Gears of War 2 special midnight launch events in NY, LA, London and Seattle

Microsoft is expecting some 20,000 stores worldwide to hold midnight openings for Gears of War 2 this Friday, Nov. 7. However, much like the Wrath of the Lich King, certain locations will also have special events going on.

London, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle will hold special events and contests where GoW 2 branded consoles, Zunes, comics, art books, posters and "more" will be given away. Microsoft is putting its effort behind the LA launch, which will have the game's voice cast, Clifford Bleszinski (aka: CliffyB, Cliff Söze, Cliff Organa Solo) and other MS notables in attendance. After the break we've listed all the special launch locations, with some more details about who will be attending.

London:

GAME at 64-66 Clarence Street, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 1NP

• Gears of War comic book artist Liam Sharp and Microsoft Game Studios staff.

Los Angeles:

GameStop at Universal City Walk, 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, Universal City, CA 91608

• Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson, autograph signings by Cliff Bleszinski, voice actors John DiMaggio (Marcus Fenix), Lester "Rasta" Speight (Augustus Cole) and Carlos Ferro (Dominic Santiago).

• "Delta Squad" – costumed characters from Nightmare Armor Studios will be there (bring your camera).

• Note that lineups will not begin before 11 a.m. PST.

New York:

Best Buy, 622 Broadway, New York, NY 10012

• Epic Games' senior producer Rod Fergusson and Epic Games team members will attend and autograph copies of the game.

Bellevue, Washington:

Best Buy, 457 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005

• Gears of War 2 co-writer Joshua Ortega and Microsoft Game Studios staff.