Everything you need to know about Gears of War 4, including release date, trailers, and latest news!
Gears of War 4 Latest News
Microsoft has released the first 20 minutes of Gears of War 4, which consists of a prologue section that introduces newcomers to the series' core gameplay. Veterans will undoubtedly love this opening section of the game, as it features cameos from many of the series' most beloved characters - even one or two who aren't with us anymore.
Check out the footage below:
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Things haven't quite gone as planned for the remaining Serans, who, after defeating the Locust and Lambent in a costly war, try to return to a life of peace. Marcus Fenix, protagonist of the first three Gears of War games, is one of those Serans who try to settle down and raise a family. Twenty-five years later, Marcus' son, JD, must take up his father's mantle to take down the monsters that haunt the remains of humanity.
Along with teammates Kait and Del, JD Fenix will have to push back a new enemy known as The Swarm. The narrative will unfold over 24 hours in the characters' lives, not unlike the short timespan of the original Gears of War.
Here is everything you need to know about the game:
Gears of War 4 Release Date
Gears of War 4, the highly anticipated fifth installment in the third-person shooter series, will finally arrive on Oct. 11, 2016, developer The Coalition has announced. The game will come exclusively to the Xbox One.
Gears of War 4 Trailer
The Gears of War 4 launch trailer is an explosive last look at the game's campaign before the game releases in October. It's narrated by series hero Marcus Fenix, as he recounts how he once again became involved in a war to save his planet. Check it out below:
Horde mode will return in Gears of War 4, giving players the chance to team up in five-player co-op against the Swarm and DeeBees, the main enemies of the game. Horde 3.0 will feature character classes, which will allow players to choose their role on the team and the way they play. The classes are soldier, sniper, engineer, scout, and heavy.
The mode is also getting something called a Fabricator, which lets you build defenses anywhere on a map instead of having to purchase them in static locations. Gear Cards will also be introduced. These cards give players perks, such as improving the damage on their weapons.
Horde 3.0 looks great so far. Check out the first trailer:
It looks like Gears of War fans will be fighting much more than just the Swarm in the upcoming sequel. IGN has released 8 minutes of new Gears of War 4 gameplay that features JD and his squad fighting a new robotic enemy known as the DeeBees. Check out the gameplay below:
The robot security force was created by the Coalition of Ordered Governments, so it's peculiar that the heroes have to take them on in the game. Might JD and his friends be working outside of COG jurisdiction or are they sneaking into a heavily guarded area? Time will tell.
IGN also unveiled a new multiplayer map called Lift, a dynamic map that changes throughout a match as the titular lift makes its way down. Check out some gameplay below:
JD Fenix, Del, Kait, and Marcus Fenix are in pursuit of creatures called the Swarm in a new trailer for Gears of War 4. With their village destroyed and Kait’s mom abducted, the squad gives chase through the wilds of Sera and must battle through an incredible storm.
Check out the campaign trailer below:
Microsoft took the stage at E3 2016 to show off several minutes of gameplay from Gears of War 4, highlighting its cooperative play specifically. Check out the footage:
Gears of War 4 has been confirmed to be one of the first titles in Microsoft’s new Xbox Play Anywhere program, which allows full access on both Xbox and PC after purchasing the game on either system. Save games and achievements will also be synched between the platforms as part of Xbox Play Anywhere, and all co-op modes in Gears of War 4, including Horde Mode 3.0, will support crossplay on Xbox One and PC.
Microsoft has also announced pre-orders for a Gears of War themed Xbox Elite Wireless Controller.
This Gears of War 4 trailer gives us a melancholy look at Marcus as a dad before his son has to take up his father's battles when the Locust return 25 years later.
Check out the trailer:
That's certainly a very haunting version of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence."
The sequel was originally unveiled at E3 2015. Check out the debut trailer below:
Gears of War 4 Story
The sequel takes place 25 years after the events of Gears of War 3 and the death of the Locust Queen. The story follows JD Fenix, son of former protagonist Marcus Fenix, along with teammates Kait and Del. The narrative will unfold over 24 hours in the characters' lives, not unlike the short timespan of the original Gears of War.
Coalition studio head Rob Fergusson spoke to EW about the game's story and return to the structure of the original Gears:
The thing for us is, you know, we’ll never be a survival horror game. When you have guys this big with chainsaw bayonets, you can never disempower them enough. For me I really like the words “tension” and “drama.” It’s really where we’re trying to push. By the time you get to Gears 3, it felt a little bit like it could be a WWII game in the sense that the Locusts were well understood and you were fighting them like you would’ve fought the Nazi army in a WWII game. Whereas Gears 1, there was still a lot more discovery and still being scared and trying to understand this threat that you had never seen before.
That’s what we’re really trying to do with 4. We’re trying to go back to that feeling, so we’re taking the story down from — if you look at Gears 3 as this sort of planetary genocide or trying to save the human race from extinction — we wanted to get back to the story of three people and one night, and how can these three people survive this one night. Getting that intimacy back with story, and the intimacy back in terms of tone and to allow you to be afraid again.
Gears of War 4 Box Art
EW revealed the game's box art, which showcases the three protagonists:
Gears of War 4 Soundtrack
Ramin Djawadi, the man behind Game of Thrones' great musical score, is working on the music for Gears of War 4, according to AP. Djawadi is not a newcomer to video games, though. In the 90s, he worked as a sound technician for Looking Glass Studios, the developer of System Shock and the Thief series.
"I remember back in the day there was never enough space on the disc to include full orchestral sound," said Djawadi. "Nowadays, it's almost limitless. It's amazing to be able to include a great, full soundtrack."
In terms of the Gears of War 4 score, Djawadi said he won't stray too far from what fans already know and love, although he is adding some interesting new sounds to the familiar.
"I certainly wanted to stay in the direction fans know, but at the same time, I wanted to bring my own style to it. I wanted to stay in that world, Djawadi said.
"There are some really nice scenes that are probably unexpected for 'Gears,' where we're really pushing the emotional undertones with strings," he said, emphasizing the use of some acoustic instruments in the new score.