Emergence Day is Here!

[ReaverX]

Today marks the official release date for Epic's Gears Of War for the 360. To commemorate the launch of the game, Microsoft will be hosting a series of events and more online. Here are the details from the press release (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/g/gearsofwar/20061106-emergenceday.htm).

Xbox Live® celebrates Emergence Day with 24 hours of special events beginning at 12:01 A.M. on Sunday, November 12 on Xbox Live. Gold members in North America can join online tournaments, download exclusive videos, win cool prizes, and participate in variety of other activities:

* Leaderboard tournament: The 24-hour leaderboard 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: Prize giveaways mean you could win one of several Samsung HT-P29 Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Systems.
* Gamer pic and theme: Score the exclusive free Gears of War gamer pic and theme, only available on Emergence Day.
* Game with Fame: Play 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.
* New videos: Check out the never-before-seen videos including a special Emergence Day transmission from Cliff Bleszinski.
* MTV Special: Watch the MTV "Gears of War: The Road to Launch" sneak preview.

I'd also like to wish the 22 folks on this list (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&day=2006-11-12&c=1) (myself included), a happy "Emergence Day" as well!

[GunnyMo]

Heh, that's pretty cool to have a birthday today. Happy Birthgence Day! :D

[Gnomesbane]

Well, I guess I did emerge on this day...

[noxa]

My brother and I are still running through co-op on hardcore - if we were better, we may be tempted to try out for the prizes :)

[ezzkmo]

I'm downloading the goodies now. Then I'm gonna go blast through more of the game this afternoon. Good stuff.

[Rook34]

Yeah, I die ALL the time in this game. If there were an achievement for being a loser (and a sore one at that), it would be me. If there wee an achiement for being unable to kill anyone for the past 20 matches, it would be me. I'd also easily get the achievement for 'dying first the most in every round' if there was one.

I'm still going to try for prizes though. You never know, I might emerge from my shell of suck and be a... nyeh, this isn't even worth finishing - I stand no chance. :)

[vash]

this is fun and all ^^ but i hope there is an emergence day for europe too since the game is released here only at the end of the week

[ExTester]

Insane difficulty is also really good. Personally its my favorite. Casual lets you fly through the game, and hardcore is no so much in the middle on difficulty. But If you get a chance to play Insane difficulty. Its worth it, especially when you fully understand how to play the game.

[GodFather]

the multiplayer is a pain in the ass to actually connect and start a game, everytime I try to start a game I get the lost connection message.

[Ultima Thulian]

For some reason, my local WalMart got several copies of the game early. I hopped on that like a hobo on a ham sandwich. I've been playing it for a good 3-4 days now. Damned good stuff.

[Talanvor]

Dammit! Mine is still in the mail. And I really could go for blasting things to pieces right now, too. Meh!

[noxa]

Yeah I was able to get it the day it was released at Wal-Mart - woo! Hasn't helped me in multiplayer though - I just spent some time doing some quick matches and got hardcore pwnt; a similar situation to Rook34 it seems :) I did notice some lost connection things while trying to find a game, but I imagine that's because everyone who has the game is trying to join right now and hopefully it will get worked out. The action really gets my heart going, even if I do always die!

[ExTester]

the multiplayer is a pain in the ass to actually connect and start a game, everytime I try to start a game I get the lost connection message.

Yea I have gotten that too, but I figured that the games are starting so quickly that thats whats causing that. I will say all the games I have played via multiplayer have been lag free. And have had no problems in the games I did play.

[BalekFekete]

So far loving the game beyond words. Actually has the feel of putting you inside a good 'ol Sci Fi movie - and given that was the intent - they nailed it. Played a little bit of multiplayer this morning, and nothing beats stickin' a frag grenade to someone and watching them gib right in front of you (well, the second time...first I didn't think to get the hell out of Dodge after applying the sticky bomb! ;) )

[geckokidd]

Been having a great time on the multiplayer. It's great when the final death goes down, all mic's are activated, and everyone shouts at once.

[Adam Blue]

Guess what. My 360 is getting repaired/replace. MS should hook me up with something since I had to pay for shipping...and miss out on this.

[feeble]

oh wtf?

this game isnt going to be released till the 23rd where i am.

hopefully i get the same deal when its released over here in australia

[KingGorilla]

Am I the only one who thinks Emergence Day is a really gay name? I mean literally, it sounds like what happens when you come out of the closet.

[Chimpbot]

Am I the only one who thinks Emergence Day is a really gay name? I mean literally, it sounds like what happens when you come out of the closet.

I think that, within the context of the game, it's a perfectly fine name.

It is, after all, the name of the day when the Locust emerged from their underground tunnels and whomped shit left and right.
It's simple and to-the-point...besides, what else would you call it? Humans-Got-Their-Asses-Kicked Day? We Lose Day? Big-Hole-in-the-Ground Day?

Emergence Day works just fine.

[J Arcane]

Well, friend of mine is moving, so he left his 360 with us, along with his brand new copy of GOW.

It was the only game so far for the 360 I was really looking forward to, because I loved the previous Epic games I've played, and pretty much expected the best.

I was rather disappointed. The art style leaves a hell of a lot to be desired, the graphics aren't really all that impressive for a game that's been in dev for like two years, the controls were awkward and sloppy, the gameplay mechanics were similar, with an added dose of repetitive. The story is awkwardly presented, the dialogue disjointed.

I expected a lot more polish from the developer that gave us Unreal Tournament 2004. I've yet to try the multiplayer, as I don't have Live, or even a net connection for it, so maybe they at least managed sometihng decent there, as it is Epic's strongest point, but the single player was a massive let down.

[Shifter]

Gears of War makes my 360 freeze... snif :(

[Cubfan]

Well, friend of mine is moving, so he left his 360 with us, along with his brand new copy of GOW.

It was the only game so far for the 360 I was really looking forward to, because I loved the previous Epic games I've played, and pretty much expected the best.

I was rather disappointed. The art style leaves a hell of a lot to be desired, the graphics aren't really all that impressive for a game that's been in dev for like two years, the controls were awkward and sloppy, the gameplay mechanics were similar, with an added dose of repetitive. The story is awkwardly presented, the dialogue disjointed.

I expected a lot more polish from the developer that gave us Unreal Tournament 2004. I've yet to try the multiplayer, as I don't have Live, or even a net connection for it, so maybe they at least managed sometihng decent there, as it is Epic's strongest point, but the single player was a massive let down.

My experience has been almost exactly the opposite. I was a total skeptic to the GoW hype, I thought it looked completely generic, and would be a run-of-the-mill, solid but repetitive shooter. I've played through 3/5 of the game, and am completely sucked in thus far. The single-player thus far has been much more compelling than halo1 or halo2, with much better pacing, IMO. Just when I tire of the relentless shooting, the pace slows down. I think it's very nicely polished, though I think the story could definitely be fleshed out more. The controls were awkward at first, but are now second nature. Everything has a nice weighty feel to it (player movement, guns, etc) which I love. I haven't yet touched multi-player, as I always like to polish my skills by completing the single-player first, but unless the game really falls off in the latter half, I'd give the single-player a 9/10 just on it's own.

Again, I was a huge GoW skeptic prior to playing the game. Though I suppose I should finish the game, before offering my opinion, maybe it does get worse. I know the multi-player will be good.

[phantomhitman]

I forgot to dl the theme and gamerpics, I suck at marketplace.

[Zolf]

I'm a huge fan of the game, too. The cover system is a little unwieldy at first, but once you get used to riding a "cover slip" into a "roadie run" and rolling to different cover points, it really takes on a natural feel. I also like the emphasis the multi-player puts on stealth, team tactics and line of sight. Don't get me wrong -- I love Halo -- but it's nice to spend a little more time stalking your enemies than jumping wildly to avoid fire. It's a nice compromise between Halo craziness and Ghost Recon calculation.

[Skampy]

I downloaded all of these things at 11:56 P.M. after i forgot all about these. Thanks deadend.

[dena miscreant]

It was a good Emergence Day. Have a good one, everyone.