Topic: Gears of War 2

[NWR_Lindy]

Anybody pick it up?  Great game, but if you didn't like the first one then you won't like this one.  It doesn't stray far from the original, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your tastes.

Some thoughts:

- Graphics are probably the best I've ever seen in a console game.  Textures are flawless, the environments are huge and spectacular (albeit mostly dingy), and it takes the first game and bumps everything up a notch.  MASSIVE enemies as well.

- Ultra-cheesy dialog.  My favorite (spoiler):

Marcus Fenix to HQ (said dead seriously and obviously supposed to be a horrible revelation) "Anya, it's a giant worm.  THEY'RE SINKING CITIES WITH GIANT WORMS!!!"  I almost died laughing.  It's like Steven Seagal and Bruce Willis co-wrote the script.

- It looks like you can only do two-player (online) co-op.  Is this right?  I could have sworn it was three or four.  I tried to drop in with two of my buddies on Friday afternoon and I couldn't connect to their session.

[Bill Aurion]

Anybody pick it up?  Great game, but if you didn't like the first one then you won't like this one.  It doesn't stray far from the original, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your tastes.

Pretty much like all sequels for the "shoot lots of things" genre tend to be...The first one was decent enough, particularly for the co-op, so I'll probably pick this up at the end of the year...

[DAaaMan64]

IDK man, there seems to be several little bugs, especially in the very orchestrated later acts. Also the AI can be very dumb.

But ya, it seems to be a good game. And by doesn't strays to far, you should say, it's almost identical to the first, with it's most important similarity being the price tag.

There is a very (actual spoilers)fucked up scene later in the game involving Maria. that was interesting...

However, I can't deny that GoW is a fun game it is.

[Caliban]

I got it. I never played the first game. So far it's an ok game, and by that I mean it's nothing special, but I have yet to complete the game, so my opinion might change.

Textures are flawless.

Flawless in which way?

[NWR_insanolord]

If I've never played either game which one should I get?

[NWR_Lindy]

In that they're SUPER detailed, even close-up.  Far better than what you see in most console games these days.

If you're looking for a pure adrenaline shooter, it definitely delivers.

Insanolord, definitely get Gears of War 2.  There are several annoying things from the first one (NPC guys on your team constantly dying like idiots, sparse checkpoints) that are fixed in GoW2, and the story really isn't that important (aliens are invading the earth, you have to kill everything, etc.).

[Bill Aurion]

Considering the sequel is merely a progression of the story, you should probably play the first one first... =)

Edit: OKAY FINE BE THAT WAY SILKS!

[DAaaMan64]

If you're looking for a pure adrenaline shooter, it definitely delivers.

This I can agree with.

Considering the sequel is merely a progression of the story, you should probably play the first one first... =)

Combine it with the cheaper first one, and you'll get what you were looking for at a cheaper price.

[Caliban]

In that they're SUPER detailed, even close-up.

I don't agree. You will notice that the armour textures are a little muddy, and that cutscene in the beginning of the game where there's this guy giving some speech to a bunch of gears/soldiers is quite bad in respects to graphics for a cutscene.

Maybe it's just me. I will play the beginning of the game again to make sure, but I am fairly certain of what I wrote.

Now don't get me wrong, I think the game looks great. I just think that a word like flawless should be used with upmost caution.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

uncanny

[NWR_Lindy]

OK, it's not flawless, it just looks better than virtually anything else I've ever seen that's not on a super-duper PC.  I thought the first Gears had amazing visuals too, so whatever.

I think Gears 2 is the way to go just for the fact that your squadmates aren't idiotic cannon fodder this time around.  In Gears 1 I had to resurrect Dom every 10 seconds.  I used to call him "Death Wish Dom" because if there was a Berserker around, he'd walk right up to and get demolished EVERY TIME.  It actually started to get in the way of the gameplay after a while.  Gears 2 has its annoyances, but they aren't nearly as pronounced as the first game.

[GoldenPhoenix]

How is the multiplayer in Gears of War 2?

[Schadenfreude]

Horde mode is a blast.

[NWR_Lindy]

I haven't tried it (still trying to chainsaw through the single-player), but I'd imagine it's pretty fun.  I've only heard good things about Horde mode.

[blackfootsteps]

Textures are flawless, the environments are huge and spectacular (albeit mostly dingy)...

Interestingly sometimes it doesn't fully load all the textures in a 2 player split screen session until 30 odd seconds into the match. It was quite strange to see that my character had a simple brown texture for his back, reminded me of really early 3-d games. You can also see the textures load in (especially the ground) while you wait for the match to start.

[NWR_Lindy]

Yep, I've seen that.  Maybe it streams the textures off the disc.  I've also seen graphical glitches where I'll kill an enemy, and their gun will stay hanging in mid-air.

[DAaaMan64]

YOU KNOW WHATS FUCKING ANNOYING IN THIS GAME?

THE D PAD.

You know how many times I've struggled in Horde mode just TRYING TO SELECT THE SHOTGUN. FARK

[NWR_Lindy]

I have no idea how Microsoft actually OK'd the garbage D-Pad on the 360 controller.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Like the console, they didn't test it.

[Bill Aurion]

The problem is that they were stupid enough to make the D-pad with FOUR directional inputs instead of EIGHT...Supposedly they are finally fixing that in new controllers, which makes me wonder why it took them SO DAMN LONG!

[Flames_of_chaos]

The problem is that they were stupid enough to make the D-pad with FOUR directional inputs instead of EIGHT...Supposedly they are finally fixing that in new controllers, which makes me wonder why it took them SO DAMN LONG!

Bill, the reason why the 360 Dpad is atrocious is because it's not built like a standard dpad, between the dpad it self and the button contacts there is a plastic disc spacer and another culprit is how thick they made the dpad wall that surrounds the controller.

[NWR_Lindy]

I still maintain that the Dualshock 3 is the best standard controller out there.  It's not the prettiest or the most ergonomic, but it's certainly the most functional across all traditional game types.

[KDR_11k]

I think the DS3 counts as an insult.

[NWR_insanolord]

I still maintain that the Dualshock 3 is the best standard controller out there.  It's not the prettiest or the most ergonomic, but it's certainly the most functional across all traditional game types.

Jack of all trades, master of none. I'd much rather have a 360 controller or a Wavebird for a 3D game and a horizontal Wiimote or Classic Controller for 2D.

[BranDonk Kong]

If you install GOW2 to the HDD the "hi-res" textures load instantly.