With Christmas shopping season just around the corner, the latest and greatest video games for the Xbox 360 are now hitting the shelves.

The biggest, most-anticipated release is now out, Gears of War 2. The blockbuster is a sequel to the widely successful first edition shooter released a few years ago.

Released by Epic Games, GOW2 continues six month later after the earlier storyline as Marcus Fenix and his Delta Squad are back in action defending what’s left of civilization against a new Locust onslaught which threatens to sink cities.

Like its predecessor, the game features stunning sounds and graphics to go along with its hollow acting and narration. But then again who cares about the acting, gamers are really interested in the gameplay which again excels in every department.

Says lead developer Cliff Bleszinski, “We’ve put a ton of work into this game and it’s a good feeling to finally get it out there. The game development process is a rigorous one, but when you’re doing something you love and believe in, all of the hard work is worth it in the end.”

Various tips, tricks and cheat codes are already online for the impatient gamers, for the rest there’s plenty of fun to be had.

Gears or War 2 is available on the Xbox 360 game system for under $60 at most retail video stores around the U.S. Downloadable content is available on youtube and on the official xbox GOW site.