I've embarked on a quest to play single-player Horde mode in Gears 2 so that I may:

1. Have the satisfaction of knowing I can beat all 50 waves in Casual mode, all by my self

2. Increase my Gears 2 skill to a rediculous level

Gears 2 Horde mode is intense with 2-5 players, but in single-player mode it's insane.  I'm learning not to rely on the crutch of having someone else bail me out when I get in a bad spot.  This has had the following effect:

1. Boosted my ability to think on my feet in the game

2. Pushed me to play smarter in some scenarios (I can't just go out in a blaze o' glory and expect someone else to finish the wave)

3. Pushed me to take more risks in other scenarios (if I build a protected "nest" and hide there, the harder waves will exhaust my ammo)

4. Forced me to learn how to conserve ammo and/or master all the available weapons instead of just my "favorites"

5. Encouraged me to explore in detail each map to determine which maps are more defensible, and how to stand alone yet successfully take on any and all creatures.  This includes strategic use of Mauler shields to block otherwise open avenues through which the Horde can attack.

One of my brothers, who I play Horde mode online with, is currently on vacation.  I'm now up to wave 47 out of 50, and I'm thinking he's going to be amazed at how much better I play when he returns.

Anyone else on a similar quest?  Anyone try anything like this with Unreal Tournament?

I've tried it solo, but don't think I've managed to get past wave 9 or 10 on my own. Wave 47? Color me impressed!

No... it was hard enough with 3 people.... though I did get to wave 30 with 2 (inc me)

I will be getting back to horde this summer, need to get up to that 1425 mark

It is fantastic game mode, so much better than that other crap that they served up, filled with balance and lag issues

Getting past wave 10 was VERY difficult at first.  As you may know, each group of 10 waves gets progressively harder, with wave 11 dropping back down to a much easier difficulty, but not as easy as 1.  So you get a bit of a respite after waves 10, 20, 30, and 40.  But... the key is to learn how to take the right risks as the difficulty increases... taking the wrong, or unnecessary, risks will get you killed quickly, while taking too few risks when you should will cause you to run out of ammo, become complacent, etc.

I'm guessing my skill level has increased 10 fold since I started this 4 weeks ago.  Nothing like the fear of dying to push a man to find a way to improve...

When you say single mode do you mean offline.

This is how I finished Horde. I played the first 40 or so waves with other people, but then they bailed on me and I finished the rest by myself. On Day One, if you hide in the upstairs section (behind that back section by the sniper/torque bow), in the very middle of that low wall, they can't jump over and you can just unload shotgun and assault rifle rounds from cover.

At first I thought it was going to be impossible alone... but as time went on, I starting trying new approaches (best headshot techniques, best Mauler shield placement, best weapons against each foe type, which foes to kill first when being overrun, etc.) and found that sure enough, the right combination of skill and approach could make a world of difference.

By the way, everytime I log into my profile (crumas), I look to see if you're online, but you never are.  I'm guessing you're not in the US...

Well, you can either do an online multiplayer and not invite anyone, or just set it for local.  I think I've done it both ways.

Oh thanks I must check it out a I am rubbish on line.

It's good for training your campaign skills, but to really become good at multiplayer, it requires learning how to effectively blindfire the shotgun.