Maybe Old News, but New to Me!

Is it too soon to be all over myself for Gears of War 2? I have been fighting off the urge to read, grab, and breath all things Gears for several months. More and more tidbits are becoming full fledged showcases of the game. Here are some of the officially leaked highlights I am STOKED about.

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List of Juicy GoW2 Details from X360 Magazine

Ten person, 5v5 online multiplayer.

Yes, Gears of War 2 will have a Halo-style matchmaking system.

There will be respawning multiplayer modes, but the focus is still towards traditional non-respawn gaming.


Multiplayer game modes:

- "Guardian" game mode: A remade version of Gears' Assassination game mode where the objective is still to kill the other team's leader, but players keep respawning as long as their leader is alive. Opponents' leader will be marked on the HUD to keep the game moving along.

- "Wingman" game mode: You and a buddy team up, sharing a single character model in this five teams of two game mode.

- "Meatflag" game mode: A CTF-style mode where the "flag" is actually an AI-controlled player who'll wander the map and attempt to kill anyone who gets near. To "capture" him, you'll have to first down, then escort him as a meatshield all the way back to your base, all while your opponents are trying to kill you and shoot at the "flag". Because, if shot at enough, your meatshield flag will break free, go berserk and deal out the pain. Respawning will be featured in this game mode as well as stats for the amount of kills the AI-controlled flag dished out


Multiplayer maps:

- Around a dozen maps will be included on disc.

- "Gridlock": A remake of the Gridlock we've all come to know and love, but taken over by vegetation, old age and now featuring a beautiful sun-setting glow.

- "River": Symmetrical map featuring a house and a sniper tower separated by (you guessed it) a river.

- "Security": A long, thin map with "verandas" on each side that are sealed off by red laser bars. In the center of the map is a button to deactivate all the security for roughly 20 seconds.


Weapons:
- Players will have the option of spawning with the chainsaw-equipped Lancer or the newly modified Locust Hammerburst.
- "Scorcher" weapon: A flamethrower that we're promised will produce some uber-realistic fire.
- "Medusa" weapon: A new Locust pistol that is said to be extremely powerful, pumping out five to six rounds per shot downing enemies in a few shots. Said to be the perfect compliment to a meatshielder.
- "Hammerburst" weapon: Changed a bit, now requiring players to pump the trigger as fast as possible (think Halo 3's Carbine). Though, recoil will increase the faster it's fired.


Grenades:
- Can be stuck to people, walls, the floor and any other surface to be used as a makeshift proximity mine.
- As before, players will spawn with one smoke grenade.
- Smoke grenade: Now carries a "stun" effect that "ragdolls any player within their blast radius".
- Poison gas grenade: Spews poison that will kill anyone who lingers in its poisonous cloud.


Chainsaw Duels:
- Whoever does the quickest amount of "B" button tapping will be victorious.
- Your teammates can help give you an edge in the duel by shooting the opponent which will give you the upper hand on the "B" button mini-game.
- No duel will occur if a player is chainsawed from behind. Instead, the sexy "butt to head" chainsaw animation will kick in giving the attacker and instant kill.


Once killed in a non-respawn game, players will enter a "dynamic battle-cam" that floats above the action.

Also available (when dead) will be a Ghost Cam where players can view the action from the battlefield and take screenshots that can be uploaded online similar to Halo 3.

Development on Gears 2 is roughly at 65% complete.

Don't count on Call of Duty 4 style XP or perks, Cliff says they will not be adding these types of character building elements to the Gears universe.

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I'm drooling over the Meatflag gametype and the variety of grenades. The new finishing moves sound like an upgrade, I am skeptical that the new weapons will wow me.

The thing that gets me pee-in-my-pants excited?? The use of a battlefield cam to take the screenshots and films. Not only was this the one thing I LOVED about Halo 3, it is a huge help when playing competitively.

But again I ask.... is it too soon? We still have a whole summer and fall of game releases to get through before this drops. 

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Nascar holiday weekend was a blast.  Hubby home and now only has one more week of training left.  Today I am sunburnt with a slight 2 star hangover and I can still smell the track in my hair (oil, tires).