If Gears of War 2 (GoW2) looks and feels familiar to its predecessor that's because in many ways it is - that's kind of the point. Some game sequels will change the entire look of the game in an attempt to shake things up (see the new Prince of Persia, for an example), or do some other crazy things that disrupt the natural flow, control, or story of the game, provoking fans to pollute the blogosphere with profanity-ridden complaints by the million. Ok, so we do that anyway, but this would be more profanity-ridden complaining. Either way, GoW2 is not one of those sequels. What you get with Gears of War 2 is a polished, well-crafted game that appeases the millions who loved the first game and does much to attract a whole new slew of fans who maybe lived in a cave two years ago when everyone was raving about the original.

Chainsaw Gutting Never Looked So Good

   The expectation we have in these days of HDTV and Blu-Ray is that there should be a certain level of quality to our videogame graphics. Even with titles for the Wii you still want them to look good in their own cartoonish kind of way. The first Gears certainly did not disappoint but what about GoW2? Let's just say that if you have the opportunity to watch somebody else play, step back and really take a look. That exceptional quality you see - that's Cliffy B and the gang over at Epic Games sitting around for the last two years saying, "Dudes, how can we make this game look even more kickass?" Okay, so maybe they don't talk quite like that, but you get the idea. Maybe it was more like, "The exceptional quality rendered in the initial title must be improved, beep, borp." Who knows - the point is, everything from the character animations to the background environments, to the transitions of cut scenes to the in-game action is crisp and wonderfully detailed. Oh and there's that whole gore factor (no, not the global warming touting ex-VP). The gutting with the lancers, the curb stomping, the bleeding out - it's all beautifully displayed to the highest level of gross. Just the way it should be. For any parents reading this - that is just one of the reasons you shouldn't even think about getting this for the kids.

Oh no, it's the Whored!!! Oops, there goes that Freudian slip again...

Was That An Exploding Cockroach?

   Remember the big, ridiculously tough alien beast on the train at the end of the first Gears? And how hard it was to kill it with all the stuff coming at you? Well, say hello to your new nightmare - that thing pales in comparison to what they throw at you in Gears of War 2. For example, tickers - see header - have no particular pattern to them, run at you out of the dark, and have bombs strapped to them. Yeah, that's right, bombs. Talk about an insect infestation - they are small, they are annoying, and they really mess things up. GoW2 also musters up some seriously big badass aliens (some riding seriously giant alien dog creatures) that add a whole new level of excitement, intensity and difficulty to the game. As might be expected, there are also fresh new weapons both human and alien alike, as well as new vehicles, and of course, some unpleasantly dark locales where things can and will jump at you when you aren't looking. What, you want a warning? Well, this is it.

   As for the trademark cover system - it's not just about hiding behind walls and cement blocks anymore. This time around there are bullet resistant worms that act as moving cover (you have to see it to believe it!), nearly dead aliens handy for use as human shields, and then of course there are the actual shields (massive metal things pimped out King Arthur style) which you carry in one hand as you wield a killer pistol in the other. The rockworm has to be the coolest of the three (I am looking into getting one as a pet), and it's nice to have that variety in a game that originally did not always have the hiding spots you needed.

   And then there is just the sheer vastness and variety of the game. A lot of people complained that the first game lacked freshness in the levels. Well, the team listened, and props go out to Cliffy B's mad crew for giving you a ton of amazing environments and switching things up with vehicles, weather and intense battles everywhere and anywhere on this massive landscape. And for some icing on the COG cake, the solid sound effects (aliens, guns, and shrieks of imaginary female fans) are as good, if not better, the second time around. For all you lucky punks with spiky hair and a wall-rocking sound system, you may want to call the neighbors. This one gets loud.

Pappa's Got A Brand New Bag - of Multiplayer

   The GOW2 single player is a thoroughly rewarding experience. Exciting and immersive, you could easily lose yourself in this game and all its bloody glory. And once you are done, some fresh multiplayer modes and the always solid online co-op play ensure that you'll keep the game around for a bit instead of heading down to the game store for a trade. The most impressive (and easiest to just "jump into") of the multiplayer modes is undoubtedly the Horde mode. You and four other gamers join together and fight waves and waves (about 50 to be exact) of Locust Hordes doing your darndest best to stay alive until the next round. You know how you might come home after work some days, take one look at your girlfriend, and just want to go online and kill stuff? Then take a heaping help of the Horde mode (ka-ching on the alliteration!) and get your game on. The only thing that would make this and the other online modes rise even further above the competition is the upgrading and status boosts a la Halo and Call of Duty 4. But while you can argue the benefits of having or not having upgrades as rewards for online play (which is one of those debates that goes something like: "but what about the people that cheat and rank up in 1 day?" versus "but I like getting new stuff when I rank up!" versus "but Halo Mountain Dew tastes like candy flavored Robitussin mixed with Red Bull!") it certainly doesn't take away from the fun of GoW2.

Best Game Ever - Again?

   Depending on where you look, Gears of War 2 will undoubtedly have a variety of movie poster-like statements attached to it. "Stunningly Impressive," "A 10 out of 10," "Game of the Year," and "Quantum of Solace? Feh!" are only a handful of the exclamations you are likely to come across. As far as being Game of the Year, it's got some competition for sure, but that by no means makes it any less of a contender. In a year flush with sequels as well as some fresh new faces (Mirror's Edge, Left for Dead, Dead Space - wait, what's with all the death?), bullet for bullet GOW2 still nabs the trophy for taking an outstanding first game and making it outstandinger (no, that's not a word!).

   Will you play through it more than once? Yes. Will you a get a lot out of the multiplayer modes? Hell yes. Will they make yet another sequel? You'll have to decide on that one yourself, there'll be no spoilers here. But if they do, the problem will of course be the same as they faced with this one: how can you take something that was so great, and make it even better? Gears of War 2 answers that question 10 times over. What Epic accomplished here was a cliché, but notoriously difficult to execute feat: they took a title and kept it familiar, but addressed issues that everyone whined about the first time around. And then they beefed up the gameplay, story, visuals and online modes. And just to take it even further, they intensified the gaming experience and gave the sequel a good helping of its own identity. How many sequels in games or movies can do that? You can count them on two hands - maybe. Gears of War 2 has surpassed its predecessor to make it a standout title that will please fans and newcomers alike.

       ... Shawn Deena