Gears of War 3 is only a year away so it's, like, totally imperative to brush up on the story thus far. IGN has compiled a little video feature that compresses all the twists and turns of Gears' epic story into five minutes. Obviously, the recap is full of spoilers, so it's probably best not to watch it unless you've played the first two games.

Haven't played the first two Gears yet? Well, it's possible to pick up both for $50 or less. They're good games, we promise -- and there's still plenty of time to casually grind through them before the sequel emerges. For those who just want the quick recap fix, that's available after the break.