Gamertell

Two days ago (February 4, 2008), we reported that the upcoming issue of Gamepro (due to come out on February 12, 2008) will have new, exclusive info about the sequel Epic’s popular XBox 360 exclusive, Gears of War.  In fact, to drive that point home, Gamepro mentioned it twice on the cover, as you can see above.

But somebody has taken issue with Gamepro‘s announcement: Epic’s Mark Rein.  He told Kotaku that the magazine is effectively bluffing:

It is complete nonsense. We have not announced a sequel to Gears of War to Gamepro or anyone else for that matter.

And it just so happens that Kotaku also got a hold of the article in question.  Here’s how it reads.

Gears of War 2 hasn’t officially been announced yet, but our sources rumor that the sequel to the Xbox 360 hit is indeed coming in 2008. And what better way for Microsoft to counter Metal Gear than with a few gears of its own.

But it’s not enough to just retread shooter territory in Gears 2. The first game was great, but it didn’t blow anyone away with originality. It simply put all the best aspects of other shooters into one amazing package. And aside from the obvious graphical superiority and online co-op mode, most of Gears of War was standard shooter stuff.

What should we expect? In Gears 2, expect a slight graphical boost. We also think four-player co-op is a must this time around. Seeing as how a number of other games are doing the team co-op thing, Gears 2 shouldn’t slack in that department. Overall, the multiplayer will probably see the most changes in the sequel. Though definitely fun, Gears of War‘s online multiplayer component was no-frills. Expect a better matchmaking system, more game modes and better ranking.

What shouldn’t we expect? Don’t expect anything crazy or revolutionary. This probably won’t be a game that blows down doors and bends genres. The graphics probably won’t be a huge jump over the first game simply because there’s not a lot of leeway there, as the first game was already so graphically impressive. Also, don’t expect anything crazy on the online side like customizable video sharing. This is an action-packed shooter and Epic will surely be sticking to the heavy action stuff.

It’s certainly possible for Gears of War 2 to slip into 2009, but we think Microsoft is pressing Epic to deliver the game by the holiday season of 2008. That’s when it could help the Xbox 360 the most.

Real front cover material there.

Read [Gamertell]  Also Read [Kotaku]  Also Read [Gamepro article]