Epic and Cliff Bleszinski have done it again. Gears of War 2 easily picks up on the best aspects of Gears of War 1 and takes it to the next level. This is not to say that there still aren’t a few annoyances and bugs mixed in, but overall this is a great improvement over the original title. Read on for more.

To start, the single player campaign is much more enveloping than the first Gears of War. This time around, there are two main elements to the story. First is obviously the continuing struggle against the Locust hordes. Those that finished it will remember that at the end of the first Gears of War, Marcus and friends dropped the Lightmass bomb in the hope it will obliterate the enemy below ground. Unfortunately, this does not end up being the case (as the opening sequence of Gears 2 shows us). Instead of killing them all, it pretty much just fires them up for more bloodshed. Now, there is a single human hold-out, Jacinto, though it can’t hold out for much longer. It is up to Marcus and the other COGs to prevent Jacinto from falling and thereby sealing Humanity’s fate. The other main story element, which I think adds a very human aspect to the game, is the search for Dom’s wife. Throughout the campaign, there are cut scenes and voice overs that flesh out the story of Dom’s wife and what has happened to her in the aftermath of all that has happened recently. It is not a pretty picture. She is missing and Dom will do anything and everything he can to find her. This whole plot line takes the story away from only being a run-and-gun, kill-em-all story and delves into one of the true horrors and consequences of war, which is not seen in most games of this genre.

While the voice acting is not the greatest by any means, it is still above average and at some points, highly entertaining. Marcus shouting out obscenities at anything that moves; Dizzy dropping one-liners that often times make you groan and laugh at that same time; and Tai waxing philosophic in the heat of battle all add to the overall atmosphere of Gears 2. Also adding to the atmosphere is the music. Gears 2 contains some of the best music in a video game I have ever heard. The quality of the score and intensity of the music really draws a player further into the storyline. This is exactly what top-of-the-line surround sound systems are meant for, so take full advantage if you can.

Even as the single player campaign is important to many people, the part of Gears 2 that interests most players is the multi-player aspect of the game. How does it play? Is it better than Gears 1? Will it have the longevity that games like Call of Duty 4 had? These are the questions that many people want answered. In a nutshell the answers are: great, yes, definitely yes. The playability of the multi-player is much improved over the first installment of this series. Action is smoother, the host advantage is all but eliminated (though there are moments when it starts to rear its ugly head if only for a second or two), and the addition of some new game modes all add up to hours and hours of time spent blissfully gunning for headshots.

There are still your standard Deathmatch games (Warzone and Execution, which are always good for hours of senseless, yet entertaining, violence). However, the new game modes are where the real fun happens. Wingman is similar to Execution in that all players have only one life per match. The change is that it is a two-on-two match style where points are added up over a series of matches. Since everyone only has one life, there is a certain level of strategy that needs to be adhered to. You can’t just run out guns blazing or you are almost guaranteed to be cut down in a matter of seconds leaving your partner to fend for himself. You have to work closely with your partner to ensure victory in the long run. Submission is a capture the flag style game where the flag is an AI controlled character that fights back. Essentially, the “flag” is a character stranded somewhere in the middle of the map. Your job, along with your team, is to capture and drag the stranded soldier back to your capture site. Unfortunately, he does not want to go with you (the stubborn S.O.B.) so you have to not only fight the opposing team for the flag, but you have to fight the flag itself. This definitely ratchets up the difficulty and excitement of this particular game mode.

The other online mode which is truly worth “the price of admission” is the Horde mode. In this mode, you and your team are placed in a map of your choosing against wave after wave of Locust (50 in all). The battles heat up as every 10 waves the Locust become more skilled and harder to kill. This is a bullet-ridden, blood-splattered, and adrenaline-cranked good time. You had better bring you’re A-game if you want to have any chance of making it through to the end (and gaining that lovely achievement). This match mode will literally take you hours to complete and most likely multiple tries to make it to the end (if you ever even manage to make it all the way). That being said, the frenzy that you experience while playing the Horde matches is unmatched in its simplicity and fun. You will want to keep playing and playing, guaranteed.

So, if you can’t tell by now, I like this game. In fact, I love it. This is by far one of the best games this year and it stands to reason that once again, a game with “Gears” and “War” in the title will be in the running for many awards, including Game of the Year. There are a few bugs and glitches you may run into from time to time, but don’t let that possibility steer you away from this game. Gears of War 2 is fast-paced, bloody, frenzied, beautiful to both look at and listen to, and is an absolute over the top joy to play. If you have not already done so, do yourself a favor and pick this game up and start killing some Locusts. You won’t be sorry you did.

Gears of War earns a much deserved 5 out of 5.

BTW: Check out the video below from Gametrailers.com for an awesome look at the sheer carnage available in Gears of War 2. A must see for those who haven’t played the game yet and a great video for those who have. It is enough to send shivers down my spine.