Gears 2 Multiplayer impressions
Multiplayer in Gears of War 2 has vastly improved over what was included in the first game. It is very clear that the folks at Epic have been playing some Halo 3 multiplayer. The first big change that you'll notice is that you can create public or private parties. If you choose public match making your part will will be evaluated and a team with similar skill set will be found. This process is extremely similar to the Halo 3 match making system.
When you choose to play a match making there are several different game variants to play. If you choose to play Player's Choice this will put you in a play list that lets the players choose between two maps and two game types. This is the area I've spent the most time lately because it lets you play multiple maps and game types. It is clearly an improvement on Halo 3's veto system allowing the players to choose their preferred map and game type between two options. Your never going to get stuck with a crappy game variant after vetoing the first option.
I tend to really like checking out my multiplayer stats. I'm not a stud online but I mostly hold my own so I like to see how I'm trending. Now after a match, while you're waiting to join your next match you can look at your stats just like in Halo 3. This is a nice feature that will allow you to see how you did in your previous match as well as see how you have fared in that game type over time. This is just a nice option to have while you wait to join your next match.
Another nice change is that you can now default your online appearance in Gears 2...just like in Halo 2 and 3. Now you can go into multiplayer options and pick your default human and Locust plus your default starting weapon. You can still change these options before each match.
Now playing games on Xbox Live is a lot of fun to do with friends. If you do wonder into public match making you still need to beware of the gamers your playing against. Gears does tend to attract a certain type of individual that loves to say stupid stuff. If you don't want to bother with these people you can play multiplayer games by yourself using bots. All the team multiplayer game types can be played with bots of various skill level. This is a nice training ground and it's a lot faster than waiting for match making to find you a game.
One of the new best parts of Gears 2 is Horde mode. This is a mode where you can team up with four of your friends to take on wave after wave of AI controlled Locusts. There are 50 waves and I have played through them all. After each round multiple of 10 the Locust are stronger, faster and deadlier. Towards the end the Locust send tons of enemies at you a log of the really big ones too. It is a fun mode to play with friends and forces you to work as a team.
When you choose to play a match making there are several different game variants to play. If you choose to play Player's Choice this will put you in a play list that lets the players choose between two maps and two game types. This is the area I've spent the most time lately because it lets you play multiple maps and game types. It is clearly an improvement on Halo 3's veto system allowing the players to choose their preferred map and game type between two options. Your never going to get stuck with a crappy game variant after vetoing the first option.
I tend to really like checking out my multiplayer stats. I'm not a stud online but I mostly hold my own so I like to see how I'm trending. Now after a match, while you're waiting to join your next match you can look at your stats just like in Halo 3. This is a nice feature that will allow you to see how you did in your previous match as well as see how you have fared in that game type over time. This is just a nice option to have while you wait to join your next match.
Another nice change is that you can now default your online appearance in Gears 2...just like in Halo 2 and 3. Now you can go into multiplayer options and pick your default human and Locust plus your default starting weapon. You can still change these options before each match.
Now playing games on Xbox Live is a lot of fun to do with friends. If you do wonder into public match making you still need to beware of the gamers your playing against. Gears does tend to attract a certain type of individual that loves to say stupid stuff. If you don't want to bother with these people you can play multiplayer games by yourself using bots. All the team multiplayer game types can be played with bots of various skill level. This is a nice training ground and it's a lot faster than waiting for match making to find you a game.
One of the new best parts of Gears 2 is Horde mode. This is a mode where you can team up with four of your friends to take on wave after wave of AI controlled Locusts. There are 50 waves and I have played through them all. After each round multiple of 10 the Locust are stronger, faster and deadlier. Towards the end the Locust send tons of enemies at you a log of the really big ones too. It is a fun mode to play with friends and forces you to work as a team.
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