<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Epic	O
Games	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Game	O
Studios	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
installment	O
of	O
the	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
series	O
,	O
with	O
lead	O
design	O
by	O
Cliff	O
Bleszinski	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
expands	O
technically	O
on	O
the	O
previous	B-Application
game	I-Application
by	O
using	O
a	O
modified	O
Unreal	O
Engine	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
the	O
COG	O
continues	O
its	O
fight	O
against	O
the	O
Locust	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
attempting	O
to	O
sink	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
cities	O
on	O
the	O
planet	O
Sera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
its	O
release	O
weekend	O
,	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
sold	O
over	O
two	O
million	O
copies	O
,	O
and	O
within	O
two	O
months	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
had	O
sold	O
four	O
million	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
along	O
with	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
is	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
games	O
ever	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
with	O
an	O
emphasis	O
on	O
the	O
tactical	O
use	O
of	O
cover	O
,	O
and	O
retains	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
gameplay	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
rebalances	O
the	O
power	O
of	O
the	O
existing	O
weapons	O
while	O
introducing	O
five	O
new	O
ones	O
:	O
a	O
flamethrower	O
,	O
a	O
chain	O
gun	O
,	O
a	O
mortar	O
cannon	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
Gorgon	O
"	O
Pistol	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Ink	O
Grenade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
features	O
an	O
optional	O
mature	O
content	O
filter	O
,	O
which	O
,	O
when	O
active	O
,	O
makes	O
blood	O
appear	O
as	O
sparks	O
and	O
removes	O
harsh	O
language	O
from	O
the	O
dialogue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
progress	O
towards	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
achievements	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
can	O
be	O
earned	O
in	O
either	O
campaign	O
or	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
campaign	O
mode	O
in	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
allows	O
for	O
a	O
single	O
player	O
or	O
two	O
players	O
playing	O
cooperatively	O
as	O
Marcus	O
or	O
Dom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
in	O
co-op	O
mode	O
can	O
select	O
different	O
difficulties	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
communal	O
combat	O
system	O
"	O
will	O
adjust	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
to	O
give	O
both	O
players	O
a	O
fair	O
challenge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
features	O
an	O
upgraded	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
that	O
allows	O
up	O
to	O
ten	O
users	O
to	O
simultaneously	O
play	O
in	O
teams	O
of	O
five-on-five	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
includes	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
,	O
including	O
Execution	O
,	O
Warzone	O
,	O
Annex	O
and	O
King	O
of	O
the	O
Hill	O
,	O
and	O
adds	O
in	O
three	O
new	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guardian	O
is	O
a	O
modified	O
version	O
of	O
Assassination	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
but	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
continue	O
fighting	O
after	O
the	O
leader	O
has	O
been	O
killed	O
,	O
but	O
losing	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
respawn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Submission	O
,	O
formerly	O
known	O
as	O
Meat	O
Flag	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
capture	B-Application
the	I-Application
flag	I-Application
in	O
which	O
players	O
attempt	O
to	O
"	O
down	O
"	O
an	O
enemy	O
controlled	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
AI	B-Application
and	O
move	O
its	O
body	O
to	O
their	O
team	O
's	O
base	O
or	O
objective	O
to	O
earn	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
now	O
engage	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
scenarios	O
with	O
any	O
combination	O
of	O
human	O
players	O
and	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
controlled	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
set	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
's	O
intelligence	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
take	O
photographs	O
is	O
also	O
featured	O
,	O
which	O
enables	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
take	O
a	O
photo	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
uploaded	O
to	O
the	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
website	O
and	O
is	O
rated	O
on	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
action	O
in	O
the	O
shot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
takes	O
place	O
six	O
months	O
after	O
the	O
detonation	O
of	O
the	O
Lightmass	O
Bomb	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lead	O
designer	O
Cliff	O
Bleszinski	O
confirmed	O
that	O
the	O
character	O
Carmine	O
would	O
be	O
returning	O
,	O
but	O
did	O
not	O
reveal	O
how	O
or	O
in	O
what	O
capacity	O
as	O
Carmine	O
was	O
killed	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
original	O
Anthony	O
Carmine	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
campaign	O
,	O
but	O
rather	O
his	O
brother	O
,	O
Benjamin	O
,	O
would	O
make	O
an	O
appearance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
begins	O
,	O
the	O
COG	O
army	O
mobilizes	O
forces	O
to	O
deploy	O
into	O
the	O
depths	O
of	O
Sera	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Hollow	O
"	O
,	O
to	O
assault	O
the	O
Locust	O
directly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
designer	O
Cliff	O
Bleszinski	O
has	O
done	O
several	O
interviews	O
to	O
highlight	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heavy	O
Netcode	B-Application
optimization	O
has	O
been	O
done	O
to	O
negate	O
the	O
host	O
advantage	O
problem	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
title	O
and	O
hundreds	O
of	O
tweaks	O
have	O
gone	O
into	O
improving	O
the	O
cover	O
system	O
and	O
movement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Epic	O
Games	O
also	O
considered	O
making	O
the	O
game	O
easier	O
after	O
complaints	O
about	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
teaser	O
image	O
posted	O
to	O
the	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
website	O
on	O
July	O
8	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
suggested	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
9	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
confirmed	O
during	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
E3	O
2008	O
press	O
conference	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
7	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
14	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
teaser	O
image	O
was	O
removed	O
and	O
the	O
website	O
relaunched	O
and	O
updated	O
for	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
was	O
a	O
focal	O
point	O
during	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
E3	O
2008	O
presentation	O
on	O
July	O
15	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
a	O
"	O
hands-on	O
"	O
demo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
and	O
Epic	O
Games	O
announced	O
on	O
October	O
10	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
that	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
had	O
gone	O
gold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
stated	O
by	O
Cliff	O
Bleszinski	O
that	O
,	O
unlike	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
the	O
previous	O
installment	O
,	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
will	O
not	O
feature	O
a	O
PC	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
2008	O
Game	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
in	O
San	O
Francisco	O
,	O
California	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
showcase	O
for	O
the	O
functionality	O
of	O
the	O
Unreal	O
Engine	O
3	O
,	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
creators	O
Epic	O
Games	O
showed	O
various	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
engine	O
with	O
specific	O
reference	O
to	O
the	O
sequel	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
largest	O
of	O
these	O
physics	O
engine	O
related	O
changes	O
was	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
destructible	O
environments	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
structural	B-Algorithm
analysis	I-Algorithm
tools	O
to	O
generate	O
the	O
damage	O
of	O
the	O
materials	O
and	O
subsequently	O
their	O
deformed	O
shapes	O
based	O
upon	O
resultant	O
forces	O
placed	O
upon	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
20	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
coinciding	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
announcement	O
at	O
the	O
Game	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
,	O
a	O
free	O
set	O
of	O
gamer	O
pictures	O
and	O
a	O
dashboard	O
theme	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
teaser	O
trailer	O
titled	O
"	O
Duel	O
,	O
"	O
were	O
made	O
available	O
via	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Marketplace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
every	O
new	O
copy	O
of	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
features	O
a	O
code	O
to	O
download	O
the	O
"	O
Flashback	O
Map	O
Pack	O
,	O
"	O
which	O
includes	O
five	O
enhanced	O
multiplayer	O
maps	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Customers	O
who	O
attended	O
the	O
GameStop	O
Midnight	O
Madness	O
game	O
release	O
event	O
received	O
a	O
code	O
to	O
unlock	O
a	O
gold-plated	O
Hammerburst	O
rifle	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
and	O
a	O
code	O
for	O
an	O
exclusive	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
Dashboard	O
theme	O
optimized	O
for	O
the	O
New	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
downloadable	O
content	O
released	O
after	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
was	O
the	O
"	O
Combustible	O
Map	O
Pack	O
,	O
"	O
which	O
consists	O
of	O
three	O
new	O
multiplayer	O
maps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third	O
update	O
was	O
applied	O
to	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
on	O
March	O
24	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
July	O
2009	O
,	O
Epic	O
Games	O
applied	O
a	O
fourth	O
update	O
to	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
which	O
added	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
gain	O
experience	O
from	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
Horde	O
Mode	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
applying	O
several	O
more	O
gameplay	O
fixes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
6	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Epic	O
Games	O
issued	O
a	O
joint	O
press	O
release	O
announcing	O
the	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
:	O
All	O
Fronts	O
Collection	O
,	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
28	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
All	O
Fronts	O
Collection	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
sold	O
as	O
a	O
retail	O
package	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
have	O
included	O
all	O
add-ons	O
released	O
for	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
a	O
poster	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
strategy	O
guide	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
complaints	O
that	O
the	O
All	O
Fronts	O
Collection	O
had	O
identical	O
pricing	O
to	O
the	O
Dark	O
Corners	O
add-on	O
,	O
but	O
significantly	O
more	O
content	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
All	O
Fronts	O
Collection	O
retail	O
package	O
not	O
being	O
made	O
available	O
in	O
certain	O
regions	O
,	O
Epic	O
Games	O
adjusted	O
the	O
release	O
plan	O
;	O
the	O
All	O
Fronts	O
Collection	O
was	O
released	O
digitally	O
via	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Dark	O
Corners	O
add-on	O
was	O
reduced	O
in	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2010	O
during	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
2010	O
Mark	O
Rein	O
(	O
vice	O
president	O
of	O
Epic	O
Games	O
)	O
was	O
showcasing	O
a	O
tech	O
demo	O
of	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
in	O
stereoscopic	O
3D	O
running	O
on	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
thanks	O
to	O
the	O
TriOviz	O
for	O
Games	O
Technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
edition	O
features	O
alternative	O
cover	O
art	O
,	O
a	O
SteelBook	O
case	O
with	O
a	O
bonus	O
content	O
DVD	O
,	O
a	O
book	O
entitled	O
Beneath	O
the	O
Surface	O
:	O
An	O
Inside	O
Look	O
at	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
which	O
includes	O
concept	O
art	O
and	O
story-related	O
information	O
,	O
a	O
keepsake	O
photo	O
of	O
Dominic	O
and	O
Maria	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
exclusive	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
code	O
to	O
unlock	O
a	O
gold-plated	O
Lancer	O
for	O
online	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
received	O
widespread	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
been	O
praised	O
for	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
a	O
deeper	O
plot	O
than	O
the	O
original	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
being	O
highly	O
polished	O
,	O
reviewers	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
experience	O
did	O
not	O
resemble	O
the	O
previous	B-Application
game	I-Application
especially	O
in	O
its	O
quick	O
pace	O
and	O
enjoyability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Still	O
,	O
none	O
of	O
that	O
comes	O
close	O
to	O
holding	O
back	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
from	O
its	O
destiny	O
:	O
being	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
games	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Xbox	O
360.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
the	O
new	O
plot	O
was	O
praised	O
,	O
critics	O
such	O
as	O
Official	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
scrutinized	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
middle	O
acts	O
saying	O
that	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
plot	O
"	O
falls	O
flat.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
IGN	O
and	O
Eurogamer	O
,	O
among	O
others	O
,	O
positively	O
mentioned	O
the	O
new	O
"	O
Horde	O
Mode	O
"	O
feature	O
,	O
with	O
Eurogamer	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
Horde	O
is	O
a	O
weighty	O
slab	O
of	O
fun	O
that	O
can	O
turn	O
almost	O
any	O
of	O
them	O
into	O
a	O
time-sink	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
leaderboards	O
are	O
likely	O
to	O
be	O
as	O
compelling	O
a	O
reason	O
to	O
stick	O
with	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
as	O
the	O
leveling	O
system	O
has	O
been	O
for	O
Call	O
of	O
Duty	O
4	O
:	O
Modern	O
Warfare.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
has	O
achieved	O
significant	O
success	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
opening	O
weekend	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
sold	O
over	O
two	O
million	O
units	O
,	O
and	O
set	O
a	O
new	O
record	O
for	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
simultaneous	O
players	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
,	O
with	O
over	O
1million	O
people	O
logging	O
on	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
May	O
7	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
had	O
sold	O
over	O
5million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
,	O
bringing	O
the	O
franchise	O
total	O
to	O
11million	O
units	O
sold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
won	O
several	O
awards	O
following	O
its	O
presentation	O
at	O
E3	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
also	O
won	O
Best	O
Shooter	O
and	O
Best	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
Game	O
at	O
the	O
2008	O
Spike	O
Video	O
Game	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
13	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
on	O
Late	O
Night	O
with	O
Jimmy	O
Fallon	O
,	O
Cliff	O
Bleszinski	O
announced	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
debuted	O
a	O
trailer	O
,	O
titled	O
"	O
Ashes	O
to	O
Ashes.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
18	O
months	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
