Due to scheduling problems with release dates of other games coming out that we cover at our main site The Realm of Mortal Kombat, our plan to revise our Gears of War Walkthrough & Strategy Guide Wiki for Gears of War 2 is going to be put on hold. It may be a winter project for me, but we just don’t have the time and support to be able to write a good Wiki for the game at this time.

The project was going to switch the entire site over to Wiki format, and dump the news portion of the site all together since it’s irrelevant to the core of our content here, the Strategy Guide & Walkthrough Wiki.

Hopefully we can have some time soon to revise this site a bit and get it up to speed for Gears of War 2.

Today at the Game Developers Conference a surprise announcement was made. We knew the game was coming, but Epic Games and Microsoft revealed that Gears of War 2 is set to be released this NOVEMBER! All I know right now that it is a true sequel, and not a prequel like some rumors have said before. More to come as we get it.

Until then, here is the bit of the Press Release that was just sent out by Microsoft:

Providing a dramatic close to Microsoft’s GDC keynote address, Epic Games Inc.’s lead designer Cliff Bleszinski announced that the epic saga of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad continues exclusively on the Xbox 360 this fall with “Gears of War 2.” This highly anticipated sequel to the 4.5 million-selling blockbuster “Gears of War” delves deeper into humanity’s struggle for survival against the nightmarish Locust Horde, and promises to take high-definition visuals to a whole new level.

“To our team the original game was just a tease, the appetizer to the ‘Gears of War’ characters and new style of gameplay. We were so amped to get to the next chapter, and dig deeper into the universe of this franchise,” said Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer for Epic Games. “‘Gears of War 2’ is an even bigger, better, and more badass experience than the first game, and we can’t wait to get it in the hands of eager gamers this November.”

Update A kick-butt teaser trailer is now available for viewing. The website also has a few wallpapers as well to tide you over. I can’t wait for November.

Here’s a portion of the press release from Microsoft that details all the changes in the Windows port of the game.

In addition to retaining all of the content from its Xbox 360 counterpart and all previously released downloadable content (seven multiplayer maps and the Annex game mode), “Gears of War” for Windows will feature exciting original content, all-new Achievements to unlock and ultra-high resolution visuals, including support for DirectX 10. Five new campaign chapters expand upon the riveting story (including an epic battle with the fearsome Brumak), and the action-packed multiplayer offering is bolstered with three exclusive multiplayer maps, a “King of the Hill” game type and Games for Windows – LIVE support to deliver online matchmaking for LIVE members. A new game editor will allow users to develop an unlimited number of user-created levels with complete access to the Unreal® Engine 3 Editor.

Read on for Microsoft’s Official Press Release.

Locust Horde Shudders as “Gears of War®” for Windows Releases to Retailers

Critically hailed and wildly popular Xbox 360 blockbuster arrives on Windows and will be on store shelves this week.

Microsoft Game Studios announced today that the eagerly-awaited “Gears of War” for Windows (Windows XP/Windows Vista) has shipped to retailers worldwide and will be in stores this week. After launching exclusively for the Xbox 360 last November, “Gears of War” is now bringing the fight to Windows, featuring five new campaigns, new multiplayer modes and full Games for Windows – LIVE support for online multiplayer gameplay sessions.

With the Xbox 360 version of the game selling more than 4 million copies to date, “Gears of War” has been lauded by critics for its gripping campaign and fast-paced multiplayer action. Windows gamers can look forward to the “Gears of War” experience for the very first time, and will get to choose between doing battle via mouse and keyboard, or using the Windows-enabled Xbox 360 controller. From renowned developer Epic Games, “Gears of War” for Windows will engage gamers in hyper-realistic combat, allowing players to fight for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet.

In addition to retaining all of the content from its Xbox 360 counterpart and all previously released downloadable content (seven multiplayer maps and the Annex game mode), “Gears of War” for Windows will feature exciting original content, all-new Achievements to unlock and ultra-high resolution visuals, including support for DirectX 10. Five new campaign chapters expand upon the riveting story (including an epic battle with the fearsome Brumak), and the action-packed multiplayer offering is bolstered with three exclusive multiplayer maps, a “King of the Hill” game type and Games for Windows – LIVE support to deliver online matchmaking for LIVE members. A new game editor will allow users to develop an unlimited number of user-created levels with complete access to the Unreal® Engine 3 Editor.

Players can get their hands on “Gears of War” for Windows for the estimated retail price of $49.99 in the U.S. “Gears of War” for Windows is rated “M” for mature audiences ages 17 years and older. For more information, please visit http://gearsofwar.com/news/.

About Epic Games

Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and game engine technology for PC and console. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in their Unreal series and their latest game, Gears of War, broke sales records on Xbox 360 selling more than 3 million copies worldwide in the first ten weeks and awarded overall Game of the Year for 2006 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Game Developers Choice Awards, GameSpot, GamePro and many others. Epic is also responsible for the Unreal Engine, which is the underlying technology for a wide range of games including Console Game of the Year winner “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell ” by Ubisoft; PC Gamer’s Game of the Year “Deus Ex” from Ion Storm/Eidos; “America’s Army: Special Forces” by the United States Army; and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (PC) by Electronic Arts. Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 is the current holder, and three-time consecutive winner, of Game Developer magazine’s Front Line award for Best Game Engine. Epic Games was also awarded Studio of the Year at the 2006 Spike TV Video Game Awards and Developer of the Year by Official Xbox Magazine. Additional information about Epic can be obtained through Epic’s Web site at www.epicgames.com

About Microsoft Game Studios

Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Xbox® and Xbox 360 video game systems, the Windows® operating system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows (http://www.microsoft.com/games), including such franchises as “Age of Empires®,” “Flight Simulator” and “Zoo Tycoon®”; Xbox and Xbox 360 (http://www.xbox.com), including such games as “Gears of War” and franchises such as “Halo,” “Fable®,” “Project Gotham Racing®” and “Forza Motorsport®”; and MSN® Games (http://www.games.msn.com), the official games channel for the MSN network and home to such hits as “Bejeweled” and “Hexic®.”

About Games for Windows

Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system in the world for games, delivering the widest range of titles, the most gaming hardware choices, and advanced gaming technology for players of all types. With Windows as the cornerstone, the Games for Windows platform offers publishers and gamers the most enjoyable and innovative gaming experiences available on a PC. More information can be found online at http://www.gamesforwindows.com and http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/Live/Pages/AboutLive.aspx.

About Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows — LIVE

These LIVE services for gaming provide the first and a fully comprehensive cross-platform gaming experience, uniting players on Xbox 360 and select Games for Windows titles. These LIVE services make it easy for members to find friends, games and entertainment regardless of their preferred platform. LIVE connects millions of members across 25 countries, allowing them to easily communicate with each other and to enjoy the convenience of a single gamer profile, Gamerscore and Friends List while playing hundreds of multiplayer games. When accessing Xbox Live from an Xbox 360, members can download a wide variety of content that includes games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, TV shows and movies as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live and http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/live/aboutLive.aspx.

# # #

Microsoft, Age of Empires, Flight Simulator, Ensemble Studios, Windows, Windows Vista, Halo, Halo Wars, Xbox, Xbox 360, Zoo Tycoon, Fable, Project Gotham Racing, Forza Motorsport, MSN and Hexic are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Gears of War © 2006-2007, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Epic, Epic Games, Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Gears of War, and the Crimson Omen logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Today we are going to focus on highest-playable settings. We will be testing not only the GeForce 8800 GT, but also the 320/640 MB GeForce 8800 GTS, GeForce 8800 GTX, and Radeon HD 2900 XT in Gears of War. We have set out to find the highest-playable settings in DirectX 10 and then in DirectX 9, compare performance between both and figure out what is the best mode to play this game in. We will provide image quality screenshots afterward to look at how DX9 and DX10 compares and if there are any differences between ATI and NVIDIA hardware.

For many people this will be new to them, so Epic put together this great overview of how the tools work. Below you can find an easy streaming Flash video, along with a downloadable Quicktime 720p HD format.

Downloadable Video Formats


(Right Click To Save File To Your Computer)

For those of you looking for someplace to get you started on Unreal Engine development. I would recommend the BeyondUnreal Wiki. There user Solid Snake has also begun to mess around with Unreal Engine 3 work using the Development Kit that came with Roboblitz.

I’m not sure yet if this includes the Mac version or not, but I’ll try to get that information.

Here is a quick recap of what was revealed at the keynote, more information to follow soon as we get it this week.

• Five new single player levels
• Game editor. (Mods here we come!)
• Co-Op is included for Windows.
• Brumak!!

At the end of the presentation Cliff Bleszinski confirmed that both Windows XP and Windows Vista will run Gears of War, while the Vista version will feature Games for Windows Live support.

The interesting thing is that when the video was live on the site, it was labeled with the title of “Gears of War PC Montage.” Does this mean there is actually a PC version of Gears of War that looks as polished as this? It’s looks like it. While the HUD still displays the Xbox button images, which could mean they were playing with the Xbox 360 Controllers or the game is still an early build. But the achievement unlocked looks more like Live for Windows.

So I’m pretty sure this is accurate leak just ahead of E3. Look for us to provide more Gears of War PC news first hand from us during E3.

Here is the video courtesy YouTube:

Here is the track listing:

1. Gears of War
2. 14 Years After E-Day
3. Jacinto Prison
4. Attack of the Drones
5. Embry Square
6. Fish In a Barrel
7. House of Sovereigns
8. Minh’s Death
9. Entering The Tombs
10. Tomb of the Unknowns
11. Ephyra Streets I
12. Ephyra Streets II
13. Miserable Wretches
14. Stay in the Light
15. Chap’s Gas Station
16. Fill ‘er Up at Chap’s
17. I Will Kryll You
18. Locust, Wretches & Kryll
19. Imulsion Mines
20. East Barracade Academy
21. The Fenix Estate
22. Locust Infestation
23. Hidden Lab
24. Running With Boomers
25. Oh the Horror
26. Train Wreck – Locust Theme
27. Train Ride To Hell
28. Gears of War Reprise