The Evolution of Gears of War From Gears of War: Judgment Comic-Con 2012 Panel

Smokin Shadowz · September 1, 2012

INFORMATION FROM G4TV.

Gears of War: Judgment will be a prequel to the established Gears series and even though the game is still a ways from release, (March 19, 2013), we want to know what sets this game apart from the previous Gears games. That question was answered at the Gears of War: Judgment panel at Comic-Con 2012. Cliff Bleszinski and Rod Fergusson had several new videos and announcements to give gamers exactly the Gears info they wanted.

Speaking of which, here are five ways Gears of War: Judgment will be different from Gears of War 1, 2 and 3.

1. Tone

Judgment's new tone is credited to its new writers, Rob Alten and Todd Bissel, both established writers in Hollywood and in gaming. Their writing style and mature sensibility will add another layer to the game. Brutality and the melancholy are both core themes of the series, and these themes will shape Judgment as well.

2. Classes

We already know OverRun will be class-based, but now we're learning more about each of the classes' roles. Each of the COG Defender classes will have specific and unique skills and loadouts. The Engineer will be able to build temporary sentries and repair vehicles. The soldier class can toss ammo crates, which will be vital for the rest of the team. The medic, who is female, can heal, and the Scout can access special sniping locations and add a tagging beacon.

PREVIEW: Gears of War: Judgment Hands-on Impressions -- The Ups and Downs of Overrun Mode

The Locust have their own classes too. When you play as the Locust, you'll start as a Ticker and work your way up to new Locust by earning points. Tickers will be able to chomp, dash, and self destruct. The Wretch can stun the COG with its scream. The Grenadier throws frag grenades. The Kantus is the Locust healer and can heal everyone in his immediate vicinity. The Blood Mount can carry any Grenadier and now Kantuses too. Corpsers are armored and can burrow. Ceripeed attacks and spits poison, and of course the Mauler who has a shield and a giant knife. This time, the shield spins.

3, Fun Beats Cannon

Chainsaw lancers had not been invented during the time of Judgment and neither was the hammerburst. Both weapons will make an appearance in the game though. "Oh no! How could Epic make such a mistake?" It's not a mistake. Epic knows and appreciates the story's cannon, but in the end they feel it's more important for fun to win, than cannon.

4. Game Plays Faster

The grenades are now on the left bumper, which might cause many gamers to freak out. Epic felt that pressing the d-pad, choosing the grenade, winding it up, and then launching it took too much time. (Epic took their sweet time to come to that realization.) A valid concern will be how to plant a grenade with this new format.

VIDEO: Gears of War: Judgment "OverRun Mode Tutorial" Comic-Con 2012 Trailer

5. Dedicated Servers

Epic learned a lot from the dedicated servers in Gears of War 3. So when it came to Gears of War: Judgment, Epic knew they had to repeat the success. So yes, Judgment will have them.

Now that you know how Gears of War: Judgment will differ from Gears of War 3, are you sold?

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