public and can only bring up to 5 friends at a time or you play private and can only invite friends. I want a game like player matches in the first game where I can have several friends but random people can join as well...

Matchmaking could DEFINITLEY use a redo...and what's with the "it takes a while to cancel a search?"

 

[purbeast0]

yea i dunno i am not having any issues at all with it, it's basically the exact party system that Bungie used in Halo 2 and 3, which I thought was perfect.

 

[Queasy]

I have to say that I'm impressed at what the Unreal Engine is pulling off for Gears of War 2 graphically. From the <spoilers>rockworm's innards to especially the view at the underground lake. I was wowed last night when looking across the lake. Very nice.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
also you do not need 5 people to get matchmaking going, i've done it with every possible combination and you don't need to have 5 people to get it going.

Uhh... yes you do. A match *will not start* until it's 5v5 (unless you're making a private match). Also, what other matchmaking systems disband the entire lobby after a round? Why not exit everyone to a common lobby for a 30 second intermission, during which players can enter/leave? Furthermore, why not allow this during a match?

Ironically, they tried to keep games more fair by making it a pain to leave a match (you have to quit the game to do it - you can't just exit the match), but in doing so, they no longer allow people to enter. So if a couple guys do, in fact, decide they're done, you don't get new blood on your team and it ends up 5v3 or even worse.

Sorry, but this is not good.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Queasy
I have to say that I'm impressed at what the Unreal Engine is pulling off for Gears of War 2 graphically. From the <spoilers>rockworm's innards to especially the view at the underground lake. I was wowed last night when looking across the lake. Very nice.

Agreed. The visual fidelity of this game is off the charts.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: purbeast0
also you do not need 5 people to get matchmaking going, i've done it with every possible combination and you don't need to have 5 people to get it going.

Uhh... yes you do. A match *will not start* until it's 5v5 (unless you're making a private match). Also, what other matchmaking systems disband the entire lobby after a round? Why not exit everyone to a common lobby for a 30 second intermission, during which players can enter/leave? Furthermore, why not allow this during a match?

Ironically, they tried to keep games more fair by making it a pain to leave a match (you have to quit the game to do it - you can't just exit the match), but in doing so, they no longer allow people to enter. So if a couple guys do, in fact, decide they're done, you don't get new blood on your team and it ends up 5v3 or even worse.

Sorry, but this is not good.

First I think purbeast is referring to the fact that you can go into matchmaking with 1-5 people, and the game will find the rest of your team for you.

Second, I don't mind the lack of a post game lobby, most ranked matchmaking systems disband parties after every game, and even take measures to ensure players don't play each other time after time. This is because the point of ranked is to see how well you do against lots of people, not just one group.

The same goes for joining in the middle of a game, not usually allowed in ranked (wasn't in Gears 1 either).

I do wish they had host migration though.