ASK anyone who played the original Gears Of War about his most memorable moments in the third-person shooter, and he'll likely bring up the chainsaw.
Yes, that nasty close-combat action usually ends up with one of two combatants becoming mere chunks of flesh on the ground.
Gruesome as that may sound, that over-the-top gore makes its way back to the new Gears of War 2, to be out next month.
I played a multi-player build - in a preview for the media - two weeks ago.
It is clear that the sequel to one of the Xbox 360's best games oozes the same gun-and-run appeal.
As with the original, you play either a human special forces soldier (the Gears) or one of the invading aliens called Locust Horde.
What stands out this time is the graphics, which has been spruced up by an update to the Unreal 3 game engine.
This means details, like the particularly dark cloudy sky, are more vivid, creating an unmistakable sense of gloom.
As expected, the gore fest is wickedly fun. Now, instead of just chain-sawing a hapless, injured enemy trying to crawl away from you, you can hold him up, hostage-like, and use him as a human shield.
Is that wicked or what?
In the multi-player preview, fellow journalists and I tried out several modes, like the new Wingman mode.
Unlike a classic every-man-forhimself death match, this lets you pair up with a buddy, taking on other pairs in a last-man-standing battle.
Original Gears players will find other familiar multi-player modes updated.
For example, there is a modified version of the old Meat Flag mode, in which you attack a computer-controlled character and drag him to your stronghold to score points.
This proves tough because you first have to overpower the human, who can unleash venomous volleys on you and then survive attacks from enemies as you slowly drag the human away. You'll need lots of teamwork for this.
My favourite multi-player mode is still faction-on-faction warfare which pitted the Locusts against the Gears.
That offered both chaotic action and some semblance of strategy.
The single-player segment, which I did not try, promises to be as engaging as the original Gears Of War.
Gears Of War 2
Third-person shooter
$71.90; $79.90 for the limited edition
Launching next month
This article was first published in Digital Life, The Straits Times on Oct 22, 2008.
