On November 7, 2008, Gears of War 2 would be released exclusively for the Xbox 360. This was the sequel to the 2006 hit title created by Epic Games and Cliff Bleszinski, and helped the franchise become one of the most iconic exclusives of the entire Xbox console lineup. After so many years, which were plagued by numerous changes within the entire industry, this beloved third-person shooter has just turned 15 years since its release and people all over the internet remember it with great fondness, including the official Gears of War accounts. Why was this title so significant for so many people?
Happy Birthday to Gears of War 2!
The official accounts of Gears of War in different social networks published today this nostalgic poster with the message: “Fifteen years ago we only had one option: Attack. Happy Anniversary of Gears of War 2! The posts were also filled with comments from fans who remember this video game with a lot of nostalgia, with comments like: “What a masterpiece of a video game!”, “My favorite Gears of all time. Please make it a remaster” and “This game defined the Xbox 360 for me.” Even the official Xbox account commented “It was an honor to be part of Delta Squad,” referring to the iconic team consisting of Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago and many more.
But why is Gears of War 2 so beloved? It’s due to multiple factors. Although the first installment quickly became a console classic, this sequel was the one that put the entire franchise on the map, proving that Xbox had exclusives strong enough to compete against Sony and Nintendo (Besides Halo, obviously) The gameplay was refined, the graphics were better and the story was much more complex and emotional, but arguably the Multiplayer was what made Gears 2 an undisputed classic.
15 years later, the industry changed drastically. Although the Gears of War series continued to release titles in the following years, it is now in hibernation, as they haven’t released a new entry since Gears 5 in 2019. Epic Games even abandoned the franchise to proceed to bigger projects, such as Fortnite, and Microsoft passed the keys to The Coalition. On the other hand, it was also confirmed that a Netflix series based on the saga is in the works. Seeing the huge success of Gears of War 2 and the good reputation it continues to have to this day, it is clear that Microsoft must have more plans for this legendary third-person shooter franchise.
© Microsoft 2023