E310 Preview: Gears of War 3, Plus Q&A With Producer Rod Fergusson

Ripten was granted behind-closed-doors access to Gears of War 3 at E3 2010 with Epic Games Producer Rod Fergusson walking us through the demo and answering a few key questions along the way.

First off, those of you unfamiliar with the Gears of War franchise should know that it’s a highly stylized third person shooter packed with tons of gore and a variety musclebound characters to choose from. In the past, I’ve described Gears as a satisfying combination of He-Man looking G.I.Joes wielding chainsaws and tearing through alien-filled battlefields.

The third installment introduces new Lambent enemies, playable female characters, and two new characters in Jace Stratton (voiced by Hip Hop artist Drake) and the stranded leader Griffen (voiced by Ice-T). It is being touted as the final installment of the Gears franchise, however during our session with Rod, he was only willing to confirm it as an end to this specific story arc. In fact, his exact words were:

“I’m confirming this is the last game in ‘this‘ story.”

In other words, there’s still a good chance we’ll be seeing more Gears of War related games in the future. I’m call dibs on Gears vs. Capcom. You heard it here first.

Marcus: You head right, I'll go left. Dom: But, I really don't want to be alone right now Marcus.

The gameplay we saw during our appointment with Rod was essentially the same as the four-player co-op demonstrated on stage during the Microsoft E3 2010 keynote, minus the other three players. During the four player co-op mode, players will be transported from the perspective of the character they originally chose and thrown into the shoes of another, with the ultimate goal being a broader storytelling experience for the gamer. And while this is an example of the new “involuntary”co-op split aspect, players will still be able to voluntarily split from the pack by going separate ways at road forking points.

In addition to four-player co-op, Gears 3 gamers will also be able to partake in a new multiplayer “Beast” mode that allowing for a glimpse at the full spectrum of enemies available in the game. Beast mode puts online players behind the wheel of various enemies ranging from Tickers all the way up to massive Berserkers. The goal in this mode is to break through COG defenses and destroy them all.

When addressing the biggest gameplay hurdle faced by the team while creating Gears 3, Rod said that it was by far the four player co-op aspect, and finding a way to make the game feel “natural” across various settings. He cited an example from Gears 2 that wouldn’t work very well with the new four player format:

“Could you imagine the Maria scene with two other guys standing around? It would have been a little awkward.” said Rod.

Fans of the comic book should know that some of the backstory revealed there will be available in the game, but not so much that it slows down the pacing of things. Rod stressed that the thing they believe drives the Gears of War franchise is “pace, pace, pace, pace, pace”, adding that the “blockbuster movie type pacing” really works for them, with the proof being that the game has a very high completion rate.

Cole: Shoot the squid! Marcus: It's a Lambent. Cole: My bad. Shoot the thing that looks like a squid!

As a means to add more excitement to their “blockbuster movie” experience, Epic is introducing a new species of enemy called Lambent (not to be confused with this guy). The Lambent are a mutated form of Locust that have evolved into a threat to both the COGs and the Locust themselves. Rod fired off a few rounds at one and showed us that anything but a headshot on a Lambent will leave it’s crawling head to live and fight another day. So it’s better to just knock their block off and eliminate them completely.

Why did Epic finally decide to include female soldiers? Well, according to Rod, the team “just felt like it was a good time,” He went on to say that the story also lent itself well to the introduction of some “bad ass” female soldiers. While the newly introduced female characters won’t have their own set of unique attacks, they will be able to perform the same attacks as the male counterparts.

Speaking of attacks, the demo showcased some of the new weapons, moves, and battle specific enhancements available in Gears of War 3 that should help to bring a smile to your face … assuming you’re a fan of “Rated M” violence.

And you thought getting beat with a belt was bad. Try getting beat with your own arm.

The lancer bayonet struck me as something I’d never use when I first heard it described, but after seeing it in action, I’m confident that it will quickly become an all too often used staple in the game. It’s lack of a chainsaw action is more than made up for by the weapon’s ability to perform powerful charging spear attacks that utilize the roadie run to pierce your target like a shish-kabob.

The digger launcher, which is essentially a land based version of an underwater missile, looked pretty impressive in action as well. And while new additions like the arm rip looked brutal enough, my favorite move combination involved a new mantle kick opener that sends you flying boot first over cover knocking your enemy down, followed by a meat shield grab, a quick grenade tag, and finished off with a kick to the rear propelling your enemy into another for one giant frag-fest.

Other various enhancements to the gameplay include more precise shooting aim when stationary and the ability to swap weapons with other Gears on the battlefield. I’m not too sure how often my friends will be willing to share their toys, but the option sure sounds good on paper.

This is what it looks like after you skewer a Locust with your Lancer.

If the standard melee kills aren’t demeaning enough for you, players will be able to unlock special melee kill animations by playing through co-op and/or participating in online multiplayer matches. This is a purely cosmetic thing but it’s sure to garner the interest of hardcore Gears fanatics.

Those of you who haven’t seen the E3 Gears of War 3 demonstration that took place at the begining of the Microsoft Keynote a few days ago might want to take a little reading break. The video below showcases all of the aforementioned enhancements we’ve outlined above in a short  five and a half minute clip. We’ll wrap up our preview right after you’re done.

The maps themselves in Gears 3 promise to be a bit more open, as Rod stated that the team at Epic felt the Gears 2 levels were a bit too linear. As a fan of the variety Gears 2 had to offer, I was concerned that creative/yet linear levels such as the worm interior would no longer exist, but Rod assured me that the variety would still be there.

“It’s finding a balance. When you’re trying to tell a story, there are going to be some linear aspects. It’s like an hour glass really. You have the combat parts, and then the parts that help you get through the story with a more predictable path. It’s not like we’re doing ‘Gears Open World’ … it’s just when you have four people going into battle, we want to allow each person to have a certain set of choices …”

In terms of graphics, Gears 3 features a brand new light and shadow system that Rod believes will help to make the world that much more “dynamic.” I never really had a problem with the look of Gears 1 or 2, and it’s not like the changes between 2 and 3 really warrant a lengthy discussion, but you could definitely see the differences in contrast and lighting when he pointed them out.

Our first look at a beaten up Thrashball stadium

A more typical Gears of War setting with lots of pretty lighting

Anyone who read my Gears of War 2 review knows that I felt a little let down after one of the final chase scenes in the game, due to what I felt was a less than stellar job of establishing the villain mounted on the flying beast. I explained this to Rod and asked if the third Gears installment does a better job with establishing shots. Here’s what he had to say:

“It’s a challenge with our storytelling to be honest with you. We don’t like to do a lot of remote shots. Once you are with the characters we like you to be with the characters. We had the same problem in Gears 1 …”

Well, I can’t fault them for taking this approach, as it does help to keep you grounded throughout. However it does mean that we as gamers will have very limited opportunities to pick up on the establishing/remote shots that are in Gears. And when they do present themselves, we’ll need to process them quickly and accurately.

If your looking for closure in Gears 3, you might be only partially satisfied. Rod promised that fans will receive a sense of closure as certain questions like “why does Marcus’s father know the Queen?” will be answered. However, he went on to add that others aspects will remain more open to interpretation even after the curtains close.

My final question to Rod was regarding the actual campaign length of Gears 3, to which he responded:

“Our goal has always been to find a good pace … We’re happy with Gears 2, so it will probably be somewhere around there.”

All in all, I believe that Gears of War 3 is on “pace” to take the Xbox 360 by storm the moment it hits store shelves April 5th, 2011. Expect us to follow this title closely as it’s release date approaches and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.