Two years ago, Epic Studios and Microsoft launched what became a critically acclaimed best-seller, Gears of War. The combat was fierce, the story was fresh, and it charted new territory in the world of third-person shooters. This game relied more on teamwork, strategy, and defense than most games of its kind and offered more intense battles. The sequel, Gears of War 2, was just released earlier this month on Nov. 7.

The first Gears game took place in the cities above ground. The main character, Marcus Fenix, and the rest of the COG Delta Squad fought against hordes of Locust that were entering the city through small sinkholes from their home below ground. Delta managed to save the day and deploy the “Lightmass Bomb” to take out the heart of the Locust hordes. But apparently the Locust weren’t finished yet.

Gears 2 takes place about 6 months after the end of the first game. Two major cities have completely sunk beneath the surface of the Earth; the Locust have figured out how to make larger sinkholes that can swallow entire cities, and their next target is the city of Jacinto, one of the last safe places for humans.

This time around, instead of simply defending the city on the surface, Marcus and the Delta Squad decide to bring the battle underground to the Locust before they can emerge, hopefully putting an end to the war.

The success of this game lies in the developers’ knack for expansion. Now there’s more to see, more to do, and more to tell your friends about. Gears of War 2 is a perfect sequel.

The storyline is a logical continuation of the first game’s story and is extremely similar. But this time there’s more emotion fused into the story, as Marcus’s partner Dominic struggles to find his wife Maria and Marcus learns more about the whereabouts of his father.

There are new faces in the game as well. Benjamin Carmine, younger brother of Anthony Carmine who was killed in the first game, is a new recruit and tags along with Delta. A Delta soldier named Tai also lends his hand in battle. Familiar characters Baird and Cole are along for the ride as well.

This game comes equipped with new weapons and capabilities. Players can now wield a quick new pistol, as well as a heavy mortar, which can cause total devastation to multiple enemies at once.

There are new defensive capabilities as well. Players can duel enemies with the chainsaw attachment to the Lancer rifle (your button-pushing abilities will come in handy). You can now use wounded enemies as human shields and steal shields from dead enemies.

Furthermore, this time around wounded players are not completely helpless while they wait for revival; they can now quickly tap the ‘A’ button and crawl around to take cover, increasing their chances of survival. But beware, wounded enemies are also able to do the same, so make sure to take them out the first time around.

Aside from these new additions, the gameplay is relatively the same as the first game, except this time everything is much, much bigger. Players must battle extremely large enemies, like the giant Locust-saddled, missile-toting Brumack and the flying, multi-legged Reaver for instance. At one point, Marcus and the crew are even eaten by a giant Riftworm and must kill it from the inside.

The game is also equipped with more multiplayer game modes, including a mode called Hordes, a seemingly endless game of survival against 50 large hordes of Locust. This game mode will get you a butt-load of X-Box 360 achievements, if you can stay alive.

Gears 2 is much bigger, more intense, and significantly longer than the first game. The scenery is extraordinary and the gameplay is much more varied and interactive. It is a massive accomplishment, a huge step forward for the Gears of War franchise, and an instant classic, just like the first.

Oh, and stick around through the end of the credits. It looks like we have a trilogy on our hands.