Playing Gears of War 2 on Xbox Game Pass may have ruined E-Day for me

Gears of War: E-Day is quickly approaching, and so far the consensus is rather positive.

We’re going all the way back to the very start of the war between humanity and the Locust, with Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago and other members of Delta Squad returning too.

As we near that October 6, 2026 release date, we’ve been playing through the series so far on Xbox Game Pass, and nearly 20 years later, Gears of War 2 still holds up as one of the greatest third-person shooters ever made.

In fact, playing it again before Gears of War: E-Day might have been the wrong move…

Gears of War 2 is an Xbox 360 classic every Xbox Game Pass subscriber should play

After introducing players to the Locust with Gears of War, or Gears of War: Reloaded depending on which version you played first, Gears of War 2 kicks things up a notch with all-out warfare.

Humanity takes its fight to the grubs with some bombastic opening missions that see you careen through woodland atop enormous machines, before taking an express elevator down to where the Locust hail from.

Gameplay-wise, there isn’t much difference to the first game, but how can you improve upon perfection?

What shines about Gears of War 2 in particular, though, is the scale, and it’s something we’re hoping Gears of War: E-Day either matches or succeeds.

A good example is Halo: Reach’s fourth campaign mission: Tip of the Spear. In said mission, the UNSC launches an all-out assault on the Covenant with you at the front line. Gears of War 2 is like that but for an entire game.

Operation Hollow Storm takes place over just two days, with Marcus and the rest of Delta Squad being put through their paces the entire time.

There’s more action than ever, the camaraderie between the team is as entertaining as ever, and Skorge is an infinitely better final boss than General Raam was in the first game.

All of that is just the campaign too. Gears of War 2 also gave us the iconic Horde mode, which is just as fun in E-Day as it’s always been.

Now this isn’t to say that Gears of War 3 is bad in comparison. It was a superb ending to the original trilogy, and it’s going to make our reunion with Dom in E-Day feel like catching up with an old friend. That said, there’s just something about Gears of War 2 that has a hold on us.

We’re sure Gears of War: E-Day is going to be amazing, and considering it’ll be the start of the war, the expectations for spectacle are high. Watching the world fall apart around us might even make the original trilogy feel all the more impactful.

That said, it’s got a long way to climb if it wants to reach the peak of the series; Gears of War 2 might be unbeatable.

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