thelwig14

True, but it is still Team Deathmatch.

Raul3

The bad/good thing about horde is that you really need 5 guys when you are in the advanced levels 35+ , even if you are playing casual.
Silly me tried to play it alone at level 37 and died trying several times :P

Real Boba Fett

In horse so far I have not gotten further than 20. Problem is it takes some time to reach 20 and while doing so some people quit :-(

Giantrobo

Yeah this quitting sucks. Lately on Live I've been running into lots of quitters and it's driving me crazy. They quit because they're losing, because they don't like the maps, their Mothers are calling them, and many other reasons.

I wish there was a way for the game to replace the quitter with a bot.

FusionX

Anyone looking for someone solid for a long horde run, I'd be down. I hate getting to the mid 20s and then people dropping out. Live ID is Marc Fusion.

Michael Corvin

Actually got in a few matches last night. A few unbalanced ones at that. Went 8 rounds on one mode and got 2 kills while one guy on the other team had about 20. That guy alone mopped the floor with us. Not a very fun way to spend 15 minutes.

FusionX

This happens to me a lot. Seems like the TrueSkill isn't always accurate. I end up with decent people, while the other team is all piss poor save one or two juggernauts who dominate.

K&AJones

If anyone don't mind I'll add some here on my friends list that I'm sure I don't have. I'd rather have fellow DVD Talkers anyway even though I have been lucky a few times with the right ones.

Giantrobo

I finished GOW2 earlier today and I think I loved this game a bit more than GOW 1. I don't know what it was but there was just a lot of stuff I liked about this game. I can't wait to find out what the deal is with the storyline.

Story related...

Michael Corvin

Yeah, I finally finished it last week myself. I also enjoyed it more than the original Gears. I only had a few minor nitpicks:

First, what I loved about the first one was the crazy areas with multiple emergence holes surrounding you. There wasn't anything like that in this one, it was pretty much linear throughout and you never had to watch your back.

Second, there was too much running between battle A to battle B in this one instead of battle, after battle, after battle in the first.

Third, collecting COGs. They were relatively easy to find in Gears 1 with the COG logo splattered in blood. I never felt like I was wasting time looking for them. With 41 of them in Gears 2 and no COG markers on the walls to help you find them, it totally killed the pacing of the game running around looking for them. In some cases I was hunting for them while my squad rushed ahead into battle.

Fourth, the Reavers are the new Berserkers. They couldn't come up with one to two more baddies instead of throwing them at you left and right? Hell sub out a couple battles with some Berserkers at least. Taking down Brumak's was way to easy, and fighting Skorge was a bit of a letdown after his kickass entrance at the beginning of the game. He can cut clear through a tank but not your Lancer?

Those are all very minor qualms though and the experience was epic.

Raul3

Agree with everything MC.

I'm actually collecting all the stuff using a guide and using a save in Casual. When I was playing the normal game, in the first chapter I was actually looking for all collectibles, but most of the time I was left behind and it was too hard finding them. So when I finished the game I only had 13 collectibles. They actually have a lot of interesting information and somehow complement the story.

Giantrobo

Yeah if you read the Journal stuff it kinda fills in aspects of the game. Anyway, I restarted a new game and I'm using an online guide to find stuff. I also found my self looking for stuff instead of fighting with Delta during the 1st run through.

Groucho

There's a lot of the story I still don't get. I don't understand why Marcus Fenix was in prison at the beginning of the first game, and I don't know who his dad is supposed to be or what their beef was.

And I don't understand why Dom never mentioned his wife in the first game, yet in the second he won't shut up about her. Nor do I understand why she looks exactly like the chick in Dead Rising. Do game developers think that all Hispanic chicks work at a Mexican restaurant?

emachine12

Marucs Fenix was imprisoned for desertion of duty. During the battle following E Day (Emergence Day), Marucs Fenix was ordered to stay at his post. Since family is important to him; he chose to search for his father which was in defiance of his orders. So he was placed on trial, courtmarshalled, and imprisoned.

The time line is pretty tricky...

70+ years of the Pendulum Wars which Marcus is a decorated veteran of.

14+ years of fighting the Locust which Marcus started to fight but was imprisoned. He ends up being released by Dom years later.

As for Dom's wife, she disappeared a few years after E Day due to the traumatic stress of losing her children. Although, she is never mentioned in Gears 1 like you said.

The other thing not mentioned in Gears 1 is Marcus' and Anya's closeness. In Gears 1, she is always the voice in his ear but in Gears 2, she is the voice and the emotional stability for Marcus.

In fact...

Giantrobo

Thanks for that info. The Anya thing confused me at first but then the woman was with Cole and I assumed that was her and that everything was ok.

And yeah, as Groucho points out, there's something going on with Marcus' Father.

It seems that

Michael Corvin

Regarding Marcus Fenix's dad, I think Cliffy B is doing his best X-files impersonation.

Raul3

For some reason, from Gears 1, I was in the impression that Marcus dad was dead...

emachine12

So did Dom and Marcus...

They are surprised to hear his voice in the Locust palace.

Although it does explain why Marcus had to to go home in Gears 1. He was going to the place that had vast knowledge of the Locust tunnels.



Why call a level answers when there are none? Arrgggh. Now I want Gears 3 to come out faster so we can find out more.

K&AJones

You and me and several others on this board. Played last night and I couldn't tell what was worse, the Lag or quitters. Very seldom there would be (5) after level seven. If several on this board want to try Wednesday night fine, I'll be on.

edstein

I'll join you. I've gotten up to level 30 by myself but I don't think I can progress any further without help. Those blood riders are a bitch.

FusionX

I'm in tonight for some Horde, what time (I'm in CST) is everyone going to be on?

K&AJones

I'll probably be on about 7-7:30 central. We played late last night and for some reason there were two maps back-to-back I haven't played Horde on yet. Both from the Classic map Pack. One the train yard (whatever it's called) and Mansion. I still think Clocktower is the best to defend.

No Use For A Name

I'm always willing to play a little Horde. If anybody needs an extra player, go ahead and add me to your friends list. I'm sure I'll be on tonight.

The Dude

If I'm on, feel free to send me an invite sometime after 8 eastern. Wouldn't mind playing through some Horde.

Kromax

The Xbox Live Gods were aligned last night...for a little while anyway.

I got into a random Horde match with 4 strangers on Security. Everyone was cool, playing as a team, communicating, NORMAL, etc. By round 20, we were meshed so perfectly that we knew each others' weapon preferences and other tendencies. I knew we were going to get to level 50. Well, disaster struck at level 37. I died a careless death early on, and was watching, when to my horror, a ticker exploded near the other four players, killing them instantly and ending the game. During the five seconds before it kicks you back to the menu, we all were shell-shocked. I went to gather the others up for a retry on private (so we could restart at the same level in the event of another disaster), and all four of them were already offline, probably too upset to play.