The Best Xbox Game Every Year 2001 - 2024
17. 2008 - Gears of War 2
As close to perfect as the original Gears of War was, Gears 2 managed to at least match if not exceed its forbearer. No better is this evidenced by Gears 2's Metacritic score sitting one point below the original game for critics, but one point higher for the fans.
Gears 2 once again walked the line between over-the-top meathead monster-blasting violence and a touching, turbulent story of human survival. Whilst on the outside the game promised bravado and brutality, its superb writing and lead performances made it a testament to the cinematic scope of gaming at the time.
Whilst Halo may be Xbox's right hand, Gears was often just as big or bigger. Perfectly encapsulating this, on its opening weekend Gears 2 set the record for the highest simultaneous player count on Xbox Live by breaking the one million player threshold.
Reason for this being that Gears of War 2's online component was a massive step up from the first, featuring an innovative matchmaking system and a broader selection of modes. One of these, of course, was Horde. When the market was chock-a-block with PVP shooters, Gears 2 tested the camaraderie and teamwork of friends against waves of enemies in a mode that altogether defined the best that the series had to offer.