"Gears of War 2"

Rating: M

Epic Games

Platforms: Xbox 360

Rarely is a video game produced that absolutely astounds the masses. It’s nice to say that “Gears of War 2,” the sequel to the fastest-selling video game of 2006, does just that.

Continuing where the last game left off, the humans on the planet Sera are still waging a war against the unstoppable force of the Locust Horde. An attack on the subterranean Locust lair in the first game failed and provoked the full force of their maniacal army. Human cities around their world have now been sunken into abysmal pits created by the underground foe, and the last bit of humanity worth fighting for is nearly lost. Now that there is nothing left to defend, humanity has turned to a new tactic: attack.

Players once again assume the role of Marcus Fenix, a hardened soldier with a sketchy past who carries the weight of the war on his shoulders. You lead the Delta Squad, accompanied by some returning characters as well as a couple of fresh faces.

After a quick run of training, you’re thrust into the offensive and geared up for one of gaming’s greatest thrill rides. It truly feels like you are playing a summer blockbuster action film.

It’s easy to see that the story plays a larger role in the sequel than the original, where plot took a backseat to gut-wrenching, gore-tastic, shoot-em-up fun. The writing has improved as well. Characters crack better jokes and actually give emotion-evoking performances. You’ll particularly fancy Dom’s arc if you like a good story. Aside from this improvement in script, you’ll still hear a few cheesy lines similar to those that characterized much of the first game.

The graphics have vastly improved over the two year span, leaving some gamers wandering around the maps simply taking in detail. The vast, cavernous home of the Locust Horde as well as the sunken cities of Sera provide great landscapes for gamers to realize just how much visual work was put into the game.

Not only have these technical aspects of the game improved, but the fun factor has been renovated, too. “GoW2” is still the fast-paced, third-person shooter that brings enjoyment to obliterating massive quantities of adversaries with inventive weapons, but this time around there are cooler weapons with even squishier bad guys to use them on. Flamethrowers, turrets and mortars are but a few of the new stock for players to equip.

The multiplayer mode makes a triumphant comeback and promises to be exciting as well. According to Xbox Live, the original game was the most played multiplayer of 2007. With the new improvements, the sequel seems like a shoo-in for this title again.

It’s safe to bet that “Gears of War 2” will be one of the greatest releases on the Xbox 360 this holiday season. With a new, reloaded solo mode and an awesome multiplayer mode, you will be spending a lot of hours on this one. Just make sure you go to finals, OK?

— Luke Atkinson/The Daily

“Tom Clancy’s EndWar”

Rating: T

Ubisoft

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3

4/5 stars

Gamers are definitely aware of the Tom Clancy franchise throughout gaming history, but what they aren’t familiar with is a real-time strategy produced by the same people who brought us the great third-person shooters like “Splinter Cell” and “Ghost Recon”. Just doesn’t seem right to stray from the genre, does it?

Give it a play and you will be convinced. This game is a lot of fun.

“EndWar” is the culmination of Tom Clancy’s stories, and gamers familiar to them will enjoy seeing the puzzle pieces come together.

In 2020, oil has become a precious commodity and the nations of the world are at each other’s throats for it. To further these tensions, the countries have recently installed a massive network of armed satellites, ready to strike. Europe has come together as a new and united superpower, the United States is the most advanced country in the space race and Russia is back to full strength with control of the world’s oil.

Russia decides to throw in motion the events that will lead to World War III. By hiring a group of terrorists to create national tragedies and planting evidence falsely incriminating the other nation, an outbreak of fighting erupts between the U.S. and the Europeans. As the Americans and Europeans blast away at each other, Russia decides to step in and wipe out the remaining forces on both sides.

At this point in the story, you must make a choice. Which nation will you support? Will you stick with the good old U.S. of A or defend the capitol of Paris for the Euros? How about joining up with your comrades from the Motherland?

From the beginning, you’ll be awed by a revolutionary new feature in real-time strategy gaming: total voice control. Strap your headset on and get ready to bark orders at all of Tom Clancy’s advanced war fighters. From soldiers to gunships, you have total control of what they do. Each unit has a tactical advantage over the other and WMD’s are a factor in your fights.

The single player mode delivers a good story with great play, but the real fun lies in the game’s multiplayer mode. Here you must choose a faction and fight for their side. The battles pit you against another human, giving you one of the greatest strategic fights you will participate in. The skirmishes all contribute to a daily total which is tallied and given to you in a report every 24 hours. The multiplayer map shifts constantly — right now it’s controlled by the Russians, with the Europeans in a not-so-close second.

What strikes most gamers as simply incredible is the fact that these fights will go on for months. There will not be a clear cut winner until all cities have been taken — a task that seems near impossible.

“EndWar” is another great Tom Clancy title that will make your heart pound when your enemy has you cornered. Your commands affect the performance of your troops and when you make a mistake, you feel it. The ability to let you fill and feel the role of general is the game’s strong point and will make this game mark its place in your collection.

— Luke Atkinson/The Daily