New characters, vehicles, poison grenades and a "SHUT UP" button.
He's back this NovemberUS magazine GAMEINFORMER has revealed the first solid Gears of War 2 gameplay info, and we've got the juicy details right here.
According to the 12-page article, summarised by posters on popular forum NeoGaf, the game will feature a number of new characters, including Tai Kaliso, a spiritual and meditative warrior; Chairman Prescott, Sera's dictatorial military leader; Dizzy, a Stranded turned soldier who drives the massive Derrick on which Delta Squad ascends into the mountains; and Maria Santiago, Dom's lost wife.
AdvertisementGAMEINFORMER says Gears of War 2 begins six months after the events of the first game and will strive for a much larger focus this time, taking the war to the Locust. The story will be improved upon, with more emotion, a darker tone and increased character depth. The forced walking scenes which disguised loading have been replaced by a dynamic conversation camera system with facial close ups and dramatic angles. Interestingly, there will be a "SHUT UP" button which allows Marcus to quickly end the conversation and get back to the action.
Gameplay, however, won't stray to far from the cover-based system we had so much fun with in the original, but it will have a few small variations including making characters harder to hit when in cover - a huge bugbear of fans - and tweaking the active reload with new weapons, such as the Gorgon burst pistol and poison grenades. As expected, chainsaw duels make it in, and, thankfully, more epic boss battles are promised.
Gears 2 will have drop in and drop out co-op, as well as multiple save files, allowing you to have numerous games on the go at once. During co-op play each player can pick their own difficulty, including a fourth setting for massively casual players.
In terms of graphics, Gears 2 will incorporate the new version of the Unreal Engine 3, enabling the game to render huge numbers of individual creatures at the same time. Expect massive battles with hundreds of Locust troops, each moving independently and as unique individuals.
There are details on a new vehicle too. The COG Centaur tank, which helps Marcus and co take the fight to the Locust, combines the best parts of a monster truck and a military tank. The War Journal, viewable from the pause screen, details the background behind collected COG tags so you can learn about their owners. It will also show you your achievement progress.
Unfortunately there's no word on whether the co-op has been expanded from the two-player limit in the first game, nor are there any solid multiplayer details. We'll have to wait a little longer for that. Gears of War 2 is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 exclusively this November.
What do you think about how Gears of War 2 is shaping up? Let us know in the comments section below.
ollie wrote at 17:42 on 08 April 2008
oh gears of war 2 will be awsome the first is so addictive and from what ive heard the 2nd will be a lot better
Wido wrote at 20:00 on 08 April 2008
Makes me more eager to get the bloody game, I'm going to be a annoying buggar now till the game is released. :)
Nata-Wii wrote at 20:15 on 08 April 2008
Sweet info! Can't wait! :D
*drools at thought of Gears 2*
TheBleedingHeart wrote at 23:37 on 08 April 2008
rito! Me, i fell in love with the first game and cant wait till i get my hands on the second... this is going to be one awesome november!
wtfzdotnet wrote at 10:59 on 14 April 2008
You guys should check out the latest development of the unreal engine, if i had understand well they are going to be implementing the latest developments..
Which basically means alot better shading, water effects more realistic, drawing capabilities are better, i've seen an movie where they literary threw in hundreds of enemies which rendered fine ;o
Just have a look @ youtube, " gdc gears of war " should get you in the right direction :)
shawn wrote at 16:38 on 14 June 2008
will there ranks in gears of war 2