Dario on 14/11/2008 at 21:44

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Like the Dead Space (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123523) thread, this thread is for mini-reviews of Gears of War 2 (all are welcome to write one)... The other thread didn't get all that far, but maybe we'll open up the playing field a bit by allowing open discussion mixed in with the reviews. Just highlight reviews by putting a red "review" title in your post or something, so they're easier to spot.

Beware of spoilers...

REVIEW

Gameplay: 9.5
Emphasis:
- Violent 3rd-person combat against ugly monsters.
- Duck-and-cover mechanics, almost identical to Gears 1. (some new ways to get cover)
Failures:
- Annoying vehicular and "controlling the turret on the flying thing" sequences.
- Overblown variety of sequences (riding a vehicle one second, flying on a such-and-such creature the next, fighting in the bowels of a giant creature the next, etc).
- Game stress levels and tension are generally a lot higher than Gears 1, as most levels are high-tension (especially further into the game). The new enemies add plenty of stress to combat (in a bad way). If you play Gears 1 and 2 back-to-back (I did) you'll notice Gears 1 feels like relaxation in comparison to Gears 2. There are few simple fights in the game now, as even the simplest ones suddenly have enemies like Tickers, Flamethrowers, Boomers of all kinds, Reavers, and Bloodhounds (sigh) removing all sense of comfort that could be present in Gears 1. It seemed the designers had too many enemies to throw at you, and thought they had to throw at least half of them into each fight to keep you from falling asleep. Big mistake.

Graphics: 9.8/10
In the top one or two of best-looking games to date. Not as "realistic" as Crysis/COD4, but not trying to be. Art direction alone keeps jaws open at all times, especially in second half of game.

Sound: 8.8/10
- Leaps and bounds above Epic's Unreal games, but still has room to catch up with the games that just really, really nail the sound (BioShock, Dead Space, Thief, etc). Sound style is similar to Gears 1, just with a tons more variety of what you hear (bigger variety of weapons/explosions heard, lots of new enemy types shouting things, etc).

Story: 7
Much, much stronger plot than Gears 1 (sense of direction and sense of purpose is usually sky-high, especially further into the game), but still overridden with "stupid things" that keep it from being 8 or 9.

Cheese/Cliches: 8
Many sequences are DRIPPING with cheese, and in regard to action-cutscenes, the game generally has the IQ of 70's action-movies, or worse. Unlikely coincidences and feats are also in great supply.

Dialog: 8.5
- Could have been 10 if the direction of the voice-actors was better, and of course the writing. The game is abound in usually well-acted and interesting dialog, but at times either the voice-actors don't seem to know what mood their character is supposed to be in (sound angry when should be happy, etc), or they just have to say something really out of sync with what's happening. (ie, someone's wife or something dies in his arms, and a minute later he seems to have forgotten already)

Music: 7
- Decent, and very fitting at parts, but generally just doesn't float my boat. Tracks often sound weak and flimsy, when the game begs for something with more depth, bass, and power.

Overall: 9.5
- Very refreshing from the usual horde of FPS games, and loaded to the brim with quality and good presentation. In my opinion, far more worthwhile than FarCry2 and COD5 for anyone who's already played Crysis and COD4, and is hungry for something new.

june gloom on 15/11/2008 at 04:51

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And this is why you don't get to talk about Bioshock's story. Gears of War's dialogue makes Joss Whedon's dialogue look clever.

june gloom on 15/11/2008 at 05:25

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I'd have said it if it was someone else who'd made such a ridiculous statement. Aja just saved everyone else the trouble.

june gloom on 15/11/2008 at 07:25

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No actually you know what? That applies to the entirety of TTLG. We're all a bunch of judgemental dicks who like to think we're smarter than we are. So what's your point?

june gloom on 15/11/2008 at 07:33

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A mediocre third person shooter with a shit plot and worse dialogue?