Gears of War 2 Co-Op Review
Review System(s): XBox 360
I'll be completely blunt, Gears of War 1 is perhaps the perfect co-op experience. The game just "got it" in so many ways. Drop in/drop out? Check. Integrated co-op into the story? Check. Online, LAN and Local Play? Check. Yes, Gears of War has it all in terms of co-op, and perhaps that is why it's the most popular cooperative game on our site. With Gears of War 2 finally coming out, we can only wonder...can it fill the big shoes created by it's older brother? I think the answer is a resounding yes.
We decided to do something completely unprecedented, play through an entire game in co-op in one sitting. 8 hours later, we managed to get to Act 5 of Gears of War 2, the game's final act, just short of our goal. We did finish it the next day, but it goes to show there's a lot of meat here. Along the way we went above ground and we went underground. Above ground became underground. We rode tanks, we rode reavers, we even went in one of the most disturbing and disgustingly hilarious levels I've ever witnessed in a game. Through every twist and turn my buddy and I worked together as a tightly integrated team.
Gears of War 2 promotes cooperative play through and through. Whether it's laying down covering fire to move or flanking an enemy position while your buddy distracts, the game just ooozes a level design that's perfect for co-op play. Nothing feels forced, everything just feels right. Those moments are back when you and your squad must split up, one player covering the other player who is in a dire situation. These paths appear every few levels, and never last for too long.
Graphically the game is as impressive as ever. There are some serious jaw dropping moments in the game, especially when you come to terms that you are looking at actual level geometry and not just a static background bitmap. There's rarely a hiccup in frame rate either, even when the screen is littered with a hundred or more locusts, brumaks, and other baddies. Everything about the game is bigger. The boss battles in Gears of War 2 are definitely bigger and badder. Some are timing based, some are skill based. The only disappointing one really is the final boss, which, by the time we figured out what we were actually doing - well we killed it.
And when it was all done, and the locust lay defeated at our feet our only thought was...lets do it again.
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Reader Comments 
When are we going to play Horde together, guys?
Let´s make a co-op night this weekend. What do you say?
I´ve never played with you
Total Comments: 7
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Though I am not done, but close to it, I have only played the game co-op and so far, it has been nothing but great. My friend and I had begun on hardcore difficulty for a challenge and what a challenge it had brought us.
We weren't avid GOW players but we were able to be sucked into what seemed to be a weak story, but strong character progression.
Co-op has been and still is addicting to me in GOW2. I think with the addition of Horde mode, which I actually had low hopes for, it just keeps me coming back for more. At first I believed that this was a pure rental for me to try the co-op experience, but with a strong multiplayer background, as well as an intriguing campaign, it won't be leaving my collection anytime soon.