# Gears of War 2
**Gears of War 2** is a third-person cover shooter developed by [Epic Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/epic-games) and published by Microsoft for the [Xbox 360](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-360), released in November 2008 as the sequel to the 2006 hit *Gears of War*. Epic's design director [Cliff Bleszinski](https://www.edgepedia.org/cliff-bleszinski) led the design, and the team completed the game in about two years.[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2) It received a Metacritic score of 93, indicating universal acclaim.[2](https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-2/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / publisher | Epic Games, published by Microsoft, for Xbox 360[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2) |
| Release | November 2008, two years after development began[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2) |
| Critical score | 93 on Metacritic (universal acclaim)[2](https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-2/) |
| Horde mode | Teams of five survive fifty waves of enemies including Boomers, Grinders, Bloodmounts, and Maulers[3](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/) |
| New multiplayer mechanics | Chainsaw duels and "down-but-not-out", where downed players can crawl to safety and be revived[3](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/) |
| Competitive modes | Eight modes, including the new Wingman, Guardian, and Submission, for up to 10 players or with AI fill-in[3](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/) |
| Story focus | Dom's search for his wife, and the Lambent established as the final threat of the original trilogy[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2) • [4](https://www.space.com/gears-of-war-games-in-order) |
## Story and campaign
The campaign continues the war between humanity and the Locust Horde, with entire cities sinking as a new threat emerges from below, leaving an all-out attack on the Horde as the only remaining option.[3](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/) Bleszinski said the team wanted a longer campaign and a better story than the first game, whose plot had been very straightforward; the narrative centers on Dominic Santiago's search for his wife, written by Josh Ortega, whose scripts went through eight to 11 revision cycles each.[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2)
The game also establishes the Lambent, organisms infected with Imulsion that have been forcing the Locust out of their underground Hollow, as the final threat of the original trilogy.[4](https://www.space.com/gears-of-war-games-in-order) The campaign can be played cooperatively with a friend, with each player choosing an individual difficulty level, and the entire campaign supports drop-in co-op.[3](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/) • [5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gears-of-war-2-review/1900-6200486/)
## Gameplay and multiplayer
**Horde mode.** Horde is a co-op survival mode in which teams of five face fifty waves of increasingly difficult enemies, including Boomers, Grinders, Bloodmounts, and Maulers; if all players are killed in the same wave, the game ends.[3](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/) • [6](https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Microsoft_Xbox_360/Manual/formated/Gears_of_War_2_-_2008_-_Microsoft.pdf) It became the game's most distinctive addition, and reviewers highlighted how the improved enemy AI flanks and assaults players in it.[7](https://www.pcworld.com/article/531949/gears2_review.html)
**Competitive play.** The game introduced several multiplayer elements that became series staples, including chainsaw duels and "down-but-not-out", in which downed players can crawl to safety and be revived by teammates.[3](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/) There are eight competitive modes, among them the new Wingman, Guardian, and Submission, supporting up to 10 players or AI substitutes.[3](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/) Other additions such as proximity mines and body shields made multiplayer more chaotic than the original's, and the Submission mode centers on capturing an enemy as a hostage-style shield, the "meat flag", and dragging him into a ring.[8](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/11/gears-of-war-2-review/) • [7](https://www.pcworld.com/article/531949/gears2_review.html)
Unlike the first game, Gears of War 2 includes bot support in every multiplayer mode except Horde, along with five training missions for new players and those without Internet connections.[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gears-of-war-2-review/1900-6200486/) Bleszinski said bots topped the list of features in the team's planning, noting that Epic's Unreal Tournament history, where Steve Polge invented the bot, made it a natural choice.[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2)
## Development
Epic organized sequel planning around a process the leads called "New, Better, More", deciding what would be new, what would be better, and what there would be more of.[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2) Development began shortly after the first game shipped, once its sales and review scores confirmed it was a hit; the original had sold 4.7 million units and its third-person cover mechanics had proven influential to other developers.[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2) • [9](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/new-better-more-epic-s-approach-to-gears-of-war-2)
[Rapid prototyping](https://www.edgepedia.org/rapid-prototyping) tools were central to the two-year schedule: level designers could build a level shell in days or hours, and designers used the Kismet scripting tool to prototype enemies such as the Bloodmount and the Mauler before artists built them.[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2) The ticking bomb creature known as the ticker emerged iteratively from a design session between Bleszinski and Dave Nash, with AI by Matt Tonks making it cockroach-like, avoiding the player until charging at the last moment.[1](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2)
The game ran on [Unreal Engine 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine-3), and reviewers noted new organic capabilities in the engine behind the visuals, including a memorable level in which the player kills a giant enemy from the inside.[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gears-of-war-2-review/1900-6200486/) • [10](https://www.gamesradar.com/gears-of-war-2-review/) A campaign gameplay reveal trailer, introduced by Bleszinski, was released on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace on May 9, 2008.[11](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2008/05/10/gears-of-war-2-campaign-gameplay-reveal/)
## Reception
Gears of War 2 holds a Metacritic score of 93, universal acclaim, and GameSpot's review scored it 9 out of 10, calling it "Superb".[2](https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-2/) • [12](https://www.gamespot.com/games/gears-of-war-2/reviews/) Critics judged it bigger and better than the original across the board, with one review concluding that it does everything better than the first game in delivering shoot-'em-up mayhem.[13](https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-2/?jw_start=%7Bseek_to_second_number%7D&mobile-app=true&theme=dark) 1UP's review went as far as calling it possibly the most visually impressive game of all time, scoring it 100.[14](https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-2/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360)
Reviewers also recorded qualifications. [Ars Technica](https://www.edgepedia.org/ars-technica) found the multiplayer more wild than the original's thanks to the new mechanics, while judging the game one of the most mature online console shooters available despite minor issues.[8](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/11/gears-of-war-2-review/) GameSpot praised the drop-in co-op and accessibility features, and PC World noted that the level structure felt more explorative and less restrictive than before.[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gears-of-war-2-review/1900-6200486/) • [7](https://www.pcworld.com/article/531949/gears2_review.html) A French review in *Le Monde* described the game as a mature title that does not disguise death, with combat rhythm more fluid and less binary than the first episode.[15](https://www.lemonde.fr/jeux-video/article/2008/12/10/gears-of-war-2-la-guerre-en-vue-objective_5976474_1616924.html)
## Legacy
The game remains playable on later Xbox consoles through backward compatibility, and it is available through [Xbox Game Pass](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-game-pass).[3](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/)
## References
1. [New, Better, More: Epic's Cliff Bleszinski on Designing Gears of War 2, Game Developer (October 24, 2008)](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/new-better-more-epic-s-cliff-bleszinski-on-designing-gears-of-war-2)
2. [Gears of War 2 Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-2/)
3. [Gears of War 2, official Gears of War website](https://www.gearsofwar.com/en-us/games/gears-of-war-2/)
4. [Gears of War in order: Chronological and release date, Space.com](https://www.space.com/gears-of-war-games-in-order)
5. [Gears of War 2 Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gears-of-war-2-review/1900-6200486/)
6. [Gears of War 2 Xbox 360 manual, Games Database](https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Microsoft_Xbox_360/Manual/formated/Gears_of_War_2_-_2008_-_Microsoft.pdf)
7. [Gears of War 2 Review: Dizzying, Breathless, Relentless, PC World](https://www.pcworld.com/article/531949/gears2_review.html)
8. [Of chainsaws and carnage: Ars reviews Gears of War 2, Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/11/gears-of-war-2-review/)
9. [New, Better, More: Epic's Approach to Gears of War 2, Game Developer](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/new-better-more-epic-s-approach-to-gears-of-war-2)
10. [Gears of War 2 review, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/gears-of-war-2-review/)
11. [Gears of War 2 Campaign Gameplay Reveal, Xbox Wire (May 10, 2008)](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2008/05/10/gears-of-war-2-campaign-gameplay-reveal/)
12. [Gears of War 2 Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/gears-of-war-2/reviews/)
13. [Gears of War 2 Reviews, Metacritic (mobile page)](https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-2/?jw_start=%7Bseek_to_second_number%7D&mobile-app=true&theme=dark)
14. [Gears of War 2 critic reviews, Metacritic (Xbox 360)](https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-2/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360)
15. [Gears of War 2, la guerre en vue objective, Le Monde (December 10, 2008)](https://www.lemonde.fr/jeux-video/article/2008/12/10/gears-of-war-2-la-guerre-en-vue-objective_5976474_1616924.html)
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