Xbox 360 � Gears of War 2

Mmm� we have another sequel on the list. Gears of War was the 360's best and most played shooter, online and off, until Halo 3 came out and stole the spotlight (though some would argue that Gears was still the better game� I'm one of them).

Gears 2 picked up with Marcus Fenix and the rest of the Gears (a.k.a. soldiers) still holding off the Locust horde, which had begun to sink entire cities, dropping them underground into their area of operations. The above ground warfare from the first Gears was almost totally absent, in favor of underground tunnels and bases. But Gears 2 giveth and taketh away; in exchange for the cityscapes that made the first game so cool, players FINALLY got the chance to fight the Brumak, a huge monster that only appeared in the original game's cutscenes. Gears 2's gameplay was as tight and responsive as ever, the graphics were the best I'd seen on a home console and the campaign was fun, challenging and long enough to make the game the 360's very best exclusive in 2008.

The 360's other huge exclusives, Ninja Gaiden II and Fable 2 (again with the sequels!), were both simply ok, whereas Gears 2 was just fantastic from start to finish. Ninja Gaiden II's camera and lack of difficulty sunk its chances for the award. If only they had kept the static camera from the Xbox's original Ninja Gaiden, well, I could guarantee that Ryu's second adventure would have taken the top spot. Fable 2, like the original Fable, was hyped on promises that never really worked out. The addition of a canine partner was totally pointless, the story sucked and despite the claims of choosing your path toward good or evil, the game was still incredibly linear and extremely boring. It makes one wonder how awesome a game designed by Peter Molyneux would actually be if it lived up to even half of his promises. Sigh.

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