TSA’s Top 100 of 2011 – #27 Gears of War 3

With Mass Effect no longer a one alien woman kinda guy, Epic’s Gears of War is arguably the Xbox 360’s strongest exclusive. After Halo, naturally.The series is synonymous with unadulterated machismo and outlandish set-pieces, Fenix and the boys stomping around the planet Sera and handing the alien horde their asses while quipping and slapping each other like only a band of gruff muscle-headed soldiers can.

Gears has been a talisman for Microsoft in this generation’s console war, and it’s hard to find a similar balls-out over the-shoulder-counterpart on the PS3 – especially not an exclusive one – despite games such as Vanquish and Quantum Theory attempting to follow in Marcus’ considerable footsteps.

In the third part, set eighteen months after the fall of Jacinto, the Gears are now shacked up on a converted aircraft carrier on the island of Vectes, likely quipping and slapping each other like only a band of …Anyway. Mutated members of the Locust appear, however, variations of the dreaded Lambent. For the uninitiated, the Lambent are a genetically distorted Locust, twisted by exposure to the planet’s imulsion power source.  Locust aren’t fans, suggesting Fenix, Dom and the gang might have to team up to defeat a greater threat. The story is written by Karen Traviss, author of three official Gears novels (so far). She’s from Wiltshire, if you’re interested.

Epic and designer Bleszinski are pulling out all the stops in their third outing. The game will feature “Beast” mode, the direct opposite of Gears of War 2’s Horde offering, with players now able to play as Locust and attack the Gears. The game will also provide four-player co-op and, proving that the ladies can be just as bad-ass as the guys, will have three playable female characters: Samantha Byrne, Anya Stroud, and Wes Myers – the last of which is a character introduced in one of Traviss’ books. Jace Stratton, who is mentioned in the second game, is also a playable character, voiced by hip-hop artist Drake.

It hasn’t been plain-sailing for Gears of War 3. The game suffered a high-profile release date change, switching from April of next year to the following November. There was also a reveal planned for last week’s Spike VGAs that never transpired. Apparently the footage was pulled at the last minute, Microsoft’s Major Nelson explaining the decision to postpone the reveal to a later date on his blog. The Major stated:

I have just learned of a decision to postpone our planned Gears of War news from Epic Games for the Spike Video Game Awards this weekend.

I wanted to share this with you and let you know that while these are never easy decisions, we can tell you that what we have to share for the franchise in 2011 will definitely be worth the wait and we look forward to working with our partner at Spike on sharing this world premier news when it is ready.

Gears of War 3’s placement on this list – a respectable 27th out of 100 – might raise a few eyebrows from both “camps” for different reasons. For those who are fans of the franchise, surely one of Microsoft’s flagship exclusive titles, Gears should be higher. For its detractors – and the series has a number of disparagers who fail to see the appeal of the games – they might think we’re off our rockers placing it at all. What should be remembered is that this is a list that measures anticipation, and in terms of expectation of what Cliffy and the boys will deliver this time next year in Gears of War 3, we’re definitely intrigued.

Regarding that consecrated exclusivity status, much has been made about the publishing agreement between Epic and Microsoft Games Studios about the licencing rights for this, their third Gears adventure. If we’re being honest, we’re not even 100% sure just what the legal arrangement is for Gears of War 3. Depending on who you ask, it’s Epic who own the Gears of War IP, though Microsoft have published the first two games and will publish the third.

What are the chances of seeing Gears of War 3 on the PS3? Exceedingly slim, we think. We’d never say never. After all, just look at L.A. Noire, a game that the head of the studio once proclaimed was “100% funded by Sony Computer Entertainment America.” We reckon Microsoft would be batty to not step in and make it worth Epic’s while to keep Gears of War firmly in their depleted stable – especially considering what has happened to Mass Effect, once a particularly shiny jewel in their admittedly fetching crown. Regardless of what console it graces, we’re confident Gears of War 3 will be a fitting end to the trilogy.