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Gears of War 3 shifts to fall 2011

Finale to Epic Games' shooter series moved out of April berth to become Microsoft's tent-pole holiday release next year.

559 Comments

The first two Gears of War games served as Microsoft's tent-pole holiday releases, both coming out in early November. However, that pattern was changed up this year when Microsoft announced that Gears of War 3 would be released on April 5, 2011.

"Well, everyone, it looks like we get another five months of R&R before the slaughter starts."

Now, things have been changed back.

In a statement this morning, Microsoft Game Studios announced that Gears of War 3 is being pushed back into fall 2011 to serve as one of the publishing label's Q4 anchor titles. Indeed, Microsoft is already predicting it will be the "biggest entertainment launch of 2011."

"The teams at Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games have done great work thus far readying the title for release in the spring of 2011," the company said in a statement. "However, we've elected to move the launch of Gears of War 3 until fall 2011 to make it the marquee title for the holiday season."

As shown in the trailer below, Gears of War 3 will offer an apocalyptic finale to the series, which has sold 12 million copies to date. According to Microsoft, the last human city has been obliterated, with Marcus Fenix trying to protect the remaining humans from the Locust horde and from newer, deadlier foes, the mutating Lambeth.

Like Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3 will be Xbox 360 exclusive, with Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski having said in 2008 that there will be no more installments in the series on the PC. In a franchise first, it will also allow players to play through its campaign in four-person co-op mode.

For more on Gears of War 3, check out GameSpot's latest preview of the game.

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Flamingpostman

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i would rather have them put alor of time into it and really make it a good game then to just release it when it isnt ready

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Hoss-The-Boss

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Damn... well to be honest I figured they would have made more money in April. They announced it this April if I remember correctly, so the majority of the game has to be done by now. Besides making the game community upset, instead of the game launching sooner, with little competition against it, and more time to make expansions to rack in even more money for them over xbox live. Instead Gears 3 is competing against every game launching around the holidays, making gamers and parents of gamers choose between several titles, making it a choice, rather then a must have. Im sure parents who are buying for teenagers and kids aren't exactly going to jump to the mature rated game if another Mario or something comes out. Just a theory.

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Spinxy

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@ gohtingqi1997 its got nothing to do with them wanted to polosh the game...The game would have been ready for spring they aree only pushing it back because they want to cash in on the christmas sales

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gohtingqi1997

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@XANATOS214 er , cuz thet want to polish the game?

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XANATOS214

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this is B.S. i was looking forward to spending my summer playing Gears 3.way to F it up Microsoft now what are gamers gonna play

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Marcock

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QUE POCA MADREEE

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ItsTimeToPunish

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i'll wait a lifetime gears 4 life I love gears of war

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jay_rock_

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Pass the other two put me asleep my be fable 3 will catch my eye...

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senorbusyman

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damn you!! you bastards!!

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damaster101

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Bastards!

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SicklySunStorm

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It will be worth it. bottom line

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Alphamale001

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This gives me more time with my 3DS. I would love for an April release, but I can wait. Gears 3 should be a lot of fun and worth the wait.

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GordonFrohman11

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The first one was fun but I haven't bothered with any of the others in the series. The series has been way too hyped over the years. Its a good franchise but its about one out of hundreds of other science fiction third person shooters.

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zaveline

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Boys its time we start a......rampage

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UncleAnesthesia

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I wish companies understood that we would buy a game in April if it was worth playing. All this will do is make it so all the A/AA games that come out holiday 2011 get overshadowed and sell less.

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Dmac4330

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Wow, you kids complaining about stuff. That is too funny and immature. Who cares what you know. You guys are fighting and trying to be technical over Pokemon. Grow Up.

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Xtatic324

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LOL! I can't believe they would do something like this just to say it would be a top game of 2011 if its pushed back in the fall. There's no reason to push it back till all the way in November. How pathetic.

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tequilasunriser

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@MachShot What a crazy world. I've been playing games for over 20 years too! Twins! You're right. The Pokemon franchise has produced a lot of shovelware with the exception of 3 games. red/blue, gold/silver, and the Pokemon card game. The rest, for the most part, has been trash, though, I am hopeful for black/white. You're under the impression that because I don't like one franchise it is impossible to like another franchise. That assumption is incorrect. I appreciate good games like I appreciate good opinions, both of which you don't seem to appreciate.

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tequilasunriser

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@quinnd6 Crouch and lean, the original cover system, has been around for years on PC. GeoW basically got a simplified, hand-me-down version of what already existed for years.

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MachShot

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@tequilasunriser I've been playing games for over 20 years now so don't even patronize me as if I haven't seen what's been done before. You wanna talk about shovel ware? How many iterations of Pokemon have we seen? Ash "Catch 'em"? Doesn't get anymore cliche and hackneyed than that. Every theme has been done to death. You act as if we are all so stupid and you are so smart, that you need to tell us that Gears is just another 3rd-person shooter. Yet, you're the same ass goblin playing GTA's and Call of Duty's as everyone else.

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quinnd6

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@tequilasunriser Gears of war when it came out first was one of the first third person shooters to use a tactical cover based approach and over the shoulder view. It got the over the shoulder type view from resident evil 4 and the cover system from killswitch but their combination together was unique at the time. So that hadn't been done better before.

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slicedbread117

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well that bites. but hey ya gotta do what ya gotta do and this game is still gonna kick some major butt :D

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tequilasunriser

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@MachShot Haha chill, bro. Why you so mad? I'm not just bagging on the character's name, I'm baggin on the whole game. You're character is a larger than life neck-beard that fights aliens. Basically, Epic looked through the videogame cook book and baked the videogame equivalent of generic chocolate chip cookies. Something that everyone bakes, yet you've always had better. As for Pokemon Red/Blue, They are great games deserving of a great rating. They are examples of what a great JRPS is, right up there with Chrono Trigger and Earthbound. What's your point? Gear of War is just your run of the mill 3rd person shooter. This is only my opinion though, so don't get bent out of shape that you enjoy shovelware.

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iiIsSueZ

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@MachShot Pokemon Blue was a 10/10!

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MachShot

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@tequilasunriser Why does the hero need to be named John Johnson when they are fighting Locust Horde that come out of the earth's core whom can speak perfect English? Like I said, it's the style. So what if it's cliche. Should we all start listening to jazz, dress organic clothing, only watch independent movies with $10,000 budget? That's very hypocritical of you when you're playing the same goddamn games every 10-year old Gears of War-crazed kids are playing. I mean, you rated Pokemon Blue a 10/10...

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tequilasunriser

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@MachShot Marcus Phoenix, eh? Yeah that's the overly compensating name all right. Remember Simon Phoenix from Demolition Man? The psychotic criminal that made the joker look like, well, a joke? Not to mention that the Phoenix is a mythological fiery bird that overcomes death only to rise from its own ashes. Yeah, the Phoenix is a pretty badass mythological creature. Why wasn't the protagonist's name something like Robert Williams, David Morrison or even Niko Bellic? Names that sound realistic within reason. Instead they slap you in the face with a mouthful of human growth hormone, "MARCUSSSS PHOENIX!" (say it with a snear on your face) Sorry I insulted your man-crush, princess, but it's a terribly cliche name for an action character and made even more cliche when you see his roid-raged appearance. Also, in the first (second?) game didn't the first scene open with him being released from prison? lol... What next? Give him a gun with a chainsaw attached to it? ...nevermind. Cliche game is cliche no matter how you try to spin it.

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dRuGGeRnaUt

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Gears 1 is one of my ALLTIME favorite games. Gears 2, not so much. Campaign was cool and all, but multiplayer reeeked of "make it easier for the casuals" Gears 1 multiplayer actually took skill, and was very difficult.. until they OVER patched the crap out of it. I couldve lived with weapon sliding that was there in the begining, but then after the patches, it ended up being "glitch of war" As far as gears 3 goes, the trailers, and demo videos ive seen have yet to impress/interest me.. seems like exactly more of the same. Multiplayer will be the deciding factor for me here FINGERS EXTREMELY CROSSED *please epic, pretty please*

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Grovilis

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@emzeesquared This

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thorughfire

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Im not buying this game. I loved the first Gears game but the second just wasnt good enough for me to say Im gonna buy the last game and complete the trilogy. Im just sick of how the first 2 games basically were the same story - You go to 1 destination then relize you were wrong then travel to the true destination which leads you to a fight to make the bomb go off (or in GOW2 a lambient locust) and you escape. Its not interesting at all.

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emzeesquared

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@tequilasunriser Being a loyal PC gamer myself I used to have the same mindset as you and was never amazed by the gameplay of gears of war. However, that all changed when I played online. I grew to love the game and it's one of the VERY FEW online games in existence today where skilled players actually succeed there are no cheap tactics perks or anything of the sort. It's not an arcade FPS like COD and the gore animations are the best of any game and that's not opinion it's fact. If you are a PC gamer you should actually try a little harder to like this game because it's got PC written all over it from the customization of sensitivity to all the features it was made by EPIC who, lets not all forget, was a loyal PC game developer. They put so much attention to detail in this game it really feels like a PC game put onto a console (despite being 3rd person of course)

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E-i-N-e

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Can't say I'm happy about the games release date being pushed back. But I guess it will give them more time to work on the game. I'd rather wait longer for a game to come out looking sharp then for it to be rushed and it looking shabby.

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MachShot

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@tequilasunriser Actually, the name is simply Marcus Fenix. It was nothing tough like Maximillian blah blah blah. And the muscle-bound heroes, that's just the style. It's the same style with Marvel comics. Don't try to make it seem like you're higher just because you play PC shooters. (Gee, how many times have we heard that one before?) The only one acting tough around here is you...and it's pretty pathetic.

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QtrArt

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wow in apr :D

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hunter8man

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Smart move. Let all the motion capture junk take over the holiday sales, and leave GoW3 for next year. Besides, when GoW does release, it's going to have as big of an opening as Halo no matter when it's released.

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nate2442

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Dont see the point in the delay if the game is going to be finished in time for April which im guessing it would have been... No mention of it being delayed for polishing or tweaks, sounds like it is delayed for sales purposes... I understand its a smart move from a sales perspective but as a gamer it sux... I dislike this...

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optimal

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Looks like Gears doesn't want to compete with all the new mocap stuff this holiday season. Also, way to ride the Modern Warfare marketing strategy, lol Epic. I remember when they actually made fun multiplayer games. Gears is an EPIC singleplayer, but seriously.. Where were YOU when it came time to play online? Oh that's right, you were on the forums complaining about how bad it was. Anyway, thankfully this will be the last in the series and then Epic can actually move on to what they do best, which isn't this.

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focus0894

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I like how when people don't like a game, they waste their time posting it, and they act like it's the truth what they're saying and it's only their opinion that matters, in the end, Cliff could give a f*** what you have to say about the game, in the end, HE'S the one driving home in his ferrari with millions in his pockets. So that's something for you to think about.

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killip

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Sucks they've pushed it back, but tbh im not suprised. Hell, if I was in there position i'd do the same; they'll make more money doing it this way...

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Sirbobislost

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@ Xizle Yes it is

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DCUltrapro

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Gears of War and Halo, the originals, the bench mark setters... can't wait for this game its gonna be awesome beyond compare!

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Xizle

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Fall...Is that autumn?

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Sirbobislost

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@ tequilasunriser 'Maximilian McDeathpunch' that made me lol

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organbank

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meh another shooter, it looks like all the other gears of war clones...

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tyskenfan

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I rofled

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tequilasunriser

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@bigcrusha Nah, I dislike it because I found it boring. I beat the first game and was bored all the way through. I didn't play it online because I'd rather play PC FPS games online. It just wasn't my thing, but I couldn't help noticing the extreme cliches rife withing the game. An extremely 'badass' protagonist, neck thicker than his torso, a tough name like 'Maximilian McDeathpunch' (Forgot his real name but it was a 'tough' name). It would have been funny if the game made fun of itself like Duke Nukem or Serious Sam, but they try to pass it off as serious business. Just was really too lame for me.

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POPEYE1716

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eehhh gives 360 something to sell in that year

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amaan4ever

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duke nukem and gears of war dude have a staring contest and the world explods.Who survives among these two??

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bigcrusha

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meh take as long as they need to, their gonna need it, the first gears was sick for most because of it's launch timing, when it launched nobody's ever seen a game like it before. Now we've seen it 100 times in games since gears first launched, their gonna have to do something far beyond our expectations, something huge to win title "best game of 2011" if they need another 12 months to do something we've never seen before, so be it

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bigcrusha

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@tequilasunriser lol take down the flame shield, i ain't gonna flame ya, in fact i partially agree with you, over exaggerated machoness carrying massive guns, though for gears fans, the look of the cast is like #10th reason why they like it, duke nukem and SS are classics but gears practically REINVENTED the cover engine in gaming, sprinkle that with some crazy action, maybe a pinch of awesome weaponry and about a spoonful of great story, you got yourself a great game, Is that your only reason for hating this game? Really?

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EdenProxy

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AKA they have nothing else planned next year so might aswell make their only be sold around Christmas

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