SCI FI Wire got to test out the new SF game Gears of War 2 before it becomes available to the consumer public. Microsoft set up a hands-on demo in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 5 at Zune L.A., in conjunction with a screening of Lionsgate's film Transporter 3.
A new Gears feature called "horde mode" gets the player into the action right away. Unhindered by things like plot and mission objectives, players can just kill locusts and Reavers as long as they survive. Just pick a location and fight off increasingly aggressive hordes.
The available location for the horde demo was called Avalanche. It looked like South Park brought to life in three dimensions, with a sprawling log cabin wrapped around a courtyard, dusted with a thin coat of snow. All the prettier to be splattered with blood.
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When the first wave attacked, there were plenty of hiding places for cover. Should a locust get too close, the classic chainsaw melee still splattered the screen with blood for a few seconds. After each wave, the player got a score, and the next wave came on stronger. A Microsoft representative said he had seen a player get to horde number 10.
Even campaign mode wasted no time getting players into the violent action. The campaign story opened with a level in a burnt-out, torn-up hospital 15 years after the first Gears. The mission was simple: Clear all the locusts from the hospital. Good thing there were no nuanced objectives to get in the way of blasting.
Running around hallways, the player could find locusts in abandoned operating rooms or taking cover behind overturned gurneys as he fired on the enemy. A direct headshot totally exploded a Reaver ducked behind a wheelchair, taking the wheelchair with it, too.
A new weapon called the Hammerburst Assault Rifle may take some adjustment. Its heavy, single blasts need to be aimed, so novices can't rely on just holding down the trigger and waving the stick around until they get close enough. One would not want to waste such a powerful bullet firing wildly into the air.
Returning Gears elements include a cool somersault as the player dives to a new cover position. The spider-like Corpser made an appearance to attack on level one. The sequel is constructed on the same game engine as the original.
Gears of War 2 drops at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 7 for the Xbox 360.
- Fred Topel
