I’ve been nurturing an addiction to two games recently, both of which are improvements on an already developed concept. What I find most interesting in this is why I’ve been addicted to them instead of more groundbreaking games. One of those games is my favorite game of all time, and the only game to get top scores in every single one of my primary rating categories. Gears of War 2 (Henceforth referred to as Gears) takes the spot above all other games, and a bit below it is Warhammer Online. (I hope some astute reader has realized that both titles have “war” in them.)

Gears of War 2

The great thing about is Gears is that every aspect of it that matters to me is great. Built upon Unreal Engine 3, Gears manages to deliver solid graphics, physics, and gameplay all the time. To me, Gears is the perfect example of what a sequel for such as successful game should deliver, a strong all-around improvement with minimal changes of fundamental mechanics. The sheer brilliance of the gameplay is one of the most appealing things, shooting shit is actually really fun. The fact that there’s only one weapon for each generic type of gun (Pistols are an exception, and the Hammerburst is a world apart from the Lancer) simplifies both single- and multiplayer gameplay, making the firing of the weapon more of a pleasurable experience instead of a frustrating defeat when you realize you’re horribly outgunned. The emphasis on inaccurate weapons (With only two or three truly accurate firearms.) makes most of the firefights a spray-and-play (Especially in Campaign and Horde); when this is combined with perfectly engineered sound, controller vibration, and wonderfully destructible environments, you get a game that makes shooting the hell of stuff an enjoyable experience.

The aforementioned Campaign and Horde modes are also a major draw for Gears. Horde is so well executed that surviving waves upon waves of nasties becomes a light-hearted romp around with your friends with only a few tense moments that get the adrenaline pumping. The Campaign is similar in that it combines both elements of tenseness as well as extreme hilarity listening to the melodramatic dialogue of Marcus and Dom, with even more enjoyable cut-scenes of Cole-Train being an absolute bad-ass. This epitomizes the most important thing about Gears, it does everything well, and fails at nothing. This is a rare occasion among modern first-person shooters. (And putting a chain-saw on the bottom of a gun is still a truly brilliant idea.)

Warhammer Online

There’s not much to say about Warhammer. It takes very World of Warcraft-style mechanics and dumps them into a much better-looking world with an enjoyably stronger player-versus-player experience. The fact that you can get to max level without ever killing something besides an enemy player is truly wonderful, and the Keep/City sieges introduce a spirit of cooperation between truly massive numbers of players. While World of Warcraft may be famous for its 40-man raids of bosses the size of a house, Warhammer stands out for its clashes of hundreds players in the middle of a massive fortress. When it comes to being a massively multiplayer game, Warhammer obviously should be at the top of the list.

If you want to shoot some crap with me on Gears, my gamertag is “Esherido”, and if you want to go raid some Destruction fortresses with me on Warhammer, I’m also “Esherido” on the Iron Rock server.