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Gears of War 2 is a hard game for me to write about. Partly because (drum roll, please) I didn't play the first one and mostly because of all the restrictions placed on last week's three-day GOW2 marathon. I'm not really allowed to talk about campaign mode's "plot spoilers" and I can't talk about the glorious Horde mode multiplayer until October 15 (not sure if that includes co-op campaign mode).
Often times it's more work to discover something is crap and shouldn't be posted than it is to find something that is. But we've heard so much noise about a couple things it's nice to put the rumour smash on two that couldn't pass the sniff test doused in Chanel No. 5.
First, Electronic Arts is not buying Epic Games, OK? Doesn't matter that EA has tons of money and someone else with a lot of time on his hands has good ideas for what to do with it. "Rubbish," says Epic Vice President Mark Rein, a guy who's in position to actually know something substantive about this.
Are ten multiplayer maps in Gears of War 2 not good enough for you? How about fifteen? Epic Games is packing a special treat into every retail Copy of Gears 2 - a coupon redeemable via Xbox Live good that allows players to download five additional maps for the game, each one a slightly more polished version of a map from the first game. The Flashback Map Pack includes newer versions of Canals, Gridlock, Mansion, Subway, and Tyro Station, and will only be available to folks who purchase the game new, making buying a used copy a bit less attractive.
Epic has also revealed to the folks at GamePro that people who attend midnight launch events around the country will also be able to snag a code for a gold-plated Hammerburst assault rifle, the perfect companion to the gold-plated Lancer that comes with the special edition.
Gears of War 2 getting free day-one DLC, gold Hammerburst [GamePro]
This turned up tonight. Looks real enough. It's missing some pages - most likely those detailing story/plot issues - but there are still plenty there. You see new weapons, you get rundowns of new multiplayer modes, you get a manual that looks like it was dipped in a cup of tea. None of what you'll see is new, but there are bound to be a few of you excited by an unreleased game's manual, so for all the pics, click the link below. Oh, and no, I didn't put that accompanying text in there. Presumably Dude Huge requested it be scrawled in at the printers.
Here you are, a selection of footage from the first two chapters of Gears of War 2. Plenty of gameplay, plenty of cutscenes, plenty of large men growling from the depths of their enormous throats. There's the clip above, and a second after the jump.
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 3:22 PM on October 1, 2008
Last week I got hands on with Act One of Gears of War 2 at Microsoft HQ. Want to know what I think? Yeah, c'mon!
In general terms, there is a solid intensity from the outset to the gameplay. You get a few minutes worth of breathing space to get your groove back before things ramp up very quickly and skills get tested. Act One runs at a pretty fast pace, with a good mix of locations and scenarios to contend with. There's even a horror-style tunnel sequence that plays to one Delta Squad weakness -- no flashlight! "I'd rather have an extra gun than carry a light" is the response... you know, because gun-mounted light technology got left behind on Earth.
There's also some more personal storyline in the mix. It may ring a bit melodramatic for some, but it isn't too obtrusive if you just want to bring the pain. And for those eager to get a little more involved with the life and times of Delta Squad, this certainly adds more emotional weight.
Jump for some more thoughts, plus some mildly spoileriffic images. One features a total fucking bad ass you will meet before the end of Act One.
There are things Dude Huge likes and things Dude Huge hates. Plastic guns for example, Dude Huge loves plastic guns. Just look at DH's face. Things he hates?
I hate the fucking controller. I'm sorry, I can't stand the PS3 controller. I love the Blu-ray player... I think there are some great games for PS3. I think Metal Gear's great. Heavenly Sword was great. But at the same time, right now, I'm always working on Xbox with Gears... I'm pretty comfortable with 360. I like its controller.
And it likes you too, Dude Huge.
Bleszinski on PS3 [VG247]
Know this, humans, Gears of War 2 won't be a short game. It'll be a long game. One you play for "months, if not years to come". So says Epic's Cliff Bleszinski, at any rate, who also says that because of the amount of time you'll spend with it - thanks to the longer campaign and multitude of multiplayer modes - it's no longer a "game". "It's no longer a game: it's a platform. Each mode is huge", he told VG247. And he should know! Dude Huge knows huge when he sees it.
Bleszinski: Gears of War "is no longer a game: it's a platform" [VG247]
"When you blast something, you want to see lots of chunks" This quote - directly from the video above - is going to haunt me in my dreams for a very long time. In fact, I'm actually going to put a word of caution on both of these videos. Not because of the violence, but because if you don't want to know anything about the game, you might want to skip these two. They have tons of information regarding the new weapons and finishing moves you'll find in Gears 2. Second video after the jump.
The Gears 2 development team have a motto: bigger, better, more badass. It's inscribed, in blood, atop their monitors, and every morning, they gather in a circle, wearing dark hoods, and chant it in latin. But it doesn't just apply to the development of the game. Oh no, according to Epic artist Pete Hayes, it applies to the marketing as well. Witness Dude Huge and his toy Lancer. Or this comment from lead writer Josh Ortega:
The first [Gears] was good and if we can find a way to do ten times better, than I'd be impressed. That sounds hard, but sure, why not? I say the original Gears was like the ten, but sure, let's go to eleven. Like Spinal Tap, right? Let's go to eleven.
Cocky? We like to think they're just not taking the lead-in to this game as SERIOUSLY as some other developers do (though few developers get the luxury of working on a guaranteed million-seller).
Lead GoW2 artist and writer talk Lancer polys, deaths and comics [X3F]
