Gears of War: Judgement detailed in Game Informer
Damon Baird and company brought to trial.
Following yesterday’s initial leak, more details on Gears of War: Judgement, set for a full-blown reveal at Microsoft’s E3 press conference on Monday, have surfaced from Game Informer.
A prequel, the game begins 15 years before the start of Gears of War. Damon Baird and the rest of Kilo Squad are standing trial for the violation of laws against the Coalition of Governments. Colonel Loomis, the “by-the-books COG leader” who accused them of “desertion, cowardice, trespassing, theft of experiment military tech and treason,” is overseeing the squad’s testimonies. The game is set in Halvo Bay, home of the Onyx Guard Academy, and a city with a strong military feel.
An Epic Games forum member has provided a set of short characters biographies:
- Damon Baird: Before this sarcastic, genius mechanic went on to help Marcus Fenix save the world, Baird worked his way through the Gears ranks. He’s always quick to joke, but Judgment suggests there’s more to his character than being a comedian.
- Augustus Cole: A former Thrash Ball player turned soldier, the “Cole Train” became famous in Sera for his on-field performance and boisterous demeanour. Cole met Baird soon after enlisting, and the two quickly became best friends.
- Garron Paduk: A militia refuge from the Union of Independent Republics. Garron comes from the other side of The Pendulum Wars. He brings a new perspective and brush personality to Team Kilo. Garron is the devil on Baird’s shoulder that says, “Let’s blow stuff up.”
- Sophia Hendricks: A cadet from the Onyx Guard Academy, she is more in line with Colonel Loomis’ by the book approach to combat. Emergence Day halted her path to graduation from the academy, but she is still worth the soldier. She is the opposite of Garron, ready to suggest informing superior officers of every deviation from protocol.
Fans may be upset over the absence of series protagonist Marcus Fenix, but it is necessary to venture outside his story in order to create something new, according to Epic Games.
“Whenever you a grow franchise there’s a certain lever of betrayal,” Epics Games directer of production Rod Fergusson told Game Informer. “If you don’t betray the customer a little bit, then it’s not changing enough and people feel like it’s becoming stagnant. But if you betray them too much then you loose them. You’ve always got to keep it fresh. By being outside the Marcus Fenix story, we’re going to have more opportunity to do new things.”
Multiplayer is now class based. Here’s what we’re looking at, in terms of options:
- Baird (Engineer)
- Weapons: Gnasher and Blowtorch (repairs damaged fortifications)
- Abilities: Sentry Turret
- Cole (Soldier)
- Weapons: Lancer and Boomshot
- Abilities: Deploy Ammo Crates, Toss Ammo (to Engineer to give him infinite blowtorch ammo)
- Sofia (Medic)
- Weapons: Lancer and Snub Pistol
- Abilities: Stim Gas Grenade, Toss Grenade (at downed allies to revive them)
- Garron (Scout)
- Weapons: Longshot and Snub Pistol
- Abilities: Beacon Grenade, Climb Perches (for better sniping leverage)
Here’s what we’re looking at in terms of Locusts:
- Wretch
- Role: Leap over hazards, clim perches.
- Special Ability: Stunning scream.
- Tip: Travel in packs and stagger screams for maximum stunnig power.
- Ticker
- Role: Eat fortifications, eat grenades, detonate.
- Special Ability: Speed boost.
- Tip: Can be kicked over barriers by grenadiers.
- Kantus
- Role: Hammerburst rifle, heal friendly units, ride bloodmounts.
- Special Ability: Chain heal.
- Tip: Support valuable units like Corpser and Mauler with healing.
- Grenadier
- Role: Lancer rifle, ride Bloodmounts.
- Special Ability: Frag Grenade.
- Tip: Throw grenade at COG turret to cause deadly explosion near enemies.
- Bloodmount
- Role: Melee enemies/fortifications, be ridden by Grenadier and Kantus.
- Special Ability: Halve the cooldown time on rider’s special ability (passive)
- Tip: Carry a mounted Kantus behind cover while his heal recharges.
- Mauler
- Role: Devastate fortifications and COG soldiers with flail and shield.
- Special Ability: Spinning spike shield.
- Tip: Aim the reticle at enemies while shield spins to deflect bullets back at COGs.
- Serapede
- Role: Eat through barriers, destory COGs, ranged support.
- Special Ability: Spit poison.
- Tip: Have two Serapedes overlap to protect one another’s vulnerable rears.
- Corpser
- Role: Demolish fortifications and COGs with heavy melee.
- Special Ability: Burrow and move underground.
- Tip: Armored legs reduce damage from the front.
Bulletstorm developer People Can Fly are on the project this time, but not without the original creators of the series.
“People Can Fly is heavily involved in both the campaign and multiplayer, but especially the campaign. This is something we have initiated. We proposed the story and the gameplay hooks. Basically everything about campaign was initiated by People Can Fly. Obviously there is heavy involvement from Epic. I like to think about as the best of both worlds. On one hand we bring something fresh to the franchise, but on the other hand we have the original creators making sure it’s still Gears.”
Stay tuned. Gears of War: Judgement will see a full reveal on Monday.