User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3389 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. ConnorR
    Feb 10, 2010
    4
    Compared to the first Gears of War, I just thought this game was a massive let-down. The story just isn't 'compelling' like they claimed it to be, Horde Mode is fun at first, but ultimately dull and boring, and the multiplayer is what brings it down the most. I HATE the multiplayer, ever since I first played it. It just does nothing for me, I find it so repetitive and Compared to the first Gears of War, I just thought this game was a massive let-down. The story just isn't 'compelling' like they claimed it to be, Horde Mode is fun at first, but ultimately dull and boring, and the multiplayer is what brings it down the most. I HATE the multiplayer, ever since I first played it. It just does nothing for me, I find it so repetitive and boring, a real shame as the first Gears of War was one of my favourite games ever, and you may think there isn't much of a difference, but there really is. The game does have some positive aspects, overall, I did enjoy the campaign, it was just massively over-hyped though, and it nothing much was added to make it stand out further from the first game. Some of the new weapons are also decent, the mortar is a fine addition, as is the Gorgon pistol. Overall though, the game is quite poor, if you can pick it up cheap you might as well get it as I understand a lot of people really like the game, you could be one of those people, but for me, I just didn't enjoy it. Expand
  2. GrantC.
    Nov 8, 2008
    4
    Nothings changed really, without proper comparison you would think the graphics are the same, close up its just a load of messy lines. Some 'craters' in the floor are just images made to look like craters which is lame. Campaign is stupid with more or less the same bosses, and at some points going back to old school type games where you have to dodge walls that will crush you Nothings changed really, without proper comparison you would think the graphics are the same, close up its just a load of messy lines. Some 'craters' in the floor are just images made to look like craters which is lame. Campaign is stupid with more or less the same bosses, and at some points going back to old school type games where you have to dodge walls that will crush you and stuff like Lara Croft or Abes Odyssey and stuff like that. Really its the ONLY reason for me to dust off my Xbox and stop using it as a coffee table/radiator! And its not even that much different to Gears Of War 1. Expand
  3. timothydavis
    Nov 8, 2008
    4
    wow such a disapointment. while the horde is great and the story is actually very good the multiplayer was terrible. Really bad. I idnt stop playing gears 1 mutiplayer until gears 2 came out thats how good it was but i dont think that disc will go back in my xbox until a MAJOR patch is released.
  4. JustinB.
    Feb 16, 2009
    4
    It just isn't that fun. A game this visually stunning (save for the brown filter) shouldn't suffer from sluggish controls, cheesy dialog, and generally poor scenarios. Why people go gaga over this title is beyond my understanding but you can beet that any reviewer worth their salt would be willing to admit that this series still has room for improvement.
  5. StevieStevie
    Mar 7, 2009
    4
    Quite a dissapointment compared to the original. Graphics are good but discredits itself for using CGI. As for mutiplayer it is laggy and completely unbalanced. You can tell they rushed it for xmas. Worth getting if you don't like FPS and need online competition. Otherwise get a Call of Duty.
  6. PeterOmassi
    Nov 11, 2008
    4
    Using the A button for sprinting and going for cover is clunky and the gun play is boring... Eye popping visuals and buckets of blood is just the paint of the Turd . This is only my opinion and i found it boring. Get fallout 3 or fable 2 unless you are really desperate for another multi player experience witch isn't that really good. -The Broken Gamer
  7. BryanF.
    Nov 7, 2008
    4
    I give this game a 4 for one reason, its a complete copy of the first game, nothing has been improved, graphically it was enhanced but overall boring, just because I played the first one nonstop, this is just like buying gears of war 1. Not worth mmy money.
  8. MarkH
    Dec 15, 2008
    4
    This whole game is a joke. I dont pretend to be the best player, but the campaign was wayyyyy too easy. The only time you'll die is when you get an odd granade bounce, or more commonly during totally random on rails segments of the game, and this comes from playing hardcore first time through. thats ok though cuz if you're like me i could care less if the dialogue is cheezyThis whole game is a joke. I dont pretend to be the best player, but the campaign was wayyyyy too easy. The only time you'll die is when you get an odd granade bounce, or more commonly during totally random on rails segments of the game, and this comes from playing hardcore first time through. thats ok though cuz if you're like me i could care less if the dialogue is cheezy or if the last boss is a joke. the mulitplayer is where i spend most of my time when playing a game like this, and i'm sorry to say it's a complete waste of time. In the aproximately 5 hours i've spent in the mulitplayer i've maybe played 6 games each lasting an average of 4 minutes. can you guess what i was doing the rest of the time?.... feeling my blood pressure skyrocketing as im waiting to join a ****ing game, only to join and have half my team drop cuz of lag so i'm playing 2 against 5. As you could guess the match is a joke as they swarm and destroy. To sum up, rent to play the single player and you'll at least be entertained for a night, but unless you have the paitence of a saint stay as far away from the multiplayer as possible. I had such high hopes but so sadly dissapointed. i'm traiding for persona 4 woot! Expand
  9. jim
    Dec 21, 2008
    4
    Seriously, I don't understand the critics lovefest for this game. Very little is different from the 1st. Were they should have gone: destructable environments, make your own cover-they didn't. Its just a cheap carnival ride w/ little or no thought for the story or game play. On top of that it takes forever to get a game on line. Really, really puzzled why this got such goodSeriously, I don't understand the critics lovefest for this game. Very little is different from the 1st. Were they should have gone: destructable environments, make your own cover-they didn't. Its just a cheap carnival ride w/ little or no thought for the story or game play. On top of that it takes forever to get a game on line. Really, really puzzled why this got such good reviews!!?? Expand
  10. MikeT
    Jan 28, 2009
    4
    This game starts out great. The career was probably best carrer mode since halo 3. Horde was a great thing to add to this game too. Overall the game is really fun. But, when it comes to x-box live, get ready to tear your hair out! I am a major xbox live fan but this game is the WORST game for live. It has no server so whoever is host can lag around the whole game. Also, it kicks people This game starts out great. The career was probably best carrer mode since halo 3. Horde was a great thing to add to this game too. Overall the game is really fun. But, when it comes to x-box live, get ready to tear your hair out! I am a major xbox live fan but this game is the WORST game for live. It has no server so whoever is host can lag around the whole game. Also, it kicks people out of the game like chuck norris. So if you love playing you against five people. GO BUY GEARS! There should be a penalty for quiting out, And if epic doesn't want to fix that because the game lag's people out so much. Maybe they should fix all the problems? I have heard that the budget for this game was a good amount. But i dont know what happened to it. The multiplayer would be great but there is so many problems with it is ruins all the fun. This game is just about as bad as call of duty 5. What happened Epic? Expand
  11. Sablicious...
    Jun 26, 2009
    4
    A botched [non] effort of a sequel that LOOKED as if was destined to be a classic, but turned out a classic mess:
    -horrendous lag compared to the first game
    -atrociously slow matchmaking (expect to wait <30 minutes for a match to begin on occasions!) -lack of choice in on-line matches -bugs, glitche[r]s aplenty -major weapons balance-related issues -die-linear campaign -ockerish,
    A botched [non] effort of a sequel that LOOKED as if was destined to be a classic, but turned out a classic mess:
    -horrendous lag compared to the first game
    -atrociously slow matchmaking (expect to wait <30 minutes for a match to begin on occasions!)
    -lack of choice in on-line matches
    -bugs, glitche[r]s aplenty
    -major weapons balance-related issues
    -die-linear campaign
    -ockerish, brain-dead, cliched narrative
    -no customization/upgrades off-line of on.
    ...The list goes on.

    Only the most ardent, blinkered, gore hungry shooter fanboy could look past the game's myriad flaws and subscribe to the ~9 commercial reviews. The very fact that even 8 months post-release the game STILL suffers from many of its out-of-the-box shortcomings.

    Gears of War 2 is a stark example of what is meant by the trm 'cash-in'. For shame Cliffy Dweeb and co. For shame in ripping off your trusting fans. May the consumer backlash come the inevitable third title in the series force you to sell your wanky Lamborghini, you glorified drinks coaster monger. -_-
    Expand
  12. EdB
    Aug 12, 2009
    4
    What a sad waste of potential. Every penny spent by Epic on the development of this lumbering, clumsy game should have been spent instead on promoting and marketing their far superior Unreal Tournament III. But the very week of UT3's release, local retailers had shelves full of empty pre-order boxes for Gears2 while shoppers might be hard pressed to find a single copy of UT3 What a sad waste of potential. Every penny spent by Epic on the development of this lumbering, clumsy game should have been spent instead on promoting and marketing their far superior Unreal Tournament III. But the very week of UT3's release, local retailers had shelves full of empty pre-order boxes for Gears2 while shoppers might be hard pressed to find a single copy of UT3 displayed. I found one lone copy of UT3 hidden on a bottom shelf, spine out, the week of its release. Sure, the graphics in Gears2 are pretty. But the character movement and physics are a sad, frustrating joke. Titles like Halo, BioShock, Mass Effect, and Epic's own Unreal demonstrate that smooth character movement and entertaining, rewarding game physics are possible. But the juvenile Cliffy B and his team seem to favor gratuitous blood splatter effects and characters that seem like they're made of hardened cement to fluid game mechanics. And whose genius idea was it to have the A button be the default for both hiding and running? Half the time, your character jumps out into danger when you need him to hide, or slams up against a wall when you need him to sprint. I was looking forward to this game. But I'm sorry to have to give it an Epic Fail. Expand
  13. GavinH
    Nov 24, 2008
    4
    I once WAS a hardcore gears of war fan and gears2 has changed all that. The single player is bigger but not much better, more of the same to be honest. Which isn't all that bad i suppose. The multiplayer is where gears 2 just completely falls apart. Some may argue that the new additions like chainsaw duels, the new game modes the new weapons make gears2 multiplayer better than the I once WAS a hardcore gears of war fan and gears2 has changed all that. The single player is bigger but not much better, more of the same to be honest. Which isn't all that bad i suppose. The multiplayer is where gears 2 just completely falls apart. Some may argue that the new additions like chainsaw duels, the new game modes the new weapons make gears2 multiplayer better than the first. I'm afraid that this is bullplop! First the matchmaking is a disaster you spend more time trying to find players to play with, than actually playing the game.Then after you finally get to play and the match is over you must repeat this process again. This also removes any rivalries or personal battles between players you used to find in gears1. I could write a novel on how bad the multiplayer is but I'm not wasting any more of my time with this game. Basically if you loved how gears1played you will not like gears 2 (no matter how much you try to), it is a shadow of its former self, frustrating for all the wrong reasons. I'll see yas all back on gears 1! Expand
  14. May 29, 2011
    4
    They took everything I liked from the first Gears of War and butchered it. Movement is clingy, matchmaking online is awful, and the shotguns have been dumbed down to an embarassing level. This only gets points for the Horde mode, which is fun with friends, and for a pretty enjoyable single player campaign (although it's very short at approx. 6 hours). But multiplayer is where thisThey took everything I liked from the first Gears of War and butchered it. Movement is clingy, matchmaking online is awful, and the shotguns have been dumbed down to an embarassing level. This only gets points for the Horde mode, which is fun with friends, and for a pretty enjoyable single player campaign (although it's very short at approx. 6 hours). But multiplayer is where this series lives, and I can't bring myself to play it online again. Expand
  15. May 6, 2011
    4
    Sure its got some amazing graphics, but this isnt anything i havent played before. Throw in extremely linear, one dimensional gameplay, zero exposition , and a messy control scheme, and what you get is an terribly overrated piece of garbage. Its very hard to believe this recieved such high ratings- i smell a payoff.
  16. May 12, 2011
    4
    I don't think I've been so let down by a game before, all of my friends kept telling me how great this game was and that I would absolutely love it and HAD to pick it up... so I did, and it just didn't do it for me... the graphics are really nice, but I've always enjoyed gameplay over graphics and I think too many first/third person shooters rely on graphics rather than quality gameplayI don't think I've been so let down by a game before, all of my friends kept telling me how great this game was and that I would absolutely love it and HAD to pick it up... so I did, and it just didn't do it for me... the graphics are really nice, but I've always enjoyed gameplay over graphics and I think too many first/third person shooters rely on graphics rather than quality gameplay and this was just another of the many for me. I found the movement too slow and firing the weapons is just not that satisfying, they feel really underpowered even when you're blowing something's head off from point blank. Even playing with friend's on horde mode was just meh... it's just an average take on cod's infinitely better zombie mode. Maybe I was just expecting too much, but sadly a big let down for me. Expand
  17. RickS
    Jul 26, 2009
    3
    JULY 25, 2009 and this game is still horrible. You have a brother or sister or GF or Wife whatever, that plays with you split screen, right? So your thinking well the Campaign was fun(THE WHOLE 5 HOURS OF IT), lets all play multiplayer together, This game is by far the worst multiplayer game on the market right now, if you ask even the people playing it on live(yes JULY 2009), they will JULY 25, 2009 and this game is still horrible. You have a brother or sister or GF or Wife whatever, that plays with you split screen, right? So your thinking well the Campaign was fun(THE WHOLE 5 HOURS OF IT), lets all play multiplayer together, This game is by far the worst multiplayer game on the market right now, if you ask even the people playing it on live(yes JULY 2009), they will tell you there not buying Gears 3. . First Horde gets boring after maybe 4 play throughs, the campaign itself is so short i thought it needed to be an add-on not a whole damn game, next and the biggest load of $h!t in this game is the multiplayer, LAG EVERY MATCH, IF HOST LEAVE YOU GET NOTHING, Thats right you could get 20 kills and your in a party, if a host leaves the match, everyone is back at the main menu screen, this means you have invite everyone back in, start up matchmaking and wait 4 too 5 mins again EACH MATCH. ARE YOU INSANE, if i play 5 games, i actually sat in my chair and steered at the screen for almost 25 minutes doing nothing! People don't seem to realize that i'm paying for xbox live every month, so when i buy a game i expect the multiplayer to be atleast playable, i'm not buying half of the game, NO, I WILL NOT JUST SETTLE FOR THE Campaign/Story. COD 4 got multiplayer so perfect, why god infinity ward did not put splitscreen why?. Gears of War 2 Weapon spawning is horrid, GLITCHES IN PICKING UP WEAPONS, glitches in running/jumping over walls/taking cover,Shotgun and Lancer rifle is all you play with, YOU HAVE TO OUT RUN YOUR OWN TEAM MEMBERS TO GET A DECENT GUN(sniper,torque bow,boomshot). 80 percent of all matches comes down to a shotgun fest, that is so inconsistent it boggles the mind, i can sometimes explode my enemy with one shot 4 feet away, sometimes 3 shots to the back of an enemy with my shotgun does nothing, he turns around and 2-pieces me(melee and then shoot). The community itself in Gears Of War 2 is very frustrating, everyone seems to be frustrated and angry, and i really can't blame them, the game is not rewarding anymore, its basically-mad dash to get CHEESE big gun, kill 4 people with big gun, pull out your shotgun, wait for big cheesy gun to spawn, do it all over again, mean while getting cursed at, from some of the stupidest people on xbox live. IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT ENJOYS TIME SPENT WITH YOU AND VIDEO GAMES DON'T PUT THEM THROUGH THIS GAME. I PROMISE YOU I AM NOT BUYING GEARS OF WAR 3. Expand
  18. RichardM
    Aug 4, 2009
    3
    Sure, the graphics are better. This is the only good thing. Every other aspect of GOW2 has degraded. Here is why. (Balance) In GOW1, each act was played in specific environments. It was balanced, and it flowed quite nicely. GOW2 however, fluctuates in every act. It is completely unbalanced. Each act takes you to different environment that become tedious to play in. You're alternating Sure, the graphics are better. This is the only good thing. Every other aspect of GOW2 has degraded. Here is why. (Balance) In GOW1, each act was played in specific environments. It was balanced, and it flowed quite nicely. GOW2 however, fluctuates in every act. It is completely unbalanced. Each act takes you to different environment that become tedious to play in. You're alternating from underground to surface. Each act should be dedicated to a particular area, or at least not take us so abruptly to different places. (Feeling) The music is different, the voice acting is horribly, it's corny, the story has elements that shreds it to pieces, etc. It's as if Epic had a last minute thought to add a love side plot to the story. It's poorly executed (voice acting makes it laughable); I waited and waited for it to be over. The scale of GOW2 is quite larger. This however, is impaired by the linear gameplay that limits your "interaction" with the many enemies. When enemies are plentiful, you'll either be contained within a vehicle, or stuck behind a wall. The battles are longer and larger on the normal skirmishes, I can't deny. (Gameplay) The environments weren't enjoyable to play in. You were limited many times by being on vehicles, in boats, on reavers, etc. Freedom is why we play games. Memorable environments included the last act, when I was starting to enjoy it. The battle system is still intact. It's improved with new features. New enemies are just not as fun to defeat as you'd think they'd be. After shooting 100 bullets into one of them, they finally fall. It becomes repetitive and boring after awhile. In fact, the only thing that kept me going were the achievements. Weapons feel weaker, compared to the first game. GOW2 is FULL of bugs. Brumaks float in the air after defeat, enemies paralyze straight in front of you, enemies don't hurt you, etc. After 2 minutes, you know exactly what your enemy will do and what pattern he will follow (run at you, run back, jump over wall, stand straight up, headshot.) (Multiplayer) Need I even say how horrendously the multiplayer fails? 10 minutes just to find 1 game, lag in %80 of games, host leaves %60 of games, glitches on every corner, etc. It's just said. I loved the first game. GOW1 was amazingly done, and even though the multiplayer had the downfall of host advantage; it was crazily fun. The game did become repetitive, but not on the scale of GOW2. The multiplayer is barely playable! The campaign is the only thing this game has going for itself, and even that is poor. I just can't like this game... Expand
  19. AnthonyS.
    Sep 20, 2009
    3
    this game is a 3 at BEST. Yeah the graphics are spectacular. But if it weren't for the graphics or the awesome campaign, this would be a 1. Ppl buy to game for the multiplayer, and let me tell ya, it is the WORTS multiplayer game on the market today. WAY overrated. Epic is just a bunch of lazy bums sitting around hearing evryone complain about the million flaws of this game and here this game is a 3 at BEST. Yeah the graphics are spectacular. But if it weren't for the graphics or the awesome campaign, this would be a 1. Ppl buy to game for the multiplayer, and let me tell ya, it is the WORTS multiplayer game on the market today. WAY overrated. Epic is just a bunch of lazy bums sitting around hearing evryone complain about the million flaws of this game and here they are sitting and doing nothing about with all the money they have. JUST the Host powers itself are enough to give this game an epic fail, not to mention all the bugs and the poor public gameplay. Ill admit though, it can be fun when you're having a good day on that game but that's just cuz i didnt buy it, I borrowed it from a friend. If i bought it id just sell it back. This game is pure trash. Call of Duty's the way to go. And it just gives me giggles to hear all the ppl that think this game is good to go on and on about whats so great about it. And for realism? LOL trust me, if you shoot a guy 3 times point blank with a shotgun, he's gonna be down before he gets one off to just insta kill you. Expand
  20. RyanB
    Jan 27, 2010
    3
    Just as repetitive as the last, only enhanced with better graphics. You may want to pick it up just so you can continue the story but i don't advise paying more than £10 ($20) for it. So is not worth it.
  21. GoozeI.
    Oct 6, 2009
    3
    i bought gears 1 for the online as did everyone then i bought gears 2 and the online was pathetic but gears 2 got the campaign pacing right not much story but great pacing. its so bad that i have came to the conclusion that the game was simply rushed and not finished
  22. angryperson
    Mar 2, 2009
    3
    Wow, 93? this game deserves to be in low to mid 80s! god this just goes to show that most gaming critics these days are xbox humpers, killzone 2 is 10 times better than this piece of crap sequal. but yet kz2 only got a 91, hm i bet if killzone was on the xbox it would have gotten a 95 or more.
  23. FelixS.
    Nov 19, 2008
    3
    the online game play is flat out terrible. The game doesn't require skill from players anymore, all it requires is a smoke grenade (which should be renamed: the 10-second-stun-grenade-with-some-smoke) and the ability to find the B button on your controller. the matchmaking system is even worse than ever. Finding a match can take forever and when you finally do find one you most the online game play is flat out terrible. The game doesn't require skill from players anymore, all it requires is a smoke grenade (which should be renamed: the 10-second-stun-grenade-with-some-smoke) and the ability to find the B button on your controller. the matchmaking system is even worse than ever. Finding a match can take forever and when you finally do find one you most likely won't play the map you wanted to play nor the match type. In GOW1 players used to be able to INDIVIDUALLY choose their own match preference and map, but now other players choose for you. It's like they created this game so even the worst players could get some points, which is absolutely retarded. the shotgun doesn't shoot when you press the right trigger for some very dumb and odd reason, and when the shotgun finally does shoot it'll take another 3 seconds before you can shoot it again which gives the opposing player enough time to walk up to you with a revving chainsaw from 10 feet away and chainsaw you. Even a direct shot to somebody's face with a shotgun while they're revving the chainsaw wont stop it from getting you. What I'm trying to say is that they took a game with great potential and turned it into frustration, annoyance, irritation, and a lot of omg's. you might find yourself playing gow1 again. Expand
  24. .gbrl
    Nov 25, 2008
    3
    the game might have good graphics and some interesting gameplay, but that doesn't justify the game centered around graphic violence and a badly written soap opera story, i got tired of the characters in single plaer and mp seem filled with idiots who only want to kill you with the chainsaw so they can rub it in your face, and the game seem designed for this. I can see this game has athe game might have good graphics and some interesting gameplay, but that doesn't justify the game centered around graphic violence and a badly written soap opera story, i got tired of the characters in single plaer and mp seem filled with idiots who only want to kill you with the chainsaw so they can rub it in your face, and the game seem designed for this. I can see this game has a lot of effort on it, but for me it's aiming at the wrong direction, and maybe with another goal in mind that being the next blockbuster by implementing violence just for the shock-value of it...... Expand
  25. AlbertV
    May 5, 2009
    2
    Duck and Cover, Duck and Cover. And more Duck and cover with Bugs. Lag Online only with 5vs5. Hmm, hmm, poor game. Have good graphics, but are not the best. Crysis have better Graphics than that.
  26. JohnKristic
    Nov 7, 2008
    2
    Ok, I loved the first game and thought this would be pretty good too. I was seriously mistaken. Frame rate issues, texture glitches, same old same old gameplay, horrible story, extremely short single player mode, horrible voice acting. Most importantly, my 360 keeps freezing and restarting itself whenever I play this game for more than an hour. It's really weird. Anyway, go out andOk, I loved the first game and thought this would be pretty good too. I was seriously mistaken. Frame rate issues, texture glitches, same old same old gameplay, horrible story, extremely short single player mode, horrible voice acting. Most importantly, my 360 keeps freezing and restarting itself whenever I play this game for more than an hour. It's really weird. Anyway, go out and buy Fable II instead - it is a FAR greater game. Expand
  27. Darren
    Nov 8, 2008
    2
    This was the worst game I have played this year. This was a total turn around from the first GOW. I dont know why they had to add so much unnecessary plot... No one wants to fight a giant worm, they want to fight the locust. In my opinion the developers stole every idea from Halo and tried to incorporate it with the previous GOW... I was not even close the the caliber of Halo now. Do not This was the worst game I have played this year. This was a total turn around from the first GOW. I dont know why they had to add so much unnecessary plot... No one wants to fight a giant worm, they want to fight the locust. In my opinion the developers stole every idea from Halo and tried to incorporate it with the previous GOW... I was not even close the the caliber of Halo now. Do not buy this game. Expand
  28. samblackburn
    Jul 15, 2009
    2
    while gears of war 2's campaign is entertaining all be it short the multiplayer is what the original such a successful game and epic have done there utmost to destroy the best part of there game. i can't imagine gears 3 getting any better. if you were a fan of the first stay well away
  29. AliS.
    Nov 7, 2008
    2
    The graphics is better on this reiteration but the gameplay is still very much the same. Basically hide,shoot,hide,next part. The story is nonexistent and unrealistic and the character models are still very steroidtypical exaggearated. Multiplayer is great but for singel player it is quite short and people buy it for single player not neccessariyl multiplayer
  30. dubB
    Nov 24, 2008
    2
    the co-op campaign is entertaining, briefly. but the ending is a huge let down, and it is very easy to beat. the plot is poorly developed, and there really aren't any big changes from the first game in terms of play or weapons.

    the multiplayer is awful as usual. very awkward shooter online. COD and Left 4 Dead are 100 times better online
Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 90 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 90 out of 90
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 90
  3. Negative: 0 out of 90
  1. There are very few ways that Gears of War 2 could be improved on. Only the story and the final boss in particular are a slight disappointment. Fanboys will love the fact that only one of a multitude of story arcs is concluded; everyone else will feel slightly unfulfilled. But aside from this, Gears 2 is not just the most exhilarating game you'll play this year, but possibly the most heady and downright shocking piece of entertainment full stop. Hollywood, your days are numbered. [Dec 2008, p.61]
  2. The real star, however, is Horde, a ballistic assault on your worst score-rush tendencies that transforms maps into Gears-flavoured Mutant Storm: weapons spawn, then a wave of enemies hits, then more weapons and then another, tougher, wave.
  3. 360 Gamer Magazine UK
    90
    We could be critical of Gears of War 2 simply offering more of the same, but the fact that it simply does everything better than the original in delivering a fantastic display of shoot-’em-up mayhem its quality simply shines through. With some awesome level design, supported by unsurpassed visuals and relentlessly entertaining action it is a compelling experience from start to finish. Forget the crack at putting emotion into the storyline; it’s almost irrelevant as Gears of War 2 is an allguns- blazing extravaganza and, as such, it’s just a glorious shooter that very few can match.