Emergence Day Revealed: Critically Acclaimed Xbox 360 Title “Gears of War” to Surface Nov. 12, 2006
Countdown begins for the most anticipated game of 2006 as gamers eagerly await the flagship title from Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games.
REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 3, 2006 — Since the first frightening images appeared a little over a year ago, gamers worldwide have felt the ominous rumblings of something approaching that defies all convention. Sightings as recent as at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2006 have confirmed its existence, leaving gamers breathless. Microsoft Corp. today announced what anxious players have been eagerly awaiting: Emergence Day 2006. Available exclusively for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the highly anticipated title “Gears of War” will be available in North America on Nov. 12, 2006.
Developed by Epic Games Inc. and published by Microsoft Game Studios, “Gears of War” tells the harrowing story of mankind’s struggle against the monstrous Locust Horde through stunning high-definition graphics and an intense storyline on the scale of a blockbuster movie.
One of the most anticipated next-generation console titles of 2006 and the critic’s choice winner for the E3 2006 Best Console Game, “Gears of War” will explode onto store shelves with a standard edition available for $59.99* and a limited collector’s edition available for $69.99. The limited edition will offer an even deeper look into the graphically stunning and frightening world of “Gears of War,” providing an official “Destroyed Beauty” art book and a bonus DVD featuring an inside look at the making of the game — all enclosed in a highly collectible metal box.
“‘Gears of War’ represents the emergence of a thrilling new franchise for Xbox 360 and is the must-have game of 2006,” said Shane Kim, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios. “Combining the best in innovative gameplay, next-generation graphics and interactive storytelling, Epic has harnessed the extraordinary power of Xbox 360 to create an extremely powerful and immersive entertainment experience.”
“Our vision is to deliver a one-two punch of cinematic action paired with a thrilling and compelling interactive experience,” said Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer at Epic. “With ‘Gears of War’ we’ve created a title that will place gamers directly in the shadows of a ravaged world, surrounded by the beautiful remnants of a destroyed city and the horrific dangers that hide in the rubble.”
“Gears of War” thrusts gamers into humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. Blending the best of tactical action games with the best of survival horror titles, “Gears of War” features cinematic, beautifully rendered interactive environments with high-definition visuals.
Demand for the game is high as retailers anticipate the one-two punch of “Gears of War” and Xbox 360 appearing in quantity on store shelves this holiday season. “The interest and buzz on this game has been intense,” said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop Corp. “Certainly gamers are counting the days until Emergence Day arrives, as pre-orders have been very strong.”
Courtesy of BlimBlim's post on GAF.
Get your tattoos now.
Last edited by Pat on 04 Aug 2006 12:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hehe so this was the big announcement EPIC were talking about a few weeks ago. A release date.
btw, the guys at 1up are having a little cry about being duped.
In a few short moments, Skip is going to be making a huge announcement at his blog -- click over and mash refresh.
Mark Rein, shame on you. Epic Games, shame on you. Microsoft? This time you might just be the messenger. Remember Mark Rein and CliffyB's (Gears of War's architect and coverboy) exchange on the Gears forums that led to wild speculation about a big announcement coming this week? I do. We've written about it not once, not twice, hell, not even three times but with this morning's "announcement" four times. The "big" announcement, of course, ended up being the November 12 date for "Emergence Day" (even though the game actually ships November 7).
The problems here are numerous and unfortunately, the onus of responsibility falls equally on my shoulders here at 1UP News as it does with the ever-chatty Mark Rein. Ultimately, Rein and CliffyB's loose lips didn't actually sink ships, instead, they got a tremendous amount of coverage (coupled with a viral XBL campaign) over their "big announcement" -- which ended up being nothing more than a fourth quarter release date for a game we all expected in the fourth quarter. Genius? Maybe. It makes Rein look like a blowhard, but all that hot air just netted Gears of War a bunch of press it otherwise wouldn't have landed the amount of coverage it did. In the end, a face full of egg is probably worth it for the Epic boss.
As a news outlet, were we baited? It certainly feels that way. The simultaneous launching of a viral campaign (Microsoft had no comment on its legitimacy, which is to be expected) with the chit-chat between Rein and CliffyB all leading up to an announcement that hit at six a.m. this morning of a November release date? Seems pretty duplicit. More than feeling duped, it feels like a disservice to the 1UP readership who, like I did, bought into the implications of a "big announcement."
Our guess was really as good as yours -- I figured a release date would be a part of it. I'd watched the Gears of War forum users solve the puzzle -- November 12's Emergence Day -- and hoped there would be something else to the announcement (hello, demo) instead of a $70 collector's tin with a book that has been out for a year and a half and a making-of DVD. But that we played into the notion that a "big announcement" really could've been something "big" and something expected and admittedly lame is a disservice to you guys. It's my mistake for trusting the other end of the machine.
Shame on you, Luke Smith. I'm sorry, I'll do better.
Is this game really going to be that good? I remember the attention Brute Force received, another third person shooter that stunned us all in vids and screens soon after XBox 1 released, and it fell well short of its hype. Not saying the same will apply here but it's strangely reminiscent.
i'm actually not all that excited about gears, I love the art style but the "stop and prop" gameplay looks suspect.
i'm not sure about multiplayer either, apparently it was a chainsaw fest at e3, and it took too long to get unstuck from cover when attempting to avoid a chainsaw rusher.
With this and Forza 2 coming this November. If Sony fuck up their launch, MS will be in really good position to convert people that were grabbing PS3 to get Xbox 360's.
No way Sony will be able to keep up with demand. I think a lot of people will just grab 360's when they find out that they can't get a PS3 till next year as the launch sold out (all 50 consoles).
mxlegend99 wrote:No way Sony will be able to keep up with demand. I think a lot of people will just grab 360's when they find out that they can't get a PS3 till next year as the launch sold out (all 50 consoles).
2 million PS3s for launch day, 4 million in before Christmas and you reckon they'll all go?
That would mean PS3 would outsell the Xbox 360's first two quaters in two months. Highly embarassing for both Microsoft and fanboys alike if it did happen.
Maybe the Xbox 360 fanboys should start wishing for an alternate scenario (perhaps Sony not actually delivering 4 million consoles by Christmas?)
mech wrote:I'll be very surprised if they meet their production targets.
Same. I can't see Australia having more then 10,000 consoles for launch. We're too small in the market for these companies to bother supplying us with enough to meet demand. I'm thinking of grabbing a PS3 as i know if i don't it will be a few months before i have another chance.
So we've got your bog standard "Sony are bullshitting on console numbers" and also "Australia are going to get fuck all units" on standby.
It's still looking a bit thin though. How about "The Wi-Fi modules won't be ready in time so the entire shipment is going to be 20GB tard packs"? Can one of you start touting that all hopeful and like its a known fact?
Dude, save your Sony damage control for lestat. There's no PS3 bashing going on in here. A comment on doubting them being able to meet demand hardly qualifies for you needing to be such a dickhead.
mxlegend99 wrote:
mech wrote:I'll be very surprised if they meet their production targets.
Same. I can't see Australia having more then 10,000 consoles for launch. We're too small in the market for these companies to bother supplying us with enough to meet demand. I'm thinking of grabbing a PS3 as i know if i don't it will be a few months before i have another chance.
OMG. The Sony bashing. I think they will have trouble keeping up with the demand.
