textures are overall better in Gears 2

I played through some legacy maps on Horde, they look like crap compared to Gears 2 maps.

You might like the art direction of Gears 1 more, but the graphics aren't "better." Epic didn't spend millions of dollars making the graphics and engine worse.

in terms of "realism" gears 1 is better because it is in a more familiar landscape. Gears 2 has some fantasicly created subterannean levels.

Gears 1 looks crisper, but some things looks more detailed on Gears 2. Besides this, to be honest it could be all pics of the very same game with different brightness/gamma settings.

 Sorry, I guess I should have clarified more...but yes...I guess I would say "more realistic".  The second looks more "Uncharted"-like to me...definetly beautiful, but not as "real". 

Again, this is no knock on the game, I loved the game.  But while I was playing it I kept being underwhelmed compared to how I felt when I played the first game (in the graphics department).  I thought maybe I just remembered "incorrectly" or something, but now I'm thinking its just the different style Epic took.

Laughable pics.

Seriously, play the game through. The 2nd destroys the first in visuals. It's not even close.

Like I said Gears 2 eats Gears 1 graphically. LOL

Gears 1

Gears 2

Wow they did a pretty good job designing those new levels. They must have used lots of mean tricks to make some of the amazing backgrounds in the new levels of Gears2. The basic technology (lighting ...) seems to be pretty much the same as in Gears1. In the screenshots I generally liked the Gears1 version better. Although the more blurred look of the second might be better in motion.

I agree. Apart of the water. It really looks awesome.