There aren’t many sequels I can think of that feel so similar to their predecessor they may as well be one in the same. Gears of War 2 has the same formula and feel of the first title, so much so that it feels wrong to even call it a sequel. While technically it stands on its own as a game, considering the lack of depth to the franchise’s story and setting, it is better thought of as a continuation of the first game. It isn’t Gears of War 2, it is Gears of War: Part Two.

To give you a better understanding, think of the Alien trilogy compared to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The three Alien films tell the overall story of Ripley and her battle against the Alien, but each film has its own isolated plot and atmosphere that allows them to each stand on their own. The Lord of the Rings films, on the other hand, are all one larger story. The Two Towers doesn’t stand on its own, but rather it continues the tale started with Fellowship of the Ring. This is how Gears of War 2 feels overall.

This brought about mixed feelings as I played through the game. Yes, it was incredibly fun. Gears 1 certainly wasn’t broke, and Epic didn’t try to fix it. They merely upgraded it. There are a greater amount of weapons available, a greater variety of enemies and a wider variety of situations. Even so, the game still feels like it is treading on a lot of old ground. You go back underground twice, visit a creepy facility and even have a vehicle section that controls mildly awkwardly, just like the first game.

Granted, claiming that going underground is familiar territory from the first game is a bit unfair. The enemy is subterranean, after all. The environments also were detailed more differently, so it didn’t feel like treading the same old ground as tread before. There are also plenty of new environments and tricks that offer plenty of new territory.

What spoils all of that brand new fluff is Delta Squad seems to be the only group of soldiers saving the day. Epic showed off that the new version of the Unreal Engine could generate hundreds of soldiers on screen at once, but for some reason they never take advantage of it, though you might expect differently coming in. Yeah, there are plenty of moments that are bigger, badder and more bad ass, but the package as a whole doesn’t feel that way.

It might be more accurate to look at Gears of War 2 as the rising action of the overall story. The first Gears game begins the conflict, and by the end of Gears 2 we are approaching the climax (yes, this is yet another trilogy). Still, I can’t help but feel let down that most of the conflicts to the game are not really bigger, badder or more bad ass. The scope feels the same as in Gears 1. Delta Squad is a group of guys bad ass enough to fight the Locust all on their own. Or so it seems.

So the atmosphere to Gears of War 2 was a let down. Does that mean the game itself was? Absolutely not. When I completed the first Gears, I couldn’t imagine where the sequel would go. After playing games like Too Human, Fable and Halo, it was easy to think of where the follow-up could improve and add on. With the first Gears, I really couldn’t. It felt like they delivered on all that they had intended.

Gears of War 2 makes it clear that they hadn’t, and there is still more yet to come. Epic has plenty of environments and conflicts that feel torn right out of Hollywood, and none of the boss fights are as easy as fighting off the Corpser in the first game. Story elements hinted at from the first game are developed and even concluded in the second title, and more questions are asked to help the player look forward to the third title. Collectible items spread across the game also provide enough fluff to the setting that make it feel a bit more real. It still is not a deep story, and the characters themselves are pretty simple. Still, there is enough there to be enjoyable, and the writing does a decent enough job at making the characters likeable (unless you are so pretentious in your anti-Frat geekiness you hate any sign of machismo; but seriously I dare any smart guy to hate Baird).

In the end, Gears of War 2 didn’t create the earth shattering crater that the first one did when it dropped onto store shelves, and it certainly hasn’t changed the franchise forever. It is an upgraded version of the first game, continuing the franchise with just enough new material to keep the player from feeling ripped off. If you enjoyed the first game, then you will without a doubt enjoy the second. If you’ve never played the first game, you can jump right into the second without even knowing what the background is. All in all, it is a finely tuned experience that plays as a triple-A title should.

Of course, single player is only half the game. I’ll get back to you after I’ve played co-op, multiplayer and jumped into Horde. I can tell you already, though, that the multiplayer is going to please where the campaign may have failed. Horde is a revival of Invasion from Unreal Tournament 2K4, one of my favorite game types ever in a multiplayer game, and the co-op for Gears 2 should be even better than that in Gears 1.

Gears of War 2 is, overall, a solid package already.