Man, it sucks, but I have not been able to play Gears of War 2 until yesterday. And boy was I glad when I turned on that small piece of heaven.
 
So, for thos wondering, I did not played it yet cause I dont own a 360. Had one, RROD on me, and decided to wait to get a new one. Will be getting it on Dec anyway. 
 
So back on topic. I have to say, GeOW 2 has improved a lot since the first. Though small annoyances are still there (bullets not making damage on walls, or water not having any effect or splash in some moments) the rest of the game is great. 
 
In fact, I had an amazing moment playing split screen with a friend. In the last room of the "hospital" in the beginning, playing in Hardcore (not that hard anymore) there were 2 Locust behind a counter. 
 
I runned and took one out, while my buddy was "dueling" with the second one. This Locust decided to run behind the counter, so I turned my Lancer on, and rushed to it. And what was amazing is that my buddy did the same thing, and we both "dual" chainsawed the ugly mother f**** (In the words of The Gobernator).
 
So, not to let this post as shallow as it seems, my impressions so far.
 
The good:
Combat has been improved, and so has been the cover mechanics. Things are more fluids now. Graphics have been revamped, but whats great is the new lightning effects. Running down that long dark tunnel with the giant truck lightning the path really shocked me. 
The Horde mode is a great addition and its tough as hell. Enemies pop from everywhere. Though, most likely, the damn thing was hard because we were just 2 of us in Hardcore :P  The destructible covers is also a great addition
Great job on adding a more compelling storyline. And the addition of files and documents on the COG tags is great.
 
The Bad:
Still has texture pop up (guess all great looking games will have it) . Some surfaces including water do not react to shots (walls not showing the holes and such). Cover can sometimes leave you exposed since it seems that when there are multiple positions, it sometimes chooses the one most exposed -.- 
 
 
In conclusion, I love the game. I love the "macho" feeling of it, loved it in the first. It the games identity. I kind of disliked the new "body" of Dom, he looks slimmer and his veins pop up to much (drop the steroids dude!). The cooperative is even better this time, specially with a friend. Horde mode feels great, though some RPG system as in Resistance 2 would have been awesome. 
The stat tracking thingy is a nice addition, it makes you feel that you are getting lots of achievements all the time. 
 
I really love this. Man, come fast you demonic December!!!

It is awesome isn't it.

Have fun with everyone two-piecing you in multiplayer.

All of my data got wiped on Gears 2, and my disc got scratched so I can't play the first two missions. So screw that game.

I have work now-a-days so I don't get to game that often but whenever I get a chance I usually just play Horde on Gears.
There is something almost soothing about that mode.

" I have work now-a-days so I don't get to game that often but whenever I get a chance I usually just play Horde on Gears. There is something almost soothing about that mode. "

Multiplayer is garbage in that game. It takes about 10 minutes to get into a match, and when you do it's laggy as hell. Everyone runs around with the shotgun and if you get seen they blow you to pieces. Either that, or they automatically head for the sniper rifle and camp in a building shooting people in the face.