Gears of War 2 (Opening Argument and Intital Thoughts)

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/gearsofwar2/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review

Lots of Gears posting to come over the next week.

First off, my general opinion of the Gears series:

Like it, but don't love it. Certainly, Epic has made two highly enjoyable and inventive shooters - but, for me, it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. If it wasn't for the co-op, Gears 2 would've been a rental instead of a purchase.

I'm all about the co-op.

And if I was fourteen years old, I'd be all about this game, but being just slightly more than double that age, I find the dialog wanting and the character's downright goofy. I know Epic wants the Gears to deliver several metric shit-tons (more like ten metric shit-tons!) of badass each time they open their mouths - but it doesn't happen. I grow weary of the word "bitch" each time I play this game, or the latest attempt by one character to out macho the others. So much of the dialog in both games is just a pissing contest about who's got the biggest pair of balls...which, to me, seems like a pretty futile argument, since these guys are so 'roided up that the contents of José Canseco's sac must look huge in comparison.

I've completed the first two acts with a friend and have spent a little time with the bots (awesome addition, that is). It's a better game than the first, with genuine improvements all around. Epic didn't Tomb Raider this game. They put a lot of energy and love into this sequel, and with the estimated length of the story mode, co-op, half a dozen multiplayer modes, and full bot support, you're definitely getting your money's worth here.

If it's like the first game, the disc won't get a lot of play in my 360 after a few weeks - especially with Call of Duty: World at War and Left 4 Dead coming out - but that has everything to do with my general disposition and nothing to do with Epic's game.

Further rants to come.