Gears of War 2 mania has stuck with a vengeance and Microsoft announced that over two million copies were sold in the first weekend of release. The numbers were perhaps a bit more than Microsoft expected for this highly anticipated sequel to the Epic Games developed title.

What is perhaps more amazing is that over 1.5 million people logged over 15 million hours of game play, unlocking an incredible 19 million achievements while playing the game. Over 20,000 retailers took part in a special midnight launch of the title on Friday in over 20 countries.

The sales of Gears of War 2 rank it as the third hottest selling title, only behind Grand Theft Auto IV and Halo 3. It is expected that it will be on top of the charts when the next batch of sales numbers are released.

The reports on the title are good so far, with many players captivated by the depth of the title and the fact that Epic delivered the sequel that fans expected. This push should help the Xbox 360 dominate this holiday season with a number of high profile titles that have been recently released.