Critical analysis of Gears fo War 2

I am currently working with Ari Patrick http://blog.aripatrick.com on analysis of an FPS. We are currently examining Gears of War 2 Menu, HUD, and first 2 levels in extreme detail.

The following are being examined:


INTRODUCTION

- Theme
- Story Overview (setting)
- Key features/Selling points

INTERFACE

- Front end menu
- HUD (How does it interest the player, is the single player of interest from this)

CHARACTER DESIGN
- Player (Appearance - can the player relate to the person in a single sitting)
- Personality (Dialogue, breaks the 4th wall)
- Allies (Appearance - do they complement the player, do they help)
- Enemies (Do they feel/look like a threat, what is required for an attack)
- Neutrals (Appearance, how does the game define neutral)

LEVEL DESIGN
- Scale (size of the level and time to completion)
- Appearance (What catches the players eye)
- Paths (Linear or non-linear, does the player care)

WEAPON DESIGN
- Variety (Are the weapons something the player wants, do you care to want more/less weapons)
- Scale (weapon drop and placement vs. size of map)
- Appearance (do the big weapons feel/look big (powerful))
- Usage (Range - shotgun (close range), sniper (long range), These are two extremes, what falls in between)
- Rate of fire
- Reticle/scope change
- Bullet Management (how long, reload time)

CUT SCENES
- Length (how long does it take to complete)
- Pacing (how long it takes relative to the pacing of the gameplay)
- Is it informative/entertaining.

TUTORIALS
- Integrated into gameplay (is the tutorial separate or part of the game, does the player need tutorials)

CONTROLS
- Console controls (How do they feel relative to competitors, is it easy to pickup and play)