...makes me feel like a man. Makes me want to drink beer and start fights.

The game starts off much the same as the original, right down to those arrow signs all over the ground. I was beginning to wonder where they could go with it. But then it really kicks off and gets bigger and bigger.

I'm enjoying it.

I don't intend to pick up the second game until finishing the first, but playing just twenty minutes of the first game made me laugh out loud by its ridiculously overwhelming show of testosterone on display.  You mean it gets even MORE manly here??

Those "Tickers" look like deadly new additions, and the chainsaw duels look totally badass.  I've already got the soundtrack preordered for November 25th.  If the rest of the score is anywhere as good as the Locust Temple battle theme, then I think we're in for a treat:

Locust Temple Battle:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AZ0AV8UC

It's pretty manly. Probably about the same level character and script-wise but the heightened action adds more adrenalin to the testosterone. That can only be a good thing. Makes me feel like Jesse Ventura in Predator.

The Tickers are excellent and, for me, illustrate what this game has to offer. It's much like the first one but the action is just that bit more frantic, feels that bit much bigger and, even though I think it's probably no harder, you always feel very close to death. If I remember correctly, there were exploding Wretches in the first one but the Tickers are a bit more intense, being faster and harder to spot at times.

The soundtrack is much like the original though I'm not sure I'll pick it up. I loved the original's soundtrack in-game but, when I got it, it wasn't really the sort of thing I wanted to listen to on its own. Suits the game perfectly though.

I was entertained by the first game but everything plot-related (including characters) is laughable. I especially couldn't take the dialogue seriously.

Won't stop me from renting and enjoying the second game.

Played this one last night.  Got bored with it very quickly.  I will give it credit for having very killer graphics, though.  They are a noticeable step up from those in the first.

Playing 2 person on "Horde" mode at my bro's last night was intense.
We battled through 27 waves on the River map. 

It takes a lot of buddy work to pull through (20 was kicking our ass for a long time) but damn was it a high when we survived through that shit and both come out alive.

Horde Mode appears to be the big online favorite amongst fans.  Sounds intense, and just might be the thing to get me a Live Gold subscription.

I accidentally stumbled upon the big story spoiler involving...... Maria.  I hate myself for it. :(

Jablonsky's music score is incredible.  He really brings the Gears Main Theme to the forefront, and adds some sweeping, epic flourishes to it.  The ripped track Heroic Assault, officially titled "Armored Prayer" on the CD release, is positively mindblowing.  Along with the main theme track "Hope Runs Deep", I put together this musical suite:

Gears of War 2 - Main Theme Suite:
http://www.mediafire.com/?evix22ytyxo

Well, I caved.  Even though I'm only about halfway through Act 2 on the first game, I went out and bought Gears 2 today.  Still hoping to finish the first before tearing into the second.  How essential, story-wise, is it to beat the first?

Not really essential at all. To be honest, the story doesn't make much sense anyway. Narrative isn't their strong point.

However, I would say that GoW1 is so short, it would be a shame not to finish it before doing 2. It's not a massive time commitment at all (it really is ridiculously short) and there are some creatures and features that aren't in 2 that, in my opinion, are worth seeing.

If it's any draw at all to you, there are some multiplayer characters from the first game that are unlocked in 2 if you have the appropriate achievements.

I'm having a hell of an awesome time with Gears 1 now.  It took me up to Act 3 to really get into the flow, and the game became so much more enjoyable once I learned both the intricacies of the weapons, and how to successfully pull off active reloads.  Getting through the Kryll-infested nighttime areas was my favorite moment of the game so far.

I suppose.  They don't seem to divulge a whole lot of backstory in the game itself, but there does appear to be a couple of overarching threads that works its way into the second game.  Things like the origin of the Locust, Dom's search for Maria, and the significance of Marcus' father.   I'm really looking forward to seeing how the second game plays out, but perhaps disappointingly, others have been telling me that there's a glaring lack of resolution that's likely going to be saved for a third game.

How far are you in Gears 2 now, Jay?

Just finished the first chapter last night, and I'm liking it a LOT.
It doesn't make me want to "drink beer" (I do that enough already) or "start fights", but it's much better than the original in pretty much every possible way.
The very first mission is kinda standard old GoW stuff, but things start heating up VERY soon into a HUGE epic battle that had me on the edge of my seat with plenty of Holy F*ck moments.

Love it.

I've finished the campaign mode now, Angela. I really liked it and, in almost every way, I found it to be an improvement over the original and a worthy sequel. There are some elements from 1 that are totally absent from 2 and, while I missed them, I kind of liked that they were willing to let stuff go and it means the first game is not obsolete.

The first act of 2 is very much the same as the original but, as things go on, it just gets bigger and better. I adored the last couple of acts, though the very end left me just a little unsatisfied.

In terms of narrative, yeah, I feel that's their weakest point. To me, it's not a case that they set up questions for the third game. It felt more like they just sort of threw whatever they liked in at the time because it felt cool. I would very much doubt that, right now, there are any answers to the questions. Stuff is introduced and then forgotten about several minutes later and there are inconsistencies all over.

It doesn't make the game bad but I think a lean, clear narrative would have made the game even better.

But for plain fun, the game totally wins for me. And there are some real improvements here - especially with the friendly AI. I got bored very quickly of my teammates commiting suicide while I had to stare at the red circles and take on the enemies on my own. Dom in 2 can kick some ass quite well and that felt better to me. The improvements to the visuals also aid gameplay as the problem I had in 1 of not really being able to tell friend from enemy in the heat of battle is completely absent here.

And Horde mode is a really fun addition and something that will keep me playing even if I don't get into the online thing (which I didn't for 1).

In an interesting round of defying my personal habits and preferences, a friend and I got loaded last night and started playing through the first GoW in a co-op campaign. What I remember of it was pretty intense; there was lots of chainsaw action, blowing myself up with grenades while trying to close out the emergence holes and there was the wicked intense boss battle with the Berserker. But, yeah - cool game. While it's still a little too macho dude for me I did have a blast with it and am hoping to complete the campaign at some time.

Games like this are best with a (drinking) buddy in co-op and talking trash / teamwork in the same room together.  I don't think a one person playthrough would be even half the fun.

I have no experience with co-op with this game, but the single player campaign is a total f*cking blast so far. Rapidly progressing towards becoming GotY for me.

But WHY did they have to throw in yet another vehicle section with godawful controls, WHY!?
WHEN ARE PEOPLE GOING TO LEARN!?!?!!?!?

Finished Gears 1's campaign on Casual today.  It was definitely a fun and action-packed experience, even on single player.  There were a few parts that drove me batshit insane from having to play over and over before getting right, specifically walking the planks in the Act 3 mines, Act 4's defending of the Fenix Estate, and that Boomer-laden trek to get to the APC.  Right, and pretty much all the Berzerker encounters.  Frustrating, yet all still compellingly enjoyable; really can't say that about a lot of games.

Part of me wants to see me finish the Hardcore difficulty level before taking on Gears 2.  I'll likely jump right into Normal or Hardcore for Gears 2, though; I refuse to be pigeon-holed into completing a "girlfriend-friendly" mode only. :p

What difficulty level are you guys playing?

I played through GoW1 on Casual and GoW2 on Normal (I think it's the same as Casual on 1). Since beating 2 I went back to 1 on Hardcore.

It's rough.

The Theron Guards can kill with one shot. Boomers too. Everything does more damage. That Act 4 house defense was a bloody nightmare. I just feel much more vulnerable. I'm just at the last battle now and will do that tomorrow but, with the added challenge, I'm really enjoying Hardcore and will replay 2 on Hardcore once I'm done with 1.

I'll never do Insane though. And I don't think I'll ever do GoW1 on Hardcore again either. The sense of relief after getting through a section requires me to believe I'll never ever have to go through it again.

I never could beat the last boss on Insane. The dude took several sniper rifle shots and explosive arrows to the dome and didn't bat an eye. It's too stupid hard for me to recommend anyone bothering with.

Playing GoW2 on Normal but there's no real challenge.
I completed the original on Hardcore and don't recall having too much trouble with it, although defending the manor was indeed somewhat of a nightmare.

Considering how easy Normal mode is, I was thinking of just jumping to Insane for my next playthrough...

I gave Gears 2 a quick go on Normal tonight, and you guys were dead-on; things get big, epic, and intense real fast.  It's like they picked right up from the first game's final Act, and just kept pushing forward in momentum.  Seriously.... a Derrick versus Derrick battle, featured appearances of Reavers, Brumaks, a Corpser, and now Tickers?  And this is just, what, the first half hour of the game?  Damn.

I'm digging Dizzy, too.  He's got the same colorful, over-the-top exuberance as Cole.  ^_^

Just finished the single-player, and I'm almost inclined to agree - at the very least, Gears 2 is going to make it into my top five easily.  What a phenomenal game.

Some general thoughts.  Normal did seem a tad easier than the first game's Casual; maybe it's the new near-death crawl revival, since I got downed quite a number of times throughout.   Or maybe coming right off of Gears 1 had prepped me properly.  In any case, I'm looking forward to playing through both games again on Hardcore. 

The new Hammerburst is awesome.  The manual firing is a modest improvement over the Gears 1 variation, and I think I ended up liking it more than the Lancer.  I've got a pretty speedy trigger finger, and it was great pulling off shots with that sort of velocity.  Like the first game, though, I never bothered much with the Torque Bow, the Boomshot, or the Shotgun.  And I bothered even less with the new Mortar, Mulcher, and Flamethrower.

I didn't mind the Centaur section so much, really.  It was less aggravating than the junker/Kryll nighttime sequence from the first game, but I think both could be overlooked when you consider how kickass the final two "vehicle" sequences are toward the end of Gears 2.

The revival definitely made things easier but I also think, in general, the friendly AI was far more useful in 2. Possibly too useful in places. If things got tricky, it was often easy to hang back taking the odd shot with the sniper rifle and letting Dom do the hard work.

Hardcore in 2 isn't all that different from Casual on 1 as a result.

I thought the vehicle sections were much improved too. Having gone through the two games again, I think my only main criticisms of 2 when compared is that the enemies don't seem to be set up with the power they had in 1. That's about where they were used mostly. In 1, when I saw Boomers, I cacked my pants. In 2, enemies all sort of blended into one on the battlefield. I wasn't really particular fearful of any. Perhaps just conscious of taking out Wretches and Tickers first. But the enemies had lost power - I think often because they were at such a distance or introduced while you were in something massive, which made them feel small.

And the Mauler Boomers didn't seem to be capable of getting one attack in. Certainly not in Normal and Hardcore.

And the other small negative in a comparison is that 1 felt more destructable to me. Little pieces always seemed to be flying, but not in 2.

Overall, though, I love GoW2. A fantastic game.

Just finished the game last night, and I am officially Blown Away by this game.
I don't know why so many people are complaining about the ending, I loved it.
Sure, the final boss was retardedly easy, but it was epic all the same, and the ending sure was purty.

And yes, even the 'vehicle sections' in the final chapters were amazing, I will admit.

Figuring that the game probably wouldn't offer much of a challenge even on hardcore, I restarted on Insane, and well....let me put it like this, general combat is a lot harder, but still possible.
No mear near-death crawl, when you go down, it's Game Over, but still, save points are so frequent you'll get through after a couple of tries.

What IS insane though is the third chapter of the first act.
Protecting yourself and Betty from the Nemacysts and Reavers is nigh-on impossible.
Get hit more than once and your Tank explodes.

Holy hell, that's hard. Haven't made it through yet, but I ain't giving up!

http://kotaku.com/5103274/gears-of-war- … disgusting

See, what did I tell you?  Cole = exuberance, exuberance = Cole.  ^_^  Couldn't think of a more perfect spokesperson for the product; hell, Speight even looks like him. :D

Speaking of Gears merchandise, does this not look off the hook?  (Pardon, off the chainsaw-hook?)

http://gear.ign.com/articles/927/927793p1.html

In addition to the toaster oven, I've yet to try out this easter egg myself.  What about you guys?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dPr0fLxBZ … re=channel

Also.....

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=X0oU3pzFX … annel_page

Did that Corpser say what I think it just said? :D

Just finished Hardcore Mode, and I've gotta say, it got crazy-tough toward the end.  I had to play that huge courtyard battle during the "Free Parking" chapter at least two dozen times before nailing it.  I really had to formulate a solid strategy to get through, given that I wasn't exactly well-armed after the checkpoint save. 

Even now I'm reliving the battle in my mind: I had only fifteen bullets left with the Hammerburst, a hundred for the SNUB pistol, none for the Longshot, and a single ink grenade.  I did, however, have a Mulcher with about two hundred left in its cartridge.  First, I dug in my position at the start.  Used the ink grenade to take out the Troika.  Then I grabbed the single ammo crate for the Longshot, and used that to headshot the Kantus.  Took out the remaining Drones with the SNUB pistol, and then waited for the set of Maulers and Bloodmounts to come charging my position.  Used the last of the Mulcher's artillery to wipe them all out, but it wasn't easy with those damned Wretches swarming the place. 

Despite that exercise in frustration, I still maintain that the game is best played on Hardcore Mode, but now I'm petrified to try out Insane.  Amazingu, how the hell did you get through it??!

Persistence.
Pure pig-headed, stubborn persistence. Even if you have to do some scenes over and over and over and over and OVER.
And the reluctance to give up and "lose" to the game.

But it's no walk in the park, no.
It helps that the game saves very frequently, I wouldn't have made it without that feature, I know that much.

Looks like the much anticipated Title Update patch was released today.  Neogaf's painey details the online additions/fixes:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.ph … ostcount=9

Saw Gears 1 for $19.95 the other day. I should've grabbed before the goddamn sale ended.

Yahtzee weighs in on Gears 2, finally.  Does he like it? 

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/ … s-of-War-2

Just curious Angie, but after you've already been enjoying the hell out of it, why does it even matter reading reviews about what anyone else thinks?? 

After I've already played a game, I sure wouldn't give 2 cents about anyone else's review opinions since I've already had the direct experience and formed my own by then.

By virtue, it usually doesn't.  But Yahtzee's reviews always make for awesome entertainment.  The fact that the guy is legendary for hating just about everything makes it doubly fascinating to see if a game I dig is a game he digs.

That said, his "But as much as I try, I can't convince myself that it's a bad game" is very high praise indeed.  Everyone aboard the Chest-High Wall Site-Seeing Tour!

I can't speak for others, but if I really hate a game I played, or really loved it, I AM actually curious to what other people think of it. Reviews are not just about getting to know a game beforehand, they're about reading other people's opinion as well, and perhaps finding out what the general consensus on a game is.

Whether you should care or not is up to you, but I usually like to know what other people think of a game I feel very strongly about (be it positive or negative)

I just started the third act and I'm greatly entertained. It's bigger and bloodier than the first game. Seriously on the bloodier. The chainsaw is almost over-the-top in its applications (in-game AND cutscene). The battles are terrific. There's been one epic set piece after another (and I'm sure there's more to come).

I do wish that they'd put a bigger emphasis on story. The characters are agonizingly one-dimensional and no matter how much they try to humanize Dom, I'm just not feeling it over the cliche dialogue and the testosterone.