New Gears 2 Multiplayer Maps

There are always two sides to every story and the release of the new Combustible Map Pack for Gears of War 2 comes with its praise and controversy. Lets start with the controversy since it is always easier for people to pick on the negatives and that is what everyone seems to do. If you read any of the forums you notice that people are not happy. The reason? The new maps, costing 800 MS points, were released shortly after the initial game release, albeit, with a map from the PC version of Gears 1 (Gold Rush). Basically the complaint is that these maps should be free. Even more complain that the Mutliplayer is broken i.e. matchmaking, minor glitches, lag, etc, and that should have been addressed before new maps were released. Basically I am here writing this to combat the negativity that comes from all you noobs out there running around with your chainsaws, all you pre pubescent boys whose mommies went out and bought you Gears 2 so she could continue to ignore you while you are glued to your 360, and to those who just jump on the complaining bandwagon just so you can feel like your opinion matters and to prove to others that you actually play the game so that you can fit in with the cool crowd! Get over yourself and how good you think you are, you suck and its not the games fault. With that said, I do hate how you can no longer stun someone running at you with the chainsaw so I guess I am a bit guilty too. Big ol' Ewwwwwww Fa to the haters.

I am happy they put out some new maps. Frankly, as someone who plays multiplayer at least 3 hours every night I was just glad to have some new content to mix it up. As for the money thing, get used to it. The majority of companies are putting out DLC for a price. If you don't want them now, just wait a while for history to repeat itself, and they will probably become free in a few months once they release a major set of maps with new achievements (my prediction!). As for multiplayer being broken? I'll admit I wish there could be a few tweaks to the matchmaking system, but it certainly is not broken. If you having problems getting into a match, go make some friends on Live, party up 3-5 people, and you'll be waiting less than 30 seconds to get into a room. The glitches are minor and don't really provide any real advantage. Well except for the one walking through closed doors on Pavilion...which is fun by the way. Seriously though, these glitches pale in comparison to the ones on Gears 1. I'd say that 1 out of every 40 games I play will have bad lag. Thank you Epic for providing the real players some new content. Educated people can understand why you can't just flip a switch to fix these minor issues overnight.

Sorry about that, just had to get that off my chest. Let talk about the new maps. The above picture is of Chap's gas station. The map is officially called Fuel Station...not to be confused with fuel depot. This level has its share of power weapons, exploding gas pumps and fuel trucks, and multiple levels that you can even access with an elevator if your feeling lazy. The level provided plenty of cover both indoor and outdoors, just make sure to watch out for planted frags when flanking up the back steps. This is a smaller map so look for quick encounters after starting, especially on Wingman.

Next up is Flood. This is pretty unique and just like Avalanche it comes alive through the round. You start on a narrow path and head for the main section of the map. You hear the rumbling in the pits below and feel your controller vibrate as the emulsion begins to rise and areas of the map become submerged. Don't get caught in it, you won't last long. Grab some power weapons and head for high ground because with a shrinking level your gonna have a seriously close battle on your hands when there is no where to go. If your feeling fast, you can run and flank around the ground level just in time to see the emulsion cut off the path your were just on. This is kill or be killed territory i.e. there is no hiding out here and waiting for that stalemate. The emulsion only rises during elimination games for obvious reasons.

My current favorite has to be Gold Rush. This map has 3 floors of power weapon fun. If your a fan of larger style maps, then this one is for you. Grab the boomshoot from down below and go nuts, or go for the sniper up top and start poppin' heads. Better yet, grab the mortar and start taking out the whole team in a matter of minutes. Getting these weapons is no easy task unless the opposing team only focuses on one of them. The level offers plenty of cover, but be sure to look out for planted frags on the stairs, and look out for the two piece when going around corners.

And on an ending note...if you can't find the last guy while playing the River map. Throw a frag or an ink grenade behind the tank under the stairs in the house. If you want to know how to get back there send us an email, but beware, you can't get out and if people figure it out, your an easy kill.

-GAME HARD-