GEARS OF WAR 2

Yes we have all heard about how Gears Of War 2 is better than the first one but think about it Gears Of War 1 is what started it all. Epic came out with its original masterpiece November 6, 2007, also known as Emergence Day, a clever name which Epic made up for the release date.

When you first start the game you learn your characters name is Marcus Fenix, an imprisoned soldier who fought in the Pendulum Wars back in the day. I know this has been said many times in several different reviews but the graphics are incredible powered by the Unreal Engine, I have never seen a game who's graphics match Gears Of War, it is almost like playing in a cinematic scene the whole game. Ever pore on the face and buildings on the street look amazing, mainly due to the incredible in game lighting system.

The battle system is definitely a Gears Of War exclusive. The simple yet so awesome shoot and take cover system surprisingly work very well, with only needing the A button to throw your character into cover whether it be a broken down washing machine or a flaming car to protect yourself from incoming locust fire ( locust are the bad guys ). The only thing I found sort of annoying with this system is that when you are holding down A to Rhodee Run you can sometimes get stuck on walls or other cover.

The story is a simple but sweet, you Marcus Fenix and Captain Mitchel's squad Delta Squad constructed of, Dom Santiago, Gus Cole, Kim Mitchel, and Damon Baird must destroy the heart of Locust army. Though you will find yourself up against many different kinds of the Locust army, such as Boomers which are stronger than the average grunt with a rocket launcher for a gun, Wretches which are pretty much mutated dogs, Beserker which can only be killed with the almighty Hammer Of Dawn and eventually General RAAM, the Locust Queen's right hand man/monster.

There is not a large variety of weapons throughout the game, there is the Lancer, your main assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonette at the end ( you will figure out what the bayonette is for...), your standard pistol which you can replace with a magnum that can one shot enemies, shotgun for blowing enemies away at close range, frag grenades which you can plant on enemies or blow multiple Locust to pieces, Hammer Of Dawn is weapon which calls upon a laser from the sky and destroys anything in its path, smoke grenades for cover, Boomshot for a rocket launcher, Hammerburst which is the Locust main weapon, and the Long Shot for sniping enemies and pulling off a head shot or two.

Overall Gears Of War is the probably one of the best shooters out there if not the best with its superb visuals, intense game play, and a fairly cool story. Even if you beat it once, try playing it again but maybe this time it could be on a harder difficulty ( good luck with General Raam on Insane Mode ) or looking for collectibles ( Cog Tags ) but no matter how many times you play it, it will still fun which is hard to come by in a game these days