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Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference was stacked with big games and Gears of War 2 was one of the biggest. Gears 2 is, of course, the sequel to one of the 360’s biggest games not involving Master Chief and the sequel looks poised to continue that success with better visuals, a more complete single-player story and new multiplayer modes.
One of the newly announced multiplayer modes in Gears of War 2 is Horde, a co-op mode where squads of five are placed with their backs to the wall and forced to endure endless waves of enemies. Each round a group of enemies will emerge, forcing your group into a kill or be killed situation. Between rounds, your group will have a short time to catch their breath and prep before the next group rears their ugly heads. Each wave of enemies will be harder than the last and come with different weapons and in different configurations. There’s no word on how many waves you’ll have to face, though it’s a fair bet that regardless of the number, it will be brutal.
On the single-player side, Gears 2 looks like it will stick to many of the same core mechanics found in the original, though it will also see a number of tweaks. The game is still based around the “stop and pop” cover-based gameplay found in the first game, though Gears 2 will add mobile cover.
Story was one of the more criticized elements of the first game and is one of the real focuses for Gears 2. The sequel takes place six months after the detonation of the Lightmass Bomb at the end of the first game. Though the bomb succeeded in killing a large number of Locusts, it wasn’t without a few side-effects. In the aftermath of the bomb, several humans began to show signs of a disease. The epidemic was enough to distract the diminished human population from the remaining Locusts, who managed to dig new tunnel systems and sinkholes under the last remaining human population centers.
The demo took place in one of these areas. After a short bit of narration by Marcus Fenix, it opened with the view of a city that has recently been swallowed by a massive sinkhole. The draw distance and other visual improvements, including a dash of color, are immediately noticeable. While the original had a more claustrophobic feel, Gears 2 features more open areas with a lot more going on in each.
As the duo worked their way through a crumbling building, they eventually ended up on a roof only to have it collapse under their feet. As the two fought their way through the streets and corridors, including a ride on a sideways elevator, several new enemies were shown as well as the new mobile cover mechanics, which include the ability to grab enemies and use them as shields, and a shield that can expand and stick in the ground. A massive Gatling gun was shown and quickly dispatched a large group of Locusts, but was no match for the giant Brumak, which Marcus suggests that he and Dom ride before the demo ended.
Gears of War 2 will release worldwide November 7. |
