No one was surprised when Gears of War went on to sell truckloads of copies. It looked good, it was made by a tried and trusted team, and most of all, it was the most visceral action game consoles have ever seen. If you had testosterone in your body, Gears of War was likely an enjoyable treat.

So obviously no one should be surprised that Gears of War 2 is arguably the second most-hyped game release of the year. (I’d put Metal Gear Solid 4 slightly ahead of it.) TV spots, viral marketing, constant talk of the upcoming movie; Microsoft’s doing all they can to make people want to pick up and play Marcus and Dom’s latest epic adventure.

That really is the only way to describe the overall feeling when playing Gears of War 2: epic. Gigantic, open areas; caverns teeming with life on all sides; sunken cities; the Locust stronghold. Every act in the Gears 2 campaign has more detail, and more breathtaking vistas and scenes than Gears 1 ever offered.

Gears of War 2 begins half a year after the detonation of the Lightmass Bomb at the end of the first game. While the bomb succeeded in wiping out a large portion of the Locust horde, much of their population remained, and the bomb’s ignition combined with the liquid Imulsion underground creating a poisonous gas which has crippled many of the COG forces. Both sides are undermanned, and ready for one last desperate strike to end the war.

For the Locust, that strike comes in the form of city sinking. The human cities of Tollen and Montevado have collapsed into giant sinkholes, and while COG knows the Locust are responsible, no one knows why. Once the Locust assault the formerly safe haven of the Jacinto Plateau and it shows signs of structural collapse, the forces in charge decide to send their remaining soldiers on the offensive. For the first time, COG is taking the fight to the Locust’s realm.