GEARS OF WAR 2

DEVELOPER: EPIC GAMES PUBLISHER: MICROSOFT
PLATFORM: Xbox 360
RELEASE DATE November 7, 2008

GENRE THIRD-PERSON ACTION SHOOTER

OFFICIAL WEBSITE http://gearsofwar.xbox.com/AgeGate.htm

GEARS OF WAR 2I NEWS:

- Gears of War 2 Announced (IGN)

- Gears of War 2 Co-Op Detailed (TeamXbox)

- New Gears of War 2 Online Modes Revealed (Xbox360FanBoy)

- Gears of Books or Books of War, or Something...(EpicBattleAxe)

EPIC BATTLE AXE PREVIEW:

AXE FACTS: Gears of War 2 is developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 by Epic Games in Raleigh, N.C. and is the follow-up to the hugely successful best-seller Gear of War. The game will run on a heavily developed version of the Unreal 3 Engine with vastly improved physics and lighting capabilities.

The game will feature several returning characters (including Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago) in addition to new characters that join the squad. The plot begins six months after the end of the first Gears of War and will see the COG Delta Squad drilling underground to take the fight to the Locust (the game’s lead antagonists). Joshua Ortega (accomplished Comic Book writer) has been brought on to write the game’s story.

The game play in Gears of War 2 will remain consistent with the original while featuring all-new weapons, characters and enemies. Additionally, players will engage in chainsaw duels with either AI or human-controlled opponents when applicable and have the ability to use downed players as shields.

Returning multiplayer modes have been enhanced while complete new ones have been added, including “Horde”, which will allow up to five players to ward off swarms of attacking Locust.

MY SLICE (The Axe Wielder): I wasn’t a huge fan of the original Gears of War, but as a gamer I can certainly see why so many people were. Expect more of the same in Gears 2, but expect it to be bigger, better and more bad-ass. The game is shaping up to deliver exactly what fans of this series want although it will have to do just that in order to avoid being labeled “Gears of War 1.5”.

LOOKING FORWARD TO:
- New multiplayer modes
- A deeper story
- Bad-ass weapons
- Large scale battles
- Larger environments
- New tech
- Epic moments

CONCERNED ABOUT:
- Not enough new stuff
- Frame rate issues in large battle sequences
- Forced cinematic moments
- Length

EPIC BATTLE AXE REVIEW:

N/A (Available shortly after launch)

Gears of War 2 Around The Web:

VIDEO:

- Debut Gameplay Trailer (GameTrailers)

- E3 2008 Trailer (GameTrailers)

ARTICLES:

- Gears of War 2 Horde Hands-On (IGN)