Microsoft's attempting to attach jumpers to the nipples of Gears of War fanbase by releasing a 102mb fan sit kit. It contains the usual things you'd expect, including concept art, wallpapers and other images. The idea is that the hardest of the hardcore will get their fan sites started in preparation for "Emergence Day."

I've never quite understood the optimistic fanaticism that leads a gamer to create a fan site before a game is actually released. Let's face it: until you actually get a chance to play it, there's a pretty good chance even the most hyped games are going to suck. Creating a fan site beforehand just ropes you in to the position of having to defend the effort spent on what proved to be a terrible game. Florian Eckhardt

Gear of War Fan Site Kit [Microsoft]