The Official Gears of War 2 Catch-all

Personally I think the story is really good, it started a little slow but now I am into it... I guess I will hold finally judgement until the end.

S

Rob and I powered through the coop in Hardcore mode in a couple days. It was an absolute blast. The whole game is just such an excellent refinement of what made the first one good.

A worthy successor to the original and I'm sure it will have legs right up until the third one comes out.

ColdForged wrote:
Danjo Olivaw wrote:

The effectiveness of the chainsaw combined with the new way they mask lag pretty much breaks the adversarial mode. :(

How so? I haven't played yet and I assume it might be different from Gears 1 but to declare it broken seems harsh.

The range that the chainsaw works in and the limitations on how you can initiate sawing have be significantly reduced. One on one, the only effective way to defend yourself from someone that wants to saw you in two is a chainsaw duel. I found choosing a Hammerburst, my preferred weapon, to be suicidal, so I have to choose the Lancer.

I suspect this shift towards more sawing was to get their new chainsaw duel cropping up more often.

How can you tell what level your on? It isn't labled on the pause screen.

a2zGator wrote:

How can you tell what level your on? It isn't labled on the pause screen.

There's probably an easier way, but one way to do it is to check what you're currently playing via the Xbox Live website. If you log in and have a look at what your friends are playing, it'll list where they're up to, so the trick is to get the site to display that for yourself. One way to do that is to open the Clan's gamertag, and then look at its friends list -- you should be able to find yourself in there.

If anyone knows a better way, I'd like to hear it too

Wingman is bliss.

When I got playtime this weekend, I spent most of my time in campaign co-op. Enjoying the campaign with my son via co-op is a priority. We're still on Act III or IV, I forget.

I kept falling asleep too early to be able to join any of the late night multiplayer. I also played a few local bot matches and was really impressed with the bot AI routines. They are really well done, maybe the best I've ever seen in the 'convincingly human' category. Honestly, if I wasnt the one setting up the matches, I wouldn't know they were AI. (well, besides how they are named that is.) Oh yeah, the lack of trashtalking would be a give-away too. This gives my son and I a chance to enjoy simulated multi-player together.

Overall, I am loving Gears 2. It is definitely the more polished product, though part of the raw, constantly in-your-face action of Gears 1 was part of the draw for me. I can appreciate the variety of set piece encounters they added to the campaign this time around, but sometimes the variety and more frequent cut-scenes do pull me out of the core Gears action a bit. The pacing seems more conservative. It's not really a criticism, just different and I can appreciate their design intentions.

Gears 1 multiplayer had an unforgiving character to it, one that a player would either love or hate, Even Epic admits that Gears 1 multiplayer was a relatively late-add on during their first dev cycle. A feature that almost didnt make it, we were left with things like host advantage. Gears 2 multiplayer shows off what Epic can really do when they factor multiplayer into the their development priorities and project plan.

Gears 2 seems like the game that will just keep on giving. Between the campaign, co-op, online multi and offline multiplayer modes, there is a ton of value packed into that disc.

Really you liked the AI of the bots?

I watched a bot with a sniper rifle blind fire at no one until he was empty.

I didnt see that sniper example at all, though I dont think I was ever in camera mode following a sniper. Thats a very specific example so I'm curious to check out. Maybe it was suppressing fire? haha.

Yeah, I honestly had a good time and I'm not sure their skills are that different than a gaggle of late night drunken Gears adversaries.

Yeah I did a 10 on 10 match with 9 bots on insane.

I was shocked they covered boom well and put me down when I rushed it.
I spent the rest of the time watching them.

The sniper needs to be patched along with the torque bow bot.

I saw 2 bots screw that one up. 1 stuck his teammate the other blew himself up.

Was really funny.

WiredAsylum wrote:

I saw 2 bots screw that one up. 1 stuck his teammate the other blew himself up.

Was really funny.

You say that as if you've never seen me blow myself up or one of my mates...

WiredAsylum wrote:

Really you liked the AI of the bots?

I watched a bot with a sniper rifle blind fire at no one until he was empty.

Dom did this with me when I was playing single player. We were on a small platform and I had the shield up and was drawing fire. The two locust were concentrating completely on me and he was in back of them blind firing the sniper rifle from behind a barrier. I don't expect the AI to fight battles for me, but I purposely got out and became the target hoping he would get them from behind. Too much to ask.

So, mega spoilarz for those who have finished the campaign:

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]What do guys make of Niles' lab, and the Sires? I got a couple of war journal bits that make reference to testing, and a young female test subject, but I kept expecting the game to spoon feed me a better explanation and it never came. Are they trying to infer that the COG created the Locusts? Because they mention the age of the Nexus a few times, and how it seems to be too old to be a Locust stronghold, and that suggests to me that the Locusts were around for a very long time before Emergence Day. Maybe the COG created the Lambent Army? I mean, the Sires are evidence that they obviously created something monstrous, but I'm not quite making the connections that the game intends for us to make.[/color]

Podunk wrote:

So, mega spoilarz for those who have finished the campaign:

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]What do guys make of Niles' lab, and the Sires? I got a couple of war journal bits that make reference to testing, and a young female test subject, but I kept expecting the game to spoon feed me a better explanation and it never came. Are they trying to infer that the COG created the Locusts? Because they mention the age of the Nexus a few times, and how it seems to be too old to be a Locust stronghold, and that suggests to me that the Locusts were around for a very long time before Emergence Day. Maybe the COG created the Lambent Army? I mean, the Sires are evidence that they obviously created something monstrous, but I'm not quite making the connections that the game intends for us to make.[/color]

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]I originally thought they were implying that the COG created the Locust. I hoped for a little more resolution on this front at the end. They were constantly making comments as to the age of the facilities and not knowing how long the locust had been there. They also threw that teaser from the queen about Marcus' father. Meaning that he was involved in Niles' lab work? BTW, where was the note about the female test subject?[/color]

Certis wrote:

Rob and I powered through the coop in Hardcore mode in a couple days. It was an absolute blast. The whole game is just such an excellent refinement of what made the first one good.

A worthy successor to the original and I'm sure it will have legs right up until the third one comes out.

Is coop limited to two for the campaign or is it four?

RichyRambo wrote:
Certis wrote:

Rob and I powered through the coop in Hardcore mode in a couple days. It was an absolute blast. The whole game is just such an excellent refinement of what made the first one good.

A worthy successor to the original and I'm sure it will have legs right up until the third one comes out.

Is coop limited to two for the campaign or is it four?

2 player co-op same as gears 1

Public ranking from what I can tell is a mix of wins and losses as well as performance.

Also important to note, if you bail on a public match after it starts you loose about have a rank.

I watched myself bounce from rank 1 to rank 2 and played around with it.

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]Referencing the message after the credits: is his dad still alive or somehow living in the computer network. It sounded like he didn't approve of flooding the hollow. Did we somehow make things worse?[/color]

Finished the campaign last night. I have to ask:

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]Why did Dom kill Maria? They never explained exactly what was wrong with her. I know she had been tortured but she was still alive. That scene actually disturbed me a bit because it seemed like he did it for no apparently reason. Could she not recover? If so, why the hell didn't he say that? You don't just kill the woman you've been searching for and keep the reason a damn secret. Dom knows. Marcus knows. I don't.[/color]

CannibalCrowley wrote:
spoiler wrote:

[color=white]Referencing the message after the credits: is his dad still alive or somehow living in the computer network. It sounded like he didn't approve of flooding the hollow. Did we somehow make things worse?[/color]

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]Gears of War 3.

It was his idea to flood the hollow by taking down Jacinto in the first place. But he probably had some new information that he was unable to share with the Coalition in time. The way I understood his message, the COG screwed up.[/color]

[quote=Mystic Violet]Finished the campaign last night. I have to ask:

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]Why did Dom kill Maria? They never explained exactly what was wrong with her. I know she had been tortured but she was still alive. That scene actually disturbed me a bit because it seemed like he did it for no apparently reason. Could she not recover? If so, why the hell didn't he say that? You don't just kill the woman you've been searching for and keep the reason a damn secret. Dom knew. Marcus knew. I don't.[/color]

My take on this...

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]She was "broken" they showed this with Tai Kaliso in a previous scene. Basically a "she's in a better place now" scenerio. She would live out the rest of her life a a vegetable. It also think it (like the other main character deaths) was supposed tomake you "feel" somthing.[/color]

polypusher wrote:

Horde mode is great. I played that for like 4 hours today. 5 of us managed to get to wave 18.

I'm hating the story mode though. There's some cool, intense stuff but things like having to do the boss fight on the boat 10 times really killed the flow. Its not even that we couldnt figure out what to do on this stupid Metroid-inspired boss. Its bugs keeping us from doing them or getting us killed while trying to do them.

The innards / tomb raider level wasnt any fun either. Other than those two things none of the set pieces has been at all memorable either.

Yeah, that boat map was pretty buggy. I got stuck a few times at the front after lancering the tentacle at the very front. Like getting stuck to a wall in multiplayer except that I wasn't attached to any cover - just kind of hovering in the middle. I had a few grenades pop right back at me and go off immediately when I was throwing them at what should have been an "open place".

Mystic Violet wrote:
spoiler wrote:

[color=white]Why did Dom kill Maria? They never explained exactly what was wrong with her. I know she had been tortured but she was still alive. That scene actually disturbed me a bit because it seemed like he did it for no apparently reason. Could she not recover? If so, why the hell didn't he say that? You don't just kill the woman you've been searching for and keep the reason a damn secret. Dom knows. Marcus knows. I don't.[/color]

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]My take is that he was putting her out of her misery. Even if she could physically recover, imagine how broken she would be mentally.

My thoughts as it was happening were:
[list=1]
[*]1. I'd do the same thing.
[*]2. Wow, Dom carries the revolver.[/color]

I picked up my copy today. Expect to see me in Gears and Beers 2 soon-ish.

Mystic Violet wrote:

Finished the campaign last night. I have to ask:

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]Why did Dom kill Maria? They never explained exactly what was wrong with her. I know she had been tortured but she was still alive. That scene actually disturbed me a bit because it seemed like he did it for no apparently reason. Could she not recover? If so, why the hell didn't he say that? You don't just kill the woman you've been searching for and keep the reason a damn secret. Dom knows. Marcus knows. I don't.[/color]

[color=white]I liked the scene up to that part. I agree his reasons aren't communicated very well. It came across to me as some sort of macho "Gotta do what you gotta do" kinda thing. If Dom really cared for her that much he would have taken her to get help. Dom would not have given up on her.[/color]
souldaddy wrote:
[color=white]I liked the scene up to that part. I agree his reasons aren't communicated very well. It came across to me as some sort of macho "Gotta do what you gotta do" kinda thing. If Dom really cared for her that much he would have taken her to get help. Dom would not have given up on her.[/color]

I felt the same way.

I'm trying so hard to not get spoiled on this game, but man ya'll make it hard to resist picking it up.

souldaddy wrote:
[color=white]I liked the scene up to that part. I agree his reasons aren't communicated very well. It came across to me as some sort of macho "Gotta do what you gotta do" kinda thing. If Dom really cared for her that much he would have taken her to get help. Dom would not have given up on her.[/color]
spoilers wrote:

[color=white]Exactly. I felt the same way. The scene was great until he shot her. I actually paused the game and kept asking William "Why the fck did he shoot her?! She was still alive!" If that were my husband, I would've taken him to get medical attention. I would NEVER assume he couldn't be saved. Even if Maria was truly beyond help, you'd think Dom would've tried as hard as he could anyway. What the hell?

The scene was poorly implemented. No one can even tell me why he did it. People have an assumption as to why he blew her brains out but no one actually knows the reason. The Locust "broke" her. Okay. "Broke" her how? Torture doesn't equal beyond help. Since when are rescued torture victims just put out of their misery?[/color]

BTW:

spoilers wrote:

[color=white]Does anyone know what happened to Dizzy? After Dom and Marcus go underground, you never hear from him again. The main characters seem to have forgotten about him all the way to the finale too. Are we suppose to assume he's dead without anyone telling us what actually happened?[/color]

I am pretty miffed on the code for the map pack. Because I rented the game now I can't play on the other maps with everyone else. =\

Mystic Violet wrote:
[color=white]

The scene was poorly implemented. No one can even tell me why he did it. People have an assumption as to why he blew her brains out but no one actually knows the reason. The Locust "broke" her. Okay. "Broke" her how? Torture doesn't equal beyond help. Since when are rescued torture victims just put out of their misery?[/color]

BTW:

spoilers wrote:

[color=white]Does anyone know what happened to Dizzy? After Dom and Marcus go underground, you never hear from him again. The main characters seem to have forgotten about him all the way to the finale too. Are we suppose to assume he's dead without anyone telling us what actually happened?[/color]

spoilers wrote:

[color=white]I agree with you about both of these, They never mention what happened to the Maria or Tai when captured by the locus and I was wondering what happened to Dizzy but it's never explained, I thought it was strange because he never got a passing mention after, I wish there was something that would tell us.[/color]

Edwin wrote:

I am pretty miffed on the code for the map pack. Because I rented the game now I can't play on the other maps with everyone else. =

That sucks, but you should just taunt people who are playing on old maps this soon anyway. There are 10 new maps for people to play on, time to get out of the Stone Age!