Gears of War 2 picks up six months after the events of Gears of War, and thrusts players back into a deep and harrowing story of humankind's epic battle for survival against a nightmarish force of underground creatures known as the Locust Horde. Players continue the story of Marcus Fenix, a reluctant war hero, as he leads Delta Squad on a series of perilous and adrenaline-pumping missions. Gears of War 2 blends a best-in-class third-person shooter with unsurpassed high-definition visuals, all layered on top of an engaging story of survival, loss and retribution.

Gears of War 2 Unlockables/Linked Achievements:

• Complete Act 1 in Gears of War: Unlock Anthony Carmine multiplayer skin in Gears of War 2.
• Find 10 COG tags in Gears of War: Unlock Minh Young Kim multiplayer skin in Gears of War 2.
• Defeat RAAM in Gears of War: Unlock RAAM multiplayer skin in Gears of War 2.

Gears of War 2 Achievements

1. Green as Grass Train the rook (any difficulty) - (10)
2. It's a Trap! Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 2 - (10)
3. Escort Service Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 4 - (10)
4. Girl About Town Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 6 - (10)
5. That Sinking Feeling Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 4 - (10)
6. Freebaird! Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 5 - (10)
7. Heartbroken Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 6 - (10)
8. Longitude and Attitude Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 3 - (10)
9. Tanks for the Memories Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 4 - (10)
10. Water Sports Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 6 - 10)
11. There's a Time for Us Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 2 - (10)
12. Better Wrapped in Beacon Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 3 - (10)
13. Have Fun Storming the Castle Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 6 - (10)
14. And the Horse You Rode in On Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 1 - (10)
15. You Are the Support, Son Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 2 - (10)
16. Brumak Rodeo Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 4 - (10)
17. Does This Look Infected to You? Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 5 - (10)
18. Tourist of Duty Complete all campaign acts on Casual Difficulty - (25)
19. Guerilla Tactician Complete all campaign acts on Normal Difficulty 50
20. Artist of War Complete all campaign acts on Hardcore Difficulty - (75)
21. Suicide Missionary Complete all campaign acts on Insane Difficulty - (150)
22. Collector Recover 5 collectibles (any difficulty) - (5)
23. Pack Rat Recover 20 collectibles (any difficulty) - (15)
24. Completionist Recover all 41 collectibles (any difficulty) - (30)
25. One-Night Stand Complete 1 chapter in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom) - (10)
26. Open Relationship Complete 10 chapters in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom) - (30)
27. Friends with Benefits Complete all acts in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom) - (50)
28. Once More, With Feeling Perform 30 perfect active reloads (any mode) - (10)
29. Takes a Licking Melee 30 Tickers (any mode) - (30)
30. Organ Grinder Kill 30 enemies with a cover mounted Mulcher (any mode) - (10)
31. Shock and Awe Kill 30 enemies with the heavy Mortar (any mode) - (10)
32. Said the Spider to the Fly Kill 10 enemies with a planted grenade (any mode) - (10)
33. Crowd Control Melee 10 enemies down with the Boomshield equipped (any mode) - (10)
34. Smells Like Victory Kill 30 enemies with the Scorcher Flamethrower (any mode) - (10)
35. Variety Is the Spice of Death Kill an enemy with every weapon in the game (any mode) - (30)
36. Seriously 2.0 Kill 100,000 enemies (any mode) - (50)
37. Standing Here, Beside Myself Win 3 matches of Wingman (public) - (10)
38. Beat the Meatflag Capture 10 meatflags in Submission (public) - (10)
39. It's Good to be the King Win 10 rounds of Guardian as the leader (public) - (10)
40. You Go Ahead, I'll Be Fine Win three matches of King of the Hill (public) - (10)
41. Back to Basic Successfully complete the 5 lessons of multiplayer Training Grounds - (10)
42. Party Like It's 1999 Play 1999 rounds of multiplayer (any mode) - (30)
43. Around the World, Again Win a multiplayer match on each map (any mode) - (30)
44. Dirty, Dirty Horde Survive the first 10 waves of Horde (any difficulty, any map) - (20)
45. Hoard the Horde Survive all 50 waves of Horde (any difficulty, any map) - (30)
46. Crossed Swords: Win 10 chainsaw duels (any mode) - (10)
47. A Parting Gift: Kill 10 enemies with a grenade while down but not out (any mode) 20)
48. Pound of Flesh: Use a meatshield to save your life 10 times (any mode) - (10)
49. Photojournalist: Submit a spectator photo - (10)
50. Kick 'Em When They're Down: Perform all 11 unique executions on a downed enemy - (10)

Features:

• Bigger, better and more badass gameplay. Gears of War 2 builds upon the gameplay of the first title in every way. First, the scope of the action is bigger. New characters, more weapons, nastier enemies, bigger vehicles and grander locales offer players more action, more emotion and more thrills. Next, every major aspect of the game has been refined to create heightened, more immersive experiences. Finally, the overall tone of Gears of War 2 is more badass – replete with new weapon-specific executions, chain saw duels and shocking boss fights.
• Jaw-dropping visuals. Gears of War 2 raises the graphics bar for next-generation games through its breathtaking visual effects, which are made possible through advances in Unreal Engine 3. New visual effects in Gears of War 2 include ambient occlusion, dynamic shadows, improved character lighting, the ability to render hundreds of on-screen characters simultaneously, improved water physics, additional blood and bullet decals, advanced destructible environments, new weather effects, and the introduction of fluid objects. When combined with the sweeping vistas and evocative locales in the world of Sera where the Gears of War 2 story unfolds, these additions help make Gears of War 2 the most gorgeous game available this generation.
• Gripping story that pulls you in and won't let go. Gears of War 2 continues to push deep, immersive storytelling in video games to greater heights. Humanity's epic battle for survival is felt on both personal and epic levels as players explore multiple story arcs that introduce new characters and flesh out the histories of familiar ones.
• Unparalleled Xbox LIVE competitive and co-op action. Gears of War 2 takes full advantage of the industry-leading Xbox LIVE service. Xbox LIVE, which is home to millions of gamers, is a robust online entertainment network, and allows gamers to enjoy Gears of War 2 either competitively or cooperatively. Enhanced competitive multiplayer gameplay over Xbox LIVE will introduce new modes and weapons, and a multitude of new maps.2 Also new to Gears of War 2 is the ability for gamers to drop in and drop out of the co-op campaign at any time, while playing at their own difficulty setting. Enjoying the visceral thrills of Gears of War has never been easier.

Gears of War 2 will be available in a Standard Edition ($59.99) or Limited Edition ($69.99) and is scheduled to launch November 2008.