Hardcore wasn't Normal in the first game... I played through the first many times and the difficulty level isn't that different. I noticed that Epic added a lot more recoil to Gears 2, but overall, I don't find the difficulty levels that different.

Then again, I'm only halfway through the game but up to this point, I don't see a lot different unless I spent the last two years eating retard sandwiches and lost all ability to aim.

I mean that in the first game there were three settings: Casual, Hardcore, and Insane. Hardcore was the medium option, which I tend to think of as "Normal".

What I assumed was that they ratcheted up the difficulty on Hardcore, but this did not happen! So I imagine now it goes like this:

Gears 2 Insane = Gears 1 Insane
Gears 2 Hardcoe = Gears 1 Hardcore
Gears 2 Normal = Gears 1 Casual
Gears 2 Casual = Really really really easy

Ah, gotcha.

BTW, we're all sitting here talking about this game... Anyone want to join a game and watch a drunkass pig try to play a game where he keeps trying to reload with the X button?

Alright, sounds like a plan.

Rocketpig, Horde is basically where wave after wave of Locust come after you and try to kill you. It goes on for 50 waves and each wave is progressively more difficult. Most of the time, I can't get past the 10th wave because Boomers and Grinders come out by about the 5th-6th wave and all the noobs die IMMEDIATELY. Yeah, I know I sound like I'm on a constant rant. That's how I know I love this game.

Hardcore is the only good difficulty, since Insane is frustrating and Normal is just boring.

@rocketpig: Man I would be down for giving it a go but my girlfriend's sister is playing No More Heroes and I am not in the mood to try to stop her.

@Montana: I find Insane to be the ideal difficulty level, but only if you have a very good partner. My brother and I are on the same skill level so it works out nicely. AI Dom is waaaaaay too stupid to be effective, at least in the first game.

Umm, wait. We can watch? I'm confused.

Uh, you realize that I'm going to be mostly ineffective and that I'll end up killing massive amounts of teammates, right?

I'll give it a go but you have to promise that you won't get pissed when I keep laughing instead of firing.

I can spare some time in between my avoidance of decorating the christmas tree by being on the internet. Daddy Keil is the Xbox name and I'll be on in a few.

The trick to getting past level 10, 20, 30, etc. is knowing how to use the shields. You need people who know how to collect and plant those shields so you can barricade yourself against the mounted riders. I can never get past 30 though because people always seem to drop out and you wind up with 3 people.

I should have said "witness".

Damn it, does no one want to play?