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.

Gears of War Nerf Lancer Up For Auction

Nerf enthusiast "Forsaken_angel24", whom you may remember from his Gears Of War-style lancer Nerf gun mod, has decided to sell the aforementioned Gears Of War-style lancer Nerf gun mod on eBay. The winner of said auction will walk away with a one-of-a-kind Lancer, two modded quick reload clips and fifty "Stefans." Those are the foam darts for those of us who know little of the Nerf modding community. Just think of the nerdy Nerfy fun you'll have!

Forsaken_angel24 presents Nerf Lancer. Shoots 90+ feet. [eBay - thanks, Joe!]

Why The Chainsaw Gun Exists (Boring Edition)

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

Gears Of War Getting Comic Book Treatment

"We are thrilled to be working with DC Comics to further bring to life the Gears of War universe. A lot of our developers are huge comic fans, and have loved the personas and chronicles unique to DC Comics since childhood," said Dr. Michael Capps, president of Epic Games. "The Gears of War storyline and characters that millions of gamers have come to cherish will be a perfect fit under the WildStorm imprint."

"Every Other Effin' Black Video Game Character"

Here's the thing: Cole Train on his own, no harm no foul. But what is Cole Train? Cole Train is basically like every other effin' black character in a video game. Like here comes the urban stereotype. Where is this 1990's — not even 2000 — black slang, where does this fit in this futuristic world that doesn't even take place on Earth? They go really far to do a lot of fictional justifications for this culture that they've built, and they go right back to this urban stereotype for the black character.

Narrative-based videogames have a wish fulfillment aspect to them, and gamers expect their protagonist to match the setting and game play. People don't buy Gears of War so they can hear Marcus Fenix wax philosophical on the nature of the soul, crying softly every time he curb-stomps an enemy.

Gears Of War Movie Gets Director, 2010 Release

Thank Unreal Tournament III, UTIII mods and a UTIII mod-friendly PS3! These mods were brought to us by the folks at UT.PS3, so kudos to them for cooking them up. Still waiting patiently for the long overdue Mario UTIII mod. Make it happen!

UTIII Mods [GameTrailes Forums]

Electronics Store Promotes Mature Game to Kids

Bad Dick! Bad! That's a page from Australasian electronics retailer Dick Smith Electronics. The happy, solitaire kid is holding up two games: Gears of War and Halo 3. Perhaps they are games other children want! Perhaps. But both are games that children can buy, and there's not a parent in sight. In Australia, Halo is rated "M (Recommended for mature audiences)", but can be purchased by younger customers. Gears of War legally can't! It's rated M +15, meaning "Not suitable for people under 15. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian." No wonder this kid's so happy! So if you are 10 years old, Dick Smith will totally hook you up.

Thanks, Christopher! Close-up after the jump.

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]

Mark Rein Promises Gears of War 2 "Good Surprises"

Yes, we're doing Gears of War 2! Did you ever doubt that? It's been in development since before Gears of War 1 shipped... We had an executive review the other day and I can tell you it is definitely more badass. It's really good. One thing I can say is that compared to where we were in the February before we shipped the last Gears, the game is in phenomenal shape. There are some good surprises for people.

Microsoft's GDC keynote hasn't quite kicked off yet, but that doesn't stop the company's European public relations team from showing up VP John Schappert. Gears of War 2 is official and coming to the Xbox 360 in November. It's Xbox 360 exclusive, in case there was any doubt.

We asked the North American PR team, skulking about the keynote floor about the slip up, but they had a flustered "No comment." Just hold tight, folks, we're going to see it for the first time in just a few minutes.

Gears of War Exploding Head Figure is GROSS

CliffyB Explains The Hype Machine

The thing is, if you're a developer and you're making a new video game — whatever that game is, I'm not talking about any sequels or anything right now — you want to control the timing of when the official word goes out. Because it's a carefully orchestrated hype plan building towards a momentous release, which is an event now. If you're not making your video game release an event, then you might as well give up on the whole thing. So what you want as a developer and look for in a publishing partner is to carefully orchestrate the tease and the timing of everything. And if somebody else comes out with some story that's not confirmed or whatever — you know, don't confirm anything unless the timing's right.

Microsoft To Buy Out Epic, Gamepro Says

With an attempt to buy Yahoo seemingly thwarted, is Microsoft looking at yet another acquisition in Epic Games? That's the word from GamePro editor Travis Moses, who writes in the latest issue of the mag that "Microsoft will buy Epic Games for $1 billion this summer." While that sounds like Moses is fairly assured, we're considering rumor and speculation at this point. Local North Carolina station WRAL reports that Epic would be a good get for MS, securing long term rights to Gears of War, Unreal Tournament and royalties from the Unreal Engine.

While we fully expect someone from Microsoft to utter the words Gears of War II at GDC this week, unless determined to prevent an Unreal Tournament III for Xbox 360 cockblock, we're a bit hesitant about buy-out talk. The company does have a keynote planned this week, which we'll be liveblogging (*gulp*). Ready the F5 key for news.

Could Microsoft Acquire Epic Games? GamePro Editor Thinks So [WRAL]

US Toy Fair Day 1: New Gears Of War, FFXII, Halo & More

I think people would rather make a game that sells 4.5 million copies than a million and "Gears" is at 4.5 million right now on the 360. I think the PC is just in disarray... what's driving the PC right now is 'Sims'-type games and 'WoW' and a lot of stuff that's in a web-based interface. You just click on it and play it. That's the direction PC is evolving into. So for me, the PC is kind of the secondary part of what we're doing. It's important for us, but right now making AAA games on consoles is where we're at.