Gearheads of War

We just got an email from Gears of War 2's Community Manager, Six Okay with a link to an interesting story about a couple who is getting married next year.  The catch? They met in Canals.

Ryan and Kristina’s wedding will pay homage to their online meeting, too. They plan to have stations set up at the reception where guests can play Gears of War 2, and they’re also getting matching Crimson Omen tattoos after the ceremony!

Follow this link to read Six Okay's fun interview with the happy couple.

Sounds like a sweet wedding to me! It's amazing how far video games have come that a couple can find each other while playing online...not to mention that an online community like GearHeads can form and be as close knit as we are, all without officially meeting each other. (For the most part)

This young couple met in Canals-Do you remember where you were when you joined your first GearHeads match? What are some highlights from some of our early matches?

Great interview, but don't read the comments after the interview! Apparently there are spoilers....(Thanks Noobpancake!)

Can you believe that we're close enough to Gears 2 to be getting a LAUNCH trailer?! Well believe it, then see it:

GameVideos Link (HD)
GameTrailers Link (HD) and SD

Then re-watch (for the 14th time) the "Last Day" trailer, read Papi's thoughts on it, then post your own!

I'm never one to run away from being wrong about something.  If I'm wrong, I'll often openly and freely admit it.  Well, Gearheads, I've got to say that I was very wrong when I had a lengthy discussion with Blankman a few nights ago.

What was I wrong about?  Well, my first visceral reaction to the Gears of War 2 commercial was not a positive one.  My general feeling was, "Wow, this is basically another Mad World, but since we've seen Mad World already, I was hoping for something a little different with a different vibe."  I also said, it feels a bit like Gears of Emo.

Well, I stand corrected.  I've watched the commercial multiple times now.  You know, it's really effective. And it's effective for the same reason that the first ad was.  The commercial has very much a movie trailer feel to it.  And there are very few times that I see a video game commercial where it has that emotional connection with a viewer.  Granted the ad probably has a disconnect from the actual content of the game, or at least the first ad and game did, but the ad resonates with you.  There truly is nothing out there in video games that approach advertising like the Gears ads have.  I mean, I'm not sure if there is a more visceral video game franchise out there right now and so the advertising seeks to evoke a pure emotional response from the viewer.  In many ways, the visceral nature of gameplay in Gears speaks directly to those emotions of joy when getting a perfect headshot or sneaking up on an opponent and sawing them from behind.  

So the commercial seeks to evoke the sadness that Dom feels in searching for Maria.  The reluctance of fighting that Marcus feels.  And the memory of a beautiful Sera when Cole sees the flower through the sniper scope.  Ultimately, advertising is intended to do a few things, including raising brand awareness and evoke a gut emotional response.  I think this ad does accomplish that.  

I'm free to change my mind on things and upon further examination, I think the Gears 2 ad is brilliant and I expect it to help move a ton of Gears 2 units.

I figured hot on the heels of the Gearheads' Cliff podcast, you guys might want to check out this extremely long look at Cliff and his views.

I found the piece to be fairly accurate in capturing my bro and what he's all about, course I would've loudly objected to this:

Mostly I would object to anyone ever calling Cliff shy.  Yes, he might have been shy with the ladies, but I can't count the number of times I had to fight other, older, much larger kids because my brother was mouthing off to them (often while playing ice or street hockey).  My role was definitely being the heavy as a child.  I bloodied many a kid's nose over Cliff's loud mouth.

This is going to be a bit of a rant, but the article also got me to thinking.  I do find it incredibly fascinating that shows like The Daily Show often bring on movie and TV actors, but don't often bring on game designers or even voice actors when they do parts in games.  I mean The Daily Show runs ads for video games all the time so it's their demographic.  It would be interesting to see someone like Cliff on The Daily Show to talk Gears of War 2.  Course, being that many of us see and hear from Cliff all the time, it's not like those interviews would really do much for us, but I do think that it's high time that late night shows and other television media begin to acknowledge the dramatic impact that this medium is having on our entertainment landscape.  I believe that's when we'll really see gaming cross over into the mainstream and not something just for the nerds amongst us.  I live to see the day when David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and Jon Stewart might welcome my brother to the stage.  Not that gaming needs that kind of validation, but it certainly would be damn nice for some of these shows like Conan and The Daily Show to actually interview some folks who are speaking to their demographic, don't you think?

We got 'em! This last week Tyler, Josh (Grymm) and I had the opportunity to interview Design Director for Gears of War 2, Cliff Bleszinski. The first half sounds a little shady but the second sounds just as professional as always. =) (HUGE Thanks to MDK for helping edit the podcast!)

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST

This is what we asked him...

-Does Gears 2 make up for the lack of depth in the original’s story?
...And has Epic oversold it?
-With the changes made to the Hammerburst, will it defeat the mighty lancer and become the default multiplayer weapon of choice for gamers online?
-Will Gears 2 suffer from the same online multiplayer issues as the original?
-In the same fashion, will the Boomshot and Grenades work consistently this time around?
-His thoughts on Obama taking out ad space in a video game and Microsoft opening up voter registration on Xbox Live.

Also, so tidbits:

Brief Stun now with melee, and of course-No Active Snipes.
His favorite new weapon
War Machine and Fuel Depot DLC?

Plus much much more...

Also...Gears 20?

ENJOY! Less than 2 week....

Feel free to spread the word and post this on various boards...I'll be posting it on NeoGaf and Teamxbox tomorrow.

David's Avatar

This week's 1UP Yours is a must listen for a couple reasons: First, there is great discussion about Fallout 3, Fable 2, the new Dashboard and more...They do a Fallout vs Fable discussion that goes a surprising direction (at least to me) and gives listeners insight to how each game plays.

And if that didn't get you to download the podcast, this should- When talking about the recent news that Gears 2 will not be coming to Japan (directly), David tells the story of Suns not being able to find Gears 2 in any catalogs or advertisements. Not only does David discuss the story, but mentions us directly and gives us some love over the air.

We love you too, David. We really do!

Listen Here.
Download Here.
ITunes Link

Gearheads, only two more FFF before Gears 2 is here.  Yes, ladies and gents, just two Fridays from now, we will be gathering for our very first Gears of War 2 FFF.

I don't know if I'm going to be there tomorrow because it looks like my wife and I might be having a date (we need it since she had a cast on for a month!).  But I've already put my daughter in school on November 7th in anticipation of playing Gears 2 all day that day.

Still, sign up below. I hope to be there for a special Halloween edition of FFF next week and possibly our last FFF with Gears of War 1.

All right Gearheads, with the new site redesign, we may be "Back in Black," but in actuality we’re really "Back in Red."  Let me start by first commending Jon and Jeremy (scoop and ct, respectively), on providing the outstanding graphical and new site feature improvements for GearheadsofWar.com.  In fact, they’ve worked without any monetary compensation thus far (although I did get Jeremy a copy of UT3 since I knew he was a huge fan).  I know that each and every one of us here understands that time is money.  We appreciate their commitment and I would like everyone to continue with their commitment to this site.  All of us value your continued input.  We hope that you guys and gals like what you’ve seen and experienced so far.  I realize that there are several bugs left to address, but I assure you that Jon and Jeremy are looking into them.  Please bear with us as we are fine-tuning the workings of the site.  

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a regular visitor, diary poster, or lurker of this site.  This site was created because we all share the same passion for Gears of War and gaming, in general.  Throughout the two years of this site’s existence, many of us have shared games (FFF), opinions, personal trials and tribulations, created friendships, and laughter together.  I believe that this has brought the members of this community closer and this aspect alone is the one thing that differentiates us from all of the other communities out there.  We may argue from time to time, but that’s what a family does.  I don’t know of any family except the Cleavers (Leave it to Beaver, man I’m old) that embodies that "perfect" family relationship.  It would be a sad and boring place, if people that only chose to agree with each other surrounded us all.

Now let me return to the earlier comment about "Back in Red."  Let me be frank with all of you, we are in desperate need to increase our site donations.  I have listed and thanked those that have originally contributed toward the site many months ago.  Despite the fact that they did not wish to be identified, it’s their commitment that has meant the most and it should be acknowledged in a public forum.  However, those donations did not necessarily cover even a fraction of the re-design costs. The admins and myself want to generate enough funds to adequately compensate Jon and Jeremy for their hard work.  

OK, time to make the hard sell folks.  The purpose of this latest diary is to announce our new Donations Drive to raise monies for all of these site improvements.  In this current fiscal dilemma that has ultimately affected the entire world, we realize that it’s not the most opportune time to ask for donations.  However, we have come up with a way where your contributions will not only help out the site, but you as well.  

Here’s how it will work:

• #1: With every five-dollar ($5) donation that you make to the site, you will earn one (1) raffle ticket.  In essence, you improve your chances at winning with a larger donation (i.e., $10 donation will earn you two raffle tickets).  When we hit a specific Dollars Goal (i.e., $25 for the first goal/raffle, $50 for the second goal/raffle, etc.), GHoW.com will raffle off something Gears-related for those that have donated.  Blankman will handle the raffle tickets.  The donations should be sent to my PayPal account which is bleszinski - at - gmail - dot - com.

• #2: As soon as the Donations Goal is achieved, the raffle will be conducted via the video chat feature on Skype to be as transparent as possible.  We will announce the time and date that we will conduct these raffle drawings, so you can join in & watch them.  The winner will be announced on the site and contacted for his/her address for delivery of that item.  ***I won’t go into any specifics about what we have in our extensive prize inventory, but I can assure you that the prizes are substantial.  These aren’t merely trinkets.  The admins have worked very hard to purchase and acquire these items for the past five months in anticipation for the re-launch of the Donation Drive.

• #3: A new "Donations Goal" will be announced and it’s essentially a rinse & repeat formula.  Again, our ultimate goal is to compensate Jon and Jeremy for all of their hard work and create long-lasting partnerships with not only our community members, but also foster relationships throughout the Gears-related companies, retailers, and industry professionals.  Our first donation goal is a modest $25.

I want to thank Blankman, Suns and Zoso for helping bring this idea to fruition.  These aren't guys who look for credit, but I'm going to give it to them any way.  Thanks for all you guys do.

Trickling onto the internet are reviews of Fable 2. I’ll try and update this as much as I can. (Feel free to post any you find as a comment and I’ll add it.)

So far, it seems Fable 2 has lived up to reviewers expectations...

EuroGamer Review 10/10

Excerpt

"Fable II explores what happens when a game does away with most forms of punishment, and does nothing but reward its players from start to finish. The results are astonishing."

(More Excerpts inside)

Xbox360Fanboy Review (no score)

Excerpt

"Even with so many words dispensed, there are still plenty of things I haven't even touched on. For one, the game is gorgeous, sporting everything from grim swamps to some of the most verdant, idyllic landscapes I've ever seen in a video game. I've also barely mentioned that your actions actually shape the world around you. During my time, for example, I've seen the Temple of Light transform from a dome on a dirt hill to a marble palace. I haven't mentioned co-op (expect more on that once online co-op is enabled after the game's launch). Ultimately though, what I've failed to mention so far, and what is most important, is that Fable II is fun."

More review scores and a wealth of links to media for the game can be found over at NeoGaf.

I found this info on the official Epic Gears forums.  It's written by a poster there named DiscombobulatedThing.  Big ups go to him for putting this very detailed list of impressions during his time with Gears 2 at the Toronto Best Buy event this past weekend.  I have edited his original post to make it easier to understand.  

***Warning: There is a character spoiler at the very bottom of his post which he encountered while playing Horde mode!  So be cautious if you don't want it spoiled.  The list is very long and well worth the read.  DiscombobulatedThing has answers to a lot of questions and he is extremely thorough.

Hit the link for the extended text.

Yes, I played Gears of War last night with some of the regulars.  We got Grymm, Robbins, Jambi, Poland, ChrisB, MDK and Abe.  I probably hadn't played Gears with MDK in maybe six months, so that was fun.  And it was most definitely a blast to catch up with the rest of the folks too as my presence on FFF lately hasn't been very consistent of late.

I do think that I possibly had my best kill ever last night.  And that's nearly two years of playing Gears.  Grymm was on the other team in Gridlock and he was running straight through the middle by nades towards our spawn side stairs.  I led him perfectly and blew him to smithereens.  It was pretty.  Very pretty.

Robbins had several sick head shots on me.  Once when MDK told me that the sniper was dead so I stuck my head out like a noob.  That's a pretty dangerous game when Robbins is actually still alive and just waiting for someone to stand there like a dolt asking, "Please de-nogginize me.  Please?"  Robbins was more than happy to oblige.  Oh and ChrisB was a monster last night.  I mean I think he led our team two or three times in points.  The saw was cranking last night.  I enjoyed using the torque quite a few times as well.  I'm best with the Boom, no doubt, but my favorite to use is really the torque.  I love the sweet "thunk" sound someone hears right before they die.  I had at least five of those kills last night.  I just don't often get to pick up the TB because someone on my team is usually better than me with it.  That's going to become a goal of mine to get more skilled with the TB in Gears 2.  Hopefully the bots can help with that.

We then moved to Call of Duty: World at War and my initial impression wasn't good.  David Ellis, who joined us for the COD time, makes an outstanding point on Game Videos about the beta.  The fact is that there doesn't really seem to be a good starting weapon like the M-16A4 in COD4.  You immediately feel like a helpless noob.  I do want to play it a little bit more before I give you my real impressions.  But my initial thought is that I might be canceling my preorder on this one.

Also, I got a chance to try the Resistance 2 beta today and my impression of that isn't necessarily the greatest either.  But I plan a separate post about that one too.

What happened in your Gears FFF games?

22 Days.  That's all that remains until we're going to be gathering for the first FFF featured Gears of War 2.  Does that make you a little horny baby?  Well does it?

I'm back from my trip to the East Coast.  And I plan on gathering with the Gearheads tomorrow.  Hopefully I can get into a room this time, or maybe I'll just open my own.  Think, this will probably be one of the last times we'll all play Gears of War as a group.  It's exciting and I'm so full of hope that Gears 2 will fix all our remaining issues with the first game.  My biggest wish is for an improved Boom that works at least 99 percent of the time.  I can deal with one random one that doesn't work.  Then again, maybe I'll find a new favorite weapon in the mortar or the flamethrower.  These questions and more to be answered shortly with the release of Gears 2.

Sign up below and I'm hoping to be on starting around my old time of 8:30 p.m. PST since my wife is mostly recovered now and can probably give my daughter a bath now.  See you then!