Epic sticks a fork in Gears of War 2

by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 10th 2008 at 11:25AM }

Anyone else's mouth not watering? Yeah, we've got the darn thing pre-ordered, we'll be there in line at midnight with the rest of you, and, once home, we'll be tearing through the cellophane with the usual patience of a two-year-old. We get it, it's meatier, moister and more tender than the first one, but gosh this bird sure looks and smells like the first one Epic served up two years ago.

Admit it, it's odd to think that a potential Game of the Year -- at least, sure to be a critical and commercial success -- is one we, who obsess over this industry, are not obsessing about. Gears of War 2 is just a sure bet. So sure that we don't have to think about it. Was there ever any doubt the game wouldn't "go gold" well in time for its November launch (that's today's news, by the way)? It's not that something's missing, it's that everything's there. Gears 2 is utter professionalism: excellence in design, execution and marketing, right down to the dropped "y." Almost bland tasting, isn't it?

Tags: epic, gears-of-war, gears-of-war-2

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

DEEZNUTZ @ Oct 10th 2008 11:29AM

Epic stuck a fork in my wallet too.

Neuromancer @ Oct 10th 2008 11:29AM

I think the 1st game filled by Gears quota for the rest of my life.

Neuromancer @ Oct 10th 2008 11:30AM

by=my

Just Mr ESC. @ Oct 10th 2008 11:50AM

I loved the game offline and playing Co-op was sweet but online the game sucked with a straw.

+Hosting a match takes ages.
+The way the game counts your kills is just plain retarded.
+Xlivetards ruin everything, believe me Gears on PC is way better without these aholes.
+Everybody leaves if they are not winning immediately in the first 3 or 2 matches.
+Some guys (You know who you are) think that matches that last up to 2 hours are fun.

Tiptup300 @ Oct 10th 2008 12:12PM

Yeah, I always felt it wasn't such a great game. It looked great, with a terrible art direction ("Hey guyz, we should make a black/white game like clerks, wat u think?") The single player wasn't the type that you really want to go back and play, the story had no surprises, except for the end where they just totally skip a level and don't tell you any reason why you're at a train station. Me and my friends still go back to play halo 2 co-op! The running in it is really "floaty" and you always get stuck on walls, which if explained to a nongamer would be confusing ("Yeah, so my guy ran into a wall and got stuck on it") All & All I'd just have to say it's not my cup o' tea.

wiredknight @ Oct 10th 2008 3:55PM

@tiptup

It's one thing to say it's "not your cup of tea," that's a perfectly respectable thing to say. It's something else entirely (and a bit of a jerk thing to say) to insult the artists. There's a lot more to Gears' art than the color pallet, to say their direction is "terrible" because of that one component seems pretty ignorant.

P.S. My friends and I have played through Gears 1 at least fifteen times. And Halo 2's coop really pales in comparison.

gettempapa @ Oct 13th 2008 1:34AM

you need to go outside more

Dirty @ Oct 10th 2008 11:31AM

Im guessing that the gears marketing machine will throttle down shortly after Fable launches.

I cant wait for this game.

Mr Khan @ Oct 10th 2008 11:31AM

"sure looks and smells like the first one Epic served up two years ago."

That's how Epic rolls, though. They're very much the pivotal example of a tech-oriented developer. Their achievement is in the refinement of UE3 that they'll put forth in this, much like how each Unreal is similar to the one before (with minor gameplay evolutions that are normal to sequels)

If you want strange new ideas, Epic is not a place to look

Just Mr ESC. @ Oct 10th 2008 11:35AM

Too bad they won't release it on Pc. I played Gears 1 yesterday on PC and it kicks ass. I played a bit of chapter 6 (Or should I say Chapter 5) and the quality of the textures, framerate and effects look better on PC than in the xb360.

Online is actually better in Pc since the Lancer and the sniper rifle are more dangerous but the lag is way more obvious in PC than in xb360 and it seems nobody likes to play ranked matches in Pc.

D dogg @ Oct 10th 2008 12:37PM

No, I say SCREW the PC users. More than half of PC gamers pirate the software... I myself can speak on their behalf.

You want to make money as a game developer on PC, charge a monthly fee (like MMO's). Let's not forget the VAST majority of PC gamers are already hooked on WoW crack anyway.

Chin-Poh @ Oct 10th 2008 1:01PM

PC gaming for the win! Thats the one "console" I will always be a fanboy of!

I think there's still a chance it will come to PC. Epic had actually announced Gear 1 wouldn't come to PC back in mid 2007 before it was officially announced a few months later.

Maybe Epic won't port it, but Microsoft will instead, who knows?

PC gaming sure has its advantages over console gaming as do consoles over PCs.

tawmtawm @ Oct 10th 2008 1:02PM

Go check any torrent site and see how many people are torrenting xbox games. It's ignorant people like you who think it's only pc gamers who steal games. Hell, you can torrent the 360 version of fallout 3 already! Stfu, make a good game with a 1 time online seriel key check and it won't be pirated.

Chin-Poh @ Oct 10th 2008 1:09PM

One thing is that for consoles, you need to take an extra step to make them accept burnt games like installing a mod chip but not so on the PC.

I do hope that Gears 2 comes to the PC with extras it can give, like the map editor in the PC version of Gears 1, mod support, extra chapters, play at higher framerates and resolutions, etc.

tawmtawm @ Oct 10th 2008 7:03PM

Just look at the number of people pirating consoles games and you'll realise that doesn't really matter.

ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Oct 10th 2008 1:41PM

@D Dogg

That was really ignorant of you to believe that a monthly subscription was a solution to PC gaming piracy: MMOs do get pirated all the time on free servers.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 10th 2008 11:42AM

I can't believe you already listed this as a GOTY candidate. I guess the idea of playing a game is now a formality?

Again, cue the race to give the highest review scores. It's too bad GTA IV already set the standard for score inflation. Gears 2 doesn't stand a chance of topping it.

SexyKittyKat2U @ Oct 10th 2008 11:53AM

Hi Hater!

Delgado @ Oct 10th 2008 11:55AM

I guess you haven't been reading all the posts where Fanboy Towers have gotten to play through almost the whole game?

No, of course you haven't, its easier to complain.

Mr Khan @ Oct 10th 2008 12:10PM

Only one out of the possible GoTY candidates is an original game: LittleBigPlanet. Contending with it are Brawl, MGS4, GTAIV, and this.

And please don't take this as an opportunity to start an "lol Brawl doesn't stand a chance against them" mini-thread. Whether you want it to be or not, it's significance cannot be denied.

343 Guilty Fart @ Oct 10th 2008 12:15PM

Hey now, don't count out Dead Space or Fallout 3!

Haggard (Mr.ESC resurrected on a... thursday?!) @ Oct 10th 2008 12:17PM

I would put Fallout 3 and L4D on that list.

Also brawl doesn't stand a chance ;)

xFenixKnightx @ Oct 10th 2008 12:23PM

LBP for GOTY contention? Nah, I'm not even buying it now. I was very underwhelmed by it all. It looks very pretty and cute though. I just dont see myself playing it for a long time. =/

Thanks Beta

Metal Geario 360 @ Oct 10th 2008 12:31PM

Im with Delgado...

They woulndt just blurt out "GOTY" on Joystiq without a hands on experience.

Either way it would make the list alongside, MGS4, GTA4, LBP, anyway, to name a few.

tmacairjordan87 @ Oct 10th 2008 12:32PM

The beta also convinced me not to buy it right away, so I transfered my preorder to fallout 3. I felt like the beta gave too much away and I feel like I've played a huge portion of the game, and since I'm kinda broke and can't afford every game I want right away I have to prioritize.

Plus, no matter how hardcore the level creator is the overall game is casual and I just can't play casual games for more than an hour at a time without being incredibly bored.

So now I'll be getting farcry 2 and fallout 3 on day 1 and everything else maybe around christmas time.

xFenixKnightx @ Oct 10th 2008 12:43PM

Tmac

Exactly, I feel I've played a lot of the game as well. I just don't see how Sony can really believe it's gonna be a system seller. They might be in for a HUGE letdown I'm afraid.

BTW, controlling sackboy is horrible.

Nigeria @ Oct 10th 2008 12:48PM

GOTY is either TWEWY, Professor Layton, or No More Heroes.

Mr Khan @ Oct 10th 2008 1:30PM

Did Sonic Chronicles disappoint you, Nigeria?

I'm getting it for Christmas, so i won't really try it until then.

CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Oct 10th 2008 2:10PM

Please tell me you're kidding about Brawl being game of the year worthy. Does anyone even still play that game? I bought it day one and played it nonstop with some friends for about a week and haven't touched it since.

Markez @ Oct 10th 2008 2:11PM

Yo Nigeria!

TWEWY is really that great? I haven't tried it yet, still battling through the new FF on DS. I bought NMH, partially based on the Fish's glowing review, but I recently noticed he bashed the hell out of it saying it wasn't that good. Other than that all I'd been doing lately was Castle Crashers with the roomies. Since I just moved cross country I hope they patch it soon :(

Finally finished Kane & Lynch, what an underrated game.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 10th 2008 2:59PM

I don't give a crap if some site already got a chance to play through the whole game. It's ridiculous to say that a game that isn't out yet is a GOTY candidate. It'll depend on how the public receives it, how the community develops.

I played the LBP beta too, and I agree, the controls are messed up. That's a huge mark against the game for me. It doesn't drop it out of GOTY contention for me because, since it isn't out yet, I hadn't put it IN GOTY contention.

Nigeria @ Oct 10th 2008 3:03PM

Okami is a time sucker, Khan.

I've reached chapter two in Sonic Chronicles - like, just now – and it's cool and everything, but it's just got that Bioware polish, or unpolish. The character models look weird sometimes: Amy has really, REALLY, big eyes. And some of the music is horrendous. But all that is negated by the glorious script and battle system. It's like Bioware read all those Archie comics from years back and took the characterisation to another level. It's actually fun to read, especially when Sonic is being snarky. So, yeah, you should look forward to it: big Sonic fans like us will love the game, especially if you put aside the rough edges.

You really need to play TWEWY, Markez. It's got the best story I can remember in a game, of course it's fun as well, but the story is rather wonderful. You have to play it.

I downloaded the demo for CC and it was fun, but it wasn't buy fun. I really don't play my 360: I've only got two games. Whenever it is plugged in I just play Rez.

Delgado @ Oct 10th 2008 3:04PM

why not the LS2LS7, are you being serious?

That is like saying a movie can't have Oscar buzz because it isn't out yet.
...so what? People HAVE SEEN IT, and their judgments could be that it is worthy of Oscar buzz.

Games are no different. Its not like they are saying, definitively, that it IS game of the year. Just don't reply again, you've clearly lost this argument from the moment you decided to push those keys and make a stupid statement on the internet.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 10th 2008 3:57PM

Delgado:
You're not my mom, don't tell me what to do. Got it?

What the hell is wrong with people on here? People not only have to assert how right they are but tell other people their opinions are invalid?

Again, it's ridiculous to put a game on the GOTY list before it comes out. GOTY should really be determined by how the game does in the marketplace and in customers opinions, and this game has no track record of either yet.

AtomB @ Oct 10th 2008 11:46AM

hopefully this one won't be so short. but at least if it is i won't be wasting $60 on it as i'll be getting this one from gamefly

ScottG13 @ Oct 10th 2008 11:47AM

Looks like another great romp. I might not buy this one this time around, but its a Gamefly, for certain.

Samurai Female Who Destroys THINGS @ Oct 10th 2008 11:50AM

Gears of More of The Same 2.

Bloo @ Oct 10th 2008 12:08PM

So either you created an account just to leave this pathetic comment or you were just banned for leaving your upteenth pathetic comment and just created an account just to leave this pathetic comment and many more to follow...

ZaxCG2 @ Oct 10th 2008 12:48PM

Someone's been watching the US Presidential Election media...

Brucie B @ Oct 10th 2008 11:50AM

Can't wait, It's Gonna be GREAT!

burjeffton @ Oct 10th 2008 11:54AM

Wow - I guess GOTY is decided before it's released? Lemme guess the other half-baked redo games up for the award:

Rock Band 2
Another Halo 3
GTA IV DLC

[sigh]

Tiptup300 @ Oct 10th 2008 12:13PM

You haven't played Rock Band 2, have you?

burjeffton @ Oct 10th 2008 1:48PM

Yup - I own RB2 as well. Not GOTY worthy...it was a smoother, polished version of the original.

Tiptup300 @ Oct 10th 2008 2:22PM

It's still amazing. I don't think their has ever been a game that affected my playing habits as much as the Rock Band series.

Erluti @ Oct 10th 2008 12:02PM

Way to kill the buzz, Joystiq!

Mike @ Oct 10th 2008 12:03PM

I'm going to guess that Fallout 3 will be my game of the year.

343 Guilty Fart @ Oct 10th 2008 12:17PM

I have to agree with Joystiq on this one, even though I know I'll buy this game first week it's out, I'm somehow just not buzzed about it. It's more of an obligation than actual excitement.

xFenixKnightx @ Oct 10th 2008 12:17PM

Pretty sure this and Metal Gear will be my G'sOTY.

GOW2 LE paid for in full...check
Midnight Launch status at my local GS...check
Request to have off from work on that Friday...check
Plans to buy a 24pk of Miller Lite...confirmed
Adult Diapers to play nonstop without interuptions...check