Gears Of War 2 has averaged a very respectable 93 per cent on Metacritic – giving a cast iron indication of its review scores in the UK and US.

Full marks come from the likes of X360 Magazine, which calls the game:

“A masterclass in design. Brutal, epic, beautiful and harrowing in equal measure, Gears Of War 2 announces Epic’s reign as the king of the action videogame. Absolutely essential.”

1UP also gives the game 100 per cent, proclaiming:

“As great as the campaign is, the game will see its longest legs from multiplayer. And from the multitude of competitive match types to the addictive and strategic co-op Horde mode, what felt like a hugely entertaining afterthought in the original Gears now easily stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the campaign.”

Elsewhere, IGN grants it 95 per cent, and reports:

“It has non-stop action, fresh gameplay, varied environments, an engrossing storyline, multiplayer that will have people busy for years to come, and some of the nastiest and coolest kills I’ve seen in a videogame.”

The Official Xbox Magazine matches that score, printing:

“Our favorite new addition to the Gears multiplayer family, however, is Horde. A five player co-op romp played on any of the 15 maps, Horde throws wave after wave of increasingly difficult Locust foes at you and your friends for 50 rounds, putting your teamworking skills to the ultimate test.”

The game is now in ninth spot in Metacritic’s list of all time top Xbox 360’s scores.