By Stevie Smith Feb 21, 2008, 7:10 GMT
Considering the internationally renowned reputation of San Francisco’s annual Game Developers Conference (GDC), it comes as no surprise to see Microsoft maximising all possible industry impact by whipping the covers off Gears of War 2 during the finale of its GDC keynote.
Microsoft surprises no one by announcing Gears of War 2 at GDC 08. Credit: Epic Games.
Announced by Epic Games’ lead designer (and Gears of War brainchild) Cliff Bleszinski, November 2008 will mark the eagerly awaited return of growling hero Marcus Fenix and the Delta Squad as they once more battle to save planet Sera.
“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,” enthused Bleszinski. “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.”
Following in the footsteps of the award-winning Gears of War, which has thus far sold an impressive 4.5 million copies worldwide, the Xbox 360-exclusive sequel will see players delving deeper into humanity’s struggle for survival against the Locust Horde while experiencing a whole new level of high-definition visuals, claims Microsoft.
Other announcements of note during Microsoft’s moment in the GDC spotlight included Lionhead Studios’ Peter Molyneux doing what he does best by ‘talking up’ the features of Fable 2.
Focusing on the game’s multiplayer aspects, Molyneux revealed franchise-first dynamic cooperative play for Fable 2, and also announced that prior to the game’s full retail release, Xbox Live Arcade would be offering Fable 2 pub games, which will later enable players to transfer garnered pub game currency directly to their waiting Fable 2 character.
Similarly, acclaimed videogame creator Tomonobu Itagaki took to the stage to reveal game-sharing elements for Tecmo’s sword slashing exclusive Ninja Gaiden II. These included Ninja Cinema, an Xbox Live feature that will allow players to record and upload their best ninja moves for the perusal of fellow Live gamers. Ninja Gaiden II is scheduled to arrive in June. Gear of War 2, eh? That was a shock.
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