Epic Improvement over the Original
The original game in this series wowed me initially, but after some time, I got tired of even looking at it. So, with a bit of trepidation, I decided to finally play GoW 2. This is MS's second big franchise and an epic money-maker. But, is it all that much fun to play?
Shockingly, yes. It really is a lot of fun to play.
The story is...well, to be honest. Cliffy B and the guys don't seem to have any ability to tell a story --- they even hired a rather reputable writer for the original game and then proceeded to discard her almost entire story and produce, well, nearly nothing.
The game is SOLELY focused on the gameplay mechanism which works rather well. The cover system is still well-implemented, but with the same problem the original had --- namely that using the same button for running and cover is irksome. Epic did a wonderful job of minimizing the issue of the roadie run causing you to stick to surfaces like a magnet. The weapons feel really solid. My style is based heavily on sniping and distance firing, so the shotgun didn't do a heck of a lot for me, but the Torque Bow and Sniper Rifles are great. But none of the weapons are really useless. All work well with specific playing styles.
The original's visual style which can be categorized as a doctoral thesis in the color brown has been improved. The game is, well, post-Locust apocalyptic Earth. But, there is a great variation in environments and the engine manages to make it all look great. Even details like rain cascading down a wall look really impressive.
You also get to use some of the toys of the Locust. The ending, while absurdly easy (it really is a monumental step down in difficulty from the first four acts), is also a great deal of fun.
MP is also amazing. Really fun game types and it's really easy to pick up and play. OK, true, public XBL games are the type of games to make you hate life because the no-lifers who adore the title play it to a comical level. It's extremely un-fun to play THEM online. But, playing with friends is quite good.
