When Epic released Gears of War 2, they set their ambitions fairly high. A competent shooter with an enthralling storyline, the game could easily have been accepted for the best-selling game that it was.
However, the game has been marketed as Epic's superior answer to Halo 3. Even some IGN reviewers have joined in by putting the two in the same group. (see xbox360.ign.com/articles/934/934644p1.html)
A Difference in Player Markets
Specifically, the niche markets for the games are entirely different from one another. Although both are heralded as "mainstream games," and many will end up on the same shelf, the culture that follows each game ensures that players will likely maintain a particular loyalty to one over the other.
Halo 3 was widely criticized for its lack of a half-decent storyline, but this was overlooked because of its online capabilities. The capacity for big-team battles, classic games of capture-the-flag, and a well-balanced repertoire of weapons make it ideal for large groups seeking a highly demanding, yet somehow lighthearted experience.
A Difference in Gameplay
Since cover in Halo 3 is largely limited to whatever rock or tree the character can use, the game naturally forces conflict - with hiding so difficult and characters easy to flush out, players are rewarded for taking the initiative.
Gears of War relies on an entirely different set of rules. Its online gaming boasts a substantially more difficult premise - take cover or die (This is a common refrain in the game's tutorials). Making cover for characters, and equipping them with substantially more powerful weapons, ensures that patience and teamwork, with only the occasional (and well-timed) bit of boldness is rewarded.
For the right player, this is every bit as much fun as the gameplay in Halo 3. For others, it is quite possibly even more fun. However, with the pacing different, and the universe far grittier, Gears of War is not only different from Halo 3, but an entirely different animal.
A Difference in Storyline
Moreover, the storyline for Gears of War 2 is actually worth playing - the characters stand out from one another much more thoroughly, and although it reaches for the fantastic, it is well-played enough that any player can suspend disbelief. While Halo 3's storyline was worth missing, no player can claim to have experienced Gears of War 2 without playing the campaign with a friend.
This is the fundamental difference between the two - Halo 3, due to its fast pace and lack of cover is a lighthearted game based on grabbing the biggest gun, aiming at the enemy, and pulling the trigger. Gears of War 2 is a game that takes itself much more seriously, and demands patience, cooperation, and a willingness to immerse oneself in the game's world. Both do their jobs very well, but to claim that one can replace the other is incredulous.
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