Release Date:
Friday, November 7, 2008
Game Platform:
Xbox 360
Price: $69.99 (limited edition), $59.99 (game only)
The Skinny: Marcus Fenix and Co. return to Jacinto, humanity's last remaining center of refuge, with the hope of beating back a ressurected and now thriving Locust Horde.
The Good: In an election year loaded with the usual stretched truths and exaggerated credentials, everyone's had their fill of hyperbolic ramblings. So, excuse us when we say Gears 2 is our new Halo 3. If you're migrating from the first game, Marcus Fenix strings along all of his usual attitude adjusters, including a gold-plated chainsaw lancer for limited edition buyers. But, you'll also find a plethora of new gunslike the mulcher (a 500-bullet minigun) and the rain-down-hell-on-you mortar. The single-player will give you a healthy 10 to 12 hours of gameplay and features some of the largest boss battles we've ever seen. The meat and potatoes can be found in the new multiplayer modesour favorite at the moment is Horde, which pits you and four other players (offline or online) against increasingly harder waves of Locusts. The enemies get more accurate, more health, and inflict more damage the longer you hang in there.
The Bad: This game ruined Halloween. Instead of being outside, breathing in air, and ogling girls in sexy costumes, we were making heads explode with a sniper rifle. Thanks, Microsoft.
Maxim Tip: Horde is, by far, one of the hardest modes to conquer in the game. Our group of four had some success (level 36, bitches!) by finding an area of the map with narrow entrances and blocking them off by planting shields. The rest, my friends, is pure luck.
Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy it. Then buy this and scare the neighbors.
The Skinny: Marcus Fenix and Co. return to Jacinto, humanity's last remaining center of refuge, with the hope of beating back a ressurected and now thriving Locust Horde.
The Good: In an election year loaded with the usual stretched truths and exaggerated credentials, everyone's had their fill of hyperbolic ramblings. So, excuse us when we say Gears 2 is our new Halo 3. If you're migrating from the first game, Marcus Fenix strings along all of his usual attitude adjusters, including a gold-plated chainsaw lancer for limited edition buyers. But, you'll also find a plethora of new gunslike the mulcher (a 500-bullet minigun) and the rain-down-hell-on-you mortar. The single-player will give you a healthy 10 to 12 hours of gameplay and features some of the largest boss battles we've ever seen. The meat and potatoes can be found in the new multiplayer modesour favorite at the moment is Horde, which pits you and four other players (offline or online) against increasingly harder waves of Locusts. The enemies get more accurate, more health, and inflict more damage the longer you hang in there.
The Bad: This game ruined Halloween. Instead of being outside, breathing in air, and ogling girls in sexy costumes, we were making heads explode with a sniper rifle. Thanks, Microsoft.
Maxim Tip: Horde is, by far, one of the hardest modes to conquer in the game. Our group of four had some success (level 36, bitches!) by finding an area of the map with narrow entrances and blocking them off by planting shields. The rest, my friends, is pure luck.
Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy it. Then buy this and scare the neighbors.