Gears of War 2 is a bit overrated. Upon its release in November 2008, the game received high marks from just about every game review site on the Internet. IGN rated it a 9.5, Gamespot 9.3, and even Metacritic awarded it a 93. Most of these numbers are based on reviews by critics, while user scores are slightly lower, which is ironic since the public usually rates stuff higher than the so-called professional critics. These numbers, both those of the critics and the public, are severely inflated. Gears of War 2 is more a 2 1/2 to 3 star game (out of four stars) or falling in the 75 to 85 range.
It is not a bad game, but at the same time it is not a great game. The story and dialogue are pure cheese. You are a marine type in a squad of other marine types all of which behave and speak like the typical jarhead marine type. The story is uneven and at times confusing. The big picture is never clear in the game, except perhaps with Dominic's wife Maria, and all the missions seem to blend together. The choice of weapons is meager. The default Lancer Assault Rifle, the trademark weapon of the COG military, specially equipped with a chainsaw bayonet for melee attacks, remains the best weapon in the game's arsenal. It is all downhill after the Lancer, though the Long Shot Sniper Rifle and the Frag Grenades are pretty cool.
The game play is a one trick pony, a punk song with a really great riff that burns itself into your psyche. This involves taking cover, shooting over or around said cover, usually a burned out car or the debris of bombed-out buildings, and slowly moving up until the opposing enemy is neutralized. Sometimes you get the chance to engage the enemy at close quarters and use the chainsaw bayonet to slice them in half from head through midsection in an explosion of blood, screams, and chainsaw torque. This in itself is worth the price of admission. But that is about it. There you have Gears of War in a nut-shell.
In an attempt to break up the monotony of this single-riff game play, Gears of War 2 has a lot of vehicle/on-rails sections, as well as puzzle/maze sections with such a minimal amount of player interaction they might as well be cut scenes. At one point, you are inside a giant worm, called a Riftworm, and are required to literally cut your way out by severing arteries with your chainsaw bayonet. This only requires going forward and pressing B at the appropriate times. The worst points in the game involve manning a turret and engaging in game play that was covered by Duck Hunt back in the 80s. Totally lame.
Despite its shortcomings, Gears of War 2 is a fun game overall and deserves a play-through by any respectable gamer. I look forward to Gears of War 3 and hope they can improve the single-riff game play and move the Gears of War brand ahead. As for the inflated reviews on the Internet, Gears of War 2 highlights the problem with game reviews across the board. They are always inflated, poorly represent the true quality of the games, and should be taken lightly.
