#11 - New Hope Research Facility

Here’s where the story starts getting weird... and interesting. When you’re asked to investigate an abandoned laboratory of which even Colonel Hoffman has no knowledge, you expect for the game to provide some answers there. Instead, you leave with a thousand more questions.

Who is Niles Samson? Why did he leave an AI version of himself behind, and what made that AI go slightly insane? What are the Sires? How and why were they created? What made the doctor and his subjects leave for the mountains? Is it a coincidence that their destination is also the center of the enemy stronghold? Were Chairman Prescott or Marcus’s father involved with New Hope? How do the Locust know about it?

If you needed confirmation of an eventual Gears of War 3, 4, 5 or more, here’s where you’ll find it.

#12 - Flamethrower!

Every game these days seems to include a piece of fire-spewing weaponry, but Gears of War 2’s flames might be the prettiest. Really, though, we included this moment to highlight our love affair with the sequel’s entire arsenal of new guns.

The Mulcher is the perfect showcase for “meat cube” technology, ripping monsters into the equivalent of a butcher shop’s dumpster, and the Mortar rains destructive fire upon the earth in a way that makes the Hammer of Dawn seem obsolete. The shield’s a fine addition, too, though we’d rather swing the mace.

#13 - “We got razor hail!”

We’re always a sucker for atmospheric weather in videogames, but Gears of War 2 has the moody particle effects actually serve a purpose. Stay in the rain too long and you’ll be cut to shreds. Clever sequences like this, and the killer Kryll shadows of the first Gears, are what keeps the series interesting. Each game, and often each mission, offer a slight twist on the straightforward shooter.

 #14 - Sunk and Stranded

As you march through battle in your elephant-sized exoskeleton armor, dispatching enemies with nothing more a stomp from your steel-toed boot, don’t forget about the little people. Don’t forget the helpless and the defenseless, who unlike you, aren’t big enough or strong enough to carry around four monstrously huge weapons at a time.

Gears of War 2 reminds you of those people at every opportunity. Delta Squad doesn’t just interact with other soldiers and commanders; they talk to regular citizens who are scared and struggling, who don’t trust the government or the government’s military and who are devising their own methods for survival. The knowledge that these people exist and are affected by the Locust’s actions, as well as the COG’s actions, is what keeps Gears of War 2 grounded in semi-reality.

#15 - Wheeeeee!

Gears of War 2’s vehicle levels are definitely hit and miss, but we loved the rollicking Disneyland vibe of the derricks and, later, the gun boats. Why those two in particular? Because, unlike the irritating tank mission, we didn’t have to be in the driver’s position. As a result, we didn’t have to learn any new controls to progress.

Instead, we got to do what we always do – shoot, kill, cover, snipe, explode – but with the added excitement of pre-programmed roller coaster dips, turns, tilts and free falls. The only things missing were singing, animatronic pirates and dancing ghosts. Oh well, maybe next time.