Throughout history there have been a select characters that have represented a set console generation. Many of these iconic characters reside as console poster boys, however they’re much more then that. These characters are the reasons why gamers, and casual gamers, purchase a set console.

In my studies throughout this generation, I’ve personally composed a list of the characters that have shaped this generation of console; so far, of course. This list is a non-bias composition of characters that have single-handedly shaped this generation, all of the iconic characters that we already love, won’t be on this list – no discrimination was important when making this list.

The first character I’ll like to mention is Nathan Drake, the chromatic and adventurous, adventurer. I placed him as one of the more iconic characters of this generation because he has single-handedly transformed the way characters are portrayed in video games. His realistic mannerisms have changed the way developers craft characters — challenging developers and animators to really take on character development in a different form. Personally, I find his impact to the industry hard to describe. But, understand this; his influence has re-imagine the iconic Tomb Raider franchise.

The next character I’ll like to mention is Desmond Miles/Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad/Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who are all technically the same person. I didn’t pick these characters based off what they’ve done but, instead, because they matter so much to this generation of console. The Assassin’s Creed franchise represents something greater, it could indeed represent this generation as a whole because the titles have improved so much over each installment, in terms of plot and gameplay.

The next character I’ll like to mention is Commander Shepard, who’s an important addition to this list. He’s the main reason I decided to conduct this list of the today’s most iconic characters. Basically, Shepard has fitted to everyone’s portrait of him or her, giving the player an emotional attachment to the story, which is an incredible task within itself. But, more importantly, the addition of the “Decision Wheel,” which has transformed character interaction forever because of it has “simplified” the in-game decision process for consoles.

The next character I picked, the Big Daddy. Picking the Big Daddy was challenge for me because, well, I wanted to pick Jack, the character whom the player controls. But, I couldn’t; the Big Daddy character was prefect in representing BioShock, a game that has transformed story telling in video games forever. The game was so artfullily crafted and unique that, even though the main character couldn’t talk, the story was relayed throw the people around Jack and the location.

In conclusion, I’ll like to mention Marcus Fenix, the main character of Epic’s Gears of War series. As I’ve said, each generation their are characters the define a generation of console, and I believe that Fenix represents this generation of console for Microsoft. Master Chef wholehearted represent the original Xbox and the revolution of the first person shooter, and Gears of War represents the revolution of cover-based third-person shooters, it just makes sense that he would be one of this generations more iconic characters.

I’ll also like to mention these characters: Sackboy, Niko Bellic, John Marston, Issac Clarke and GlaDOS.

*These characters also represent the both assistant characters and main characters.

Premiering moments ago, the pulse-pounding trailer promises an explosive and emotional end to critically acclaimed series.

In development at Epic Games, “Gears of War 3” plunges the player into a harrowing tale of hope, survival, and brotherhood. With the last human city destroyed and the remaining survivors stranded, time is running out for Marcus and his comrades as they fight to save the human race from the jaws of extinction.

Though televised programs aren’t known as major announcement venues, Epic Game has changed that stereotype with the announcement of the third Gears of War installment. Last night on the Jimmy Fallon show, designer director Cliff Blensinzki announced and detailed Gears of War 3′s newest enemies and features.

“In this game, there are these new enemies called the Lambent, which are these crazy kind of tentacle monsters that can mutate when you fight them,” boasted Bleszinski to Fallon. “We have all sorts of new weapons, including the double-barreled shotgun, and we finally have female soldiers in the game, which is something that people have been asking for for a long time.”

With the last human city destroyed and the remaining survivors stranded, Marcus Fenix and his comrades are charged with the protection the remaining humans from the Locust horde. Gears of War 3 will arrive in North America and Asia on April 5, in Japan in April 7, and in Europe and all other territories April 8.

I’m sure that there were some frustrating moments throughout the development of the iPad, but at least we can all agree on one thing; there’s alot of potential in the device. That said, the vice president of Epic Games, Mark Rein weighed in on Apple’s newest device and… apparently, he’s “really impressed”.

“The quality of the materials is outstanding. The screen is amazing and the super-sized apps were fantastic,” he told Kotaku. “Everything seems to perform really well on the iPad and I was blown away by the iWork apps – I thought bringing those to iPad was a brilliant move by Apple!”

However, just like most of us, Rein is still on the fence — on rather he should invest in an iPad 1.0. “Apple has done a great job at constantly improving the user experience on Mac and iPhone so I can only imagine where this platform can go in the future,” Rein added, practically guaranteeing at least one iPad 2.0 in his future.

High Moon Studios have drawn inspiration from Epic’s Gears of War series in the development of Transformers: War of Cybertron, the newest Tranformers game — the developer stated this when announcing the game. However, when speaking to Transformers World 2005, High Moon’s Matt Tieger clearify what they really meant by Gears being a inspiration.

Pondering the reasons behind the Gears motifs, Tieger stated that it could be that they’re using the same exact engine as Gears of War, the Unreal Engine. Also, it could be that Transformers: War of Cybertron is a “third-person” action game. But, he did mention that there are some notable differences.

“One, we are not a cover-based shooter (you think Megatron would take cover?) Two, transform anywhere. Three, special abilities add an additional layer of strategic depth. Four, finally, Transformers has always been a team based property and each character has unique abilities so teamwork becomes pivotal,”he continued.

Almost nothing has been said about the production of the Gears of War movie; everything said about the movie, so far, is either speculation or PR “contribution”. That said, the Gear of War movie producer, Wyck Godfrey recently sat down to discuss the challenges of translating the popular video game series into a movie.

Revealing that he didn’t take kindly to the already to explored environment within the Gears of War video games, Godfrey told Making Of that the Gears of War movie will center around the events of “Emergence Day”, 14 years before the original Gears of War – “Emergence Day” wasn’t explored fully within the video games’ storyline.

“The hard part is to make [Gears of War] into something that doesn’t feel like a world torn asunder and people just in battle,” Godfrey tells Making Of. “I think we really want to focus on the idea of a world that’s running well and then it’s Emergence Day.”

When first announced at this years E3 expo, people were quick to recognize Quantum Theory as the counter-exclusive to the Gears of War series, a 360 exclusive series. However, exclusiveness no longer plays a factor when it comes to Quantum Theory. Because Tecmo revealed today that Quantum Theory will also be headed to the Xbox 360.

Previously a Plsystation 3 exclusive, the game is being developed on an unnamed PC-based engine that’s designed to make multiplatform development easier, much like the crystal engine used in Final Fantasy XIII‘s development. However, no other news was released about the 360 version. Quantum Theory is now scheduled to arrive in the Spring of 2010 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

It’s no secret that Epic Games has established a very avid relationship with Microsoft, producing such exclusives as Gears of War and Shadow Complex – both very high sellers for Microsoft’s system, the Xbox 360. However, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Epic would proclaim themselves as the “unofficial engine” of Project Natal, Microsoft’s upcoming motion-sensing device.

When speaking to Official Xbox Magazine UK in an interview, Mark Rein Vice President of Epic Games talked about the many ways that Unreal technology could be implanted with Project Natal, even going as far as to call it the “unofficial engine” of Project Natal.

“We are going to work with Microsoft to make that available to Unreal Engine licensees who want to make Natal games,” Rein said. “So, if you want to make a game on Natal, you want to get a big head start and use the same tech as Microsoft, come talk to me. We are the unofficial engine of Natal, or maybe the official, I don’t know. In other words, we consider ourselves the ‘economic engine of Natal.’ You want to make money with Natal, come talk to us, we’ll help you.”

Let’s do the math. Natal + ideas = Unreal Engine usage. Sounds good to me.

Last week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office assigned Microsoft, the publisher of such games as Gears of War, the ability to offer seamless switching from solo to co-op campaigns within squad-based shooter video games. You really have to patent such a thing?

Anyway, the patent, #7,559,834, was originally owned, and invented, by James York of Texas – Austin, Texas to be more exact. And was filed back in December of 2002. However, nearly a decade later, this is what Microsoft gains access to:

A squad-based shooter video game allows players to dynamically join and leave the game, while that game is in progress, without the players having to save and restart the game. When a new player joins an in-progress game, a new squad member is allocated to the new player and the screen is split to present a viewing panel for the new player that depicts scenes from the perspective of the new squad member. When an existing player leaves the game, the screen is unsplit to remove the viewing panel for the exiting player and that player’s squad member becomes part of the squad being controlled by the remaining player(s).

The patent came filled with co-op game sketches (one shown above). Anyway, the one shown above resembles a screenshot from the original Xbox co-op shooter Brute Force, developed by the now non-existent Digital Anvil. So for what reason would Microsoft patent this? With Natal’s release coming upon us, who knows what they are planning.

[Microsoft Patents Drop-In Co-Op In Shooters via Kotaku]

It seems that the movie is shaping up nicely. When being interviewed by MTV News, screenwriter Chris Morgan give a status update on the upcoming video game to movie adaptation of Gears of War.

“A draft went in and we’re talking about it now and we’re budgeting it out,” Morgan told MTV. “It’s looking incredibly good.”

“I think the gamer side is going to be thrilled with it,” Morgan continued. “All the stuff you want to see, we put that in there and then we blow it out a little more, even. Now it’s just a matter of honing in on all of the character arcs and determining production types of things.”

The film is currently set up at New Line with “Underworld” helmer Len Wiseman attached to direct.

BioWare’s epic science-fiction role-playing game Mass Effect was released last November exclusively on the Xbox 360, the game got many rewards and many fans. Now, today some Mass Effect 2 details are floating around the web and they apparently originate from a now deleted Gamespot post. There alot of details revealed from the game and many key information that will make you wonder just remember that this is a rumor and it may not be true. Back in March, BioWare’s senior manager Matt Atwood was quoted stating that the will be hitting “soon but not real soon” do keep your eye out.

-Platforms: Xbox 360, PC
-Release date: Xbox 360 – November 2009 (Worldwide), PC – TBA 2010
-Developer: BioWare, with support from EA and Microsoft Games Studios
-Publisher: EA
-Engine: Unreal Engine 3 (Custom)
-Mass Effect 2 is a 6-month timed exclusive game for the Xbox 360
-The same team that worked on Mass Effect is working on Mass Effect 2
-Mass Effect 2 has been in development since July 2007,
total development time for Mass Effect 2 will be 28 Months
-The story in Mass Effect 2 will continue 2 months after Mass Effect
-The story will not continue depending on the last decision made by the player in Mass Effect, it will however continue after the PC version ending
-The character created in Mass Effect can be transported into Mass Effect 2 via save-files
-Level cap has been increased to Level 120
-Physics will be power by Havok
-Bioware has spent an enormous time on facial animations and charater movement animations, so expect animation quality to be at the very top.
-BioWare is using the Unreal Engnine 3 for graphics, with many custom changes made, graphics will be better than in Gears of War 2
-Water is confirmed to have fluid simulation, also, if a player or NPC dies on water, the players body will slowly sink, this also applies to weapons and certain objects
-The Game Over sequence has been reduced to 1.78 Seconds, due to complains from fans over the long Game Over sequence in Mass Effect
-Mass Effect 2 will have up to 5-player CO-OP, depending on the host players decision of how many players will be able to assist him/her
-There will be a Multiplayer component called Survival, where players will crash on a planet and battle to survive against endless hordes of enemies, the score will be determined on how many enemies will be killed and how much time players will be able to survive, there is no end to this mode, it’s a very similar mode to Gears of War 2′s Horde.
-Armor has to be repaired, armor will also react to different weapons,
bullets will damage it, fire will melt it, ice will freeze it,…
-The player can now lead a squad of 2-5 members, the player decides how many squad members will be on each mission
-The Citadel is now much larger, and whenever a player visits the Citadel all members of the players squad go with him/her, the squad will interact with other NPC’s if you allow them to
-Battles wil be on a much larger scale, reported scale is the same as in Gears of War 2
-There will 2 more classes added to the aditional classes from the first game
-The Galaxy has been expanded, you can now explore 8 times more planets than in Mass Effect, also, every planet now has a bigger scale, players will be able to set up small bases on planets with a sustainable atmosphere
-The player will be able to create mines near resources and send resources to Earth or by the decision of the player mine illegaly and collect all resources for him/her self
-Weapons can be upgraded and customized, the weapon arsenal has been expanded, the player can now carry a bionic arm on each arm, the player can dual wield not just pistols, but also shotguns and semi-automatic weapons
-One new weapon is called “The Scilary”, it’s a missile based weapon, the player marks a targed on the ground and then shoots a missile into the air, the missile is then split into multiple pieces and hits the target and an area around it
-The player can now equip a knife, the knife can be customized and upgraded, the knife can also be used with different powers, i.e. the knife can be thrown and then brought back, the knife will also react to environment hazards, i.e. a knife over fire will cause it to catch fire and eventually melt
-There will be Boss Battles in the game
-Depending on the decision made by the player on Noveria to either spare or kill the Rachni, they will assist you during a crucial time or you will be left alone
-Preston Watamaniuk, the Lead Designer hints at more and larger environment hazards,
for example a volcano erruption than can destroy a base built by the player, another example is an ice storm of different colors, dependning on the planets atmosphere
-The primary planetary exploration vehicle can now be upgraded and customized,
it can also be expanded to carry up to 4 members of your squad
-The armor can now be upgraded and customized to the players liking, similar to the weapon customization, the player can now select a certain part of the armor, i.e. the left shoulder and put a small picture on it, i.e. the Earth’s flag
-The second mission will be to save a squad member that was believed to be dead in Mass Effect, depending on the decision made on planet Virmire (the cloning facility mission), you will have to rescue the squad member left behind,
the story will explain how the squad member survived the detonation
-Planet Eden Prime can now be visited, explored and the player can now build his own house on the planet, same with many other planets
-The total number of interactive NPC’s you can talk to is around 3000,
total number of NPC’s in Mass Effect 2 is unknown

Gears of War design director Cliff Bleszinski has talked against developers handing over their IP to be developed by other studios, saying the Call of Duty-style approach to games means quality is ‘lost in translation’. Just like that movie I saw sometime back. When speaking at an press event for the launch of Gears of War 2 he was asked about his views on franchises that have the popularity of Gears but which have multiple designers. But Bleszinski did say that he wasn’t interested in letting another developer have a crack at designing a Gears episode – and other franchises which try that approach tend to become soulless when a property changes hands.

He goes on to tell the guys at DevelopMag that: “We’ve got a lot of ideas about where the franchise will go. But sometimes I feel a franchise loses something when it’s shifted off to another shop. You get the primary studio that really understands about the franchise, and sometimes the other studio that takes it over can do well, but there’s something lost in translation, like the game’s soul has gone.”

Today, we got some information on the games D-pad control system, which is much like the system that was used in Gears of War. This system will be fully optional and it uses the left stick and right stick much like in any normal TPS, Third person shooter. This system allows you to strafe left or right, and manipulate the camera and here’s how it will work. LT will ready the weapon for shooting and RT will fire your weapon. While in D-pad mode you cannot move or you can barely move. We also can confirm to you that some old BOW’s from the pre-RE4 era will make and return in this game.

We all know why Gears of War 2 wouldn’t be coming to the PC, not that any of us really care right now, but do you want would make Gears of War 2 more fun? What if you had the chance had the chance to show some Freshmen to the game how to live it up like Seniors to the game. We know that you have been barraged by the Gears of War 2 news today, but this rumor was just to good to past up.

According to a post on the Evil Avatar forums, Gridlock, Subway, Canals, Mansion, and Tyro Station will be available to download off Xbox Live Market Place the day that the is release. But, here’s where they get you. It will only be available for people who purchase a new copy of the game.

Well, it looks like PC gaming is killing it’s self with piracy according to a recent interview with Cliff Bleszinski because of the PC’s piracy problems they aren’t bring Gears of War 2 onto the PC.

“The person who is savvy enough to want to have a good PC to upgrade their video card, is a person who is savvy enough to know [BitTorrent] to know all the elements so they can pirate software,” says Bleszinski. “Therefore, high-end videogames are suffering very much on the PC.”

First it was Gears of War 2 now it seems like we’ll be adding one more game to the list. Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 5, a zombie horror game, has been cut for the Games Convention. The game has been cut for the same reason as Gears of War 2 because of the law on violent video games in the country that the event is being held in. But, the game will be presented at another event next month, TGS.

Let’s say you really want to play Gears of War 2, but due to the fact that it is plagued filled with hardcore violence some people may take an offensive. But, as you know, the people at Epic Games are smart and they where kind enough to help all it’s Gears fans out with this issues. MCV revealed today that, the same non-violence feature that was in the first Gears, will be placed in Gears of War 2. This feature will basically removed all violence from the game that will appeal to a younger audience. Also adding to the fact that when this feature is activated blood will become sparks and all swear words will be turned into mild curse words. Gears of War 2 will be released for the Xbox 360 on November 7th and will ship with all it’s parental controls out of the box.

According to Kotaku, Mortal Kombat‘s co-creator Ed Boon was speaking about an eighth entry into the Mortal Kombat franchise. The game was described as “very dark, serious” and a “gritty” take on the series, a back to basics reboot that was free of “vibrant, saturated colors.” It was said to be heavily inspired by the look of Gears of War. Boon goes onto say why the game was scrapped, MK8 was scrapped when the DC Comics deal solidified. Meaning that if DC Comics didn’t “solidified” the deal we would have gotten a “gritty” and more “serious” Mortal Kombat game.

By now we aready know that Gears of War 2 is one of the must have games of the holiday season and we’re all pretty excited to see what Epic has cooked up for us.

GameStop has just revealed the limited edition box-art for Gears of War 2, the limited edition of Gears of War 2 will feature a collectible SteelBook™ DVD case (which is viewable in the picure), a Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2 and a 48-page hardbound book. Along with the hardbound book it will feature a:

• Bonus DVD including exclusive making-of-the-game video footage, design galleries with audio commentary by Epic Games, and promotional videos including the E3 2008 trailer.
• “Rendezvous.” An exclusive gold-plated Lancer Assault Rifle available during online play.

Today, Epic Games revealed the official box-art for their upcoming game, Gears of War 2. If you don’t know by now, Epic Games is all about the amazing and everything attached to them is nothing short of amazing or in others words this Box-Art may win over the hearts of Fanboys a-like. Please don’t forget to put what you think of the Box-Art below.

When you first lay eye’s on the trailer you will notice that lighting is just amazing, as the camera slowly comes up and you see Marcus holing one Locust in his left hand while walking and the way the shadows interact with the light makes for one great beginning. Then you start hearing a voice that kind of reminds you of something from BioShock saying “I have a rondevu with death” makes the game look even more amazing. Then right after that when you see Dom laying down on the left side concord sleeping you notice all the shadow that interact with Dom’s face right when he get’s up.

I really don’t need to say much more but this word should cover it “AMAZING” .

But, there was something missing in the trailer, yet they didn’t put it in there, the trailers was missing some Lucost on chainsaw action. Other then that everything in the trailer was done to the best of Epic’s ability from the voicing to the light Epic did a great job.

The game maybe all about Marcus but, have you ever wonder who was that strong female voice in all those trailers for gears of war? Well, looks like Cliff Bleszinski wants you to stop wondering because in an interview revealed by Danish gaming website, Game Reactor, that the wonderful female voice would be finally revealed.

Here’s what he had to say "Several Boomers scream “For the Queen!” in the game, while General RAAM encourages to “Serve the Queen!” This led to believe that this female voice is The Locust Queen, but her identity has yet to be revealed. Now we know it will be revealed this November." Could this mean that The Locust Queen is set to make an appears in gears 2? Well, i hope so. Just as was state in the quote you will be able to play as Marcus once again in gears of war 2 this "November."

Announced for November 2008 by Microsoft, today we can assure you that Gears of War 2 leaves precisely to Europe on 17 of November. Also if you can’t wait to get your hands on Microsoft Games Too Human in Europe, you’ll be getting your hands on the game in current August, August 2008.

As of now there is no official North American release date for Gears of War 2  but it’s rumored for a November 16 release window .

Microsoft has sent out the official details on the Gears of War re-release, the re-release is due out on June 24 for $39.

Press Release:

On June 4th, "Gears of War" will be offered at the new estimated retail price of $39.99 (Xbox 360) and $29.99 (Games for Windows) throughout the U.S. and Canada.

In addition to a new price tag, an updated two-disc retail version of "Gears of War" (Xbox 360) will arrive in the U.S. and Canada beginning June 24. The two-disc version includes previously released multiplayer map packs, the Annex game mode, and the ability to earn up to eight additional multiplayer Achievements worth 250 Gamerscore. Gamers will also get a taste of the highly anticipated sequel, "Gears of War 2," through trailers and other extras.

Two-Disc Version Contents:

DISC ONE – GAME DISC

DISC TWO – EXTRAS

Gears of War
• Map Packs 1 & 2
• Theme – ‘Emergence Day’
• Gamer Pics – ‘Gears of War,’ ‘Emergence Day’

Gears of War 2
• Trailers – ‘Duel,’ ‘Assault’
• Theme – ‘Bare Your Teeth’
• Gamer Pics – ‘Crimson Omen’

"Gears of War," winner of over 30 Game of the Year awards, redefined the third-person action genre upon its November 2006 release and has gone on to sell 4.7 million copies worldwide. The struggle for survival continues this November with "Gears of War 2."

"Gears of War" is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

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New scans found on the web reveals the new characters for Gears of War 2, the scans come from a Japanese magazine.

Gears of War takes place on Sera, a planet inhabited by humans, who have warred over a phosphorescent, low-viscosity fluid known as "Imulsion" highly valued as a source of energy. Over several decades, the Pendulum Wars took place between various human countries, and ended with the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) taking control of the planet.

[Text Source Wiki]

Activision has done World War 2 and Modern Warfare now it’s time for a new type of Warfare, Futuristic Warfare. It is rumored that Call of Duty 5 will take place in the future, if this rumor ends up being true Call of Duty 5 will be joining games like Gears of War, Resistance, Killzone and Halo.

Could this mean that Activision is trying to continue to dominate the other shooting genres? Only time can tell.

Update:06/10/08 WOW..we are getting alot of searches for call of duty 5 you may want to click here for GamerCenterOnline suprise

[Call of Duty 5: Futuristic warfare? via Pwnamon]

According to Pro-gamers, Gears of War 2 will indeed have 4 player co-op, this news come’s as no surprise because in an interview with Gamespot Cliffy Bleszinski confirmed that the game will have 4 player co-op. In the news article it stated that three players will join the party at any time to help the main player in progress. The game is set for a November 2008 release in Europe and the USA.

[GOW 2 sera jouable à 4 en coop via Pro-gamers]

According to the people at Primotech, the June issue of Game Informer has an exclusive cover story but, this time it’s not Gears of War it’s Guitar Hero IV. Just like many other Game Informers this one come with details for the new game from Activision.

"Due to the recent falling-out between Gibson and Activision, Guitar Hero IV’s guitars will not be licensed and instead will be custom-designed by the developer. They will incorporate a currently unrevealed feature that will “directly impact the way you play Guitar Hero in the future.”

"Rock stars can step into the studio to create their own songs and share them with other players online courtesy of the newly minted Guitar Hero Tunes service, but these tracks will be devoid of vocals."

"Players will even be able to design their own musicians, album art, and instruments on-screen from scratch."

"While no song titles were yet confirmed, Van Halen, The Eagles, Sublime, and Linkin Park will all be making appearances on the tracklist. All songs in the game will be master tracks."

[First Guitar Hero IV Details Shed via Primotech]

The people at Xbox360 fanboy have post a very cool list about what they have learned about Gears of War 2. Posted after the break, they compiled a rather complete list of new GoW2 facts, tidbits and information we discovered after giving the latest video a good watching analysis.

Things Learned From Gears of War 2 Gameplay Trailer
• The Locust now have the ability to sink entire cities with giant emergence holes.
• To defend against the Locust onslaught, the COG transport vehicles called Derricks bring tunnel machines called Grind Lifts to Locust occupied areas. Underground combat ensues.
• Campaign level act one, chapter three is named “Assault”.
• Reavers are back for GoW2 and they are trouble.
• Both the cover system and active reload look to stay true to their Gears roots.
• Overall combat is much more open and expansive, it truly looks like you’re in the middle of a war.
• Brumaks are back and yes, you will be gunning them down. Take that Gears of War PC!
• The ability to generate hundreds of Locusts on screen looks (as we expected) to be used to set the mood of the battle and make it more frantic. Think of these hundreds of Locusts as interactive decoration.
• We’re introduced to a new Lancer style weapon that shoots ammo in bursts.
• We’re also introduced to a new pistol weapon that sort of looks like Halo 3‘s Brute Spiker.
• When a Locust falls to his knees you’ll be able to use him as hostage cover.
• Locust neck snapping is now an option.
• They’ve added a new chainsaw animation that was seen in the teaser trailer. Basically, the chainsaw is flipped over, stuck into a Locust’s back and is forced up vertically through the torso. Bloody disgusting.
• Chainsaw duels are real! The chainsaw victor is the one who can press “B” the fastest in the mini game.
• Assault Derricks pack a lot of firepower and do a pretty good job at running over Brumaks.
• Gears of War 2 is going to be incredible!

[Things learned from the GoW2 gameplay video via Xbox360Fanboy]

You have been waiting for along time and it’s finally here, the first and hopefully not the last time we will see gameplay for Gears Of War 2. If you ask me the gameplay is nothing short of amazing and it’s not something you will want to miss. Gears of War 2 takes place 6 months after the Lightmass Bomb at the end of the first game. Gears 2 is a third-person shooter video game exclusively for Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

Epic has released another screenshot for there upcoming game Gears of War 2, the screenshot first appeared in this months issue of GameInformer. Gears of War 2 will take place six months after the detonation of the Lightmass Bomb at the end of the first game, Gears of War. Gears 2 is a third-person shooter video game  exclusively for Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

Removed as request of Microsoft

The sequel’s development, with the team taking apart every system in the game to figure out ways to amplify its component parts. This means more enemies onscreen at once, an approach to cover that will hopefully be more dynamic and exciting, and presumably, gorier chainsaw kills…."

"… the Gears team was disappointed by the apparent randomness of the chainsaw-bayonet’s mechanic in the first game. Their solution (and the means by which Gears 2 ‘s combat will live up to the team’s macho maxim): chainsaw duels, as illustrated in the latest teaser video. It’s like Star Wars ‘ lightsabers as interpreted by the WWE after a six pack of Mountain Dew Code Red…"

"……the team is aiming to deliver the experience of large-scale conflict that was absent in the original Gears . "It never really felt like a giant war," he said. "It always felt like sort of a spy incursion, sneaking behind enemy lines." According to him, the technology is now able to deliver on that vision in a big way. No more smoke and mirrors to separate players from the bigger conflict, no more small-squad warfare, and no slower deliberate pacing compared to the more fast-paced shooters out there. Capps, in short, "[wants his] D-Day." It’ll be interesting to see if his team can transform Gears into a platform for that sort of experience."

"….But you get the distinct impression nonetheless that the brains behind Gears feel that they’ve distilled "fun" into something quantifiable, and thus possible to replicate. "It ought to be illegal, really," said Capps. "We’ve manufactured fun like Doritos manufactures that powdered stuff that tastes good, even though it’s not actually food." Which begs the question: if Gears of War is Doritos, which game is the shooter analogue to those all-natural pork rinds that are fried in lard?"

DC Comics, the largest English-language comic book publisher in the world, in partnership with Epic Games, Inc., announced plans today to publish a comic book series based on the hugely popular action video game franchise Gears of War. The series is slated to debut from DC’s WildStorm publishing imprint in October. More details about the series, including the creative team, will be released at a later date.

The winner of over 30 Game of the Year awards, Gears of War for Xbox 360 and PC features amazing tactical action and multiplayer excitement. The plot thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. Gears of War 2, which continues the story of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad in an epic saga of survival, loss and retribution, is the sequel to the blockbuster game that sold over 4.5 million copies and redefined the third-person tactical action game genre. Gears of War 2 is being developed exclusively for Xbox 360 and will launch this November.

"We are thrilled to be working with DC Comics to further bring to life the Gears of War universe. A lot of our developers are huge comic fans, and have loved the personas and chronicles unique to DC Comics since childhood," said Dr. Michael Capps, president of Epic Games. "The Gears of War storyline and characters that millions of gamers have come to cherish will be a perfect fit under the WildStorm imprint."

"Big guns and monsters — what a perfect comic book for WildStorm! We have an opportunity to work closely with Epic to add to the canon of the Gears of War mythos, so you can imagine how excited we all are, said Hank Kanalz, VP – General Manager, WildStorm. "Epic sets the bar very high, in graphics, story, and gameplay — and expect no less from our series, starting with our lead-in arc that fills in the gaps between the first game and the upcoming sequel."

Please Note: this is a presss release from DC comics and Epic games

Great news, the cover story Game Informer is Gears of War 2 and we have some new details from the game thanks to a member of the NeoGaF Forums.

New characters:

Chairman Prescott : Lots of gamers found themselves wondering if Marcus’ domineering superior officer was the head of the human government. It turns out that Hoffman is only second in command. Above him stands the Chairman, an almost dictatorial military leader who nonetheless has made the hard choices necessary to keep humanity alive through decades of warfare. As Gears 2 opens, this leader of the COG forces will deliver a speech to the troops before sending them reeling into the suicidal mission ahead.

Dizzy : In the seemingly unending struggle with the Locust Horde, the military forces of the COG have taken massive casualties. Somewhere along the way, Operation Lifeboat was enacted to bring in some fresh blood. Under this new act, the Coalition government will rescue a Stranded family and bring them into the relative story of a COG-protected zone. In return, the able-bodied men of that family join up and contribute their skills to the war effort. Such is the case with hardened soldier Dizzy, a new character who drives the massive Derrick on which Delta Squad ascends into the mountains. With a trademark drawl and an insistence on calling his truck “Betty”, he’s a colorful new addition to the cast.

Maria Santiago : When Emergence Day struck, Dom’s wife Maria became a victim as surely as if she had died in that first attack. On that day, her children were killed. Unable to deal with the shock and loss, Maria lost herself in the ruins of civilization. For Dominic, who joined the COG to protect his family, no priority is higher than to retrieve his lost love – his very personal quest to find her is a major part of the story that unfolds in Gears 2.

Gears of War 2 begins six months after the deployment of the Lightmass bomb at the end of part one.

Lots of talk about the new Unreal tech. GI says the story and gameplay are a pretty major leap forward from the original game, but an equally large step is being made in the behind-the-scenes tech. Gears 2 is set to impress just like Gears 1 did. New character lighting, it’s a step away from realistic lighting and towards cinematic lighting. New version of Unreal 3 constantly shifts the lighting technique in order to make a character stand out in the environment. Ambient occlusion is another tech being used. Unreal’s new ability to render huge numbers of individual creatures at the same time… hundereds of Locust troops, each moving independently and as unique individuals. Awesome water effects, soft body physics.

Most multiplayer details are under wraps. There is a remake of Gridlock. Step up in technology is obvious. “We hear hints of all sorts of new multiplayer features, from dramatically expanded co-op modes to multiplayer content that takes advantage of Unreal’s new ability to deliver huge numbers of the Locust horde at one time, but confirmed details will have to wait until a later date.”

“Gameplay of Gears 2 will appear mostly familiar to fans, with a few small variations. The core cover/shoot mechanics remain largely intact, but the use of cover has been carefully retouched so it will be harder to get hit while protected, as the character will rest a little further back from the corners. Active reloads won’t be dramatically altered, particularly with the returning weapons. However, some of the new arsenal may vary the way in whihc active reloads are used. New chainsaw duels expand that gruesome combat mechanic to deliver even more excitement. Boss battles return, but a big push is geared towards refining them, making them more fun and epic in scale.

1. “We have creatures that make the Brumak look like a baby panda bear.” -Cliff Bleszinski
2. Drop in and drop out co-op.
3. Multiple save files to maintain the integrity of each playthrough without abandoning your other attempts.
4. Gears 2 will have different difficulty settings for each player in co-op. One person can play on Hardcore, one on Casual, for instance. When you are together, the game will understand what that means, and when you split up, you will have individual experiences. Details on how this works exactly are under wraps.
5. A fourth difficulty is being added for the most casual gamers. Harder difficulty settings will remain “truly devastating.” They say Casual in the first game wasn’t casual enough. This way everyone who wants to pick up the controller will be embraced.
6. COG Centaur tank. Takes the best parts of a monster truck and a military tank and combines them. There’s a dedicated level where you’ll pilot one.

“We were shown a vast underground cave level wherin Marcus and his companions will take the fight to the Locust. Unlike the sometimes cramped and and linear subterranean paths from the first game, the cavern complex is vast and breathtaking. Branching levels and open spaces give players true tactical choices as they decide which way to tackle an assault. Whatever path you choose, bio-luminescent plants light light the faces of the new Locust Kantus enemies. These monk-like devils hum low and droning chants that can be focused into sonic attacks against you. They wield weapons like the new Gorgon burst pistol and poison grenades, both of which can become part of your arsenal if you play your cards right. However, the Kantus’ true danger lies in their ability to revive their fallen bretheren from afar. Where before you could rest easy after taking down an enemy soldier, now there is the constant danger of them rising back up to continue to fight. The only alternative is to brave the hail of gunfire to break through enemy ranks and kill the Kantus sulking in the rear. Along the way, you may not have access to stable cover anymore, so you’ll have to make do with the moving kind. Massive Locust rock worms will emerge from the cavern walls during battle, guided by the Kantus’ chanting. Luckily, the creatures are so large you can hide behind them as they sliter about, and you too will be able to guide them to an advantageous firing position.”

1. The team at Epic is well aware that many players out there hunger for a deeper and more involved storytelling experience. Lots of emotion this time. Joshua Ortega has been brought on, he is a novelist / comic writer. Really sounds like they are working a lot on the story. Sense of depth with the characters. A “darker and more heartfelt narrative.” “THE STAKES ARE RAISED. THIS IS HUMANITY’S LAST STAND. EVERYTHING IS AT RISK. NOTHING IS SAFE.” -Joshua Ortega
2. Voice actors returning include John DiMaggio as Marcus Fenix, and Carlos Ferro as Dominic Santiago. They will be recording the dialogue side by side, more authentic this way.
3. Forced walking scenes that masked loading time have been replaced with a dynamic conversation camera system – focused facial close ups, shifting dramatic angles, but the player is still in control. There is a “SHUT UP” button that will let you have Marcus end the conversation early and get back to the action.
4. “There’s a certain percentage of the audience that wants to skip all that, and they just want to shoot some s—, and we’re more than willing to cater to that.” -Cliff Bleszinski
5. There are collectibles that are relevant to the story. COG tags can be examined to learn about who owned them. War Journal from the pause screen shows your collectibles and what you’re missing, and the locations to search for them.
6. Many Achievements will be able to be earned in Single or Multiplayer. You can check for instance, if you need 1,000 headshots, you can look at your progress in the journal.
7. Your floating robot has a video screen now, so Anya can give you mission updates face to face.