Gears of War 2 - Semi-final Thoughts

I'm not sure whether I'm happy or angry about my experience with the last half of this game.

When last I talked about this game, I had mentioned that I was really frustrated with the first half of the game. I talked about the lame rail moments, the almost silly simplicity of the battles, and the fact that I almost didn't want to see the rest.

Thankfully, I did. Only because the last half of the game was farm more enjoyable. I finished the campaign with Mike yesterday, and he and I had similar thoughts: Why the hell wasn't the first half of the game as good as the last half.

Most of the battles of the last half of the game were much more fun than those of the first. The story was still fairly weak, although, unlike the second half of the first game, we knew why we were doing what we were doing, it was just for a really silly reason.

I will admit, though, that there was a moment in the game where I felt that they'd actually nailed a cinematic moment. It's not the sort of thing that you'd expect from a game like this, and if you play it, you'll know it when it hits you.

Admittedly, much of the 'camera' work in this game is much better than most, better than the first, although, like most games, they could really do with bringing on an actual director to help out. This is especially true with the GoW series, since they insist on showing you a cut scene for everything from major plot points to riding a platform down 8 feet. (I'm not making that last bit up, there is actually a cut scene that plays when you get on an elevator, it shows you going down about 8 feet, and the camera turns a bit. If done right, there might have been some value to it, but instead, it was just jarring and irritating.)

Now, I will say that the ending, especially the final 'boss battle', was unbelievably easy. We had actually completed the final battle, ready for the end, and it was a few seconds before we realized that it was actually over.

Still, from round about the middle of Act III to around the middle of Act VI there was a great deal of fun to be had. This leaves me with the question, why must we endure the first two and a half acts? I can't believe that the game couldn't be made so much better with some simple re-tooling. It's especially odd that those Acts, which are predominantly outside, could have been a great deal more fun if we'd been allowed to play in that environment the way Gears of War was meant to be played. I recall rolling by areas during rail-shooting portions that made we wish I could just get off the rails and enjoy them.

So, having enjoyed the last half of the game, am I willing to forgive the first half and recommend it as being a superior installment?

No.

No, I am not.

I've now logged a lot of hours playing the campaign, and plenty of hours playing Horde, and I'll say that they've made a lot of improvements to the title from the first that makes it more fun to play. Yet, I just can't condone the bad campaign mode. Had there been anything about the second half to the game that really blew me away, perhaps I'd be singing a different tune.

So, I'll make a compromise. I'll say that I will recommend the game to anyone that loves multiplayer, and gets their kicks from that. Anyone that will be valuing the game's price tag by the hours logged online playing various modes will love this game.

I, however, must base my opinion on the single player campaign, the mode that should be, by all rights and regards, the most polished and best that the game has to offer. Maybe that's wrong of me. Maybe I shouldn't be holding the single player campaign to such scrutiny.

But, that's my take on Gears of War 2.

I think that's it's worth noting that I have since played through Gears of War again. As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Sure, it has it's quirks, and there's a few areas that frustrate me, but I still enjoyed it all the way through.