Cliffy B talks Gears 3, obviously.

Maybe its just me, but why do I get the feeling that Cliffy B still believes Gears of War 3 will be a surprise? I saw posters online while using google to look up ANYTHING on Gears 3, and that said November (17th) 2010. Photo shopped? maybe since I can't find them again.

Honestly though.

Gears:2006
(+2 years of development)
Gears 2:2008
(+2 years of development)
Gears 3:2010

We've waited long enough, and the way he talks makes it seem that Gears of War 3 COULD be out this year. Sure there is concern of Gears 3 and Halo Reach "affecting" each other, but i'm getting both games for sure regardless of when they come out. All those games of 2009 were pushed back because of Modern Warfare 2, and that's been a stupid move so far.

I didn't know Epic's tech was used for Natal, but I do remember Cliff saying Gears wouldn't use Natal. The "hybrid game" description in regards to the uses of Natal makes me wonder if he changed his tune with using Natal for Gears 3.

I am happy that he browses forums to find feedback and realizes how redundant and repetitive Gears of War 2 matchmaking is, I hope Gears 3 improves on that.

Gears of War 2 seems forgotten nowadays, and that's a shame. Horde mode was much more fun than say, Firefight, and the Co-op of Gears campaign was WAY better done than Halo 3. Halo 3 had you all fighting the same number of aliens, Gears split up the players and made a much more satisfying Co-Op experience. Spec Ops on Modern Warfare 2 is about the same, but Gears encouraged you to defend your teammate.

Gears of War 2 was such a major improvement over the first one, I seriously can't wait till we see the third.

Epic Games announces Unreal Development Kit

Looking to become a game designer but don't have the tools? Well IGN has brought to my attention that Epic Games will provide the Unreal Engine 3 for free community use

from Epic Games:

Epic Games, Inc. announces the launch of the Unreal Development Kit (UDK), a free edition of Unreal Engine 3 that provides community access to the award-winning toolset like never before. This software release is available to anyone interested in using 3D game engine technology, including game developers, students, hobbyists, researchers, creators of 3D visualizations and simulations, and digital filmmakers. Anyone can start working with the industry-leading Unreal Engine 3 toolset by downloading UDK at www.udk.com, where detailed product features, technical documentation, commercial licensing terms, support resources and more are also available.

Let the creativity begin.

Shadow Complex Release Date

Proof

Hooray it turns out there was a release date I didn't know about for Shadow Complex, the game will release on August 19th!

Perfect timing i'd think, people wait till the last minute to grab their school stuff and in my case college stuff. What better way to salute the end of summer than by playing one of the most anticipated games of E3. Shadow Complex is also the first of E3's promises for new gaming entertainment that hasn't gone the route of many games pushed to 2010.

Sad thing is, people have been hyping how the game CAN be beaten in under two hours. Why would you want a single player game to be over in just two hours? Why do people have to ruin the game by hinting at shortcuts that make us feel more dumb for taking longer to finish the game. I regretted blowing through Ghostbusters as fast as I did, thankfully still having professional difficulty to replay it in.

Enjoy this game, because it is sure to be a blast.

E3 2009: Shadow Complex Impressions

This game hasn't been the highest on radar for most people and was a complete surprise at Microsoft's press conference.

But man, I really like the look of this game. It's a sidescroller which I don't get too many of to play, and most of them on Xbox Live Arcade are simple left to right plowthroughs. But this one goes to new levels, obviously stretching the limits of Xbox Live Arcade for the sheer scale and programming to make this nice looking game.

I have to say I like when you get several alternatives to go through a game, and this game doesn't just give you the option to pick. The map screen, which i'm concerned will be confusing at first, shows you were to go. But when you go through a room you might think to yourself that some upper landings enemies are on might be a shortcut. I've seen alot of times where the foam gun has made stairways or frozen enemies to use as a boost.

That's not all you can do, i've seen demos where there is a need to explore the levels for powerups. I saw that you can "hang on" to stuff while shooting at enemies from a crate at one point. The possibilities are interesting, I can imagine sneaking on one of those walker like robots and clinging to them as they take me through the rest of the base until i'm spotted.

The really cool thing is one of the designers said we see what we can become but we start out with our hands and a flashlight. So it's a skill building, power grab approach to the game. At first, you might not be able to open a door, but soon as you gain powerups, you can just burn the door down. So there's also a rebel aspect to playing this game.

I'm buying this game, but the interesting part is it will be out this summer (August?) so it will be one of the first games announced that we'll get to play.