Microsoft Shows Off Fall Lineup In San Fran

Microsoft is showing off their biggest titles at the Microsoft Game Studios showcase event in San Francisco today, and you're invited! Okay, so you aren't technically invited, but we'll be bringing you the latest news, screens, and videos from the biggest Xbox 360 titles of the year as the day progresses.

What are they showing? Ninja Gaiden II, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Too Human, and several games without 2 or Too in them, including Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, and Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One.

Crecente will be there all day for the event, so you can expect all sorts of fun stuff from him later in the day. While we busy ourselves setting up galleries and processing videos for your enjoyment, feel free to read through the official press release, after the jump.

So Bash ducked back in to give you the first Gears of War 2 gameplay footage from 1Up/GameVideos.com last night (apparently there was some international video-leaking and embargo-breaking intrigue; we had no part in it). This morning we'll update you with GameVideos' overnight post of two more videos: A CliffyB-free gameplay version (above). And an analysis (after the jump) of the first video, pointing out and freezing cool details that might have got lost in the action. They also analyze Cliffy, but not too closely.

First Gears of War 2 Gameplay Footage

So...whaddaya think?
Gameplay [1Up]

Double Your Gears of War 2 Video Intake This Friday

GameTrailers TV isn't the only outlet getting a helping of Gears of War 2 video exclusivity, as 1UP—read GameVideos—is touting its own must see clip. It's hitting the internet at 10:30 PM Pacific Time, beating Spike TV's programming in some time zones. 1UP makes no promises about Cliffy B face time, sadly. But double the Gears of War 2 footage will make this Friday a night full of meat cubes and zipper-straining fan-boners. You are quite welcome for the imagery! It's the least I can do.

Exclusive Gears of War 2 Gameplay Video on Friday [1UP]

Gears 2 Gameplay Footage Hits May 9

Jonesing for your first taste of Gears of War 2 gameplay footage? Fortunately you don't have too long to wait.

Gametrailers TV just secured themselves the first in-game footage from the game. The bad news? It won't be airing until May 9 at 1 a.m. The good news? The footage, which features Marcus Fenix, includes a special introduction by bunny-loving Epic game designer Cliff Bleszinski.

"Badass" is apparently the order of the day when it comes to Gears of War 2. I wasn't keeping an exact count, but the word was said at least ten times during the Gears of War 2 presentation at New York Comic Con yesterday, where Epic president Mike Capps, Gears 2 writer Joshua Ortega, and Randy Falk of NECA, who makes the Gears figures, talked about the upcoming game.

NECA's Falk hopes that, like the recently-announced comic book series, the Gears figure series will play a role in helping fans feel more connected to the story and characters of the upcoming game. The picture shown here is a frankly amazing "Exploding Head Locust" figurine that was on display at Comic Con. My crummy photograph, with the glare from the display case, unfortunately couldn't capture the whole fabulously grotesque splatter effect.

The Epic crew were tight-lipped about specific details on the upcoming title, but we did glean plenty of interesting info from Capps and Ortega about what to expect. More chainsaws? More drama? More Locust explosions? Hit the jump for much more on Gears 2 from Comic Con, including an in-depth interview with Ortega.

Why The Chainsaw Gun Exists (Boring Edition)

The reason [it] exists is because our characters are so bloody expensive to draw...

There's Just Not Enough Time For A Gears 2 Demo

[There are] no plans for a demo. The reason being that it's been such a fast turnaround. A two year production cycle, for a game of this caliber, is really short.

In an interview with IGN Saturday at the New York Comic-Con, the Epic Games president Mike Capps lays down the law: No Wii game is ever forthcoming from his company. The reason? "We go forward, not back." Apparently the Wii is not next-gen to him.

I'm not gonna poke the snake of what-is and what-ain't next-gen. Let Capps do that for himself:

Mark Rein Still Has Gears of War 2 Stuff To Show You

Awesome... I've had a chance to read the Game Informer story now and I think when people get a chance to read it they'll see that [Gears 2 is] really good. And we told the Game Informer guys just a tidbit about the game. We showed them some stuff, obviously, but we're keeping a lot of information back that will make people go, 'It's even better than this.' As good as they say it is, and they really, really like it, there's still a lot of story to open up between now and when the game ships in November... I think people will really enjoy this game.

Gears 2 Info Spews Forth Like Blood From A Head Wound

"Gears of War 2 Will Have New Lighting" (Swell)

The Gears of War 2 Cole hype train is in full effect. People are hanging on every Epic word. Even really BORING things like Epic found Tim Sweeney saying "The next Gears of War game will have improved physics features and new lighting and rendering features."

Better physics and new lighting? Holy shit, yes, yes, YES. Sweeney did offer up some more meaty clues as to what's in store for the Unreal Engine 3, and thus quite possibly Gears of War 2. But we're extrapolating! Guessing! About the Unreal Engine 3's future, says Sweeney:

Gears of War 2 will be getting a brief airing at this year's New York Comic Con by Epic Games President Michael Capps and Gears 2 scriptwriter Joshua Ortega, of Microsoft Game Studios, the show announced today.

There aren't really any details about what exactly they two will discuss about the upcoming Epic game, but the presentation is set for the morning of the last day of the show.

The show, which runs from April 18 through April 20, will also play host to exhibitors Konami, Namco Bandai, Square-Enix and Ubisoft who will be conducting their own demos and videos. On April 20, the show's last day, the show will have a dozen panel discussions about different facets of gaming including "video game journalism", writing for video games and how to get started in the industry.

Gears of War 2 Direct Feed Tech Demo

GDC Gears of War 2 Vids Available on XBLM

Fret Not, Gears of War 2 Shirts Will Happen

Epic has signed a deal with Inno-Wear, makers of various video game licensed apparel to design merchandise for Gears of War 2. Needless to say, we can expect t-shirts, and expect them by the launch of Gears of War 2. Also needless to say, there's a strong probability that these t-shirts will come in a very chocolaty flavor of brown. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best on this one.

Gears 2 signs up textile leader [CVG]

Bender Excited About Gears Of War 2 (Now With Added Brumak)

Oh man, dude - there's new weapons, new beasts, there's a couple of new characters, and it's just badass.