Gamers who have perused the Web sites of game retailers looking for one of the most anticipated sci-fi shooters for the Xbox 360 may have seen that it's being listed for a November release. Before you hustle down to your latest store that takes preorders, know this: It isn't Halo 3.
The title in question is Epic Games' Gears of War. The third-person shooter has been drooled over for quite some time now, but its release date has only been known as the cryptic "Emergence Day 2006," not exactly the pinpoint timetable eager gamers were looking for.
EBGames.com and GameStop.com are now listing Gears of War's release as November 1, back from purely speculative predictions of July. It's important to note that no official release date has been announced by Microsoft, and retailer's release dates aren't exactly the be all and end all. When contacted by GameSpot News, a Microsoft rep could only say, "We have not announced a release date for Gears of War."
The game has been surprisingly playable and has made appearances at several events, including way back at 2005's E3 and most recently at this year's Game Developers Conference. However, Microsoft may be holding this game off until the all-important holiday season, when its chief rivals, Nintendo and Sony, are expected to release their next-generation consoles.
Also scheduled for release this holiday season is another of Epic Games' shooters--Unreal Tournament 2007 for the PC and PlayStation 3. Though the game is still only a possible PlayStation 3 launch title, it still means that Epic could see two of its heavyweights go head-to-head and play a vital role in the next-gen console wars--if both UT 2007 and Gears of War are released later this year.
For more on Gears of War, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
