Two Gears of War 2 hands-ons

1UP and IGN have both posted up hands-on impressions of the now-announced Gears of War 2 five-player "Horde" co-op mode.

From 1UP:

Running on an updated version of Unreal Engine 3, Gears of War 2 is still one of the best-looking games around. The addition of new lighting filters really adds depth to the world. It's also nice to see some variety in the color palette and environments. While the lack of four-player co-op through the story campaign is very disappointing, Horde is a blast and will most likely provide hours of fun with friends who coordinate effectively. Ultimately, all of the tweaks that have been made to the game (improved party system, balanced shotgun, and bullets slowing down opponents) are transforming the shotgun-dancing, bullet-lagging, weapon-sliding online atmosphere of the first game into the strategic and brutal experience it was supposed to have been all along.

Lots more to read through there.