Why Gears of War 2 Might Not Reign Supreme

Many may deny it, but there are a lot of factors standing against Gears of War 2 being the hit everyone wants it to be.

[sonarus]

I don't think his concerns are legitimate enough

The BIG reason i thing gears of war 2 might not reign supreme is graphics. Lets face it as much as we say graphics don't really matter, graphics play a huge part in a games sales. Look at GT5P it lacks damage and it is considered a demo but those visuals are simply too hard to turn away from. COD4's graphics also played a role in its success.

Long story short gears of war 1 had mind glowing graphics and to an extent at least in my eyes revolutionary gameplay. I doubt gears of war 2 can achieve the same mind blowing graphics and revolutionary gameplay the first had

[Breakfast]

Halo...didnt have great graphics.

It's what they do to fix the gameplay. Thats important. They gameplay in this game needs to be tweaked...not changed.

[Palodios]

@Breakfast
Yes and no. Halo isn't the best example because the game has been hyped to hell, and all the money going into advertising and all those calling Halo THE 360 game.
The Wii really exemplifies this idea though. Smash Brothers's graphics has nothing on Uncharted, but Smash will sell millions more.

[toughNAME]

I don't expect Gears 2 to have a massive jump in visuals...

All epic has to do is tweak here and there, add another typical FPS story, and redesign online multiplayer.

And I agree with the article about Tom Clancy syndrome, and I do think this will be delayed...or just plain be a bad game

[fenderputty]

I don't know man. The graphics are going to be top notch. They might not surprise people like the first did but, they're still going to be good. Plus ... a lot of people bought and liked the first one, it only makes sense that they're going to want to buy two. Gears 2 is going to be successful. It might not get GOTY but it's still going to be a great game. I guess that's kind of what the author is saying though.

[sonarus]

IMO Halo is a lot more casual/pick up and play than GeOW. GeOW is a lot more targeted at hardcore with its dark plot and bland color scheme. So gameplay will be tweaked for sure but without that massive jump in visuals i don't think it will reign supreme.

[Breakfast]

Highest selling xbox game this year. I think it will reign supreme.

[LJWooly]

I think we've all seen the sorts of games that end up best-sellers on the 360 *hints towards Halo 3* so I think 360 owners will be somewhat indifferent to the actual quality of the game, and buy into the hype noetheless.

However, I'm pretty sure Gears of War 2 is going to be fantastic, and deserve those sales :D

[godofthunder10]

i disgree that graphics is what sells a game,hell i would buy a game with graphics like the super nintendo with a great story line and game play before i buy a game that has graphics 10 times better then the 360 and ps3 with no good story line and game play because with out these things the game will sux.
look at halo3,it had real good graphics but they had a lot of other games that came out at the same time with better graphics but halo3 out sold them because it had a better story,game play and more fun to play then them.halo3 wasn't the only game that proved that graphics isn't what people look for in a game first.look at guitar hero and rock band ,they have some good graphics but just like halo3 they had games that came out with better graphics then they had but just like halo3, guitar hero and rock bands are just great games with good controles and people will buy a game to play that is fun and has good controles before they buy a game with just great graphics first,hell graphics is the last thing i look for in a game because with out all the other things i mention above the game will sux and it will have no replay value like the games i mention above.
so all this talk that gears of war 2 will not be a hit is a joke.the people that said this might as well as say that mgs4 will fail because there is no way that any one of these games will fail because fans can't wait to play mgs4 because they played the other mgs games and they want to see what happen and the same goes for gow2,people that bought and played the first one can't wait to see what happens in gow2.people that hate the ps3 and 360 will argue that the game on the system they don't have will fail and this is just fanboy talk.
both games will be good and sell well on bith systems.

[LJWooly]

Welcome back, 'Mr. Wall-o-text' :)

[QuackPot]

Everything will undoubtedly be better and the fans will buy to their hearts delight as with Halo3.

I just wish Insomniac had made Nathan Hale more Gung Ho like Marcus and provided a cover system and proper sprint option, then R2 would clean up.

But I'll enjoy both when they come.

[Silver360]

before making any opinions. The screen shots are sick and the what they have planned is stellar. His guesses about Gears two were uninformed.

[gaffyh]

The game will reign supreme no matter what, Gears 1 was great game, a little over-hyped but not as over hyped as Halo which ended up being an ok game.

[brothersimon]

360 + GoW2 = big.

No matter what ps3 girls may tell you. This game will sell and it will fuking own

:]

[happyjimmy]

Gears of war sucks ass.

[LJWooly]

I don't need some fanboy to reassure me of how good a game's going to be.

The fact that you resorted to calling those who prefer a different console to you "PS3 girls" runs contradictory to the impression of confidence you're giving. If you're that sure of it's success, why act so immature to those who doubt it?

Enjoy the game as it is. Believe me, it's going to sell, regardless of quality. Now, don't worry, it'll be great, just don't drag yourself down to the level of those you criticise.

:)

[Tetsuryu]

Well said. + Bubbles.

[PSMonster21]

Even your precious Gears is going down the drain. HAHA.

[LJWooly]

Thanks mate, you too can have some bubbles :)

[lawman1108]

MGS4 will be lucky if it moves 1 million in 1 week

[liquidsnake]

GT5:P sold over a million units it's first day in EU only. And lets face it, MGS4 is ALOT more hyped than GT5:P. Also, MGS4 will have a world wide release...now you do the maths.

[Rattles]

PC + Geow2 = better

No matter what 360 girls may tell you. 360 games "Geow2" will allways be better on PC.

:]

[brothersimon]

no, it sucks on pc i played the pc version it wasnt as good
instant uninstall :-D

[Pain]

will always be beter on Real XBOX err PC...

lolxbox

[LaChance]

PC + GEOW 2 = you playing this game early 2010 and spending the price of a 360 arcade to upgrade.

I mean , its like you want us to say " wait beyond ".

Luckily Im not that type , but have a great wait pal at least you'll play this one day.

[Z F1GHT3RS]

U DONT NO A THING, I BET U HAVE NOT GOT A PS3 EITHER.
BTW WHAT RANK ARE YOU IN THE SONY DEFENCE FORCE BATTLE FLEET.
(i made that name up lol on my other account long ago with only one bubble)

delay this station beyond
phoneys balls

[PSMonster21]

360+GeoW 2= PEICE OF SH*T!!

[lawman1108]

NOBODY does PC now because of the $$$$$$ you need to keep even a half a$$ed system going. That is why gamers game on the 360 and yes even the BD player that can play games (poorly) Your one of the many on this site that are sooooo pro PS3 you killed this site. I find it funny that such a "PRO" PS3 site would take out a full page ad in OXM a xbox mag. When I do find the rare GOOD PS3 game I admit it is a good game (Uncharted ...(far from great but good, HS, RFOM and MLB 08) Ilk like you just bash,bash and make up c,rap that only you and your pals on this site make up. NPD numbers just showed you where your PS3 is....in THIRD place.........I want to see the BD movies vs PS3 games sold numbers I bet you the Movies KILL the games in number sold. As we all know now even in Europe where you douche bags always say the 360 does not sell the 360 sells 7 games per system vs the 3 a PS3 sells per system. Face facts my man and PS .....NA makes up more then 60 % of the WHOLE game market so stop saying " thats only in NA"

[captainjy]

Rattles, what game doesn't look better on the PC than a console? With being able to customize AA settings, it damn well look better on a PC.

Second of all, the article isn't even an article and shouldn't have been posted. It's a blog that is just opinion. As much as it kills POS3 fans, Gears of War is a staple in gaming, just as much as I hate to admit the MGS is a staple in gaming. Gears 2 will be huge, people will flock to it and it will get played for 2 years and beyond until the fans are begging for Gears 3. How can it disappoint? We have only seen the surface of the Unreal 4 engine. Destructible environments, increased enemy handling, water and more 3D enhancements, there's no way in hell that it can disappoint!

[Fishy Fingers]

If your expecting a massive leap in visuals I think there's a chance you may be disappointed. The first one, while amazing had the shock value of being the first true "next-gen" game. This one will be scrutinized down to the last pixel.

All I'm looking for is bigger environments and a more dynamic mix of location. Better story structure, 4 player co-op would be amazing and at least 8x8 online. I'm gameplay over graphics.

[BLUR111]

that's what im looking for to but i don't think the'll have 8 on 8 multiplayer maye 6 on 6 at most cuz the animation and the charactors are so big and detailed is why theres just 4v4 in the first one

[Spinitus]

amen

[InMyOpinion]

Hmmm. Epic themselves said in an interview that 4x4 multiplayer was a design choice, because they believe it provides a more immersive experience. You get to know(hate) the competitors better and the team spirit is bigger. It also makes for more strategic gameplay.

IMO some games benefit more from having a large number of players than others. Battlefield for example, wouldn't be the same with 4x4, but It was never something that bothered me in Gears. I think it would be boring if all games just competed to have as many players at one possible, instead of trying to optimize the gameplay experience.

[LJWooly]

@ Jenzo:

That was just Epic's excuse. Luckily for them, Gears of War turned out to be suited perfectly to that amount, it's still pretty fun to play online now.

Let's face it, they would have tried for more players if they could.

[rogimusprime]

if they screw around and forget to include a decent rocket launcher, I will say the game sucks. It still makes me mad that when you pick up the boomers weapon, it looses its functionality. That's just garbage. Goldeneye had a better GL.

[supahbad]

i thought they already announced 5x5 for MP

[marichuu]

It worked for Halo, why shouldn't it for Gears of War?

[Rattles]

for god sake its just the unreal engine every thing you see in there games is avaliable to every other dev out there useing it.

[Palodios]

Mass Effect, Bioshock and Last Remnant all want a word with you.

[marichuu]

You guys suck :P
I bet Gears of War Mobile will be the best!

Seriously though... the game will sell without a doubt, but lets not make it bigger than it is for now.

[DirtyLary]

Dumb article.

[BigKev45]

Bull crap it will.

[EZCheez]

They should stop wasting time on UT3 and put as much manpower as they can behond GOW2.

I doubt many tears would be shed if they announced just that. However, I know it will never happen.

[dan-boy]

halo 2 sold more, and halo 3 sold plenty aswell. the same can be said of the gran tourismo series, gta and metal gear, all franchises which have shifted hardware, aswell as container loads of discs. with the success of the first gears, its pretty much guaranteed that the second game will not only be a hit, but will also shift a few consoles to boot.

this seems like blog to me, and does it really have a place on here?

[SPARTAAN]

all the games you named were the first games of the franchise on the system but in this case all the fans of gears are 360 owners that is more than 5 million and if u add those who already have a 360 but did not buy gears 1 because it was old then it will be about 6-7 million so gears 2 will sell a lot of copies might even break halo 3s record but it will not sell many consoles...if gears 3 is on the next xbox then it will sell a lot of consoles but not gears 2 on the 360

[JVIDICAN]

your right the fist game of a series will always be more sucessful on a new counsel than the second unless they go over the top with new features. thats why mgs2 sold more than mgs3 and why mgs4 will probally sell better than both of them. same aplies to ff10 selling more than any other ff on the ps2 after it, but ff13 will rank unbelievable sales.

[Palodios]

The thing is... Gears of War 2 attracts the same audience, the same kind of attention as Gears of War 1. What this guy is pointing out is that a sequel to a game that is still fresh in everyone's minds as a GREAT game needs to innovate in order to stand out, and perhaps do new things in order to grab the people still on the fance.

[dan-boy]

i think your both missing something.

all the first games create the fans. halo 2 sold alot of xboxs, gt2 sold playstations, gta:vice city sold ps2s after the great gta3. if going by what you two are saying, if everybody who likes the game already has the system, then no-one else buys the console for the sequels other than the already built up fan-base! when history already says that your both way off the mark!

i'll just use halo as an example here. halo helped sell xboxs, but when halo2 was released, it sold loads of hardware to people who did'nt have xboxs, so they could play it also. clearly, the sequels to popular franchises help push hardware sales! same with gta3 and vice city. gta3 sold hardware aswell as software, but no doubt, vice city helped sell a load more ps2s when that was released.

[mistertwoturbo]

The guy in the article is just hoping we don't get a "Gears 1.5" based on the developement time, extra hype, and media pressure.

I honestly think it's going to deliver either way. Even if it was Gears 1.5, just wrap up the story, improve on the graphics, tweak the gameplay, add some features here and there and Bam. It'll be more than enough for any Gears fan. Or at least for me.

[aiphanes]

You can only get some many environments on a DVD9 disc....why do you think gears of war 1 was so short? But compression is way better two years later...so they will make the game bigger...since this was one of the gripes about GEARs of WAR 1...

8 vs 8 multiplayer? not gonna happen...I think they will stick with 4 VS 4...but lets hope they cn get it 8 VS 8...

Heck Warhawk has 4 way split screen!.....so they can at least do that.

I wonder what incognito is gonna do for Warhawk 2 in late 2009? 64 player on screen? Graphics 10 times better than Warhawk 1? They will be in the same boat as Epic is now....

And it does not matter if Gears of War 2 sucks or not...there really is not anything else good comming out for the Xbox 360 around its (Gears 2) release time...so it will sell like crazy no matter what....epic has nothing to really worry about..

[mistertwoturbo]

About the warhawk comment. Usually in games I would agree, the higher the numbers of player does not necessarily mean the better the gameplay.

HOWEVER, for warhawk, that game is absolutely tailored and designed for large numbers of players. I would say the more players for Warhawk, the better. 32 vs 32 warhawks would be pretty friggin amazing.

[dan-boy]

man, they really had to tone down the 360 version just to get it on a dvd9! from what i here, it's only the size of two city blocks compared to the ps3 version!!!!

dear oh dear. with games like gta being equal in size and graphical prowess on both platforms, does it not sink in that blu-ray is more of a luxury in gaming at the moment?? if it was a problem, then gargantuan games like gta would highlight the problem that sony wants everyone to believe made blu-ray neccessary!

please think about things first, before jumping to conclusions!!

[JVIDICAN]

in all fairness the 360 probally did hold gta4 back but not by much
and honestly do you think theyed make the ps3 version better just because there was more space on the disk?
that would be shooting themselves in the foot when it came to the 360 versions sales

[dan-boy]

you don't know that, and there's no reason to say that when everything says otherwise. it obviously wasn't held back by dvd9! so why even bother trying to add some sony spin?!

the fact is, gta is gonna be one massive game in lots of departments! and it obviously fits nicely on a dvd9! perhaps the problem lies in the fact that there is yet still no conclusive proof that blu-ray is essential for gaming!!

[beavis4play]

you can read can't you? cause you are waaaay off topic here. your "opinions" on blu can wait till the appropriate story comes along.

[dan-boy]

i first replied to aiphanes, who said that gears 2 would be hampered by a dvd9. i was'nt the one who brought it up! just merely pointing out obvious flaws in people of certain console persuaions arguments.

[jessupj]

You are honestly a fool if you think Blu-ray isn't needed in the future. Heck even now devs and basically milking dvd9 for every last kilobyte of data and you know it.

What did they say about 5" floopies? what did that say about 3.5" floppies? What did they say about cds? And what are they starting to say about dvd now? And what are they going to say about blu-ray in the future?

Have I made my point?

[le killer]

you make your point well

"if you think Blu-ray isn't needed in the future"

well done for putting things into perspective. it will be needed in the future without doubt! but at the moment, as the guy above said, there still is'nt any conclusive proof that it's needed now. if there is could you link to the stories that confirm it

[hotshot127]

because it has competition this time around and fanboy or not, we all know that when other games come out and thier is something that is competing with it, reviewers often compare them.

gears of war was praised for its graphics and cover system. thier are plenty of games that have the cover system now and that have are going to have mind blowing graphics around the time it launches.

i dont wish anything bad on gears. it was a good game for the 360 and im sure the second one will be good too. but the game that I would be giving all the praise on the 360 would be ninja gaiden 2(gameplay looks phenominal) and the ps3 still doesnt have a good EXCLUSIVE hack and slash of that caliber. so im looking foward to seeing what gears can bring to the table.

but then where i kinda dispute my point is with this. if the creater of gears 1 can think of the gameplay features that he thought of with gears 1 then im sure he can think of many new gamplay features for the second.

[PS360PCROCKS]

Oh PLEASE!! "2 years may not seem like alot of dev time" yeah for the first iteration of a series. This is a SEQUEL, their is no learning hardware, creating stories, characters, it's already done for them. It's simply taking the first game and creating new environments, Epic and Microsoft wouldn't push the title if it wasn't as polished as the first, if you remember November 2005 was when Gears was supposed to come, it ended up in 2006. If it's not ready, it will go to 2009.

[OpiZA]

Good point

[BubblesDAVERAGE]

But the Playstion around that time will be monstrous

[devilsfanatic30]

im not saying gow2 will be bad by any means. I am just saying that i don't think the sequel will have as much success as the first. But there is no doubt it wont be good.

[Rattles]

dont think so, microsoft needs this game THIS year. what other big selling games do they have besides the multiplat GTAIV?

[PS360PCROCKS]

Too Human, Fable 2, Banjo Kazooie, Splinter Cell, Ninja Gaiden 2, Alan Wake and I doubt that's all they have up their sleeves, E3 is coming.

[she00win99]

do you think those games will compete with Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo 3 alone sold 1,890,000 copies in Japan, 7,140,000 in North America, 5,840,000 in Europe, and 10,000 in Southeast Asia. i think GT5 will do the same or better..

[PS360PCROCKS]

If you missed every story about the attach rate maybe you should check it out. 360 owners buy EVERYTHING.

[she00win99]

all i said is that all the games you mention above will be surpass by GT alone..

[Bombomb]

"as I cancel my pre-order"..

Noottt!! all the haters can sucka fat one.

now were predicting why a game might not be all that, when we have not seen much, besides the teaser.

how about why this game will be the best selling shooter in 2008 going into 2009 with halo 2 like numbers with tweaked issues everyone have complained about. epic seems to be listening form what ive seen so far.

graphics will be graphics most games do not win goty on graphics alone. there is this misconception that having blu-ray will get you goty honors, quality aaa games, well i have not seen much but all fanboys have to fall on is graphics.

just yesterday EPIC, "ut3n 360 will have better graphics" now fanboys disregard graphics...oh yeah who cares about graphics again....

[goodgameslover]

Like ps360rocks says: 2 years is a long enough time for a sequel. Everything important has already been done with the prequel. Look at resistance 2 for the ps3, it looks like it will be better, and more important huger then the first one. And i think this will also happen with GoW2.
But like all big sequels it will indeed not have the wow factor.
Ninja gaiden 2 also doesn't look like a huge step forward in graphics.
Fans don't really care how it looks, if it plays good they will be happy.

[jkhan]

I agree the true fans will never care about graphics, but unfortunately there is a huge community of graphics whores in our gamers world today. They will start comparing it to Gears1, Resistance 2, Killzone 2, MGS4 etc. etc. Not considering the genre or anything. I am pretty sure as soon as the first gameplay video is released they are going to fill the web with Gears 2 smashes R2 etc. etc. if the graphics are good or the other way around if the graphics are a touch less then what they expect.

[devilsfanatic30]

it seems there has been a misconception on what the article is about. Graphics do not make a game, and overall, do not matter for the most part.

[heyheyhey]

Flash + Geow2 = teh pwn

no matter what console fangirls may tell you, the flash versions of games always own

[marichuu]

Oh god, an Adobe fanboy ;P

I seriously hate flash, and I have to work with it at school ><

[jkhan]

Well in some parts he is right. Don't get me wrong, I love Gears of War, it was the reason I bought a 360. But when it was released there was not even a single game that had the visual quality that gears of war had. Because of that visual quality everyone else didn't noticed the short and little to no story campaign and above average enemy AI. Enemy AI was good but it wasn't the best, I mean they will take cover, but they will keep taking the bullets from the side and won't move. The AI will improve in the sequel because UT3 AI was good. But I hardly doubt it will be able to top the performance of its predecessor. I read in an article somewhere that Gears of War 1 pushed 360 to 90%. All they can do now for sequel is to push 10% more. We will see semi-destructible environments, good AI, better multiplayer and more baddies on the screen at once. It will be a great game but it won't be Game of the Year material. Because there are too many great games coming out this year.

[Doctor Strange]

The only thing that I agree with in the article which I have said before is that I hope the hype machine doesn't get out of control. Hype is good but to much hype could hurt the game with people thinking they're getting more then what is promised.

Gears 2 is going to great. I'm just concerned about the having a better, cohesive story this time and some bigger, destructible environments to play through.

[DJ]

A little too pessimistic, but what the author's really trying to get at is "Gears 2 will be an improvement, but might end up paling up against the competition."

[The Dark Side]

the main thing to remember as stated earlier, there was nothing out there to compete with gears. The wii had Zelda and The PS3 had resistance. Oblivion came out in the spring, so Gears of War had all the fall to itself. By the time GOW 2 come out this fall. We would have seen GTA 4, Grand Turismo 5 pro, MGS4, Star Wars: Force Unleased, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, etc. And we will have seen more previews of future games like, God of War 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Resident Evil 5, etc. The wow factor will definitly not be there, it will be a good buy, but it definitly want be the best thing on the market as far as next gen go, like it was in 2006.

[jkhan]

Well ofcourse there is one more thing this time again, it will have no competition on the 360. Its the only exclusive shooter they have. So existing 360 owners will definitely be getting this, but those who are going to make a decision to a buy a console will have second thoughts about this title. Microsoft doesn't care about existing console owners, we all know Gears 2 will end up on PC with better content and better graphics. Thats how Microsoft roll. They are looking for new consumers.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Needed somthing a little more concrete, it was more like guessing.

[Reibooi]

I really don't expect much from Gears 2. Really I think its gonna just be slightly better graphics and maybe a few new multi player modes and that's about it. I doubt they will fix all the horrid glitches that were present in the first game and the Collision detection will probably be just as bad as the first. However if they can fix this problems and make the game over all more epic and make maybe 6vs6 multi play maybe it will be good. But as it stands I'm not to excited.

[Spydiggity]

more people in multi player does NOT make a game better. Gears was made to have quick, close quarters conflict. They would have to dramatically improve the match making system to have more ppl playing too. But more is not better, like in the case of that ridiculously terrible title on the ps3 (Resistance). I will never play a game on console that has 60 players at once. It's just going to be a cluster f*ck.
4v4 is perfect for gears (though i heard they might do 5v5). Their focus needs to be on making a halo style match making system, improving corners a ton, and fixing host advantage latency issues.

[DJ]

It won't change the fact that they're exhilarating, and a LOT of fun. Warhawk at times feels empty with 32 players, so the bump to 60 players will definitely help fill up the maps. Plus Resistance 2's multiplayer is going to squad-based, so it's not going to be a "clusterf*ck" as you so eloquently put it. BTW, what is it about Resistance that you hate so much?

[NinjaRyu]

We already got fanboys trying to downplay Gears & War 2. They really should just save themselfs a lot of wasted time & give it a rest. This Game will sell sh!tloads of copies & X-box 360's, the same thing Final Fantasy 13 will do for the PS3 & the same thing MGS4 may do for the PS3

[jkhan]

Well I agree Gears 2 will sell hell lot of copies more then Gears 1 did. But the million dollar question is Will it sell more 360 hardware? & since now we know it will be coming to PC in around 6 months time with better visuals and more content;)

[QuackPot]

the 360 has a great library of games and some good ones coming but it just doesn't have anything that will attract new buyers of the console.

Yes, the current owners will buy the GeoW2 and other great games by the boat load but it just doesn't have the new ips to attract new buyers of the console. the 360 bit hitters have already come and gone, the ps3 big hitters are still coming.

[Spydiggity]

you know...if N4G had a section for speculation and a section for news, the news section would be pretty empty.

this article should be called "Sh*t i'm scared of."

This article doesn't have one shred of fact to support his 'worries' so why did we all just read this crap?

[eagle21]

UT3 will release before Gears 2 on 360. Now, hear me out. My brother owns Gears and loves UT3 on his PS3.

But one thing is for sure, Epic doesn't really change their models too much and those games are too similar in art style and voice over. 360 gamers who buy UT3 (great multiplayer game by the way) then buys Gears 2 will feel like it was too much Unreal Engine, "Epic, Mark Rein, Cliffy, etc.") hoopla for one year. mark my words.

[captainjy]

Eagle21, hey hold on a sec...let me get my word de-scrambler and figure out WTF you just said....ehhhh...still not working...

Are freakin crazy?!??!? Mark you words?!?! If you took some time to read a little about the Unreal 4 engine and Gears 2, the enhancements and changes, you would clearly see that you are on crack and need to stop posting riddles on the Internet.

[vickers500]

Gears 2 WILL reign supreme. At least as the best title on the 360 anyways.

[Genuine]

Lol, I didn't think 24 hours could go by without a N4G contributers totally predictable "Microsoft Has Devil Baby" story from their homemade website.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Probably because it's the only thing holding up 360 sales this year.

[RealTimeWeaponChange]

lol no

[PSMonster21]

you just can't admit that you may actually be let down when this game comes out.

[Z F1GHT3RS]

what like you have been let down for the past 2 years.

delay and install beyond
phoney

[PSMonster21]

Eh the ps3 hasn't even been out for two years yet. DURDADUR.

[Massive-Delusion]

I don't care whether it will "reign supreme" or not. I just hope it's a good game, that's all...

[zethos56]

Why does no one think Gears graphics can improve?

[nutjuice]

it should be able to do some different things that people notice, using the multiple enemies on screen for example. But for me, the graphic style Epic uses always seems the same and for some that might be great, but I'm tired of the bulky space marine vibe so maybe there's more people out there like me that might feel like they've already seen it when it's actually a little different now (engine wise)

[DomUltra]

I have no doubt Gears of War 2 will be a great game, unfortunately it won't move consoles, history shows us that the demographic who already owns a Xbox 360, usually end up buying this game. In 2007 PS3 outsold Microsoft worldwide, even with Microsoft's flagship title Halo 3 being released that year, it was still outsold, this alone gives me reason to believe this game will not improve console sales.

Obviously it will do fantastic software sales, I predict 4 million sold within 2 months, on the Xbox 360.

Once ported onto PC this game will do worse. Why? Most PC gamers don't appreciate this game, native PC games and ported PC games just play different, that's all there is to it, it doesn't play the same. I expect 900,000 to 1,000,000 copies sold for the PC, and the rest pirated.

[LaChance]

Res 2 , Motorstorm 2 , Uncharted 2 , Ratchet "2" and Heavenly Sword 2 aint gonna push a single console for Sony. Yeah man , dont expect to see an increase in hardware sales when those games come out.

Otherwise , yeah I bet this will sell faster than the first Geow.

By the way I heard Geow on PC was a flop ! Is that true ? Anyone got the sales for the PC version.

[DomUltra]

Unlike Sony's profit history, Sony games usually move a few consoles, I just showed you proof that Halo 3 didn't even move that many consoles, if you don't trust me you can look on the internet for the articles.

It's how you push the game, PR is all that matters, consumers have to look for something to grab on it.

Games like Halo, and Gears already have an established fanbase.

Expect games like Resistance 2 to be hyped to Halo status, I can easily see the PR campaign, will it move consoles? The first one DID, BUT only because it was a Launch title, AND the only handful of games PS3 had, so using Resistance isn't part of the formula, because it doesn't have anything substantial behind it, if it was released as the PS3 was going through it cycles, perhaps you can determine a more precise calculation about sales and consoles.

Motorstorm 2 , Uncharted 2 , Ratchet 2 and Heavenly Sword 2 are more niche games, while Uncharted 2 already has an established fan base from this guess it won't move very many consoles unless the PR campaign goes buck wild, I'm sure the graphics + animation are gonna be something to drool about.

Same with Motorstorm, obviously Motorstorm was a console mover because it was bundled with the 60 and 80GB PS3, the results for that are inconclusive.

Heavy Sword 2 will NOT absolutely not move consoles, neither will Ratchet.

Expect Sony's big hitters like GoW3,FF,LBP,KZ2,R2 and finally MGS4 to move consoles.

Out all of those games, I predict the God of War 3 will move the most consoles, the fan base behind the series is absolutely huge.

[RealTimeWeaponChange]

lmao, UltraDumb, that's cuz NO ONE has a god damn PS3 yet lmfao.

[Xlll]

@Weaponchange
thats why PS3 is outselling 360 worldwide? Also please put a warning on that avatar as it almost broke my screen.

[RealTimeWeaponChange]

as what?

[Xlll]

"possible loss of eyesight" will do.

[tehReaper]

One of the first times I've actually agreed with DomUltra.

But I do think GeOW2 will move some consoles, but not as much as Microsoft wants it to. Like DomUltra said, Gears has an established fanbase. People who don't own a 360 might not have played the original GeOW.

Other than that, Gears 2 will be great no matter what people say. Epic knows it has a winner.

[captainjy]

DomUltra, you must piss black and have brown eyes. The POS3 has not outsold the 360 worldwide, period. No one has been to provide any substantial numbers to show this to be true so stop the BS.

You just aren't getting it- the 360 is here to stay, live with it. And while it's here, it's going to continue stealing POS3 sales. And while I am at it, the only thing pushing POS3 consoles is movies because based on the NPD numbers since POS3's inception, your "gaming" console can't seem to muster more than 2 titles in the top 10 for a month. Every one of your HUGE titles (whatever they may have been) have fallen short every time.

Consider this- for all of the RROD issues, lack of an HD player, a meager 20GB hard disk and no built-in Wi-Fi, the 360 is still outselling the POS3. And then there's GTA 4! You'll be lucky if MGS saves face this year. Happy Trophy hunting!

[TheEndzor]

Numerous companies have shown that the Ps3 is outselling the xbox worldwide. There are no varations to it.

But from what i have seen. The xbox Fanboy completely disregards anything negative about their console.

if an article comes out with negative news. You fan boys bash the credibility of the article or even in some cases some you fan boys go as far as racist remarks See http://www.n4g.com/industry... Comment # 8 in Open Zone

And anything pro Sony will be bashed. the funny think i will like to say. Is when MGS4 was rumored to come out for the Xbox. All xbox fanboys Praised the game. The rumor was then squashed. Xbot fanboys now continue to bash the game until there is no tomorrow.

These are just some of the examples

[AngryTypingGuy]

The first Gears of War left everyone wanting more and Gears of War 2 will deliver. Read the GOW2 article in the latest issue of Game Informer. This game will kick ass, and will be right there with MGS4, GTA IV, etc. as a GOTY candidate.

[TheEndzor]

I have no doubt that GoW2 will be a great game. but it wont be a Console mover.

Most of the Fan Base already has a 360

[green]

I just wasted 2 minutes of my life reading a bullsh*t article.Epic had a seperate dev team working on UT3.CliffyB has been on GOW2 since the release of the 1st.

Why dont people just shut up and wait until they have actually seen the damn game,because the few that have seen it have said the game will blow you away.

[power of Green]

Nonsense post. It gets old how media and PS3 fanboys try bring something down only to eat crow later on.

I don't know why PS3 fans are in here its not going to be a PS3 game that *might* take Gow 2 down a notch lol.

[sandip787]

theres only so much that can be taken from UE3, and we've probably seen its prime. even if this is '3.5', i doubt the jump will be huge. it will still be a great game though, as long as the story is LOOONNGGERR

[ROCCOZILLA]

it wont be near as good as RFOM2!!

[pshizle]

heres proof = gameinformer mag

http://www.vitosverdict.com...

[Iron Man 2]

Gears Of War 2 will reign supreme on PC,not so much on Xbox 360 due to the console being inferior,Shane Kim is happy to announce that Gears Of War 3 and on will be making an appearance on PLAYSTATION®3,where it was ment to be on since the beginning.

$hane

[tehReaper]

Get out of here. I've said it once, I'll say it again. You're a douche bag.

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

Why I think it won't have as much of an impact this time around:

1. The other consoles are released this time.
2. Resistance 2, Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, PlayStation Home, SOCOM: Confrontation, Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots might be released before Gears of War 2.
3. Gears of War just used Ghost Recon 2 Summit's (XBOX)covering system but just refined it. All I'm saying it wasn't the first yet people talk like everyone is copying Gears of War's covering system (it isn't new is all I'm saying).
4. The disc format will have its limitations (hint: Halo 3).

With all that said I do think the game will be great I just think it won't have the humph it did before. It was the first real next generation game to hit the market and the only console out. This time around it has to compete with the PlayStation 3. They (Epic Games) are talented but this time they're going against some heavy hitters in the industry.

[RAM MAGNUMS]

just stay out of media, & wait for it on pc for my revenge, besides they couldn't even fit ermac on the xbox version!
all my friends & family have ps3's so text & chat on a xbox don't warrant payment on top of my monthly Internet bill.
sorry but not even gears will make me buy another xbox.
I pay rent
I pay utilities
I buy food
I pay down debt
I pay to go out
I pay for gas
I have a girlfriend for 5 years
Birthdays & holidays
partying & living life
why would I pay for a xbox?
why would I pay for a incomplete game that needs patches?
why would I pay for the gold membership?
why would I pay for a bigger hardrive?
why would I pay for batteries or a charger kit?
why would I pay for 1 red light?
why would I pay for m$ points?
why would I pay for wi-fi?
why would I pay to download movies or tv shows that are on the Internet?
why would I pay for themes & gamer pics?
why if I'm happy & saving money for the next video game?

[Defectiv3_Detectiv3]

I mean c'mon, 5 on 5 multiplayer

The graphics looked far improved as well. I saw a couple shots of the old levels compared to the new versions and they looked a lot more detailed. It's cool to play some of the old levels but I just hope Epic isn't making a rehash.

I will say this though, Gears is pretty damn homoerotic. Their characters just lend themselves to gay jokes too much. But yeah, as long as it doesn't let people down like Halo2/3 then Ill be happy.

[tehReaper]

Halo 2 didn't let people down. I think Halo 3 kind of did though.

[dragunrising]

Didn't let people down. If you don't like Halo 3, you probably aren't very good at it. The new map packs are awesome and Halo 3 will have the kind of support years later that other games never do.

[tehReaper]

No, I play Halo 3 a fair bit. I'm decent, but not great. I play Gears way more.

x1Dem0n1x

Look up my stats.

Anyway, I just don't think it has changed much from Halo 2. I mean sure, the gameplay has to be about the same to be Halo. But this is a Xbox 360 game we're talking about. It didn't change much from the original Xbox. Graphics could have been better. Just my opinion. But more people say Halo 3 let down people more than Halo 2 did because the jump to Next-gen wasn't as good as some hoped. I never said Halo 3 sucked, so calm down broseph.

[strongbad1441]

All of you 360 fanboys need to quit whining and yelling out incoherent nonsense. He never said it wouldn't be good, he only said that it faces the same pressures of every sequel to successful IPs, which can create an adverse affect.

Will it happen? Probably not.
But at the same time, all of the hype that has surrounded GTAIV and MGS4 could lead to the very same problem.

[power of Green]

You need to tell that to your PS3 fanboy troll brethern it seems they're the ones spewing incoherent nonsense as well as what you typed.

Its nonsense to assume the game won't have the same wow factor based on folks theories.

We have to wait for them to show the game before you PS3 fanboys and the dude that came up with these theories in this story can try and brand a product no one knows about.

(which I do I know somebody working on the beta etc the game is going to be huge with large epic battles etc thats a huge step for the series by itself.)

MGS4 and GTA4 are games many gamers have seen and Know about Geow 2 has shown a few art pieces and a CGI trailer and a few new charactors.

incoherent nonsense is suggesting people are in here that will be buying the game have said the dude said the game won't be any good when they have not. lol

This was used as a tool to counter positive 260 news.

We know MGS4 has run into this problem the visuals have been downgraded with old school gameplay and the devs themselfs seem ashamed of it because of PS3.

GTA4 Looks way better and is far more advanced and now has some of the best Mulit player modes I'v ever heard of.

Gow was simply announced and was said it would be useing more advanced tools vs the first and simply had some new charactors announced

BIG difference. To say Gow 2 will not have the same effect is wild speculation.

[dragunrising]

I have this feeling of extreme Xbox 360 hatred and bias on N4G. When did everyone become anti-xbox? Its like Sony biased people flock to this site to spew their illogical propaganda. I've always been a Xbox fanboy first and foremost because we are a group that love to game and avidly. The other camp is extremely negative and arrogant; they love the brand because it says Sony...and anything else sucks. I'm multiplatform now but I still find it hard to find any sort of culture or understanding with die hard Sony fans.

The article is a testament to this growing anti-Xbox trend. Why say a game sucks when you know next to anything about it? It doesn't make sense. We could say the same thing about any sequel. Just because the game was released 2 years ago doesn't mean the sequel won't be superior. As you noted, the foundation of the sequel and even the trilogy was laid out ahead of time before Gears of War was even released. Kudos and bubbles for being an Xbox fan and the best kind.

[captainjy]

Again, this freakin post is a blog and holds no more water than anyone of us on either side of the fence making an opinion in some forum on the Internet. This should never have been posted.

[dle]

Of course a lot can go wrong with development of any sequel, but two years of development should not be a concern for Gears 2. Also keep in mind that much of the planning for Gears 2 were done while Epic developed Gears 1. And in the final months of finishing up Gears 1, Epic engine team kept adding new tech to the engine for their licensees. So in effect, the technology and the planning for Gears 2 started more than two years ago.

Epic has a separate engine team so new tech being develop for the engine should not detract or drain resources of the Gears 2 team. Mircosoft would send in their own engineers to help if they believe Epic is short of developers for Gears.

So not to worry, Gears 2 have had plenty of time and development resource to become a great sequel.

btw, I do not own Gears of War or any console at the moment, but I used to be a hard core gamer. :) Just want to point out some facts that you guys may have missed in the discussions.

[OJ_juice]

Little Big Planet will destroy this game.

[tehReaper]

Haha, you serious?

[Ko_Uraki]

At Epic they know how to use the 360 hardware, so IMO GOW2 will have a good graphic (better than GOW). Then If they do a longer single player campaign and they add some cool new weapon, I think that the fans will be pleased.

[power of Green]

Gears 2 was being fleshed out before Gears 1 even released.

You fanboys have to read up about this game before you rabidly bash a game only a few have seen in-which they say its going to blow us away.

When I read or when I'm told about this title it makes me laugh to read the comments and this story.

Wonder if this is a revenge post due to MGS4's latest news?.

[power of Green]

You know a game is huge when the fanboys of the other camp wish the game sucks and hope its average despite the notions being proved wrong just weeks after these nervous theories started coming up this week.

[Fux4Bux]

First was overhyped and completely mediocre. Second will be the same except without the blinding shock of the graphics.

[Frangieh]

What i hate is when people talk about hype ? Did you guys play gears of war ? it wasa tru next gen game. the single player was ana amazing experience and the multiplayer was beautiful and yeah there was gliths i wont say no. And Halo 3 halo was a great game forget the single player and enjoy the multiplayer. And COD4 was just mind blowing so hype do exsit but games live up to them especially these 3 so expect big from chris big from GOW2

[bioshock]

gears 2 will not have tht wow factor, i played this game 5 times and at every stage i stoped for a moment and watched the entire stage,this game was epic no doubt every cutscene was detailed and bad ass, but ths guy is rite tht after GTA4, MGS4, uncharted,bioshock,UT3, will this be better?thts where i feel, naw i dont think so,sure the games gonna be bad ass but tht wow factor will be missing...plus theres one more thing im worried bout tht gears is developed by EPIC, they get repeatative.....it might not go beyond 90 this time, but sure its gonna sell...coz gears was hit mostly coz of its MULTIPLAYER....

[kadosho]

I've been thinking over on re-buying pt1, to accept pt 2. At the time, I was going through some tough obstacles, and traded in my CE of Gears. It just has me questioning if picking up 2 will be worth it, in the long run. Seeing how console owners were kinda pushed aside (PC = extra mission?) And the saving grace was maps, and that was kinda all.

Campaign wise, it had a neat idea, but missed it somewhere along the line. Lately alot of games have that focus, but more eager to get you into the series. Why a series? Why isn't it a complete story?

Starting to wonder if they might go with an episodic route. Seeing how expensive games are becoming, especially with the hardcore market. But it does make everyone question "is it really worth it?"

[Avto]

GOW is going to be good and all the reviews gonna say great but in reality it's gonna be an upgrade of the first one with better graphics and some new gameplay elements now and than

[Milky]

I was thinking the same thing as this guy. It will sell consoles (almost every big game does) but alot less than the first because the only people waiting for this game are 360 owners.

[running rampid]

is it me or is that guy a little pesimistic? anyways most of his fears are based upon pure speculation and i have faith in epic that they will produce a sequel which will exceed the first itteration.

[Neurotoxin]

Gears was a winning formula, all Epic have to do is tweak, expand and add new story twists and this will fly off the shelves.

Wish i could actually play it though seeing as i own the other console :( Regardless this game should be F-ing awesome.

[DFresh]

Too much pressure can be an issue w/ any developer.
I still think another issue might be space.
DVD's only have 5GB of space not very much then compare that to PS3 Games w/ Blu-ray 50GB (10X more Space) that's a big difference.
Not being a fan but eventually Microsoft is going to have to add Blu-ray to their games if they hope to compete.

[KBDuB]

I still don't see what space has to do with a game being good.. WarHawk is one of the smallest games on the PS3 and is probably still the best to this day..

[KENNYFISTERBOTM1]

I have to say some people have no idea what they are talking about. Gears 2 is going to be working on a new engine unreal3 engine. if you read gameinformer mag you will see the side by side screens and they actually show a pretty nice improvement in graphics, even thoughI dont think it needed it. As for the people that think that its game play needs revamprd (tweaked) I actualy liked the game play as it was, but I hated and loved the online play. They need to revamp the online play so their arent as many if any glitches to do not to mention the sniping shot gun that could shoot 500 ft away and blow you up thae first shot (the host had the advantage) Now I also read that gears 2 is going to have a more distructable environment. With the new (revamped) engine it will allow more details in the faces, environment, and more damage to you surroundings. Pretty cool, well everybody take care and have a good day. Thanks!!!!

[KingKirchner]

The reason I think Gears2 won't reign supreme is simply because there will be many more good games this year than 06. In 2006, the only game to challenge Gears was Zelda. A Gamecube game/gamecube port. Gears was so good because it was the first real "next-gen" game. This year however, we have 2 of the biggest games ever hitting. GTAIV and MGS4, among tons of other great games like Fallout 3, Resistance 2, LittleBigPlanet, and many more. There's just too much excellent competition this time for it to reign supreme.

[Cherchez La Ghost]

I'm very excited about Gears 2. Why?! The Unreal Engine presentation Epic did about Gears 2. That was major improvement. Second, the latest edition of Gameinformer about the storyline. The new faces, the search for Dom's wife, the new monsters & taking the fight to the Locust like Riders of Rohan fought the Orcs in Minas Tirith. An interesting storyline and good gameplay is just important than graphics. You could have a "jaw-dropping" graphic looking game. But if the gameplay sucks and storyline is some crap, the game is shot to bricks.

I do agree that disc storage space would be needed in the future. But if you still have companies still delivering top-selling games on DVD9 disc, the need is not as strong (at this point of time) now. The day will Blu-Ray storage space will take over DVD9.

This guy is just one of the very few who thinks this way. You have some people out there feel the same for GTA 4, Metal Gear, or any top-selling title game that is about to come out. But the fact is Gears 2 will sell, Metal Gear will sell & GTA will sell. Besides, I have all three of these games on day one.

[pirat10fc]

Everyone that own gear 1 it's gonna buy gear 2.

[Diselage]

Not necessarily, I have a few friends that have already said they're going to just rent the game even though they own the first. There was a large amount of people who don't like the MP and if the MP doesn't interest you there is no reason to buy the games since the SP is so short. If they really want to outdo themselves i think minor tweaks to MP and more work on the SP.

[KBDuB]

Gears 2 will be great.. But, I doubt, like he said, that it will have that Wow factor.. But, who knows..?

[Lord Vader]

Ah, this article will be good for a laugh this November.