Hello Gears of War! As seen above, Epic Games prez Mike Capps has a taste for the ironic in his desktop wallpapers. So, what do we call this adorable little symbol ... COGKitty? Perhaps Hello Kitty of War? She'll chainsaw right through you with a lollipop!
#gearsofwar
Being neither pirates nor attendees of the most recent Gears of War preview event, we haven't played the campaign for Gears of War 3. More »
Gears of War 3 is the latest game to leverage its numerical modifier by adding 3D support (first pioneered by classic films like Jaws 3-D and SpyKids 3-D), and joins other participants like Killzone 3, Uncharted 3, and Resistance 3. "It felt like something we wanted to have. It was a feature we didn't want to be deficient in," Gears producer Rod Fergusson told Eurogamer. "When you look at Gears 1, it was what people used to demo HD at the time."
Ironically enough, the tradeoff for 3D support in Gears 3 will be sub-HD resolutions. "Instead of 720p you're at five something," Fergusson said. "It's a little bit jaggier in certain areas." If it sounds weird to hear an Epic employee suggesting that an Epic game is anything less than a technology high-water mark, there's a reason for it: 3D support "was something that came in really late in our process," Fergusson explained. Instead of building in 3D support from the ground up, Epic instead opted for a post-processing effect that "generally works," he said. The technology is most likely TriOviz, which was accepted into Unreal Engine's Integrated Partners Program last year.
Fergusson says while 3D is still "a niche feature" we'll begin to see better support for it on the Xbox. "As you look forward, in the next [Xbox Development Kit] coming out of the Xbox, it'll have more support for 3D or more higher quality for native support for 3D," Fergusson said. "Moving forward, the Xbox will be able to take it further." And we're sure Epic and its ubiquitous Unreal Engine will be right alongside.
It's been two years since Jacinto fell at the end of Gears of War 2. What little is left of the COG army in Gears of War 3 clings to a massive tanker, the Sovereign, which sails the coast, dispatching search parties to look for supplies. For the humans on Sera, it is their darkest hour.
The Lambent Locusts, infected by the imulsion -- the natural-flowing energy substance that once powered mankind's machines on this planet -- are the latest threat, a much more savage (and explodey) enemy. Both human and the vanilla Locust are on the run.
But with such a cliffhanger ending in Gears of War 2, why not just pick it up from there? "We wanted time to pass," executive producer Rod Fergusson told me. "We wanted things to settle in and the novels fill that gap between the second and third game. We wanted time for the weight of the war to settle in on people, for the civilization to collapse and for Dom's beard to grow in. If we [picked up from where Gears 2 left off] then we wouldn't have that weight of it being about survival and then we'd have a game where you're just cleaning up after that big battle. We wanted to make it a more personal story."
Gears of War 3 is about survival. Gears of War 3's first act reveals some surprising twists and turns, but its core hinges upon the human desire to live another day. After the COGs spent two games picking apart the Locust Horde -- including sacrificing and sinking their own capital city, Jacinto, to flood the enemy's home -- the leftover humans are grasping at dreams of the past and seeking a way to stay alive...
#fineart
Epic Games has a common visual style running through all its games. Gears of War looks like Unreal Tournament which looks like Bulletstorm. If you've ever wondered why that is, well, wonder no more. More »
The people who make Gears of War (and Unreal Tournament, Infinity Blade) also have a "new unannounced IP in development" at its North Carolina HQ, according to a gameplay programmer job opening. Surprising? Not really. But intriguing? Oh yes! More »
As you might imagine, Epic Games wasn't exactly thrilled when an unfinished version of Gears of War 3 leaked onto torrent sites early last month. Executive producer Rod Fergusson told Edge in a recent interview that the breach was "saddening" and "frustrating," mostly because some fans were choosing to "ruin their own experience" before the full game's launch.
Fergusson specifically called out folks who shared video of the leaked game online, adding, "I get people going, 'oh no, I just watched this thing on YouTube and it's totally given away something'. And I go, 'well, why did you go looking and why did you watch it?" Probably the same reason why we can't stop going to Nicolas Cage movies: We can't not watch them, despite the fact that they're pretty harmful to the human psyche.
#gearsofwar
It's something I've wondered about. When a game like Gears of War 3 is leaked ahead of its release date, I can understand wanting to play it, but why on earth would someone go out of his or her way to spoil themselves by watching videos of it on YouTube? More »
#gearsofwar
In 2006 when science fiction author Karen Traviss' editor asked her if she wanted to do a military video game tie-in novel, it was the first she'd heard of Epic Games' Gears of War. Today she's responsible for the entire fictional universe, steering the adventure of Marcus Fenix and company to its inevitable conclusion and beyond. More »
Music legend and adroit crime-solver Ice-T is a man of many, many talents, as evidenced by the very first part of this sentence, during which we explained that he is a music legend who solves crimes. Need further proof, for some inexplicable reason? The beverage-named gentleman, alongside his temporarily reunited musical outfit Body Count, will debut his newest music video on tonight's episode of X-Play: "Horde 2.0: Five Against All," a song inspired by Gears of War 3, which also features Ice-T's voice acting talents.
We'll try to grab the video once it airs tonight on G4TV at 6:30 p.m. ET. Until then, we'll work tirelessly to corroborate these rumors that Ice-T did some of the programming on the fifth level of Gears 3, and also wrote a good hundred or so pages of the game's script.
Update: Find the, uh, "music video" after the break.
#gearsofwar
Renaissance man and Gears of War fan Ice-T will lend his acting and musical talents to Epic Games' new shooter, Gears of War 3. The rapper, actor and voice of Gears 3's Griffin has gotten the band (Body Count) back together for a special musical tribute, appropriately titled "The Gears of War." More »
Gears of War 3's release date is fast-approaching and Epic Games has unveiled a new trailer today teasing the game's updated Horde mode.
The trailer features Ice-T's band Bodycount and their song "The Gears of War," as well as the character Griffin, who is voiced by the rapper.
Check it out ...
Music legend and adroit crime-solver Ice-T is a man of many, many talents, as evidenced by the very first part of this sentence, during which we explained that he is a music legend who solves crimes. Need further proof, for some inexplicable reason? The beverage-named gentleman, alongside his temporarily reunited musical outfit Body Count, will debut his newest music video on tonight's episode of X-Play: "Horde 2.0: Five Against All," a song inspired by Gears of War 3, which also features Ice-T's voice acting talents.
We'll try to grab the video once it airs tonight on G4TV at 6:30 p.m. ET. Until then, we'll work tirelessly to corroborate these rumors that Ice-T did some of the programming on the fifth level of Gears 3, and also wrote a good hundred or so pages of the game's script.
There are two approaches to viewing the Gears of War 3 "Crescendo" video. Option one: appreciate all of Epic's insight on the development and story of the final Gears chapter. Option 2: just drink in the spectacle - like a mech curb-stomping a fallen foe. So, yeah, you're probably going with option two.
The deluge of news from Comic-Con continues to, uhm, luge, even as the convention's end draws closer and closer. Game Informer reports that Epic's forthcoming Gears of War 3 will continue the series' tradition of offering an aim-assisted Casual Mode for players who aren't well versed in the delicate art of chainsaw sculpting.
This time around, new players will also be able to sharpen their skills in own dedicated multiplayer channels. According to USA Today, players who have played Gears online previously, or participated in the Gears 3 beta will be unable to join Casual multi. That seems like overkill -- the honor system would be enough, in our opinions. After all, the Internet has a long and storied history of shepherding and tenderly caring for its newcomers.
The developers of Gears of War 3 want it to be the perfect Gears game for newcomers to the series. Even though it's the third entry, it should be the easiest to pick up and play, they say. To that end, they're implementing an exclusive "casual" mode for Gears of War 3 multiplayer that can only be ac...
Epic Games president Mike Capps says he and the company were just as surprised as anyone else when Gears of War 3 obtained a classification in Germany. Last week, Gears of War 3 received an "18" rating from the German USK, making it the first Gears not to be indexed in the region.
"I wish I could give you a list, because then I could tell you I wasn't shocked when I heard we didn't get indexed. I was very much surprised, I'll admit," Capps told us when we asked what changes Epic had made to the franchise formula to get the game rated. "To me, Gears 3 is not just more of Gears 2, but tons more. ... It doesn't immediately strike me as something easier to pass through. It's not a modified version there. We have a "no gore" filter, but we've had that for Gears. We didn't do anything special for Germany this time."
Capps is, of course, happy that Epic can finally bring its biggest series to Germany. He told us the country was the developer's "second biggest support center for Epic products," and that Unreal Tournament was huge there. He also mentioned that several members of the company's staff at the Raleigh studio are from Germany, including their engine lead.
So, is there any chance of Gears of War 1 and 2, perhaps in their Triple Pack format, being resubmitted for approval in Germany?
"That's a fantastic idea." Capps said enthusiastically. "We didn't try to submit it at all. I don't think anyone thought to. We'll give it a shot."
#comiccon2011
The talent behind Gears of War 3 is talking about the forthcoming game during the game's annual presence at San Diego Comic-Con. Design director Cliff Bleszinski and executive producer Rod Fergusson will be fielding questions from fans. What will they say? More »
Did you miss the Mad Catz Throat Communicator? It's coming back, though this time your throat will be saying what's on its mind through a Gears of War 3-branded mic instead of one bearing the Modern Warfare 2 logo.
In addition to laryngeal accoutrements, Mad Catz will also offer Gears-branded accessories for your ears this holiday season, in the form of a "Performance Stereo Headset" and a "Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound Headset." All three are available for pre-order from Mad Catz's online store, and all three have skulls on them.
#madcatz
When the guy on the other side of your multiplayer game runs a chainsaw attachment for the umpteenth time, you're going to want to make sure he hears what you call his mother clearly and succinctly. Mad Catz's Gears of War 3 audio range is here to help. More »
Gears of War 3 received a rating of "18" from the USK in Germany, making it the first Gears of War title not to be indexed in the region. Indexing is done by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (BPjM) and doesn't outright ban a product, but essentially treats it like porn with restrictions. The USK did submit Gears of War 3 as a "case of doubt" to the BPjM, but the title received the all-clear.
The harsher restrictions in Germany prompt many games that feature violence prominently to submit a toned down ("censored") version, in the hopes of getting a rating. Eurogamer Germany reports that this is not the case with Gears of War 3, which is "definitely uncut."
A representative for the USK tells Joystiq that Gears 3 "has a different feel to it than its predecessors," and that the arguments used to index the first two games didn't hold up.
#rumor
Months ahead of its release, Epic's Gears of War 3 has been leaked onto the internet, a security breach so severe law enforcement has gotten involved. Maybe, though, the cops won't be needed. More »
#codeburglars
Games leak onto the internet all the time. Usually a week or two before they hit retail. Leaking months before release, though, that's a little rarer. More »
