The final title in the Gears of War series will hit shelves on 20 September, Microsoft announced today. Gears of War 3 once again follows super soldier Marcus Fenix and his comrades as they attempt to save the last remnants of the Human race from the giant insect-like Locust alien hordes.
In the conclusion of the bloody blast-'em-up trilogy, which has sold more than 12m copies worldwide since 2006, Fenix will be aiming his array of gigantic space weaponry at a new evolution of the Lambent, a mutant version of the Locust race. The game's design director, Cliff Bleszinski told Associated Press:
They burst out of the ground in these veiny, treelike stalks that transport them throughout the world. It's like an embryonic sac. It's nasty stuff. You fight those guys for about a third of the experience, then for the rest of the game you deal with the latest evolution of – or should I say the devolving – Locust.
Along with the single-player campaign, the title will once again feature four-player co-op as well as a five vs five multiplayer competitive option. Developer Epic Games is also adding a new Beast mode, in which you control the Locust Hordes as they attack a human outpost – an inversion of the series' excellent Horde mode.
The press release also mentions an armoury of new weapons:
The Bayonet Charge, The Retro Lancer, The Sawed-off Shotgun, The OneShot – a heavy sniper rifle that shoots through shields or cover for a surprise one shot kill, The Incendiary Grenade, The Digger Launcher and a few subtle tweaks to old favourites Hammerburst and The Classic Lancer.
A new public multiplayer beta is also expected in the spring.
So, for anyone who wasn't sure before, Gears – like Mass Effect – is bowing out as a trilogy. Check back here very soon for some hands-on impressions of the final portion ...
