all games are not created equal

Gears of War 2's story mode takes the cake in this battle, but not by much. The cliche tough guy sci-fi marine type character is over done and annoying. The thing that won it for me is the length. CoD:W@W's was maybe 3-6 hours long depending on how you play.

Multiplayer, however, is where Call of Duty takes the win. Gears 2 is glitchy and the matchmaking idea was done terribly. The feel of CoD:W@W always played better in my eyes, Gears felt like you were running through mud, while CoD felt real, and overall more fun. The gameplay mechanics in CoD also helped it take the cake. The controls are much simpler, and the learning curve for online doesn't feel as steep. Plus, there's customization, that's always a plus.

The Euphoria physics engine in Grand Theft Auto 4 is a ground breaking part for sandbox games as all their driving feels fake and the games had a very artificial feel to them. Not that it's bad to have a fake feel to a game, after all they are just GAMES but GTA4 brings a sense of realism to Libery City. For instance, driving feels like driving in real life, and pushing people down stairs and watching them fall down them differently every time is amazing.

The vast map size in San Andreas is an upside, but when I go back to play it and mow down innocents in my truck, the repeating death animations are annoying. If I want to hit somebody, I want them to fly, not fall to the ground over and over. Physics, physics, physics. 

The Euphoria engine is mostly what makes Grand Theft Auto 4better than San Andreas. Not only is Liberty City almost exactley like New York City, it feels real, and it is fun even though the map isn't as large as San Andreas.