How does Gears 2 rank on the FRUSTRATION LEVEL? Because there was a fuckload too much DIE AND RETRY in Gears 1. I don't like that sort of gameplay. Repeating the same five or ten minutes of gameplay, ad nauseum, until you finally don't fuck up whatsoever turns me off real damn quick. It's how games USED to be I guess, but it's not how I like them now. Plus I am not good at vidgame.

I found it to have less frustration-situations than the previous game. No krylls or driving away from them.
I think the "worst" place was towards the ending where you have to split up and the enemies on the other side (there's a huge gap between the paths) could shot with the flaming arrow gun-thing at you. Probably spent 30 minutes trying to get from point A to B because I constantly got hit by an arrow due to my squad not killing the guys on their side fast enough.

But overall I think the events are planned out better than Gears 1.

Is anyone else really underwhelmed by the new online matchmaking system? I liked in the old Gears how you got to chose (to an extent) what map/game type you wanted to play. Now, they put execution, warzone, guardian (and I think annex/king of the hill) in one "playlist" and players vote out of a random two. Also, people can't join mid-game and you can't play multiple games with people without getting them all into a private party. It's pretty much been turned into the Halo matchmaking system, which is garbage.

Also, chainsaws and smoke grenades are way too strong. They removed huge knockbacks when getting hit with melee attacks, which is good, but now the chainsaw doesn't lower all the time and can lead to some really cheap kills. Also, knocking players down with a smoke grenade is idiotic. Half of matches have started with ten smoke grenades flying through the air and everyone being knocked down. By the time I get up there's a guy with a revved chainsaw standing over me ready to kill.

I really enjoyed the single player, but the multiplayer is pissing me off D:

man, Cliff Blezwhatever was hyping this all to shit prior to release. BIGGER, BETTER, MORE BADASS etc. Well, it's actually pretty good! I enjoyed the original Gears well enough but fuck there were some annoying bits. So far, I haven't been annoyed or frustrated once. I'm only play on Normal, granted, but I found even Casual in Gears 1 could be tough in singleplayer at least. Overall, Gears 2 feels BIGGER, yes, and more polished, refined, and varied. The framerate has been bumped up a ton - cutscenes are often smooth, and the game itself rarely stutters, unlike Gears 1. And man, I don't like to think i'm a graphics whore but christ some parts of the game are pretty - mainly the Hollow sections. Standing on a narrow natural rock bridge over a huge chasm, waterfall, and massive underground lake, and you can't help but go OOOOH PURDY.

It's also nice to see more character development (at least with Dom I guess), but also more story. Gears 1 was perpetually "go to this place" and all you're really trying to do through the whole game is set off a bomb. Gears 2 is a lot longer I find, and it has a lot more relevations and cool moments. Also brumaks!

I never thought I'd like a console shooter this much, but I've been converted!

While I agree with the above post I have one major issue with the game: It has tons of bugs. I've played it through three times now and encountered several glitches and bugs. It's terrible when you watch the credit list and see all these testers who failed at their job.

I finished Gears 1 not too long ago, and even beat it on Insane (with the help of random 12 year old mouth breather #72)

I did enjoy it all the way through, with exceptions to some of the Torque Bow (flaming arrow - hit/boom gun) and Troika (mounted gun) locations, and of course the mine carts.  But I still enjoyed it...  perhaps it was the Co-Op, and not having some stupid AI controlling Dom, but whatever.

I plan on getting Gears 2 soon; however, I can't get any games until after Christmas.  My parents never keep the receipt, so if I get 2 copies of anything, I'm stuck with them. 

ok I take that back about no frustrating bits. The entire last section of the game is annoying because the game throws in too many turret situations and turrets are annoying. The reaver boss fight is too long, and after THAT you're stuck on a turret shooting down reavers. It's just annoying.

Rented it, finished it. This game is easily my favourite gaming experience of 2008; most notably the final section where you ride the Brumak. I FELT LIKE GOD.

What a shitty ending though. GEARS 3 HERE WE GO??

Man, I found (ACT 4 SPOILERZ) Dom's whole story was really tragic. The cutscene where he finds Maria was very well done I think, definitely one of the best dramatic moments in a videogame that I've seen.

This is one of my favorites for 360 simply because it's got a passable co-op campaign.  I went through the entire thing with a friend of mine and it was a helluva a lot more fun than running through it solo.  Fuck all of these new releases that look like co-op games but then you rent it and get it home and realize you gotta get two Live accounts, another XBox, and another copy of the game just to play it with a friend. 

As a game I thought it was....better than decent.  There are certain areas here and there that are just graphically beautiful.  The gameplay is nice and varied throughout the first 2/3rds, but it kinda seems like during the last hour or so of the game you're continually RIDING on something and spraying infinite bullets at tiny little specks on the ground and troika emplacements. 

I didn't play the first one, but from what I've heard of it it seems that the story is improved a bit.  There actually were certain points in the game in which I felt genuinely sorry or afraid for those big angry meatball men....

What if this was called PEARS of War 2? Instead of Gears of War 2. Hahahaha! And it was about pears.

What is this was called PEARS of War 2? Instead of Gears of War 2. Hahahaha! And it was about pears.

or BEERS of War!!!!

Tears of Wars would be best.

deers of war.... and its about wildlife conservation xD

queers of war lolim so funny

or BEERS of War!!!!

at the Flying Saucer if you drink 200 beers they put a plate up with your name. right near the entrance of the one in raleigh is cliffy b's. it says this.

We're playing this game atm.
Is it just me or is split screen really jpeg-y? Like a lot of fuzzy pixel flickering. Kinda fun, though the cover system is still a bitch. At least they fixed the grenades.