‘Gears of War’ hits South African retail outlets

Hailed as the most-anticipated video game launch of 2006 and punctuated by incredible demand from gamers, ‘Gears of War’ hits South African retail outlets from end November. Microsoft Corp. forecasts that ‘Gears of War,’ an exclusive title for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, is expected to sell more than one million copies worldwide this Christmas, setting a new mark for the fastest-selling original game for Xbox 360™.

‘Gears of War,’ developed by Epic Games Inc. and published by Microsoft Game Studios, made its debut to great fanfare at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2005 and has captured the imagination of industry watchers and fans ever since.

The intense, genre-defining game thrusts players into humankind’s epic battle for survival against a nightmarish race of creatures known as the Locust Horde. With its combination of cinematic, visceral gameplay, dramatic storytelling and intense action, ‘Gears of War’ is a seminal title for Xbox 360, providing one of the best next-generation interactive entertainment experiences.

“‘Gears of War’ is a title we know will deliver on all of its promises, and we expect the game to reach one million copies globally faster than any new titles for Xbox,” said Cindy White, Xbox Group Marketing Manager.

“This holiday is an extremely important one for the entire industry, and Xbox 360 will offer the world unparalleled experiences available only on this console. We’ve put an enormous emphasis on bringing new and exciting titles to market, and ‘Gears of War’ is a key example of Microsoft’s commitment to developing original and immersive titles for gamers everywhere.”

‘Gears of War’ has received several highly coveted awards, including the Game Critics Awards’ Best Console Game and Best Action Game of E3 2006, and has already garnered praise in early reviews, earning a 9 out of 10 score from Official Xbox Magazine in the UK and a 19/20 from Console+ in France.

“The reception that ‘Gears of War’ has received has been tremendous,” said Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer for ‘Gears of War’ at Epic Games.

“Designing ‘Gears of War’ has been a labour of love, and we’ve poured everything we have into the title. We expect this game to be huge, and it’s exhilarating to see that people are as excited about ‘Gears of War’ as we are.”

‘Gears of War’ from Epic Games and Microsoft Game Studios is a third-person tactical action/horror game available exclusively on Xbox 360. Available from end November for an estimated retail price of R549 for a special Limited Collector’s Edition, which will include a collectible embossed metal box, the ‘Destroyed Beauty’ hardbound art book, and a bonus DVD that features the making of ‘Gears of War,’ the ‘Art of Gears of War’ trailer, and the MTV programme ‘Gears of War: The Race to E3.’