Epic Confirms Gears of War 2 Limited to 2-Player Co-op

Senior Producer Rod Ferguesson confided that the decision was made to limit the campaign to two players in order to maintain the pace and flow of the narrative experience. More info inside.

[belal]

LIMITED

THE WORD YOU XBOTS WILL HEAR FROM NOW ON ;)

[Omega4]

the only limited thing is the PS3's exclusives (FFXIII...)

and since they choose not to do it proves its not because of hardware, sicne if the most visully impressive console game is on the 360, FF13, just proves that the 360 is just as powerful if not more so than the PS3

[mikeslemonade]

The Unreal 3 engine is obsolete it's time to move on! I'm tired of the bodybuilder size characters and small confined corridors.

Omega why would a Japanese developer choose the 360. Of course they were offered like $100 million+ for FFXIII alone. If you don't believe then you lack serious common sense.

[Babylonian]

Hate to burst your bubble, but the FFXIII trailer you saw at Microsofts conference was NOT of the xbox 360 build. It was the of the PS3 build, the 360 isn't even being made at this moment.

As for the 360, we don't even know how it will look like. Hell, even Square doesn't know how they will do it, they don't even know how many discs it will come out on the 360. Man, how POWERFULL is that.

So yes, as belal said: Limited, your 360 is limited.

At least we are guaranteed the PS3 version will work great as the title is being designed for this hardware.

And about Gears, the man himself said they made the decision "to maintain the pace and flow of the narrative experience". That means that they were limited to this because the whole game probably became unstable if they ad more co-op players.

So contrary to what you said, that means it is because of hardware limitation. Why? Because the PS3 is able to have 8 player online co-op. Now please tell me, is that POWERFULL enough for ya?

[theKiller]

i feel really sorry for 360 owners, they get the worst console and they think its the best because of mortal combat like characters shooting guns!

the bots r already talking about gear of war 3, it means they even dont see gear of war 2 that much good of a game but they will still buy it because they have no other games LOL

[TheBatman_Fanatic]

The 360 is weak compared to PS3 but im not really worried about Xiii going to 360 I want to see how it would look on 360 (500 disc game lol)

[JEDI WOLVERINE]

Probably is down to hardware limitations at the end of the day though.

Would love to see a 4 player coop on Gears3 on new xbox - aslong as the campaign feels right with this amount.

People seem to think that more players online in a game = more fun.

Frequently more players = more chaos = less fun.

[FreeMonk]

it would of been nice for a 3 or 4 player Co-op, but as Mark Rein has stated, it would of become a mess.

At least they have put the debate to rest that the X360 couldn't handle a 4 player co-op by putting a 5 player Co-op mode which is called 'Heist'.

With 5 players and the whole hoardes of Locost's, this proves that a 4 player Co-op wouldn't of been much of a problem, especially seeing as Heist will more than likely deal with more enemies that the Single Player would at any given time!

I'm sure there will be Sony fanboys that will dis-agree and argue the fact. Oh well, that's life I guess!

[ER1X]

I thought the new mode was called "Horde."

Not disagreeing with your comment, but, it's only a game mode and not the whole campaign. We'll have to wait for more info before jumping to conclusions. :)

Also, didn't Halo 3 have 4 player co-op?

[masterg]

I love how developers always say they decided not to do something.
Nobody is honest and say, the game simply couldn't handle it.

And then wham, Gears 3 and suddenly we have 4 player co-op.

The game is going to rock though.

[Fishy Fingers]

Horde, is correct, and very fun it sounds.

[Truplaya]

yes Halo3 did have 4 player co-op but as he said it caused people to miss bits of the game as one guy gets ahead and finishes battles before you get there, then you end up getting teleported to checkpoints. At least with 2player you both go through the game together. They'll be those bits where you split up again i hope, and one has to cover the other as he completes a task.

[mikeslemonade]

Talk about over promising and failing to deliver. It was first Ninja Gaiden with the 60 frames second that was false. Then Too Human 4 player coop false again. Now Gears 4 player coop dumbed down to 2.

[outlawlife]

when were any of those things "promised"? to my knowledge this is the first time they even elaborated on the gears 2 co-op campaign

everytime cliff was asked before he said "we aren't revealing anything at this time"

internet rumors aren't "promises" for anything

[ChampIDC]

Yeah, they never promised 4 player campaign. All they ever said is 4 player co-op, which is now 5. That's an imrpovement in my eyes. Yeah, everyone wants 4 player campaign, but I do think that would make the campaign all too easy.

Also, a lot of the story probably involves just Marcus and Dom again, so what would they do, throw in 2 random soldiers that don't even fit in the story? I think it'll be better off this way.

[Choonqpead]

First off, for anyone who played halo 3 knows if you have a good team of friends even the hardest difficulties aren't that hard anymore and that is in a game with wide open battles. Most of the time a player or two won't even get many kills because someone else will take them.

Now in games like R2 where they will most likely throw creature after creature at you it won't be such a big deal, but I'm not really into games like that. I'm excited about just having 2 players because that gives you that intamcy of fighting as a tag team....not as an entire army.

I guess people never get tired of comparing the two games together, and if the xbox did have a game with 20 person co-op the sony fans would just say "bigger isn't always better" lol so i guess these arguements will never end will they? Why can't we just respect the games as different and be happy with that?

[mikeslemonade]

They did say they were going to do 4 player coop. 4 player coop is implied that it is the campaign portion of the game. 4 player coop in online would be team deathmatch. Right now it's only going to be 2 player coop and 2 player player coop online for the campaign.

[Leathersoup]

I don't believe you will find any articles with quotes from an Epic employee stating that there would be.

All of the hints at 4 player co-op was "rumor and speculation".

[KobeT24]

hmmmmm. I guess its cool. It would have been better if you could have played with more than 1 friend.

Seriously the online is borderline for me.

First I thought there would 12 player online, but then theres only 10 player? Then 4 player co-op limited to 2?

Bigger, badder, better? Hardly.

Still gonna pick it up though.

[mistertwoturbo]

seriously 2 player co-op is perfectly fine. queefy b. is delivering on his promise of bigger and more badass. that single player demo they showed amazed me.

[Superfragilistic]

Yeah I like the intimacy of Gears. It's so up close and personal. So 2 player Co-op is fine by me... If it means the story is more cohesive, even better. :)

[Linzoid]

I think 4 player is a nice to have, but like so many have said it could detract from the frantic gameplay.

What I would like to see is some sort of co-op moves that you can perform in game.

[Ghoul]

i thought it was 4 ?

gears is awesome no question but i would have liked at least something new then just a new story line

[ChampIDC]

Have you not read all the multiplayer makeovers the game is getting? It's much more than just a new storyline. From what I've seen so far, the game seems worth the full price tag. I was doubtful early on, but my faith has been restored.

[Ghoul]

i never questioned if gears its worth its money cause it definatly IS.
i love gears i just got some false information it seams in the first place.

[Shroomy]

In Halo 3's 4 player coop you'll struggle to get kills if your buddies are good enough, imagine Gears 2 like that!

[Montrealien]

they got the 5 player co-op mode with swarming locus that gets harder and herder which will be ok. The 4 player thing would have been great, too bad it won't happen. I guess I'll get my big co-op fix with resistance 2, but I will enjoy Gears 2 with two player co-op also, I have great memories with friends playing Gears 1 and I'm sure Gears 2 will be a blast anyways, even if its co-op.

[Shadow Flare]

LMAO HAHAHA

I thought it was 5 player co-op??? TWO PLAYERS???? LOL

WOW thats the self appointed "King of online" Xbox Live really showing what it can do there. Wow so advanced

Hey Micripofft, why don't don't you invest in some servers since you charge your users for online? Whats that? You're happy with ripping them off? What's that? Because they're so stupid they will pay you $50 a year anyway? Well those idiots deserve it then!

Resistance 2: 8 player online co-op.
PSN. The real King of online

[Ned Flanders]

There is 5 player co-op... but that's not for the campaign it's for some other dilly dally thingy ma-bob. :P

[Shadow Flare]

okeyallydokally

2 player co-op is still Crapdiddlytastic

[n00bzRtehgey]

dumb decision. it just comes down to laziness. they didn't want to design levels suited for 4 single players at once. so what. who cares. just let two teams of two go together on the parts where the two guys split up. problem solved.

someone wasn't using his head over there at Epic. this is just dumb. if halo 3 can do 4 player coop, surely gears 2 can.

no matter. Gears 2 is still the best looking game this gen. best MP this gen. Best SP this gen. best gameplay. best everything.

PS3 has nothing to compete with it. bow down, droids.

[-Maverick-]

"Gears 2 is still the best looking game this gen. best MP this gen. Best SP this gen. best gameplay. best everything."

lol that's so comical. No it doesn't...and it's not even close. Resident Evil 5, Killzone 2, Rage all look better than Gears 2.

It might have the "toughest" style. Gears has a real raw, cool style. It is NOT the best looking game, whatsoever. Unreal Engine is old now.

It's just the truth.

[n00bzRtehgey]

nah, look at the new gamersyde vids of gears 2. best looking game.

[-Maverick-]

They just wanted to make a bigger crazier game around 2 people, than the first. Not completely reinvent the mechanics to work for 4 people.

I think Gears 3 will get bigger.

[n00bzRtehgey]

explain to me why you don't hate 360 anymore. don't pretend it's because of FFXIII.

[jollygoodchap8]

I think it would've been too cluttered anyway.

I think 2 is perfect for this kind of game.

[outlawlife]

makes sense...the story centers on dom and marcus, if they try to incorporate 2-3 more story lines into the main campaign it would be a wreck

2 worked well with the first game so why break it?

[Ghoul]

you right but it was one storyline with dom as sidekick

[InMyOpinion]

Agreed. It comes down to how the game is designed to begin with.

[InMyOpinion]

Limited or not, I loved playing co-op in the first Gears so I'm very much looking forward to it =)

[edhe]

I don't care about the narrative flow when it comes to adding two player pawns. Keep the same flow, don't try to mix them in..

Just stick two Carmines at the back of Dom & Marcus. Ignore them narratively. do a Halo3..Who CARES. 4p coop is great fun and with gears it would be a hell of a way to spend a week.

Horde looks ok though, it's UT's Invasion but in Gears. I can imagine a Heavy-Weapon style frenzy nearing the end.

Rein - yeah story is good, and i don't want to detract from it, but you can have the same story with tacking on a couple of vanishing player models at the back for teh funz.

[outlawlife]

wouldn't work...the squad in gears is marcus and dom
and others filter in and out

you could just have a player 3-4 fill in shoes as cole,baird,carmine,dizzy,and tai but it just wouldn't work

i wouldn't want to play a game and then have to switch the character i identified with halfway through

its already been declared you meet up with baird and cole about halfway in so somebody would have to switch identities, and the fact is that it is heavily rumored a main character will be killed so if that happens 6 hours into a 12 hour game then your friend either is done or switches identities to a nameless character

i figured it would be 2 when they said about baired and cole months ago because i couldn't figure out a flow in my head where 4 would work

not to mention vehicle oriented sections would be a mess
save the other players for multiplayer...its much more fun killing real people anyway :)

but the 5 player horde mode sounds fun...who is to say that won't be done in sections from campaign?..they havent really said how it will work, it may not be story driven but still sure to be fun

[dale1]

two player = suck

[Kratos_1986]

AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAahahah AHaaaaaaaaa

bubbles for that one and its my comment of the week :D

[azmanmanz]

What? 2 Player? wtf

[SL1M DADDY]

I have several friends that were hoping to play this game with at least 4 of us in the campaign. Oh-well, it will still be a great game.

[ChampIDC]

There's always Horde. That game mode sounds like it's going to be a blast.

[SL1M DADDY]

Being a father of two and married, I get only so much time and banging my way through the campaign with a buddy makes for a great time and time well spent with buddies while getting to play a game from start to finish and seeing all that the game has to offer. Horde sounds more like something that will get old fairly quick if it's just blasting through waves of enemies one at a time. I like the online to have some level of substatance. Not bashing it, it just didn't seem to apeal to me.

[Deios]

Oh well, atleast a 2 player co-op is better than just a single player campaign.

[ThaGeNeCySt]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[belal]

thanks man :D

[CallOfWar22]

5 Player co-op called Horde that pits 5 players on XBL versus 100's of Locusts. 4 player co-op was done on the 360 before, you remember this game called Vegas or this game called GRAW 2 which has 16 player co-op. What Gears lacks in the number of players more than makes up for it with innovative modes unlike their competitors. What brand new modes or improved modes is resistance getting. Adding players to co-op and multi isn't a Mode u fucin Morons! Lemme give u the run really quick. Meat Flag, Wingman, Guardian, Horde and all the other matches from Gears 1 is included. 3 brand new modes, 1 improved, new weapons, older improved weapons, new shield system, crawling while ur down. I dunno folks sounds like a bigger improvement then 8 player co-op and an extra 20 players online.

[Lew_Ijgee]

Just not Bigger.

:(

[multipayer]

This isn't as bad as Too Human getting denied 4 player co-op, I probably would still buy that game if it was.. I'll get gears anyways.

[OOG]

If you actually played GeoW 1 then you would know how much of a cluster f#%k it would be to have 4 people playing at one time....there is only a few times in the game when you have 4 people together fighting.....and if you would add 2 players right off the hop and include Cole Train and them during the story...then youd be talking at least 6 CoGs fighting in usually close quarters at one time...which would be a mess and ruin the game....the only way it would be possible is if the story was made for 4 people since the beginning and that wasnt the case

[CViper]

Gears of War isn't like the first rainbow 6 or something to where its nothing but close combat, and you have to plot out precision moves. The way people talk about Gears' intimacy confuses me. Have you guys not played tps before? What is so close in gears? the Melee?

Its a third person shooter, with decent sized maps.

If anything, it needs more going on unless your team is 2 guys saving the entire universe as we know it. Which is a usual typical theme in games, yea. But its not like a game mode with 4 player co-op + massive amounts of things going on would hurt the core SHOOTER gameplay. Epic tried to pawn this game off as you are part of a big war, you aren't. Its a small group of people that shoot at an army of 30.

I told myself to wait for the e3 trailer to give my real 2 cents on Gears after seeing the Tech Demo. Now we see it, we see that you aren't fighting 100's of locusts head to head. We see there are no destructible environments, and the water we have seen in the previous trailers from 1up shows that there is no type of simulation/upgraded shader going on. I know, it was just a tech demo. But rewind the clock a bit here on n4g and see how everyone was claiming as well as epic, that those features were going to make it in the game.