Gears of War 2 review embargo lifted – round-up

Wait, gaming journalism’s all bribe-taking and coke-snorting? Where do I sign? Are there hookers?

Depends on whose game you’re reviewing!

Only gay hookers, Blerk. And you have to take two at once.

I don’t care either, but then I care about very few games and any game that as colour palette that ranges from light grey to dark grey (slight exaggeration), features monsters en masse and shooting automatically ends up in the Do-Not-Care section.

So that’s why you got morriss on board, Pat. I understand now!

“You’ve got games like Halo 3 that get 10’s across the board, even though they’re only above average at best.

Even to this very day I still haven’t completed the Halo 3 campaign, because it’s just NOT THAT GOOD!”

While I’d tend to agree with you, there are clearly millions of gamers out there who think Halo 3 is more than just “above average at best”

It might just be that the games are good enough to warrant those scores, despite your personal opinion. You have to remain non-objective regardless of your personal tastes (or better yet, just broaden your tastes) if you want to see a fair perspective of review scores.

there is too much conflict of interests in the game press . They live of advertisement from the very same subject that they have to review.

what’s with everyone complaining about color palettes these days? There are coloful games that suck / are good, and there are also dark games that suck / are good also.

you can’t just judge a game on it’s colors…

I kind of find that the people who don’t care show that they don’t care by refraining to comment on the thing they don’t care about.

I always felt that Gears of War was pretty much America: The Game.

Now, ask me how much I care about America

“you can’t just judge a game on it’s colors…” Oh, I know a number of people that are keen to do that on another (as yet unreleased) game with a “2″ at the end of it. Not only that, but the visual style and colours in that Mirror’s Edge demo make a big difference to people’s appreciation of it. So you’re half wrong and half right.

“I kind of find that the people who don’t care show that they don’t care by refraining to comment on the thing they don’t care about.”

I kind of find that people who aren’t intentionally going out of their way to be a troll refrain from making deliberately antagonising remarks on communities they’re clearly not wanted on.

“I always felt that Gears of War was pretty much America: The Game.”

For once, I agree with you. It’s why the game holds no appeal to me.

I’d rather spend my time rolling things up in a ball or looking after paper mache animals… ¬_¬

I’m guessing that’s Katamari and Viva Pinata? What do I win?

“It might just be that the games are good enough to warrant those scores, despite your personal opinion. You have to remain non-objective regardless of your personal tastes (or better yet, just broaden your tastes) if you want to see a fair perspective of review scores.”

There are probably millions of people who absolutely love ‘Hey Arnold: The Movie’, but it’s no Goodfellas…

I understand what you’re saying, but if the movie press all said that Hey Arnold: The Movie was a 10/10 film, and that Goodfellas was a 9/10 film, purely based on the fact that there are millions of people who like it, so ‘it must be good’ then they’re not doing their job properly.

14 year old kids like Halo. Why? I have no idea.

But as someone who has played and probably owns more FPS’s than most people even know exist, I wouldn’t say that I’m the one who’s not getting it.

With these reviews this game is gonna shift serious hardware for ms.

“I’m guessing that’s Katamari and Viva Pinata? What do I win?”

A copy of Gears of War 2.

“I understand what you’re saying, but if the movie press all said that Hey Arnold: The Movie was a 10/10 film, and that Goodfellas was a 9/10 film.”

That’s just the thing, the movie press didn’t give Hey Arnold: The Movie 10/10 (MetaCritic has it at 47/100. Ouch).

Maybe I’m just being naive, but I consider the gaming press to be a little more educated than that.

“With these reviews this game is gonna shift serious hardware for ms.”

The game could score 4/10 across the board and it’d probably still end up shifting million of units, to be honest.

“you can’t just judge a game on it’s colors…”

You can’t judge them, as in mark them good or bad, but you can dislike them for not having colour variation, like I do.

For all I know Gears could be a perfectly good game, but I would probably enjoy it more if had more, richer colours. The same goes for any other game. The chances that I enjoy a game are higher when it has a richer colour palette.

@ Shatner

well i dont judge any ”2” games by their colors lol. and for the colors of mirror’s edge…i dunno, its a good concept, but the colors didnt make me like the demo more or less hehe.

America: The game? what about a game like resistance, also made in the US?

heh, im not american, i dont really care either, but whatever, im buying this piece of crap anyways haha

Gears is just too fuckin cool! My only gripe with the first was the lack of diversity, which the are addressing in 2. Funny how it is up against resistance yet again, and again making that game look mundane.

“America: The game? what about a game like resistance, also made in the US?”

They’re both just as guilty.

“14 year old kids like Halo. Why? I have no idea.”

It’s quite simple:
1. Halo is very colorful, never dark.
2. Halo is not frightening, it never scares you. (Gears does!)
3. It looks like a mature game but essentially is not.
4. The multiplayer is mindless “fun” (the emphasis is on mindless).

These facts, among others of course, make it the perfect game for 14 year old kids. And that’s just fine.

“I never understand the score thing full stop, just put text IMO.”

Had to comment quickly on this.

I agree entirely, to be honest. I’ve read many a review where I’ve been baffled by the score, where the score has been 8 or 9 but the text of the review has read like it was worth much less.

Some reviews seem to scream IGNORE THE SCORE, THIS GAME IS PRETTY DAMNED AVERAGE, IT’LL PROBABLY ONLY APPEAL TO FANS WHO CAN TOLERATE THE BUGS and such, and I felt the caps were apt there because frankly, this is just how some reviews read. Then I look at the 9 or 10 score (or the variant thereof) and I can only think “Bwah?”.

For the past year at least I’ve been convinced that scores are designed purely to corral the Great Herd into spending their money without really putting effort into it. Why think or bother putting effort into finding out whether something is really worth your money when you can just trust a big, shiny, and rather arbitrary number (Gods, I hate arbitrary things) and have that think for you, eh?

So I’m with you entirely, I wish people would ignore the score and read the review, and even quote the review if they have to. Often, the review reads quite differently to the score, and the opinions of a reviewer simply cannot be quantified by a score.

so pretty much…buy the game if your interested, and don’t buy it if your not

Halo is fucking awesome. Best console shooter series ever.

The end.

OUCH, your gonna offend some people with that. haha

im not gonna bitch, did all of the campaign with my gf, played quite a bit of multiplayer on halo 3 also, but im into nhl 09 and fable nowadays hehe.

thats one of the reasons im looking forward to the gears 2 co-op also!

Gradius is a infinitely better shooter than Halo

And, Michael, your character assessment is pretty wrong. But to launch straight into one by way of reply makes you become precisely the thing you sought to criticise. I made a comment on the game. You immediately made a comment about me. Try to look before you leap next time, ok?

i can’t deny Halo 1, its what got my girlfriend into gaming haha

“I made a comment on the game. You immediately made a comment about me. Try to look before you leap next time, ok?”

I fail to see how “I kind of find that the people who don’t care show that they don’t care by refraining to comment on the thing they don’t care about.” is a comment on the game.

Oh wait, it isn’t, and you’re just talking shit as per usual, to help satisfy your inflated and excessively delusional ego. <3

Games like this set the industry back a decade. How will it ever be seen as a serious art form when its leading lady is teenage boys wet dream?

Shame on you Epic, shame on you.

@Reask
“With these reviews this game is gonna shift serious hardware for ms.”

What is there here to convince someone to buy the hardware which isn’t already there is the seriously cheap 360 price and Gears of War 1?

I can see where Shatner is coming from with “America:The Game”. It is a lot of the things I don’t like about the US. Having said that if you get past the testosterone fuelled characters and story in the first the core gameplay is exceptional.

Well done Michael! You manage to ignore my post that talks about games and make a post exclusively talking about me.

The point you’re trying to prove is backfiring. Good to see you’re not forming some sort of idiotic internet grudge by constantly singling out individuals, making accusations about their behaviour and then conducting that very same behaviour yourself (but with added insularity!)

Oh, Space Giraffe. That’s OFFICIALLY the best shooter on 360. Much better than that pap morriss keeps shooting his load about. Requires a bit of skill and willingness to be taken out of the lazy-gamer comfort zone but, by god, the rewards are amazing. Zen-like gaming if ever there was. And a fraction of the price of these big-budget stomp-a-thons.

Really, Space Giraffe. You know it makes sense.

Bulling > Meat shields (first seen in effective use in MGS2 btw!)

Tonka is an elephant.

yeah i don’t think this is gonna make a ton of hardware sales for Microsoft, just like LBP is probably not gonna boost the ps3 hardware sales.

sure, these 2 games along with the other big names that are coming out in the next 2 months are gonna shift consoles, but how considerably?

they are going to sell tons of software thats for sure, but hardware? i’ll wait to see the numbers!

“Well done Michael! You manage to ignore my post that talks about games and make a post exclusively talking about me.”

I was never interested in the parts you posted about the game itself; that was never the subject of my initial reply.

“Good to see you’re not forming some sort of idiotic internet grudge by constantly singling out individuals, making accusations about their behaviour and then conducting that very same behaviour yourself (but with added insularity!)”

The different between “us” and you” (and yes, “us”, not “me”, is that we’re singling out you specifically, whereas as you’re running after every single “scapegoat” you can find.

“Oh, Space Giraffe. That’s OFFICIALLY the best shooter on 360. Much better than that pap morriss keeps shooting his load about. Requires a bit of skill and willingness to be taken out of the lazy-gamer comfort zone but, by god, the rewards are amazing. Zen-like gaming if ever there was. And a fraction of the price of these big-budget stomp-a-thons.

“Really, Space Giraffe. You know it makes sense.”

I can’t actually tell if you’re being serious there, but yes, Space Giraffe = <3

Must another thread really become The Shatner Show?

“US” Michael? S’funny, you’re the only one giving me the character assassination in this topic. Sure, others have mentioned my name but, gee, they’re quoting something I said about the game and talking about the game and, y’know, sticking to talking about a game.

DO pay attention in future. There’s a good chap. I’m not sure you speak for every other person around here and I’m not sure people need a spokesperson such as you to represent them all. You’re not very good at personal PR so I can’t imagine you’d be everyone’s first choice. Why don’t you just stick to speaking on your own behalf without attempting to add weight to your accusations by suggesting the rest of the internet is on your side when, in fact, no such thing has been demonstrated. Do what I do, Michael: stick to facts, not melodrama and hyperbole. Any nonce can see through that sort of bullshit.

Better yet, why don’t you stop your silly internet grudge and prove you can practice what you preach about ignoring people eh? It’d be shame to think you’re not a man of your word.

And, yes, I’m totally serious about Space Giraffe. morriss’ excitement for ALL NEW (SAME) HEADSHOTS is nothing compared to my excitement for the forthcoming Minter opus that will be Gridrunner+++

See you in the zone.

xxx

Le Shat

Stu: It only becomes all about me when insular antagonistic fools choose to ignore all else and make posts just about me and then make out like it’s my fault they can’t write about anything else but me.

Now I know how Paris Hilton feels.

“S’funny, you’re the only one giving me the character assassination in this topic.”

In this topic? Yes. In general? No. I was talking about your general character.

DO pay attention in future. There’s a good chap.

“they’re quoting something I said about the game and talking about the game and, y’know, sticking to talking about a game.”

And I was quoting something you said that wasn’t talking about the game. Pot Kettle Black if you’re lecturing about keeping your posts relevant to game and not the posters; I never claimed otherwise. It was never my intention to make my post relevant to the game. It was my intention to notice the constant irony in every single thing you say, and the fact that you constantly try to justify your existence for twenty paragraphs.

“Must another thread really become The Shatner Show?”

Not if pat had the comment sense to ban him.

But pat “is against banning”, so there you go

Jesus Christ and another comments section bites the dust.

pat please just b& him so we can all remain sane.

“People can say whatever they like” is the party line, chaps.

Great! Brainless Shatner is ruining another comments section.

One review more from a spanish website:

WildGames – 10/10

http://wildgames.es/review-gears-of-war-2-vamos-a-pelar-a-unos-cuantos-locust/

Notcied Metacritic gave 1UP a 100 rating for Gears 2… When an A, isn’t their top marks. A+ is.

Whatever, I don’t think that will ahve any impact on the game, but having seen the leaked videos, I gotta say, how this is more hyped that resistance 2, I don’t understand.

I thought it was so much less generic, and had much better design, but they are equally cringeworthy.

Where I think Gears 2 is better, is defintely the feel of the experience, and that’s what is important, Resistance 2 is awful. I loved RFOM, but R2 feels bad.

Yeah, metacritic has done that for 1UP for a while now.

Weird. Nevermind.

Good to see you on Eurogamers man, despite my flippant reply.

And I am sorry but its an ’09 release in my mind, and it hasn’t been announced yet. Either I am stupid, or Sony are changin, everythign they showed at E3, was for 09. Even though GoW3 will be 2010.

90% of what they showed at E3 will be for the end of 2009. Hence my 1 year comment.

I think the reason I am being blindly optimistic, is that SCEJ titles come without warning, and just becuase it wasn’t at TGs, doesn’t mean it wasn’t ready to be shown, it means it wasn’t up to yet another Japanese perfectionists standards.

Anyway… Derailing, sorry.

Gears 2.. WOOOO!!!

/beats chest

OORAH!!

OPRAH?

DLC charcter?

I wont lie to you, I’d pay serious money to see Oprah kicking arse and taking names.

I am sure there will be an Ubisoft DS game, somewhere down the line…..

So, Gears then.

Not all that, from what I hear. Shame. Maybe GoW3 they’ll get it right?

Now, if they got Jeff Minter on board Epic – I’d like to see what came out of that.

mmm, concepts

No banning. I’m a hippy at heart