EmergenceDay
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When is the real Emergence Day?
I just received a disconcerting call from the GameStop automated system. They told me that, due to shipping problems, Gears of War may not be in today. After a quick call, my local shop confirms the bad news. When I dropped my hard earned $5 (okay, I had credit left over from a trade-in) on a Gears of War preorder, GameStop told me the game would be out on November 7th. What is confusing is why PR materials would list the 12th as the official Emergence Day for a game that GameStop told me to pick up in the store 5 days earlier. A Joystiq insider said that stores were told the street date to sell Gears was the 7th but -- due to distribution problems ranging from UPS to distribution centers -- many stores won't be getting them in as early as expected (Wal-Mart is scheduled to have them tomorrow). The clerk at my local store blamed it on a delay in Memphis. So, the street date on Gears of War was the 7th, but a confluence of circumstances conspire to leave many of us waiting. This situation, coupled with confusing marketing dates (the game doesn't actually emerge on Emergence Day) and an impressive hype campaign, has left many gamers anxious. Our recommendation: call ahead. Don't be surprised if Gears hasn't emerged at your store just yet.
Your GoW Emergence Day planner
Here's what Microsoft has scheduled for Gears of War fans on November 12, otherwise known as "Emergence Day": A 24-Hour Leader board Tournament. The tournament winner receives a one of a kind "Gears of War" branded guitar as well as an automatic bye to the finals of a Global "Gears of War" Tournament planned for 2007. Hourly sweepstakes drawings and prize giveaways including the chance to win one of several Samsung HT-P29 Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Systems An exclusive free "Gears of War" Gamer pic and theme only available on Emergence Day Game with Fame sessions with legendary heavy metal band and "Gears of War" fans Megadeth, the game's lead designer Cliff Bleszinski and other members of the Epic Games team Never before seen videos including a special Emergence Day transmission from Cliff Bleszinski An MTV "Gears of War: The Road to Launch" Sneak Preview Not a bad culmination to two years worth of hype. Do you plan on paying attention to this stuff, or will you be too busy actually playing the game?
Teaser site reveals new GOW tidbits
The revamped Gears of War site has officially launched, brothers and sisters. The site is one of those interactive doohickeys akin to the Alone in the Dark and Condemned websites. You "play" as Marcus still trapped in his cell. When the lights black out, you're left with 4 matches to light up your surroundings. Highlight a message scrawled onto the wall and you can watch flashbacks that reveal the game's story and more about Emergence Day and the Locust horde. Anyone looking forward to Gears of War should check it out.[Via Gamerscore Blog]
Gears of War should look great on your crap TV
Gamers will be pleased to learn that all missions in the upcoming Gears of War should be easily accomplished without the need for excessive squinting or unanswered pining for a better television set. According to an entry on the official Epic Games forums, the upcoming, Unreal-powered and unbelievably macho tale of man versus monster has been tested on "small, non-HD TVs, to make sure you can read the writing." Presumably, the legible on-screen text in Gears of War will not be conveyed by a lonely security guard who calls at the worst possible times. Though this news will allay the fears of those still confined to the realms of standard definition, developers shouldn't expect a pat on the head whenever they cater to a huge part of their audience. This just in: Gears of War will totally work on your Xbox 360. Thanks for going the extra mile, Epic![Via 1UP]See also: Dead Rising: patch chance lost! Mea culpa for 360's Kong In defense of Sony's HDMI.O.U.
G.O.W. on sale before Emergence Day
CliffyB had some interesting remarks for his brother, who just so happens to be a blogger for Gearheads of War. What did he say? I'm glad you asked. It breaks down like this. Emergence Day, as we all know, is November 12th. Sure, that's a pretty BIG deal, but there's more. The game will begin shipping on November 7th, and:"They'll be able to sell it the minute they get it so some of those stores will have the game well before the 12th."So there you have it, Emergence Day is not so BIG after all. If any of you manage to get it on November 7th, let us know and we'll write it up. Surely Bungie has something to do with this. (117, get it? No? Too nerdy?)[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Mike]
Emergence Day emerges as *gasp* Nov. 12
Ken and Richard are both serving community service today for two totally unrelated crimes ... one of which involved the oozinator. Since they're unable to post this aye-mediately, I borrowed this post from Joystiq and made the trek back to my old stomping grounds. So in case you haven't seen this yet (like, OMG, where have you been? It's only the biggest news, uh ... this morning) here you go: The reason viral gaming campaigns bug us is 'cause the hype never matches the delivery. Last Monday Epic's Mark Rein declared, with a theatrical wave of a rather ham-shaped hand, that there would in fact be a "BIG announcement coming next week." At the same time, in another corner of the gamerverse, XBL gamertags using the fictitious names of fictitious characters pleaded with eager (or disinterested) gamers, "We need your help. Can't talk now. Don't know who to trust. Will send more tomorrow." Codes were delivered, codes were broken, retail sites were apparently updated a little too early and now, on Thursday of the foretold "next week," we know the truth: Gears of War is coming out this fall ... specifically, November 12th! And gone is the Microsoft-published pricepoint of $49.99. This fall, $59.99 (with $69.99 special edition, natch) is the new $49.99. Yay?You see? It's just not that exciting. We already knew it was coming out this fall and educated guesses would have pegged November, just prior to the Nov. 17th PS3 launch, as a likely candidate. And announcing a higher than expected price isn't usually received very well (just ask Sony). Then again, maybe this isn't the BIG announcement. Maybe this is all part of a cleverly orchestrated plot by this guy to get our hopes up, dash them against the rocks like so many brains, and then, when we've hit bottom, throw a face melting Gears of War demo in our very melt-able, exceedingly cynical faces. Your move, Epic.
