Gears of War (series)

''Gears of War'' is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise is best known for its third-person shooter video games, which has been supplemented by spin-off video game titles, a DC comic book series, seven novels, a board game adaptation and various merchandise.

The original trilogy focuses on the conflict between humanity and the subterranean reptilian hominids known as the Locust Horde on the world of Sera. The first installment, ''Gears of War'', was released on November 7, 2006 for the Xbox 360. The game follows protagonist Marcus Fenix, a soldier in the Coalition of Ordered Governments tasked to lead a last-ditch effort to destroy the Locust Horde and save humanity. Two subsequent titles, '' Gears of War 2'' (2008) and ''Gears of War 3'' (2011), featured a three-way conflict between humanity, the Locust Horde and their mutated counterparts, the Lambent. '' Gears of War: Judgment'', a spin-off prequel to the series' first title, was released in 2013; it focuses on Damon Baird, one of Fenix's squad-mates. '' Gears of War: Ultimate Edition'' was released for the Xbox One and Microsoft Windows between August 2015 to March 2016. The fourth installment in the main series, '' Gears of War 4'', is set 25 years after ''Gears of War 3'' and follows Marcus Fenix's son, JD and his friends as they battle security forces deployed by a totalitarian COG government as well as the Swarm, a reconstituted version of the Locust Horde that once again threatens humanity. '' Gears 5'' (2019) is the direct sequel to ''Gears of War 4'' and revolves around Kait Diaz, a friend of JD, who embarks on a quest to learn the truth about her past and the connections between her heritage and the Locust Horde.

''Gears of War'' was developed by Epic Games. Cliff Bleszinski, who has previously worked on Epic's ''Unreal Tournament'' games, served as the series' lead game designer for the first three installments. He was inspired by gameplay elements from ''Resident Evil 4'', '' Kill Switch'', and ''Bionic Commando''. The series was guided by Rod Fergusson, the executive producer and director of development of Epic Games until 2012. The first four installments of the ''Gears of War'' series used a modified version of the Unreal Engine 3 engine. In January 2014, Microsoft acquired rights to the franchise from Epic Games. Canadian studio The Coalition developed ''Gears of War 4'', which was released on October 11, 2016 for the Xbox One and Windows 10. A sequel, ''Gears 5'', was released in September 2019. All six installments in ''Gears of War'' featured several multiplayer modes that allowed players to compete against each other or team-up to battle AI opponents on Xbox Live.

''Gears of War'' became one of the best-selling franchises for the Xbox 360. The series puts emphasis on cover-based combat, in which players can use objects to avoid gunfire or safely engage enemies. The ''Gears of War'' games have been amongst the most popular and most played titles on Xbox Live.

Plot

The ''Gears of War'' series takes place on Sera, a fictional Earth-like planet. Human civilization develops on Sera and endures a millennia-long conflict that leaves humanity on the brink of extinction. Sera's leaders broker an era of peace that ushers an era of scientific advancements and a cultural renaissance. Humanity's population sporadically grows and demands more energy provided by fossil and nuclear fuels. Sera's scientists discover imulsion, a naturally occurring substance that can be refined into a potent energy source. Imulsion solves Sera's energy crisis but ultimately creates great economic disparity. Nations with direct access to Imulsion prosper, while other nations fall into financial turmoil.

Sera's citizens balkanize into two warring factions: the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) and Union of Independent Republics (UIR). The ensuing 79-year strife, known as the Pendulum Wars, consumes millions of lives with both sides locked in a virtual stalemate. The UIR develops the 'Hammer of Dawn', a system of satellites capable of delivering precise and potent orbital-to-surface laser strikes. A contingent of COG commandos, led by Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, and Victor Hoffman launch a daring raid on a UIR stronghold and steal the schematics for the Hammer of Dawn. The UIR surrenders after witnessing the Hammer of Dawn devastate one of their naval vessels after being completed by Marcus Fenix's father, scientist Adam Fenix.

Six weeks after the COG and UIR agreed to an armistice, a race of creatures known as the Locust Horde emerge from Sera's depths and begin assaulting human cities, wiping out 25% of the world population in the first 26 hours. The Locust Horde overwhelms the already battleworn COG forces during this surprise attack, referred to as 'Emergence Day'. The COG retreats to cities located on the Jacinto Plateau, their last bastion where the Locust cannot dig through, and reluctantly bombard their own cities with the Hammer of Dawn to halt the Locust Horde's offensive. The ensuing scorched earth tactic destroys much of Sera's cities and human population. The COG continues to operate out of the capital city of Ephyra and cities on the plateau such as Jacinto, while the surviving humans, known as Stranded, are left to wander through Sera's charred ruins.

Five years after Emergence Day, the Locust reemerge and begin a campaign of occupying human cities located on the Jacinto Plateau to act as stepping stones in order to destroy Ephyra. The Locust are able to emerge and overrun the COG capital of Ephyra ten years after Emergence Day. During the chaos, Marcus Fenix leads an unauthorized mission to save his father, Adam, from the Locust assault. A helicopter is shot down by the Locust Horde and crash-lands into the Fenix estate, presumably killing Adam Fenix. The COG's leadership court martials Marcus and sentences him to life imprisonment. After losing Ephyra, the remainder of the COG retreats to Jacinto City, which resides on the edge of the plateau against an ocean.

''Gears of War'' is set fourteen years after the Locust emerged and attacked Sera's human population. The COG forces devise a last-ditch offensive to destroy the Locust Horde with the Lightmass Bomb, a weaponized form of Imulsion. Marcus Fenix, now a disgraced veteran, is reinstated into the COG army four years after imprisonment to supplement the COG's depleted ranks. Marcus joins his best friend, Dominic Santiago, on a mission to map the Locust Horde's tunnel network in preparation for the bombing. Their unit is ambushed by Locust Ground forces and sustain heavy casualties. Fenix and Santiago regroup with two other survivors, Augustus Cole and Damon Baird, and continue their mission. Marcus prevails in mapping and successfully deploying the Lightmass Bomb and crippling the Locust Horde. The Locust Queen Myrrah pledges to continue the war effort.

In the weeks following the Lightmass Bombing, the human population suffers from a condition known as Rustlung, a fatal disease caused by the inhalation of Imulsion fumes - due to the evaporation of Imulsion caused by the Lightmass Bomb. The Locust reemerge and bring with them a force allowing them to sink the cities on the Jacinto Plateau. Following the sinking of nearby cities Tollen and Montevado, and the desperate raid attacks on Jacinto City, the COG fears that the Locust might be trying to sink Jacinto as well.

In '' Gears of War 2'', the COG forces deploy thousands of soldiers into the depths of Sera to battle the Locust Horde and stop their plans to sink Jacinto. The COG discovers after the sinking of Ilima City that the Locust have been using a gargantuan worm to sink the cities on the Jacinto Plateau. After killing the Riftworm, Delta Squad is ordered to locate the Locust stronghold by accessing intel from a decommissioned COG laboratory called New Hope, which is full of genetically altered humans called Sires, which Marcus believes were experiments that led to the creation of the Locust Horde. Locating the Locust stronghold Nexus under Mount Kadar, the COG discovers during the battle that members of the Locust Horde are mutating from exposure from Imulsion into "Lambent". These abominations have been forcing the Locust to abandon their underground civilization to try to claim the surface world as their new home. Marcus devises a plan to intentionally sink Jacinto and using the surrounding sea water to flood the Locust and Lambent tunnel network. The COG evacuate Jacinto just as the city collapses and drowns a majority of the Locust Horde.

The remaining population of the COG rediscover an island base not attacked by the Locust Horde called Vectes, with a town known as Pelruan. The Stranded gangs on the island threaten the safety of the town, but the COG and Stranded cease when the Lambent begin to overrun the island and surrounding ocean. Due to the underground being flooded, the Imulsion from the Hollow was raised into the surface of Sera, causing a pandemic and turning all life into Lambent organisms. The leader of the COG, Chairman Richard Prescott, is believed to be holding secrets from the population. Prescott abandons the COG, forcing them to disband and live as nomads, surviving against the Lambent and Locust stragglers.

''Gears of War 3'' is set two years after the COG disbanded. Prescott returns to reveal that he kidnapped Marcus Fenix's father during the fall of Ephyra and transported him to a secret island facility known as Azura, and that Adam has created a device known as the Imulsion countermeasure that could neutralize both the Lambent and Locust. However, the island was attacked and is occupied by Queen Myrrah and the remaining Locust forces. Marcus and his allies reach Azura after Dominic sacrifices himself to rescue his friends from imminent demise. Adam is rescued and releases his anti-Imulsion weapon but reveals he infected himself with the Lambent contagion to develop the weapon. The Imulsion countermeasure vaporizes all Lambent, including Adam, and crystallizes the Locust. Marcus kills Myrrah and dedicates her demise to his fallen friends, family, and comrades.

'' Gears of War: Judgment'' focuses on Baird and Cole during the early months after Emergence Day. With military cadet Sofia Hendrick and Garron Paduk, a former UIR soldier, they comprise the Kilo Squad. Baird disobeys orders to use a Lightmass Missile to destroy Locust forces and save survivors at Halvo Bay. Despite also killing the powerful Locust leader Karn, the squad is court-martialed because they disobeyed orders. But because they saved Col. Ezra Loomis and killed Karn, they avoid execution or imprisonment, with Baird demoted from lieutenant to private. A separate campaign, "Aftermath", portrays Baird, Cole, and Paduk in the hours before the activation of the anti-Imulsion energy wave.

Following the end of the Locust War and Lambent Pandemic, the humans of Sera began to rebuild and started with reorganizing the Coalition of Ordered Governments. Led by First Minister Anya Stroud, wife of Marcus Fenix, the humans begin to rebuild civilization with the assistance of robotic engineers created by Damon Baird. The COG was successful in creating New Ephyra and other walled cities known as Settlements outside of New Ephyra. Following fertility treatment, Anya was able to bear Marcus Fenix's son, James Dominic "JD" Fenix. Anya died from birthing complications and the COG began a more authoritarian rule - prompting many civilians to abandon the COG and live off the land, known as Outsiders. JD was sent to boarding school and met his friend Delmont "Del" Walker. After joining the military, both JD and Del were forced to execute civilians during a protest in Settlement 2, prompting them to leave the COG and becoming Outsiders. They joined a village led by Reyna Diaz and her brother-in-law, Oscar. Reyna's daughter, Kait, became close with JD and Del.

'' Gears of War 4'' takes place 25 years after the original ''Gears of War'' trilogy. JD, accompanied by Kait and Del, conduct frequent raids on COG fortifications to acquire various supplies. The three successfully fend off a COG counterattack only to have their encampment devastated by a new foe, called the Swarm. Kait's mother, Reyna, is captured during the chaos. JD, Kait, and Del reach out to Marcus, a disgruntled COG expatriate, who reluctantly agrees to help them. The COG, led by First Minister Mina Jinn, pursue the group after erroneously believing they are behind a string of kidnappings. The four reach a Locust burial site, where they uncover evidence suggesting that Adam Fenix's countermeasure caused the Locust Horde to enter a cocooned metamorphosis state. Their fears are confirmed when various Locust Horde soldiers attack them in conjunction with the Swarm. The group receives assistance from Damon Baird along with Augustus Cole and Samantha Byrne. They battle their way to the Swarm's hive and defeat multiple Swarm and Locust monstrosities. However, they reach the hive to learn that Swarm's hive-mind has forcefully integrated with Reyna. Kait frees her mother, knowing she will die but will no longer suffer. Reyna gives Kait a parting gift that belonged to her mother – a necklace bearing the insignia of the Locust Queen, Myrrah.

Kait, JD, Del, and Marcus rejoin the COG and offer their intelligence to Jinn in order to help fight the Swarm. Kait begins to have nightmares and visions related to her mother, the Swarm, and the Locust - but refuses to tell the others about it. Marcus and Baird believe they will need the Hammer of Dawn back online to help defend against the upcoming war with the Swarm. Baird then uncovers additional Hammer of Dawn satellites at Azura.

In '' Gears 5'', JD, Kait, Del, and Marcus travel to Azura to launch the Hammer of Dawn satellites. Afterwards, they assist in the evacuation of Settlement 2 as the Swarm have begun their attack on COG Settlements. Four months later, Kait is captured by the Swarm and connects her to the Swarm hivemind, allowing her to control the Swarm to kill the humans, including her uncle. She is freed by Marcus and JD, but in her grief reveals that she has been having visions and nightmares and believes them to be messages by the Swarm, as evidenced by her amulet which bears the Locust symbol. Marcus has Kait and Del find answers at the New Hope facility. After discovering New Hope and an additional lab in Mount Kadar, Kait and Del learn that the Locust were the result of genetic experiments done to human children sick with Rustlung and splicing them with the DNA of creatures in the Hollow. The mutant children, known as Sires, were used to fertilize the stem cells of Myrrah, who was born with a genetic immunity to Imulsion. Kait discovers that Myrrah was Reyna's mother, making Kait the next in line for Queen of the Swarm. She manages to disconnect herself from the Swarm hivemind, but in doing so allowed Reyna to be awoken and become queen of the Swarm. The Swarm becomes stronger and more intelligent now that they have a queen and launch an attack against New Ephyra. Using the Hammer of Dawn, the COG is able to repel the Swarm attack, and Kait vows to kill Queen Reyna before she can attack again.

Gameplay

''Gears of War'' is a third-person shooter game, with its core concepts being derived from ''Resident Evil 4''s "over the shoulder" perspective, '' Kill Switch''s cover system, and ''Bionic Commando''s swinging action akin to moving between points of cover. The series focuses on using cover to tactically engage the enemy in battle to avoid taking damage. While behind cover, the player can fire blindly and inaccurately at their opponent, or can look around the cover and aim carefully, though exposing to enemy fire; the player can slide along cover, move between nearby cover, or vault over cover to race to a new point of cover. As the player takes damage, the "Crimson Omen" appears on the HUD, becoming more defined as the player nears low health levels. The player can regenerate their health by staying out of harm's way for a short while. Should the player take too much damage, they will become incapacitated unless revived by a teammate; depending on game mode, the player may be able to recover from this state on their own, or may die after a short amount of time if not revived. When a combatant is down, a member of the other side may attempt to execute the downed player via a "curb stomp" or other brutal methods. Some types of damage will immediately kill the player with no chance of revival, such as explosive damage. There are five levels on the first two games; they are referred to as "acts" and each act is formed into a certain number of chapters.

Players in ''Gears of War'' can carry four different weapons, with the exception of the fourth game, allowing two primary weapon slots that can carry weapons which include, but are not limited to: assault rifles, shotguns, a sniper rifle, grenade launchers and an explosive bow; one grenade slot, which may be filled with up to four grenades of a specific type (Fragmentation, Smoke, Ink and Incendiary), and one pistol-type weapon. Players can either obtain ammo or swap out their current weapons with any weapon dropped by a downed foe or from those scattered around the various maps. Most weapons feature the "Active Reload" ability: either after a weapon has depleted an ammo magazine or when the player starts a manual reload, a meter is shown on screen, and the player can attempt to stop the meter in a certain marked area. If the player stops the meter in the marked area, their reload will be completed faster than if they did not attempt an Active Reload, and if the player can stop the meter at a specific section of the marked area, they will gain a temporary slight damage boost with each reloaded shot and a faster reload. If the player stops the meter outside this area, their gun will become temporarily jammed and slow down the reload time. While most of the weapons are based on standard shooter archetypes, ''Gears of War''s signature weapon is the Lancer Assault Rifle, which has a mounted chainsaw bayonet that can be used in close quarter combat to instantly kill a standard foe. Another notable weapon is the Gnasher Shotgun, which is one of the most-used weapons in multiplayer modes for the series, as well as its most divisive. The Gnasher Shotgun, like many other weapons, can be used to bash opponents in melee, or in the case of grenades, can be stuck to a foe, exploding a few seconds later. In ''Gears of War 2'' and ''Gears of War 3'', all four types of grenades can be planted on any reachable surface, detonating when an opponent comes close to it. If the opponent spots the grenade, they can detonate it from a safe distance by shooting it.

All ''Gears of War'' games feature a campaign mode that can be played cooperatively with one other player. The two players take the roles of two COG soldiers, Marcus Fenix and Dominic "Dom" Santiago, as they fight the Locust. In the third game the campaign allows for up to four players to play together at the same time. The campaign mode features several levels of difficulty. At various times, the campaign will offer a choice of paths the first player can select; if the second player is present, they will be forced to take the other path. The third and fourth players in ''Gears of War 3'' will be separated between the paths of the first and second players. In these areas, all players generally have to work together to get them through the section, such as by one player providing covering fire while the second player opens a switch that allows the first player to proceed.

The competitive multiplayer mode in ''Gears of War'' features 8 players while in ''Gears of War 2'' features up to ten players split between COG and Locust forces in a number of gameplay types. Modes include "Warzone" and "Execution", both similar to a typical deathmatch, and "Annex" and "King of the Hill" where teams have to control a marked zone on the map. In the mode "Guardian" (only in ''Gears of War 2'') one member of each team is designated as the leader. As long as the leader is still alive, their teammates can respawn indefinitely. As soon as the leader is executed, their teammates can no longer respawn.

''Gears of War 3'' features better AI. As in past games, the AI went around the obstacle even if it had been destroyed. However, in ''Gears of War 3'' the AI will recognize that the obstacle has been destroyed and are free to walk on it.

Games

''Main series''

''Gears of War''

''Gears of War'' is a third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Studios. It was initially released for the Xbox 360 on November 7, 2006 in North America, and on November 17 in Europe. It was released for Microsoft Windows on June 11, 2007. ''Gears of War'' follows Delta Squad's efforts to help deploy a Lightmass bomb deep in the Locust tunnels to wipe out the Locust threat.

A remastered edition of the game titled '' Gears of War: Ultimate Edition'' was developed and released for the Xbox One and Microsoft Windows by The Coalition, after Microsoft acquired the rights to the ''Gears of War'' franchise from Epic Games in 2014.

''Gears of War 2''

''Gears of War 2'' is a third-person shooter video game published by Microsoft Studios. It is the sequel to ''Gears of War'' and was released worldwide November 7, 2008. The game uses a heavily upgraded version of the Unreal Engine 3. ''Gears of War 2'' takes place 6 months after the first game, where the Locust are attempting to sink Jacinto Plateau, and the COG forces have decided to launch a counter-offensive to stop them before they can complete their attempt. Ultimately the COG sinks Jacinto themselves to flood the home of the Locust (the Hollow) and drown them.

A PC version of the game was cancelled by the developers, citing poor sales of the original PC version of ''Gears of War'' as well as concerns over piracy.

''Gears of War 3''

''Gears of War 3'' is the concluding part to the trilogy. Originally with an April 6, 2011 release date, it was moved to September 20 to anchor Microsoft Studios' holiday portfolio for the Xbox 360.

''Gears of War 3'' takes place 18 months after the end of ''Gears of War 2''. Marcus, Dom, and the last remnants of humanity must band together to survive against the Locust and Lambent, while trying to find Marcus's father and end the war. In the end, a weapon developed by Marcus' father Adam Fenix is detonated, wiping out the Locust and the Lambent, as well as ending the war.

''RAAM's Shadow''

''RAAM's Shadow'' is a secondary campaign for ''Gears of War 3'' introduced as a DLC. Taking place several years before the original ''Gears of War'' game, ''RAAM's Shadow'' follows Zeta-Six during the Evacuation of Ilima, a city that appeared in ruins in '' Gears of War 2'' as well as taking place from the perspective of Locust General RAAM. Zeta-Six is made up of Lieutenant Minh Young Kim from ''Gears of War'', Tai Kaliso from ''Gears of War 2'', Michael Barrick from the comic book series and Alicia Valera. Supporting character Jace Stratton previously appeared as a member of Delta Squad in ''Gears of War 3''.

''Gears of War 4''

''Gears of War 4'' is an Xbox One and Windows 10 game developed by The Coalition and released on October 11, 2016.

The game's plot is set 25 years after ''Gears of War 3'' and focuses on JD Fenix, the son of Marcus Fenix, who joins his father and two new characters: Delmont "Del" Walker and Kait Diaz against the "Swarm", a new threat risen from the remnants of the Locust.

''Gears 5''

''Gears 5'' is a sequel to ''Gears of War 4''. It was released for Windows and Xbox One on September 10, 2019.
The game focusing on Kait Diaz, as she looks for the means to counter the Swarm, learning about the true origin of the Locust and their connection with her family.

''Hivebusters''

''Hivebusters'' is a single-player downloadable content expansion pack for '' Gears 5''. Taking place before the events of the ''Gears of War: Hivebusters'' comic book series, ''Hivebusters'' follows Team Scorpio — Corporal Jeremiah Keegan, Lieutenant Lahni Kaliso and Outsider Leslie "Mac" Macallister — as they investigate a method to infiltrate and destroy the Swarm's hives from within as seen in the "Escape" multiplayer mode of ''Gears 5''.

Spin-offs

''Gears of War: Judgment''

''Gears of War: Judgment'' is a spin-off/prequel, released on March 19, 2013. The characters include Baird, accompanied by Augustus "Cole Train" Cole and two new characters, Garron Paduk and Sofia Hendrik, who make up Kilo Squad. Kilo Squad is put on trial by another new character, Ezra Loomis.

''Gears Pop!''

''Gears Pop!'' is a spin-off for mobile devices based on Funko's POP! toyline and released on August 22, 2019.

''Gears Tactics''

''Gears Tactics'' is a turn-based strategy spin-off for Xbox One and Windows, developed by Splash Damage and released on April 28, 2020. Set before the events of the first game, it follows a military unit led by Sgt. Gabriel Diaz, who would later become Kait's father.

Other games

Characters from the ''Gears of War'' series have made guest appearances in games outside of the ''Gears of War'' franchise. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago are playable in the Xbox 360 version of ''Lost Planet 2''. General RAAM was announced as a playable character in '' Killer Instinct: Season Three'' during Microsoft's E3 2016 press conference on June 13, 2016, and was released following the presentation's conclusion.

Backwards compatibility

Microsoft revealed on August 3, 2015 that the four ''Gears of War'' titles that launched on Xbox 360 — ''Gears of War'', ''Gears of War 2'', ''Gears of War 3'', and ''Gears of War: Judgment'' — are compatible on Xbox One through the backwards compatibility program.

Music

The video game music for ''Gears of War'' was composed by Kevin Riepl, who had previously worked with Epic Games on soundtracks for '' Unreal Tournament 2003'', ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' and '' Unreal Championship 2''. The music for '' Gears of War 2'' and ''Gears of War 3'' was composed by Steve Jablonsky. The music for '' Gears of War 4'' is composed by Ramin Djawadi. Ramin Djawadi continued to compose the music for the next title in the series, '' Gears 5''.

Adaptations

''The Board Game''

''Gears of War: The Board Game'' was released in 2011 by Fantasy Flight Games. Designed by Corey Konieczka, it is a cooperative game for up to four players, including the option for solo play. Each player takes control of a COG (represented by a miniature figure pre-painted in red), fighting their way through randomly generated maps filled with Locust soldiers (represented by a miniature figure pre-painted in light gray). These are controlled by an AI deck of cards: after each player finishes their turn, they draw a card from the AI deck and takes actions for each Locust creature. Players play cards and roll dice to take actions as well as to resolve shooting and defense. The game proceeds until the player team successfully completes the mission. There are seven different missions, each featuring different objectives and enemies in randomly generated map layouts. Since its launch, the game has received one expansion, ''Mission Pack 1'', which brought more weapons, two new missions and new enemies, including General RAAM.

Books

A series of novels based on the ''Gears of War'' series were written by Karen Traviss. The books expand on the games and detail events which occur in between installments. ''Gears of War: Aspho Fields'' was the first in an expected trilogy, although the total numbers of books has since grown to seven. Once the video game franchise was extended, author Jason M. Hough was promoted as the author for more tie-in novels set in the world.

* ''Gears of War: Aspho Fields'' (2008), by Karen Traviss, tells the story of Aspho Fields, a battle that changed the course of the Pendulum Wars, while bridging the gap between the first and second game in the present day. It also fills in some history of the relationship between Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, as well as Dom's brother, Carlos.
* ''Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant'' (2009), by Karen Traviss, continues where ''Gears of War 2'' ends, as the survivors of Jacinto search for a new life while fending off attacks from the last of the Locust. With the Horde all but defeated, humanity may yet again become its own worst enemy. It also details the events one year after E-Day, when the new chairman authorized the use of the Hammer of Dawn.
* ''Gears of War: Anvil Gate'' (2010), by Karin Traviss, takes place between the second and the third game. With the Locust apparently defeated, humans have once more succumbed to infighting. But when the Lambent—the monsters that even the Horde feared—appear, the humans must remember the tactics of an old battle if they hope to survive this war.
* ''Gears of War: Coalition's End'' (2011), by Karin Traviss, finds a humanity on the brink of extinction, pushed back to the remote island of Vectes. There both Gears and refugees have banded together to survive a threat even greater than the Locust—the Lambent. It takes place approximately eighteen months after the events of ''Gears of War 2'' and leads directly into the events of ''Gears of War 3''.
* ''Gears of War: The Slab'' (2012), by Karin Traviss, details the events of Marcus's imprisonment in the Slab, following his desertion in the middle of battle to attempt to save his father's life. The novel focuses on the backstories of Marcus and Adam Fenix, and also Victor Hoffman and takes place prior to the events of Gears of War.
* ''Gears of War: Ascendance'' (2019), by Jason M. Hough, bridges the gap between '' Gears of War 4'' and '' Gears 5''.
* ''Gears of War: Bloodlines'' (2020), by Jason M. Hough, takes place within the four month time skip in ''Gears 5''. It also features a flashback storyline featuring Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Diaz, Kait Diaz's father, during the Pendulum Wars. The book's ending also hints at the events of ''Gears Tactics'' with Gabriel's demotion to Sergeant and motor pool and a mention by Colonel Victor Hoffman of Ukkon, the primary antagonist of ''Gears Tactics''.
* ''Gears of War: Ephyra Rising'' (2021), by Michael A. Stackpole , The Locust War has ended with an energy weapon that pulsed across the land, destroying Locust and Lambent alike. The world is in shambles and the few survivors are isolated from one another. Humanity must begin anew. This novel reveals the canonical, never-before-seen events set in the time immediately following the game ''Gears of War 3.''

Comic-book series

" Gears of War: Hollow" was the first comic book series based on the ''Gears of War'' games, released in December 2008. The series was published under DC's Wildstorm imprint and was written by Joshua Ortega, with art by Liam Sharp. The story arc followed Jace Stratton, a young recruit of Delta Squad who made an appearance in ''Gears of War 3'' and Michael Barrick, a solo Gear found by Delta. The arc was 6 issues long and ended in May 2009. Two stand-alone comic book series were released. Issue 7, "The Quickening", followed the life of Tai Kaliso from his home in the South Islands to the torture den of the Locust Horde. This was released on June 9, 2009.

The second stand-alone was " Harper's Story". In ''Gears of War 2'' there are collectibles which describe the end of Sgt. Jonathan Harper, a Gears veteran. He was captured by the Locust during the events of the Hollow. He managed to survive the vile deeds of the Locust Horde and escape. He helped a family reach safety, taking the bullets into his own body before falling to the ground.

Issue number 9 begins a new arc, "Barren", of which the first part was released in September 2009. The "other side" of the life of humans faced by total annihilation are shown. Birthing creches, or breeding farms, filled with women who are there to just to give birth. With humanity dying out and no people to replace fallen Gears, new humans are needed. The story focuses on an escapee from one of these centers named Alex Brand. Declared to be barren at the age of 18, Brand was kicked from the breeding farm she was born in, sent to Boot Camp and trained to be a Gear. She accompanies Delta and Sigma Squads as they investigate a mysterious beacon call from the place at which she was born, which was thought to have been destroyed by Locust.

''Gears of War: The Rise of RAAM''

''Gears of War: The Rise of RAAM'' is a comic book series acting as a prequel to the ''Gears of War'' series and taking place from the point of view of iconic ''Gears of War'' villain General RAAM. The supporting characters included Locust Queen Myrrah, Skorge from '' Gears of War 2'' and Karn from '' Gears of War: Judgment'' while the comics introduced Locust High General Sraak, High Priest Vrol and the Locust scientist Ukkon who would subsequently appear as the main antagonist of ''Gears Tactics''.

Taking place years before Emergence Day, the Locust are in a losing war with Lambent in their home which was the Hollow. RAAM who was a Lieutenant in the Locust army urges the Horde's leadership to invade the surface, exterminate humanity and claim the surface world for themselves. Despite RAAM having Skorge's backing, High General Sraak refuses to hear them out even with evidence that the war with the Lambent is lost. Sraak subsequently attempts to assassinate RAAM with the help of Ukkon using a Corpser, but he fails. As he was unaware that the Locust council is listening in, RAAM decides to include High Priest Vrol and Karn in his plot to convince Queen Myrrah to invade the surface. RAAM manages to get Karn to help by playing on his doubts and they purposefully allowed the Lambent to reach the Inner Hollow where they attacked the Locust temple. RAAM swoops in within time to save the temple, convincing Vrol to help him.

With the backing of Skorge, Vrol and Karn, RAAM presents his case to the council, shocking Myrrah that his reports are so different from Sraak's. RAAM presents his plan to win the war by invading the surface, taking it over and flooding the Hollow with seawater in order to wipe the Lambent out once they are gone. Myrrah agrees and she promotes RAAM to her new High General while demoting the humiliated Sraak to RAAM's old rank of Lieutenant. Myrrah privately revealed her alliance with Adam Fenix to find a solution to the Lambent and how Adam failed to deliver forcing her to invade the surface. Myrrah has also been aware about RAAM's coup from the beginning and while she agreed with his plan, she was waiting for RAAM to act. She also threatens RAAM's life should he ever attempt to dethrone her. RAAM promotes Karn and he instructs him to lead the destruction of the country of Gorasnaya. Ukkon also agrees to help RAAM in exchange for human prisoners to use as his test subjects.

On Emergence Day, RAAM personally leads the attack on the human city of Jannermount. Skorge warns RAAM that according to his visions, RAAM will not survive the war. However, RAAM is unbothered by the news as he intends Skorge to take over if he should fall. A crazed Sraak attacks the two, intending to kill RAAM and Skorge and regain his power. However, RAAM anticipated Sraak's actions and he has two Theron Guards shoot Sraak, destroying the chest piece of his formidable armor. RAAM executes Sraak by ripping his heart out and he continues leading humanity's extermination.

''Gears of War: Hivebusters''

''Gears of War: Hivebusters'' is a comic book series that came out in 2019. The comic focuses on Team Scorpio—Corporal Jeremiah Keegan, Lieutenant Lahni Kaliso and Outsider Leslie "Mac" Macallister—as they work with Colonel Victor Hoffman, Doctor Hana Cole and King Raven pilot Tak to destroy Swarm Hives across Sera. The '' Gears 5'' DLC '' Hivebusters'' released in December 2020 acts as a direct prequel to the comic book series.

Having been captured and taken into the heart of the Swarm Hive on the South Island of Pahanu, Scorpio is awakened in their pods by the adrenaline injectors that Hana created for them, although Mac becomes trapped in a nightmare of the loss of his family that the rest of Scorpio experiences through the Swarm Hivemind. Scorpio is able to plant their new Venom Bombs, but accidentally awaken the Hive in the process and have to fight off thousands of overwhelming Swarm forces as the deadly gas spreads. Tak is able to extract Scorpio as the Pahanu Hive is destroyed and Hana expresses a belief that destroying a Swarm Hive will kill all of the Swarm connected to it, taking out the remaining Swarm on the surface that they did not get. Hoffman rewards Lahni with a pardon for the crime that had sent her to prison and an official reinstatement into the COG and sets up a meeting for Keegan with his old commanding officer who survived the Locust War. Hoffman offers Mac a new mission now that they know that the Hivebuster plan works: destroy the Swarm Hive in the Outsider village of Bravelle, Mac's former home. Although Hoffman offers to find replacements, both Lahni and Keegan volunteer for the mission.

Scorpio is flown to the village of Croya due to Bravelle's inaccessibility by air where they witness the aftermath of the Swarm's decimation of the town. Mac finds and repairs his old delivery truck for transport while reliving his past as an award-winning delivery driver for both Croya and Bravelle before the Swarm attacked and killed everyone, including his young son Dillon. The Swarm attacks Scorpio, but they manage to escape in the delivery truck. However, an attack by a Swarm Flock wrecks the truck and forces Scorpio to continue the journey on foot, encountering the remains of the convoy where Mac's ex-wife and father lost their lives during a Swarm ambush that Mac barely escaped alive from.

Reaching Bravelle, Mac leads Scorpio to the old COG bunker containing the Hive where Scorpio allows themselves to be captured by Snatchers. In his pod, Mac experiences a dream of telling a bedtime story to Dillon before awakening. Scorpio is able to plant their Venom Bombs and fight their way out, but encounter and fight a Warden on the surface and all suffer injuries. Mac eventually manages to kill the Warden by ramming it with a truck and then stabbing it through the eye and Scorpio escapes the bunker as the Hive is destroyed.

Recovering Mac's old car, Scorpio drives back to Croya, but discovers that destroying a Swarm Hive does not kill all of the Swarm connected to it when they spot Swarm survivors off in the distance. Scorpio is attacked by the Flock again, but manage to kill it and are extracted by Tak. Mac decides to dedicate himself to continuing the mission of destroying Swarm Hives as it allows him to see Dillon again while he is podded and Lahni and Keegan agree to join him.

Film

In March 2007, New Line Cinema had purchased the rights to make a ''Gears of War'' film, with Stuart Beattie writing the script along with Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, who would be producing it. Producer Wyck Godfrey said of the film adaptation: "I'm not a gamer, but what blew me away about ''Gears'' was how it captures the mythology of a war mission and how high the stakes are." Len Wiseman was reported to direct the movie adaptation of ''Gears of War'' in August, but Godfrey stated that they have "a director we're about to attach" in order to film the movie during 2009 and release in 2010. Cliff Bleszinski, the lead designer of the ''Gears of War'' video games, would serve as executive producer and consultant.

Wiseman signed on in June 2008, with Chris Morgan performing script rewrites. Morgan hinted on G4's televised coverage of Comic Con 2008 that the film would be a prequel to the first game, "it could explain how Marcus Fenix got his scar". According to Morgan, Wiseman "wants to make it as realistic as possible, and to blur those lines where your mind says, 'Oh, it's a big CGI film.. Wyck Godfrey said in December 2009 that the intention of the ''Gears of War'' film was "to tell the epic story of an alien planet that's living in a horrific environment just feels like the wrong mood right now". In April 2010, New Line considerably scaled back the $100 million budget and story, stalling progress while they waited for a rewrite. Len Wiseman was no longer involved as he shifted his focus to other projects.

In April 2013, ''Variety'' reported that "Creative Artists Agency is eager to meet with producers in the coming weeks and set up the project elsewhere" and that Stuart Beattie would write the film. Scott Stuber is named to produce the film.

At the launch ceremony for ''Gears of War 4'' in October 2016, The Coalition's Rod Fergusson affirmed that a ''Gears of War'' movie entered development for a theatrical release at Universal Pictures. Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark would produce the film under Universal's Bluegrass Films division, but no director or writer has been selected at this point. Fergusson also stated that where the film takes place relative to the games has been determined. Universal hired Shane Salerno to write the screenplay with Fergusson in May 2017, saying that "the movie won't be based on one of the games but a new story set in the universe." F. Scott Frazier was reported to write the film's script the following year. The film adaptation will not be set in the same universe as the video games. In November 2022, the film entered development for streaming on Netflix, who will collaborate with The Coalition on the film.

Animated series

On November 7, 2022, an adult animated series based on the franchise was announced to be in the works at Netflix following the announcement of the film.

Merchandise

In July 2007, NECA announced they would be producing ''Gears of War'' merchandise, including action figures. The first series, available in the second quarter of 2008, included Augustus Cole, Anthony Carmine, Baird, a Locust Drone, a Locust Sniper, Dom Santiago and Marcus Fenix. TriForce Sales has obtained a license from Epic Games to create full-scale replicas of the armor and weapons from the game, with assistance of sculptor Sid Garrand of Nightmare Armor Studios. The units were available for advanced order in July 2008. Mindzeye Studios has created foot high statues of ''Gears of War'' characters.

Reception

All of the ''Gears of War'' titles have been received positively, and the original trilogy is critically acclaimed. IGN rated ''Gears of War 3'' the 22nd best Xbox 360 game, out of a list of 25. In 2010, Lasse Pulkkinen from Techno Buffalo called ''Gears of War 2'' the best looking game on the Xbox 360. In 2011, readers of '' Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition'' voted Augustus Cole as the 46th-top video game character of all time.

Sales

According to Microsoft, the ''Gears of War'' series has sold over 22 million units and earned over US$1 billion in revenue as of January 2014.

Legal issues

In January 2017, former American football player Lenwood Hamilton sued Epic Games, Microsoft, and voice actor Lester Speight, stating that the character of Cole Train in the series steals from his own likeness and voice. The lawsuit contends that elements of Cole's character, including being of African-American descent, having played in professional sports, and elements of the character's clothing were all elements representative of Hamilton, and voice analysis shows that Speight's delivery of Cole's lines matches too close with Hamilton's line. Hamilton had stated that Speight had approached him around 1998 about a video game, though Hamilton had turned it down due to the violence that would be in the game. Lenwood was ultimately unsuccessful in his bid: "The district court granted defendants' motion for summary judgment on First Amendment grounds, holding that defendants' First Amendment right to free expression in creating the Cole character that allegedly resembled plaintiff outweighed plaintiff's right of publicity". The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld the district court's decision, though Hamilton has petitioned to the U.S. Supreme Court for review. The Supreme Court denied to review the case in June 2021, leaving in place the summary judgment for Epic and Microsoft.

Legacy

Former Naughty Dog developer Lucas Pope has stated that the ''Uncharted'' franchise drew inspiration from ''Gears of War'', with the first game in the series being delayed after the first ''Gears of War'' game released in order for certain core gameplay and technical elements to more resemble that of the latter.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gears Of War (Series)

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