Well, I've been reading around, and it seems like there is a lot of confusion about what the new installment of gears of war is going to bring to the table. So after doing some research, i have come up with a list of things that should answer the question: What is new in GOW 2?"
First of all, some of the main mechanics of the first game have been changed. Mostly concerning the main combat mechanics. In the first gears of war, when you were downed (almost killed) you could only stay where you were. Therefore if you were downed, you were about 90% dead, unless one of your teammates were close by and would pick you up. But in gears of war 2, when you are downed, you can crawl away, it is slow, but it does give you shot at surviving.
Secondlly, the beloved chainsaw has more options, thaty just run close to someone and rev it(this might dissapoint some players, who are a fan of the simple kill) But now, you can kill the person instantly, IF you get them from behind (You do a cool stab kind of motion), but if the person has his lancer out (OUR reving. I'm not sure which one yet) you have to do a chainsaw duel?! Both of you have to tap the b button as fast as possible. The faster one wins. Simple yes?
One more thing with the main combat mechanics, is now, when a player is downed, and they can crawl away, if you get near to them. You can do a cool finishing move, depending on what button you press on the pad. A, picks up the person and uses them as a human shield, you can only use a one handed weapon. Which is where the new automatic pistol comes into play. (Read weapons section). X does the classic curb stomp, but this time. You roll them over, and stamp on there face. Nice! Y will do a finishing move selective to your current weapon, the only one I'm aware of right now, is the sniper rifle. when you use it like a sledgehammer, and crush the person. And B will do the weapon melle to kill the person, nothing new there. I think.
Weapons and maps are next on the agenda. There are currently 2 new weapons that are being introduced. There are more, but they haven't been shown yet. First of all, is the new big weapon, that i can see people running to straight away, Is a flamethrower! It has a good range and powerful damage. But you walk slower, so are more of a target, the other new weapon is a automatic pistol, that looks like the spiker of halo 3. It is best used, when you have a human shield, because it uses only one hand and you can use the other to keep your shield.
The are currently 3 new maps that i have seen, along with the return of gridlock, which has had a plant infestation. Like the 2nd downloadable pack of maps for gow1. These maps will have interactive features. On one of the maps, that looks like a done up version of canals, there is a security system with lasers and cameras that will spot you if you get to near the boom shot it is guarding. (How do you destroy that?). Also a map which looks like a downtown street, with a huge emergence hole, and a worm will come out and pick people off who are to close. And finally, a map with a real avalanche that changes the layout of the map. Cool?
One more thing that we know is that there are 2 new game modes, 1 multiplayer, the other co-op. in the new multiplayer mode, it is like a version of assassination with a better twist than last time. The teams are split to 5v5. With one leader. You can respawn as much as you want, as long as the leader is alive. If your leader is killed, this is your last life, this would add a whole new realm of tactile play. The co-op mode is like a arcade style wave game. You and up to three friends, play it out against waves of enemies, which only a couple of seconds between each wave to stock up on ammo and weapons.
This is only the tip of the iceberg, more information should be coming, as Gears of War 2 sets to hit the shelves in November 2008. I just hope it isnt deleyed.
