Gears of War 2 Reviews

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Gears of War 2 is what’s going to sell Xbox 360s this holiday season. It has non-stop action, fresh gameplay, varied environments, an engrossing storyline, multiplayer that will have people busy for years to come, and some of the nastiest and coolest kills I’ve seen in a videogame. It has its flaws when it comes to the technical side of multiplayer and the last act of the campaign and the voice acting might turn some off. Still, none of that comes close to holding back Gears of War 2 from its destiny: being one of the best games available on the Xbox 360.

IGN Ratings for Gears of War 2 (X360)

Rating	Description
out of 10
9.5	Presentation The menus are very reminiscent of the original but the story is handed to the player in an entirely new way. Gears 2 stays at a very high quality throughout. New kill cams are very cool.
9.5	Graphics Fantastic looking characters inhabit splendid worlds that feel truly alive. You’d be hard pressed to find a better looking game anywhere. Now if only they could fix the texture and framerate issues.
9.0	Sound The sound effects bring you into the action perfectly and Jablonsky delivered on the score in a big way. Voice acting could use some work.
9.5	Gameplay Some of the purest fun you’ll have. Instant gratification starts at level one and never lets up. It’s familiar for veterans of the first but throws in plenty to legitimize itself.
9.5	Lasting Appeal Supposing they can fix the few multiplayer issues, there’s nothing stopping Gears 2 from ruling Xbox Live for some time to come. The photo mode is a great addition, too.
9.5 Incredible	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

Other Site Reviews

• Giant Bomb (100/100): "All you really need to know is that Gears of War 2 is a terrific, kick-ass shooter with enough stuff in it to keep you busy for a pretty long time."
• Gamespy (100/100): "While it's certainly open to debate, we're going to go out on a limb and call Gears of War 2 the most visually impressive game of all-time."
• GameTrailers (95/100): "The game consistently manages to put impressive, holy crap-worthy stuff on-screen. Your ears get their fair share of candy, too. Voice work is almost always right on and the music is epic, foreboding, and dangerous."

[IGN]