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Gears To Be A Trilogy, Ousts Halo 2

Posted by Zonk on Tue Nov 21, 2006 04:37 PM
from the popular-game dept.
XBox (Games)
Epic's Gears of War has finally ousted Halo 2 as the most-played game on the Xbox Live service. It's not too surprising, given the game's popularity. Epic was apparently expecting that; GameDaily spoke with Microsoft Corporate VP of Global Marketing Jeff Bell, who as much as says that Gears is the first chapter in a trilogy. From the article: "Gamers today demand an excellent story in their games; they need to know what's at stake, and why they should care. Excitement tops the list of desired emotions, but they want to be scared, too. They want the rush that comes from being scared by an enemy or trapped in a dark room and escaping with their lives. The goal of this ad is to establish Marcus Fenix as the hero of the Gears of War trilogy. The intention is to create emotional connection with him that is lacking in typical third-person action title marketing, by communicating a sense of desperation, loneliness, overwhelming odds, and the ultimate futility of the situation he faces."
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  • Epic was apparently expecting that; GameDaily spoke with Microsoft Corporate VP of Global Marketing Jeff Bell, who as much as says that Gears is the first chapter in a trilogy.

    Not to be cynical, but after seeing the response and sales it's gotten they're certainly going to say it's the begining of a trilogy _now_, regardless of what they originally expected or had planed.

    • The game was clearly built with a sequel in mind, has an ending which will lead directly into another game, so it's not a tacked on response. Even if the game did have a solid ending, i'd have been shocked if they weren't making a sequel. But with the single player campaign so short, I really want a sequel anyways, great game.
      • EVERY game nowadays has an ending that leads straight into a sequel even though that sequel is rarely made because the game didn't sell.

  • Sequels (Score:3, Funny)

    by anjin-san 3 (983912) on Tuesday November 21 2006, @04:48PM (#16939988)
    I, for one, am extremely surprised that developers are willing to make sequels to an extremely popular game. This has never happened before in the gaming industry.
    • Unlikely [computeran...ogames.com].

      In relation to Unreal Engine 3, how important is Gears' arrival to the market?

      Mike Capps: It is quite important. Having been an engine licensee myself (with America's Army), I can attest that a major part of the licensing decision is trusting that the engine will get to a shippable state. All our licensees have known that Gears of War, for Xbox360, and Unreal Tournament 2007, for PS3 and PC, were on the way, and while we have an excellent reputation for shipping games, I'm sure they were all happy

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by DarkJC (810888)
        That's surprising..I had always assumed UT2007 would be 360, PS3, and PC. I guess their 360 'division' was too focused on Gears of War? That's the only reason I see why they would miss the 360 with UT.

    • None of my friends are playing GoW. Some of us did for a little bit just because it was new, but I am really depressed that a year into the 360's life and this is all we have. Microsoft really should have launched with Halo 3 or at the very worst launched it at the time of GoW. I don't think anyone would give a damn about the broken and limited gameplay in GoW if Halo 3 was out.

      Games take time, and Halo has historically taken 3 years between installments (H1: 2001, H2: 2004, H3: 2007). Perhaps Microsof

    • You (and your friends) seem to be in the minorty.

      Fastest Selling 360 Game [spong.com]
      #3 Most Popular Game [gamerankings.com]
      9.4/10 [ign.com]
      9.6/10 [gamespot.com]

  • Mad World (Score:3, Insightful)

    by C0rinthian (770164) on Tuesday November 21 2006, @04:50PM (#16940036)
    I can't RTFA because of firewalling. From the quote, it sounds like he's talking about the 'Mad World' commercial they've been playing in theatres and on television. I've got to say that is one of the best game ads I've seen in a long time...
        • Who ever said it did? I made a statement about the advertisement, nothing more.

          For the record, I think it's an excellent game too, for reasons totally unrelated to the advertisement.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Pojut (1027544)
      Or maybe the people doing the reviews didn't buy into the halo hype...as in, maybe they were one of the people with a head on their shoulders.

      Don't get me wrong, halo 1 and 2 were quite fun and all, but they were hardly revolutionary...compare them to PC shooters, and suddenly their graphics resemble games that came out 5 years prior to them...their stories horrible and canned and typical...their voice acting spotty...and quite frankly, their gameplay repetitive. Personally, I think the best thing halo had
      • beh, can't edit.

        Anyway, in addition to what I said, the first entry in a trilogy is hardly the most interesting in terms of story...that is what the SECOND entry is for.

        As for GoW having repetitive gameplay...fine I'll give you that. But at least it required some bit of tact...not to mention a bit more realism in a war-like situation (i.e. the whole cover system) Considering halo was supposed to be a trilogy, the first and second did VERY VERY little to make me look forward to the third game...I am, howev
      • Personally, I think the best thing halo had going for it was it's sound effects.

        My girlfriend bought an XBox recently to play a single game. She also bought it to keep me at her place more. So, I decided to go get the Big game, Halo (I got Halo 2... Halo wasn't available used). Holy crap! What a rotten game! I couldn't believe how shitty it was. I played it for 3 hours or so, hoping that it was going to get better.

        Oh yeah, my point... I thought that the sound on Halo2 was really terrible. Flat, b
      • "Still, in comparison to other shooters that were around at the same time, halo 1 and 2 did NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING that other games hadn't done ten times over."

        Wrong .. Wrong .. and Wrong.

        My credentials :

        Hosted LAN parties in my appartment for 3 years, 6 to 8 people every time.
        We started with Quake II, then Half-Life, then Half-Life : Opposing Force, Counter-Strike Betas, FireArms, Quake III, Unreal Tournament, Day of Defeat, Sven Co-op, etc .. etc ..

        And I grew weary of all those. Rather burnt-out with
        • so because a game ASKED you which way you would like to aim, it earns points? It's in the option menu...big deal.

          Have to change weapons to throw a grenade? Really? Cause for PC shooters I usually just hit the "g" key (or g or h, if it is TFC)...oh and in case you missed it, in halo 2, if you are dual wielding you cannot throw a grenade...

          I never said halo wasn't FUN, it was...it just wasn't anything new or revolutionary. You are of course entitled to your own opinion, but considering you started your LA
    • Why are all these posts anonymous? I mean, can't a game get good reviews without the publisher being accused of throwing money at the sites and mags? Have you played the damn game? Have you read what the reviewers said about why they liked it? It's not a perfect game but it is extremely well done and extremely fun, which you're picking up on from the reviewers.

      Go pick up your check at the Sony office and ask them if they'll throw in FF LXIII or Ratchet and Clank 19 as a bonus. Since you evidently think that
      • Remember its good review about a nintendo products, its am honent opinion. But if microsoft or sony release a product that gets good reviews, they obviously payed off the reviewers. Carry on.
      • No, people are just using common sense. Microsoft always buys good reviews for their games, even when they don't need them. You know, just in case they do. It's standard operating procedure for them to determine who can be bought and who can't and then buy out everyone they can.
    • There was a lot of hype for Gears of Wars. So much so, that I was beginning to think that the game had "jumped the shark" on hype alone. From my non-scientific observation (reading game sites, forums, etc.), I think people were starting to expect the game to suck. And in general, I am not a fan of hype at all, as it does tend to hurt more than help.

      So, it was surprising to see that the game was quite good. In fact, better than what a lot of people had expected ... because it was so different than your stand
  • 1. Take a good sized game and cut the story/campaign mode into 3 smaller parts

    2. Sell 3x the games

    3. Profit!
    • hey, 15 years ago, I was given the metrics that the average buyer played a game for 5 hours. Yeah, many of us will play a 70+ hour game. But might it be more memorable if it were shorter? I mean, there's lots of crappy dialogue and "filler" out there. Would I have enjoyed GTA3:Vice City just as much if they left half of it out? By the end, I knew the city inside-out, twice....

      It's the Harry Potter vs. Lord of the Rings dilemma: do make it absolutely clear how you spend you money, or do you leave the world

      • All I know is that I want either a long game or one with a lot of replay value. for a game that I can't mod (like almost anything on a console) it had better be long, because the replay value will be low unless it's a racing or sports game. Not that I play sports games - the last one I enjoyed was NHL '98 and that only because you could check players (or the ref) through the glass. And I'm not counting racing games in with sports games, although racing is [arguably] a sport.

        I wouldn't mind a game with 5

    • Which just shows that, once again, game producers are taking their cue from the world of novel publication. Cutting bloated, oversized stories into thirds is a classic technique in books.
  • "Gamers today demand an excellent story in their games; they need to know what's at stake, and why they should care. Excitement tops the list of desired emotions, but they want to be scared, too. They want the rush that comes from being scared by an enemy or trapped in a dark room and escaping with their lives. The goal of this ad is to establish Marcus Fenix as the hero of the Gears of War trilogy. The intention is to create emotional connection with him that is lacking in typical third-person action title
    • I have this deep feeling that you're full of shit.
    • Cinematic gaming never suceeded and it will never succeed because it's based on communications, not empowering the user to create their own world and play in it.

      That's not very concinving argument when it's a model that has already succeeded. Games like GRAW, the Call of Duty series and Max Payne were cinematic games and that was integral to their success. Gears of War falls certainly short of the gameplay in those titles, but that's got nothing to do with the fact it's a cinematic experience and is down to
    • "Entrance a 13 year old." What are you, a pedo?

  • GoW trailer will sell Xbox 360s (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ConfusedSelfHating (1000521) on Tuesday November 21 2006, @05:54PM (#16941172)

    I was in a movie theatre waiting to see the new James Bond film. It was a Saturday night and it was packed. I had bought my ticket half an hour before the movie started because it was going to sell out. Everyone was talking and it was pretty noisy in the room and it was 60% full. There were ads playing on the screen while everyone was waiting, but it was pre-trailer time and the ads were ignored. When the Gears of War trailer came on the screen and the music started, everyone shutup and watched it. When it was over, people began speaking again.

    This holiday season is a best case scenario for Microsoft. They have solved all of the their production problems and have an ample supply. Both Sony and Nintendo are dealing with supply issues (Nintendo less than Sony) and quality control (Nintendo less than Sony). Using Gamespot's reviews, there are 4 games rated between 9.0 and 9.6 and 35 games between 8.0 and 8.9 on the Xbox 360. There are 6 games rated between 8.0 and 8.9 on the Playstation 3. There are 7 games rated between 8.0 and 8.9 on the Wii (don't yell at me, Gamespot rated Zelda 8.8, I've seen it rated higher on other sites). There will be other games released, but right now the Xbox 360 has the better selection of games for next gen consoles. If Microsoft can't dominate this holiday season, then they are going to rank third place this generation.

    Does anyone know if the Wii is having backward compatibility issues? I don't want to pick up a Gamecube, but I would like to play Resident Evil 4 (I don't have a PS2 either). If I remember correctly, the Wii is supposed to be backward compatible with the Gamecube.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Planesdragon (210349)
      Does anyone know if the Wii is having backward compatibility issues? I don't want to pick up a Gamecube, but I would like to play Resident Evil 4 (I don't have a PS2 either). If I remember correctly, the Wii is supposed to be backward compatible with the Gamecube.

      Both the Wii and the Gamecube are powerPC chips. The Wii's backwards computability is enough that the GameCube distribution of Linux will run on the Wii in "Gamecube mode."

      I highly doubt that Resident Evil 4, one of the best games for the 'cube, w
      • The only thing I would add to that is you need a GC controller and a possibly GC memory card if the game requires one to play GC games on the Wii. Not a problem for folks that already have the older system but it sounds like grandparent post does not.
    • Mod points but I'll bite. How can you possibly compare the Xbox 360 and the amount of 'quality' games they have (oh wait, didn't I see a BK commercial w/ 4$ xbox games?) when they've been out for a freakin' year and the other consoles have been out roughly 2 weeks? Garbage.

      • So? (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Namarrgon (105036)

        How can you possibly compare the Xbox 360 and the amount of 'quality' games they have [...] when they've been out for a freakin' year and the other consoles have been out roughly 2 weeks?

        Why should one not compare them? People are buying them right now - this is how things stand right now, and those 360 games are available today, to play today. What good are promises of future goodness, when you go to play a game today?

        This is the whole point of getting to market a year sooner - to get that head start

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