Gears of War 2

Gears of War 2 Dark Corners expansion review

Written on Aug 03, 2009 by Andy

If there’s one thing you have to give Epic credit for, it’s how they support their products after launch. Since its release in November of last year, Gears of War 2 has had three map packs which boosted the game to a startling 22 unique maps. Dark Corners though, is much more than the typical map pack. Boasting seven additional maps, a deleted scene from the campaign, and every single piece of previous content, Dark Corners is the definitive piece of downloadable content.

Having always focused so called expansions and extra content on the enduring multiplayer component, Epic’s new deleted scene takes a step away from traditional releases. Called the Road to Ruin, the scene follows Marcus and Dom, who at this point, are deep in the Hollow recovering from a catastrophically emotional event. Since the Gears must traverse the infested highway to achieve their goal, Marcus offers Dom a choice – go in traditional style, guns blazing or take a more stealthy approach.

Gears has never been about being passive or clandestine dealings, but for what it’s worth, the stealth segment actually works. If you choose this option, you can expect to actually utilize stealth. At the same time, you can also see why this kind of sneaking segment just doesn’t work with a game like Gears. Surprisingly, going in guns blazing is the much harder option of the two as you’re forced to fight the entire Locust horde instead of bypassing them. Either way, the scene doesn’t change too much as you’re practically following a straight pathway to your objective. The best way to describe Road to Ruin is what it is; a deleted scene. There’s no gripping story, no necessary canon, nothing that really makes you wonder why Epic made the decision to cut it from the commercial release. It should run you around 20 minutes if everything goes well, but it’s really a mere distraction to the real meat of the package.

With the addition of the seven new multiplayer maps, the total map count for Gears 2 comes to an astonishing 29. Like usual, Epic has done a great job making the environments look as beautiful as post-apocalyptic environments can be. If there’s one thing you’ll notice about them it’s the size and balance of the maps. Highway is littered with corridors and an abundant supply of power weapons. Memorial makes incredible use of the Hammer of Dawn, but harbors other strategic locations. Sanctuary’s unique design allows for unconventional flank tactics and high vantage points. Each individual level really feels toned and thought out compared to the maps that shipped with the game. For example, Pavilion shipped with Gears 2 and is extremely frustrating due to the dual grenades that rapidly respawn near each team’s starting point. These grenades make people turtle and there’s nothing more annoying that trying to kill one man who possesses the power to recreate an immaculate version of Normandy. One of the new maps, Allfather’s Garden, gives both sides a sniper rifle without immediate visual of the other team. It also contests additional weapons directly in the center, including one set of interchangeable grenades. Simple decisions like this make the game play much more intense and even more fun. The best part is that every map feels just as polished as Allfather’s Garden.

Multiplayer may be what keeps this game afloat but it’s nice to see a company put a new spin on downloads. Road to Ruin may not have been the greatest, but giving us a deleted scene and allowing us to play through it, just because, is excellent. Also take into account that people who missed the previous map packs can get it all in one simple download, albeit for $5 on top of the initial $15. It’s thinking outside the box with downloadable content like this that makes for all the more reasons to look forward to the next pack.

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