Gears of War is a series of third-person shooter video games developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The three games that are currently released focus on a war between humans and humanoids called Locust. This war takes place on the fictional planet, Sera. The main protagonist of the series is Marcus Fenix, a soldier who was sentenced 40 years in prison for not saving his father. He was later released with the help of squad-mate and friend, Dom Santiago. The COG (Coalition of Ordered Goverments) are the main army fighting the Locust.
Each game of the franchise has been open to critical acclaim, and the franchise has grossed over $1 billion dollars.
A fourth game was announced on May 31, 2012. The title of the new game has been revealed to be Gears of War: Judgment. It is scheduled for release on March 19, 2013.
Gears of War
The first game of the series was released on November 7, 2006 in North America, and November 17 in Europe for the Xbox 360. It was later released for the PC on June 11, 2007. The plot follows Delta Squad's attempt to deploy a Lightmass bomb deep in the Locust's tunnels to wipe them out. The game received universal acclaim, and has won many awards, including IGN's "Xbox 360 Game of the Year", as well as GameSpot's "Game of the Year" award.
Gears of War 2
The sequel to Gears of War, Gears of War 2 was released worldwide on November 7, 2008, exclusively for Xbox 360. It takes place when the Locust have started attempting to sink Jacinto Plateau, and the COG have decided to launch a counter-offensive to end the Locust threat before they can accomplish their task. The second game of the series was released to critical acclaim. Although critics praised the game's deeper plot compared to the original, the multiplayer experience was said to not resemble the previous game. The game won "Best Shooter" and "Best Xbox 360 Game" at the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards.
Gears of War 3
The third game of the series was released on September 20, 2011. The concluding part to the original trilogy takes place 18 months after the previous installment. The last remnants of humanity must band together to survive against the Locust and Lambent. Marcus attempts to find his father and end the war as well. The game was open to universal acclaim, and is widely considered the best of the franchise. IGN called it a "spectacular conclusion to one of the most memorable and celebrated sagas in video games." It sold over 3 million copies within the first week of its release. The game won IGN's "Best Action and Shooter Game" and G4's "Best Xbox 360 Game and Shooter" for 2011.
Gears of War: Judgment
The newest installment to the franchise is scheduled for released on March 19, 2013 for Xbox 360. It will take place before the first three games, early in the Locust War. The members of Kilo Squad have been accused of treason after they stole experimental technology from the COG during a battle in Halvo Bay. Damon Baird and Augustus Cole will apear in the campaign, while Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, Anya Stroud, Samantha Byrne, and Dizzy Wallin will appear exclusively in Multiplayer.