The weakest element of Gears of War 2 is its story. The first game in the series had a vague and uninteresting one, but was successful in the end because it didn’t get in the way of the gameplay, was funny, and kept things moving from stage to stage. In 2, however, much of the humor is retained, but major plot twists are unexplained, and it is rich with melodrama. It hardly matters in the end, but it’s disappointing because it’s the only major aspect of the game that is worse than that of the original.

What I found most surprising about this game was how much better combat felt since the first game. Battles already felt personal and satisfyingly crunchy in a way they don’t in most shooters, but in 2, things are stepped up to the next level. Slamming into cover and bursting enemy skulls with a barrage of bullets feels incredibly convincing considering how outlandish the visuals are.

Blending art and science in the way all great shooters do, where this game really shines (much like its predecessor but even more so), is in its level design. It all feels very deliberate, each fight working out like a little puzzle, especially on the higher two difficulties. It’s outstanding in how much it does with the basic concept of taking cover, and throws new ideas at you until the end. Simultaneously simple and deep, mindless fun and a thinking man’s game, tiny and enormous, it should be taught at game design schools.

In its campaign, Gears of War 2 too often strays away from this winning strategy by means of gimmicky driving and rail-shooting sections, so it has more bad stages than its predecessor, but it has far fewer frustrating ones (the game still leans over the difficult side of the fence, though). And everything underneath is so solid anyway that any frustrations are forgettable. The encounter-to-encounter stuff is pretty much as good as video games get.

It may be silly to even mention in a review now, but Gears of War 2 deserves high praise for its visuals. Most will probably find its art style unappealing at first glance, but I think my roommate put it best when watching me play the game’s final stage, saying “these graphics are perfect for this game.” If when the first time you played Crysis, you thought that no game had ever looked more realistic, when you play this game you’ll think that no game has ever looked more like a painting.

Gears of War 2 is video game shooting at its best. And that’s all there is to it, really. It’s molten fucking hot; don’t spend your money elsewhere this holiday season. And this is coming from someone who hates reviews that sound like advertisements.