Horde Mode, sawn-off shotguns and...a Gears of War movie?
Gears of War 4 developer The Coalition was on hand at SDCC 2016 with series co-creator Rod Fergusson, and many of the game's most notable voice actors, to answer questions about the long-awaited fourth installment in the franchise.
While it was apparent the team wasn't quite ready to give a full breakdown of the upcoming title, that doesn't mean they didn't have plenty of interesting tidbits to share. Among them was the surprising revelation of main character JD Fenix's actual name. While not a highly-guarded franchise secret, the mystery of the meaning behind the "D" in JD has stirred a debate among fans, who wondered why it was simply never explained before.
As it turned out, one fan at the panel had it right by guessing that it was in reference to deceased Gears of War character Dominic Santiago. Fergusson confirmed this assumption and proclaimed the character's full name to be James Dominic Felix.
On the matter of Gears of War 4 gameplay details, one of the biggest announcements to come from the panel was the confirmation that Gears of War 4 will again feature a horde mode that is unofficially dubbed Horde Mode 3.0. This new version of the mode will aim to address some of the defensive placement issues of the previous build, which Fergusson said made the game feel a bit too much like a tower defense title. To combat this, the mode will now focus more heavily on character classes and unique skills as opposed to structural placements. Horde Mode 3.0 will also once again pit players against 50 waves of various enemies.
Furthermore, it does appear that the controversial sawn-off shotgun weapon from previous installments will not be appearing in the final game. You may remember this weapon drawing some controversy from fans for narrowing the methods of play in the game, and it appears that Coalition is opting to do away with it entirely.
Beyond that, much of the panel was dedicated to answering humorous fan questions (including whether or not voice actor John DiMaggio's other famous cartoon characters will ever make a Gears appearance), but there was one rather interesting moment where Fergusson reaffirmed the team's desire to make a movie based on Gears of War and noted that he hopes to be able to talk more about it soon.
That movie is still up in the air, but those who can't wait to get their hands on Gears of War 4 will be able to do so when the game launches on October 11 for XBO.
Don't forget to read Den of Geek's SDCC special edition magazine. Get a print copy on the show floor or read the digital version below:
