[booger2000]

honestly, i think it's going to be a GREAT game. i have a lot of faith in the overall design philosophy of GoW. I mean, it goes way beyond just cover and co-op. i really think cliffyb has put lots of thought into this project, not only as a picky designer but also as a gamer (designer should = gamer; sadly this is not always the case). granted, no one has played this game yet, nor seen more than the demos, a lot of what he says about GoW makes a whole lot of sense. I really think that if you look back at the history of successful franchises, there are tons of common, timeless elements that can be found. This really ranges all the way from super mario to something recent like GRAW. it's the philosophy behind designing entertainment and experience, not just popular elements. i think this is why we as gamers can return to enjoying the nostalgia of something like geometry wars, but can easily become bored of simply popular elements (shooting, jacking, blowing stuff up) if they are orchestrated in a poor manner (ie. any game that somehow involves a real-life rapper).

ok, sorry for the side-tracking rant. but here comes another.
yes, GoW will have plenty of these popular elements, but i really trust that it will not neglect the soul of what good gaming has always been. remember, many of us gamers grew up with NES and genesis and such; we may not be able to write a dissertation on what exactly formulates a great experience, but we absolutely know it when we play it. what makes something fun hasn't changed in decades, at least in my opinion. but, what is so exciting now is that today's technology allows for the heightened impact of these timeless design elements.

and that's what i think we have with GoW. hopefully, that is.
despite what others may say, Gears of War IS the showcase for Unreal Engine 3, not UT2007. anyone see the UE3 tech demo video from GDC 2004? That video is of GoW, before anyone even knew that it was more than just a techdemo. Needless to say, I pretty much wet myself when this was announced at E3 to be an actual game. Anyway, since then, its set the bar so high that it comes into question if it will meet its own standard. I'm sure Epic knows this and are too smart to produce just some eye-candy. I think they're aiming high and going all the way or nothing at all. They want this to be EPIC. haha...ok.

So, um..yeah. to really get back on topic, I think it'll come out during Fall, hopefully sooner.

that's just my two cents.