Game POW 08.08.09: Gears of War 2 & GTA IV

Posted by Sam Pow on 08.08.2009

In this weeks GAME POW, Sam dishes out some Gears 2 wingman strategies, as well as some cool places you've probably never been to in GTA IV. Read on!




GAME POW---August 8th, 2009
_________________________

It's time for yet another GAME POW, and this time we're celebrating the 15th edition! This week I've got the lowdown on some Gears 2 strategies plus some awesome locations to explore in GTA IV that I'd bet you've never been too. So fire up your console, do your thumb exercises, and get ready!

Sam Pow's week in gaming: This week I bought Too Human off Amazon for 12 bucks, so I've been playing that a lot. I'm only seven hours in, but I think it deserves more recognition than it gets. The melee combat is crazy fun, and the firearms are fine as long as you're not aiming for something specific. The tons and tons of loot really appeals to me, and the best part is the crazy WoW like names. Right now I'm decked out with the strong warhammer of bitter constitution and the ancient rifle of willpower. Oh, and my KLOBB (don't ask). Anyway, I'm having great fun with the game, and you can expect to see some sort of article on it here in GAME POW sooner or later. And with that, let's get on with the article. I hope you did those thumb exercises.

---------------------------------------
Gears of War 2: Wingman Tips
---------------------------------------

Gears of War 2 has a great variety of awesome game modes, but almost all of them involve one team battling another team. The almost part is there because of wingman, a mode in which up to five teams of two battle it out to see who can survive the longest. This puts a heavy emphasis on two person co-op, and the ability to successfully work together with a single teammate, which requires vastly different tactics than when you have four other allies. In a normal match like warzone, one death isn't a huge problem. In wingman, it basically guarantees defeat.

The secret to wingman lies in three factors: cooperation, proper traveling, and utilizing camp tactics.

Let's start with cooperation. This is in no means a game mode where you can split up. Think Left 4 Dead; if you separate from your friend, you will most likely die. So, rule one is stick together. Stay close to your ally, but don't hug them. Keep a distance of about ten feet between each other. If you are staying too close together, you're an easy target for a grenade, flame thrower, mortar, or basically anything with area of effect.



Revival is another key point. This is yet another reason to stay close. If you go down, there's only one other person who can save you, and they damn sure better be close. This does not, however, mean that you should drop everything and start running the second your teammate goes down. If they get wounded in the middle of a courtyard with eight reticules waiting for you to pop out, you're probably better off on your own. Although much harder than with both of you alive, it is possible to win by yourself. That will be discussed further in the camping section. Snipers aren't really a problem in this game mode, nor are they very effective. If your teammate gets picked off by a sniper, don't rescue them. After the 15 second bleed-out period, they'll recover (wingman is an execution or one-hit-kill only mode). Coming out of cover to help just gives the sniper a shot at you too. Other than these situations, it's always a good idea to revive your ally as soon as possible (before you get taken out too).

Even if one of you does die, that's not the end. The remaining person can keep on fighting, and the dead one can still assist. In case you haven't spent much time dead in Gears, I'll fill you in. Once you kick the bucket you get to watch the battle through a few cameras, one of which is the ghost cam. This allows you to move a camera around the map and look at things from any perspective you choose (like a ghost). You can also see names above players, so finding enemies is very easy. This means that once you're dead you can give enemy locations and updates to your teammate. This can be extremely helpful, and is sure to save your ally from more than a few surprise attacks. Since the game mutes your mic after you die, this is only going to work in splitscreen or if you're within shouting range during system link.

The next important part of wingman success is how you go about your play style. You can find a good spot and camp, or you can move about, taking out teams as you find them. Let's assume you're of the aggressive type and wish to travel. Here are some tips. If you do have to move, use excessive cover. You want to be as hidden as possible. If you get to an open area, make sure to roadie run. If you find yourself under fire in an open space, your best bet is to dive and roll like crazy. Unless you're up against an expert player or an entire army, this tactic should keep you alive by taking advantage of most people's generally bad aim.

Another good idea is to stay back to back. First, establish where you are headed and who is better at walking backwards. Then move quickly, firing at any enemies that present themselves while keeping a steady pace. This takes advantage of yet another weakness in the average person: caution. While any player would gladly gun down a fleeing opponent, it's much less enticing if they're firing back. This strategy does mean that you won't be able to roadie run, so assess the situation you're in and decide which tactic is better suited to your current predicament. Another way to move is with meatshields. This blooms into one of two paths. You can have either one or two people with meatshields. This mostly depends upon whether you have two wounded enemies to use as victims. Let's start with one. If only one person has a meatshield, it's a great idea to have him lead, soaking up all the damage of frontal fire. The player in back can provide heavier fire, and protect the rear and sides. If both players have meatshields, it's good to use the back to back strategy. Overall, just be very careful in the way you move, and you'll be ok.



The last important part of wingman is camping. Why not hide and let everyone else battle it out. Then, when the time should come, you can spring your trap and finish off the survivors. Here's how: when the match starts, move to a safe location. Finding a good camp spot is something you'll have to figure out on your own, so learn the layout of maps and find the best position for easy defending. Once you've found a good spot, position yourself and your teammate so you can see and fire at all areas an enemy could come from. If you're in a building, tag the doors and entrances with grenades. While most anything will work, smoke is probably the best. It stuns and disorientates the enemy, and leaves two possibilities. If you're in a good position, start unloading your clips into the haze. If you're not, use the smokescreen to make an escape out the other door. Frags are also good, as they can cause a one hit kill.

A good camper holds out in their hiding spot until about two minutes to go. At this point, there should be dramatically less opposition, and it should be easier to take out the remaining foes.

Camping is best used when you are by yourself. If for some reason your teammate dies, go camp. It makes things much easier. For this I recommend finding a building. Tag all the entrances with grenades, and hide in a corner.

So, remember: cooperate, travel carefully and effectively, and use camping strategically to ensure your success. Teamwork is necessary if you hope to win, and you'll find that this mode above all others brings that out and forces you to play a certain way. If you play efficiently and work together, I think you'll find that you and your wingman will easily rise to the top.
-----------------------------------------------

Ok, Gears of War 2 tips: check. Coolest places to explore in GTA IV: also check. Here are some of the most interesting places to seek out and discover in between bank robberies and car jacking. Enjoy.

---------------------------------------
GTA IV: Top Areas to Explore
---------------------------------------

At first glance, Liberty City may seem like a crime ridden, drug infested wasteland, but look closer and you'll see something different. Upon deeper inspection you'll find that there are many beautiful places to see in Liberty City: many interesting places to explore. So put on a nice outfit and get ready to be a tourist.



Before we start, there're a few things you need to know. For starters, there might be one or two spoilers in this article. If you've already unlocked every island, you should be fine. That's the other thing, if you want to see all these places you'll need to have unlocked every island. And as a last piece of advice, this does kind of make you a tourist, so it wouldn't hurt to put on the happiness island shirt just for giggles.

Subway Underworld

This is a great place to start. If you've done the main storyline even a little, you've probably been on the subway once or twice. And if you've done the mission three leaf clover *SPOILER ALERT* then you remember running down the subway tracks to escape the police after you rob a bank. Explore further, and you'll find some cool places. Deep underneath the city on the sides of the subway tracks you'll find an underworld. The homeless live in abundance there, along with all their fire, couches, mattresses, and even the occasional car. You'll find a rather large area like this under Lancet in Algonquin. It's a really cool place to see, but is far from any stop, so you may wish to take a bike to get there.

Beachgate

You'll recognize this gated community as the location of Mikhail Faustin's house. You've probably been there a bunch of times to do missions, but have you ever just taken the time to explore the area? Beachgate is actually very interesting. You'll find all kinds of houses, some get-togethers, and the beach.

Island

There is a small rock island directly north of Algonquin. This isn't much fun to look at, but jumping out of your helicopter and landing on an island is awesome. So is keeping prisoners there in multiplayer. Just bring them there on a helicopter, land it, let them get out, and make a quick escape.

Cemetery

On the north end of Colony Island you'll find a cemetery. This is pretty cool to visit, and there's even cool stuff to jump out of a helicopter and land on! This is a good time to take a moment of silence and think about all those people you killed. In fact, you can even open up the stats menu and get the exact number.

Nuclear Plant

If you head on over to Acter Industrial Park in Alderney, you can have all kinds of fun. You can go to the nuclear plant in a helicopter and knock off the guy sitting on top, drive around a forklift to all your sights to see, or even jump out of a heli and land in one of those flame-spewing chimneys! C'mon, it can't be that bad to plummet to the ground from about 500 feet in the air while on fire, can it?

Westdyke

This is a small town on the northern tip of Alderney. It's right on the coast, and is actually very calm. Unlike the rest of the map, it's not very urban. Also interesting is all the rich people homes. Spend some time searching Westdyke and you'll find a menagerie of finely cut hedges, swimming pools, and even backyard helicopter pads!


-------------------------------------------------

Hope you had a fun time with this weeks GAME POW, rest assured that there will be plenty more in next weeks column, including something on Too Human, and possibly more Gears 2. Look forward to it, and make sure to mark your calendars so you don't miss GAME POW every Saturday. Until next time, POW!