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• Gears of War 2
• Epic Games
  
• Reviewed on: Xbox 360
• Also available for: N/A
• 
  
• The Good: Uncompromising, utterly ferocious combat, highlighted by the franchise's brilliant covering system. Engaging story complemented by peerless presentation and fine voice acting. Co-operative Horde mode does a great job of building bonds between players.
• The Bad: Some new features feel contrived (I'm looking at you, indestructible rock worm barrier). Vehicle missions are monotonous.
• The Verdict: It's not as revolutionary as its predecessor, but this action-laden, spectacularly brutal, graphically sumptuous sequel is nonetheless one of the most satisfying shooters of the year.

When last we saw Gears of Wars' oversized grunts, they were in a helicopter, watching the carnage wrought by a giant bomb designed to destroy a network of underground tunnels running under the surface of the planet Sera. It was an event that was supposed to mark the end of the war against the raging Locust – a race of hulking, pasty-skinned, extraordinarily angry bipeds – that had emerged from the world's core to destroy humanity.

The first few minutes of the sequel suggest things didn't go quite as planned.

The Locust have been wiping the world's few remaining cities off the map by sinking them into the ground via methods unknown, and are on the verge of razing humanity's last stronghold in the city of Jacinto. To stave off extinction, Sera's army decides to embark on one last ditch attempt to stop their subterranean foes: Venture underground and bring the fight to the Locust in their home.

Gripping and gruesome

Gears of War 2 is pulp science fiction, plain and simple. Its heroes are military caricatures (there's the greenhorn, the smart aleck, the tank-like gunner), and the alien-ish enemy we go up against is depicted as subhuman and easy to loathe.

But it's also rather spellbinding, thanks in no small part to the game's weirdly lovable scar-faced, gravel-voiced, perpetually scowling protagonist. He's a veteran of one-way missions and generally renowned for his ballsy toughness, yet disdains those who revere him for his battle prowess. He puts the wellbeing of ordinary people high on his list of priorities, and is utterly loyal to his brothers in arms. And he has a habit of always saying the right thing at the right time, whether it's a joke in combat or a consoling word to a friend suffering a terrible loss. He's a classic, noble, never-say-die kind of hero – a John Wayne for the interactive adventure age.

An equal debt is owed to the game's unparalleled production values. The gorgeous vistas we're provided of Sera's countryside and war-ravaged cities gives scope to the game's world, while the intricate details of its gothic architecture and capacious caverns provide character. It's easy to believe that the world extends well beyond the borders of the levels we explore, which is key to having players buy into a story about the fate of an entire civilization.

And, of course, the original's bar-setting gore has been carried over to its successor. I used more than a dozen different weapons to shred the bodies of my enemies into bits of ragged, squishy, bloody flesh that would skitter across the floor when kicked. At one point I even found myself swimming in a lake of blood spilled by a creature I'd just killed. It's deliciously over-the-top stuff sure to be appreciated by fans of horror movies and games.

Duck and cover

Still, spectacle and storytelling are for not if a game isn't fun to play. But that's not a problem for Gears of War 2.

The original game reinvented the shooter by introducing a terrific cover mechanic that forced players to park their run ‘n' gun instincts and instead always be on the lookout for the next potential bullet-blocking barrier behind which to hide. Taking shelter was remarkably simple and intuitive: just press the control stick in the direction of the object behind which you wished to cower and press the A-button. If you wanted to jump over a barrier, or move to another nearby, all you had to do was press the stick in the appropriate direction and press A again.

Not surprisingly, the cover system in the sequel is pretty much identical to that of the first – and it's as fun as ever. It gives combat a sense of realism missing in games that see players simply running and jumping to avoid being hit.

The only real difference is that we've been provided a few new types of cover, such as a slowly moving wall in the form of a big worm with rock-hard armour, and concrete barriers that can be raised and lowered at the pull of a switch. Truthfully, I wasn't tickled by these additions – they seemed contrived and gimmicky, their existence in the game world explained only by the developers' desire to offer innovative variation in objects that provide cover.

I also wasn't keen on the vehicle missions. The first couple are dreary and difficult. I had to restart from checkpoints countless times during both. Another puts players at the helm of a virtually indestructible thing – I won't spoil what that thing is, save to suggest it's more flesh than metal – that let me simply steamroll over any and all enemies, which, while fun at first, grew tedious after I'd obliterated a couple of hundred foes. Luckily, vehicle missions are few and far between.

And there are some highly satisfying bits of fine-tuning in the sequel. In the first game players had the ability to revive their wounded computer-controlled allies, but they couldn't return the favour if you went down. That's been remedied in the sequel. We can now crawl around for a few seconds, screaming for help from our A.I. buddies and hoping no Locust find us first. What's more, enemies can also be wounded and revived, which gives players a chance to walk up to them and finish the job with their fists or boots (did I mention this game is not for the faint of heart?).

Camaraderie built from common enemies

I'm not a great fan of online play – I always seem to encounter a few too many foulmouthed teens and hate-spewing bigots on game networks for my liking – but Gears of War 2 has managed to captivate me with a new co-operative mode called Horde.

The premise is simple: up to five players get together to take on endless waves of ever more powerful Locust. Co-operation is mandatory if you want to make it past the first half dozen levels; lone gunners will quickly get overwhelmed by legions of monsters, and no one will be close enough to revive them.

More importantly, the sense of camaraderie is terrific. Crouching back to back while fending off encroaching walls of roaring beasts; rushing out to save a fallen team-mate amid a hail of bullets; cheering on a sole survivor as he fights desperately against an overwhelming force – these are compelling game experiences capable of forming strong bonds between players. My Xbox Live friends list has already grown as a result.

It's worth noting that my online experience was prerelease, which means I was playing mostly with other journalists and industry folk (who, one would assume, would generally be on better behaviour than the gaming masses). Still, I wouldn't be surprised to see Horde mode create some tight cliques out of gaming strangers.

Short on innovation, but long on gory gratification

When it comes down to it, Gears of War 2 is more evolutionary than revolutionary. The visuals only slightly outshine those of the gorgeous original, and, aside from a few tweaks and new weapons, the game design is nearly identical.

But that's no reason not to play.

Like its predecessor, Gears of War 2 brings home an almost unmatchable visceral satisfaction. The bloody action sequences draw you in, and the sci-fi soap opera story is filled with enough twists and turns (as well as answers to questions left hanging in the first game – expect significant discussion of the origin of the Locust) to keep you hankering to learn what happens next.

And that's enough to make it one of the most enjoyable adult entertainments available for the Xbox 360 this fall.