I finally broke down and subscribed to XBL. I came into a little extra money and figured I'd need to get the best out of Gears of War. I've been playing coop mode through the game with a friend lately...makes it very easy to beat.
Yeah, it's much easier playing it with a buddy than having to rely on the crappy AI teammates. You should definetly consider getting Test Drive Unlimited, if you don't have it already - it's one of the best uses of live on the 360. I've been playing a bit of F.E.A.R's online and thats pretty fun too, although not many people are playing for some reason...probally too busy playing GoW (which i've discovered I totally suck ass at online )