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This time, it's war...Join the fight for survival as mankind battles a seemingly unstoppable demonic horde in this season’s hottest shooter.

Gears of War thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the 'Locust Horde', a nightmarish race of freakish creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet.

The first game developed by Epic Games exclusively for Microsoft Game Studios and the Xbox 360 in this third-person tactical action/horror game, players live and breathe the role of a frontline soldier at war with a seemingly unstoppable - and numberless - enemy. The gamer assumes the role of Marcus Fenix - disgraced former war hero. Marcus seeks personal redemption as he leads his fire team against an onslaught of merciless warrior fiends. Gamers immerse themselves in an experience so intensely emotional and gut-wrenching that playing will be like controlling a blockbuster action movie.

Unreal Engine 3

Gears of War utilises the breathtaking new Unreal Engine 3 to create cinematic, high-definition visuals for a gaming experience that truly ushers in the next generation. Gamers will experience beautifully rendered interactive environments and characters so lifelike they appear to be made of flesh and bone. The next-generation visuals create a world in which the tiniest detail is vivid in the largest battle.

The game unites next-generation technology with classic, emotional storytelling and a revolutionary tactical combat system, engrossing the gamer in a horrifying epic story of war and survival.

Game features for Gears of War look like this:

Engaging and disturbing cinematic story. Massively scoped worlds, memorable characters and an epic story line play out like an intense and unsettling blockbuster action film

Dramatic in-game camera work and a compelling story bring the brutal, emotionally charged experience to life. Gamers control Marcus Fenix and his 'fire team' as they pit advanced human technology against the overwhelming and horrific Locust Horde

Fire team co-operative action. All game modes, levels and scenarios are designed for cooperative fire team play (AI or human). For the first time, AI team-mates are indiscernible from human players. They move intelligently, take orders effectively, and seek cover and defend themselves when necessary. Gamers will experience richer cooperative gameplay than ever, through unique characters that require cooperation to survive

Unprecedented visuals in next-generation gaming. Gears of War ushers in the next generation with unprecedented visuals. The Unreal Engine 3 technology pushes high-definition visual designs and brings out the smallest details in the largest battle. Gamers will experience a rich dynamic world with an unprecedented level of detail. Characters come to life with unbelievable model quality and a physics-integrated animation system that has them truly reacting intelligently to events as they unfold around them

Hyper-realistic and intense combat. In Gears of War the battlefield is a lethal place - to foolishly stand out in the open is to die. To survive, gamers can create and take cover using interactive and dynamic environments, suppress the enemy with ‘blindfire’, and use their weapons and team-mates to outwit and outfight their terrifying enemies

Next-generation Xbox Live action. Gears of War embodies the next-generation Microsoft Xbox Live experience and extend it even further. Gamers are able to experience individualized matchmaking, view player statistics, earn player achievements, customize their games, and build and personalize their gamer profiles

Xbox Live

Hailed as the most-anticipated video game launch of 2006 and punctuated by incredible demand from gamers, Gears of War is expected to sell more than 1 million copies worldwide this Christmas, setting a new mark for the fastest-selling original game for Xbox 360. The season’s hottest action title can also be played online via Xbox Live, the world’s largest online gaming and entertainment network, which boasts 4 million members.

“Gears of War is a title we know will deliver on all of its promise, and we expect the game to reach 1 million copies faster than any new titles for Xbox,” said Chris Lewis, Regional VP Entertainment & Devices Division (E&D) EMEA. “This Christmas is an extremely important one for the entire industry, and Xbox 360 will offer the world unparalleled experiences available only on this console. We’ve put an enormous emphasis on bringing new and exciting titles to market, and Gears of War is a key example of Microsoft’s commitment to developing original and immersive titles for gamers everywhere.”

“The reception that Gears of War has received has been tremendous,” said Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer for Gears of War at Epic Games. “Designing Gears of War has been a labour of love, and we’ve poured everything we have into the title. We expect this game to be huge, and it’s exhilarating to see that people are as excited about Gears of War as we are.”

The game has already received several highly coveted awards, including the Game Critics Awards’ for ‘Best Console Game’ and ‘Best Action Game’ at E3 2006, and has already garnered praise in early reviews, earning a ‘9 out of 10’ score from the UK’s Official Xbox Magazine.

GamesRadar gave Gears of War 10 out of 10 and said: "Blending unmatched twitch-action with an incomparably oppressive atmosphere and multiplayer that will monopolize your broadband for months, Gears of War is the game the 360 was designed to play."

Visceral Gameplay

With it's 'murky' feel - fitting in depicting a world torn apart by the disasters that nearly overcome humanity - the look of the game is perhaps closest to the painting style of sometime 2000AD artist Mark Harrison (Glimmer Rats, Durham Red, The Travellers). In feel the background is also remarkably close to Glimmer Rats (which saw a platoon of heavily armed soldiers fighting for survival after passing into the distorted world beyond a crack in space-time known only as 'The Glimmer'). If this strips nightmarish feel is what you're after - with a touch of Aliens' colonial marines small unit actions - and great monsters, then this may be just the adventure you're looking for. With its combination of genuinely cinematic visceral gameplay and sound, dramatic storytelling and intense action - and with single-player and multiplayer online play, Gears of War looks set to be a seminal title for Xbox 360.

For more information on Gears of War visit the following links:

Gears of War official website

Epic Games website

Gears of War is in the shops now – as a special edition title (RRP £49.99). The Limited Collector’s Edition includes a collectible embossed metal box, a copy of the Destroyed Beauty hardbound art book, and a bonus DVD that features the making of Gears of War, the Art of Gears of War, the game trailer as well as the MTV programme Gears of War: The Race to E3. The Limited Collector’s Edition and standard version are both available from Epic Games, for the Xbox 360. Gears of War has a 'Mature' (17+) ESRB rating.

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