Cliffy B, we love you, but…

In a recent interview on IGN, Cliff Bleszinski talked about the future of gaming and the Gears of War franchise. In the interview he expressed his support for motion controllers like 'Project Natal' stating that he was preferring that over the other motion controllers, purely because you don't need to hold anything in your hands. Cliffy B also talked about how he wanted Gears 2 to be a better experience when it was released, and that the issues with the online matchmaking was the single biggest disappointment for him and when it gets brought up it breaks his heart. He also stated that when he reads posts on online forums it hurt him how people identify with the big, buff characters and how there is a lot to be said for the background of the world he'd created.

Simon Weatherall adds his personal spin on the contents of the interview.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

If they want to make a special Co-Op mode then fine but hell no on the Co-Op for the SP game. All that will do is require the graphics to be even worse to support the online connection.. No thanks.

Leave your grubby hand's off my Gears Single Player, far too many SP modes have been ruined because of whining multiplayer folks demanding so much.

[zerocool3397]

I think with other titles able to have more players playing the story mode at the same time, Gears will stay behind the times if they don't add 4 player to the mix. There are after all, for the majority of the Gears story 4 individual players on the same map 2 can be human and the other AI so it won't affect the graphics in the slightest, any more than it already does. Game engines are also updated so I cant see there being any technical issue.

[EVILDEAD360]

'If they want to make a special Co-Op mode then fine but hell no on the Co-Op for the SP game'

What are you talking about? Gears has had co-op from day one! Co-op is the one of the biggest reasons the first and second game had the success they had..

@ Zero

'Gears will stay behind the times if they don't add 4 player to the mix'

Behind what times? Gamers like Killzone 2 couldnt even pull off co-op and it had an AI team running around with the main character. The biggest game out there Modern Warfare 2 wouldn't even touch co-op for it's main campaign (although World at War did).

As much as I would love Gears to provide for 4 players to play the campaign..if it doesnt add fun to the experience or hampers the story tellling in any way then less is more for THAT particuiar game. Halo Reach? different story...

Either way..Gears 3 will be nothing short of a beast of a game when it is released and I loved the Cliffy B interview..EPIC has got something under their sleeve this time..can't wait

Evil

[Raf1k1]

I think you'll find there's a difference between games not being able to pull of co-op(which comes down to the developers BTW not the game) and it simply not being implemented.

[kalebgray92]

but 2 was more of the same.... like the article said more character depth is needed and 4 player co op would be nice.... another thing is gears never feels like a war... they need a big scale fight in one of the parts of gears 3.... and i dont mean 1000 locus vs 4 cogs.... i mean 500 locus vs 500 cogs.... just for 1 mission i would love that

[Mo0eY]

Gears was a terrible game. Gears 2 was equally terrible, but the multiplayer glitches made it the frontrunner for developers to not give a damn anymore about games. Notice the similarities? Gears of War launched with huge success (not sure why), then they follow with a glitchfest. Modern Ware launched with huge success (also not sure why), then they followed with a glitchfest.

Oh well, as long as gamers are happy I suppose.

[HolyOrangeCows]

Split-screen online was my favorite way to play the game.

I know you and your kind bashed Killzone's potatoes for not having splitscreen, hypocrite.

[Aaroncls7]

BUT what? Cliffy B is a great video game designer and he is working his own thing, Gears may not be the best game ever and I am, honestly, not much of a fan; but I know the 2 gear games are all around AAA titles and the third might come packing even more heat.

[Lightsaber]

I like the idea the writer had about the horde mode. I really want 4 player co op too. Also I think they need to give you some kind of reward for ranking up. Right now it seems so pointless.

[EVILDEAD360]

I think you'll find there's a difference between games not being able to pull of co-op(which comes down to the developers BTW not the game) and it simply not being implemented.

Everyone absolutely knows the difference..

They admitted that they WANTED to at least put co-op in..but it would have meant compromises to the game..read graphics..and we all know that graphics were the key selling point of the game. This proves that games like Halo 3 and Gears that give seamless 2 - 4 player experiences deserve much more credit than they have this generation when they are compared to the current crop of shooters and 3rd person games out there.

People bashed the online..but who cares..Horde mode was a complete blast..We played that mode alone longer than most other FPS single player campaigns. What people ALWAYS sleep on was the ability to play BOTS in multiplayer games..EPIC integrated and pulled it off..but never got the love for it..

Who cares..both Gears were both amazing successes and it won't be any different for the third..

[raztad]

@EVIL

KZ2 has 32 players multi with the same graphics than the SP campaign. How is graphics would be downgraded for 4 players coop? if you are talking about split screen you might have a point otherwise I would like to read the article where "they admitted" what you are saying.

[Marquis_de_Sade]

Mooey, open zone -------->

[Lightsaber]

raztad there is nothing special about that. The only think epic would need to do to put that into gears is to pay for a server to run it off. If they could do 32 player co op then that be unbelieable. Getting a game to run smoothly off a p2p is hard to do.

[Gradient]

Maybe you should stop getting all emotional and actually fix some sh*t.

[kaveti6616]

It has been fixed. The situation is akin to that of Socom Confrontation. The multiplayer was crappy at launch and then was improved and made solid, but by then few people played it anymore.

[caprica3]

I agree that the issues with the online area of the game were dissapointing, especially on how long it took to find a decent game. It really put me off the game but I was willing to play it anyway. Im sure some time, they can do something about this.

[Blaster_Master]

Flame bait aside caprica. But thats exactly whats wrong with you 360 only owners. You guys settle for less, and for that I had to suffer by having mostly shovelware on the system even though it can do so much more then what lazy devs have put out for it. Honestly, thats why i just sold my 360 cause im so sick of the lack of quality on it. If the game doesn't look or play as good as a ps exclusive then its not worth buying.

[kaveti6616]

Flamebait aside, Blaster Master, but your IQ is marginally lower than that of a Chinese pear, and I am astonished that you even found the power button to the computer you're using to post your fanboy drivel. There are plenty of non-biased 360 only owners who respectfully express their desire to purchase a PS3 when they are financially able. I think they deserve to have a PS3 more than you do.

And 360 owners do not settle for less. Maybe they're just not as elitist as you are, and thus are able to obtain enjoyment from games despite their flaws. That's not to say that PS3 exclusives are flawless, because they're not. 360 developers have to work harder to create games that will merit a higher replay value. PS3 developers don't have to work so hard in that department, which is why you end up with single player epics that you play once or twice and then shelve for the rest of your life. By the way, what level of quality do PS exclusives have when the highest played game on the PS3 is Modern Warfare 2?

[Dellis]

Better texture loading, how about working on that crap

[Aphe]

What happened to Unreal Tournament Cliffy? Is it forgotten about now?

[theunknown]

Generally the XP aspect might be a good idea but then it wouldn't make sense since literally the last fortitude of humanity is gone and are currently living on the scraps, weapon wise.

[zerocool3397]

The article is supposed to inspire debate, not slag of a developer. The whole idea is to express some suggestions for the next evolution of the Gears franchise, not to slander the game. When writing it I considered different aspects of the game much like a review would do and picked up on some things that in my opinion could be done better or added to the game. The idea behind the article was to see what other people also thought, to agree/disagree and add their own constructive criticism.

This is in no way a flamebait article and I have utmost respect for Cliff Bleszinski.

[REDHULKSMASH]

Gears ps3 gears 2 ps3 gears 3 ps3 dlc ps3 + Xbox money. If your ip really IS yours.

[zerocool3397]

That would be like asking Hideo Kojima to release every MGS on the Xbox, no offence but Kojima productions own that IP and would you see them doing that? Its not exclusive to Sony so why shouldn't they? MG Rising is an exception as its not under the Tactical Espionage Action sub heading. Its not like it would be impossible to do either.

Epic games have had a long relationship with Microsoft and they have decided off their own backs to release the Gears series on the Xbox, I don't see why people would expect them to release them anywhere else. It would be nice to have no exclusives on any console but lets face facts, that's not going to happen. The fact is that Gears doesn't need another console to sell well, also why would they want to port over to the PS3 it makes no sense when they can dedicate their time to making one version right instead of two or three different ports. A majority of gamers also own both consoles so why would they change a format that works well for them?

[gypsygib]

I have no sympathy for Cliffy, he's the one who ruined Gears MP because he sucked with the shotgun and suggested all these 'balancing' changes - now the feeling of empowerment is gone. Gears 1 was probably my fav MP of all time and Gears 2 completely turned me off the series...so when it comes to Gears 3, who cares.

[gypsygib]

It took a long time to fix and there were still problems like not being able to shoot bullets that damage, having no gun - it was probably the worst MP ever. Then when they did fix it, I didn't like the gameplay changes from the first, it wasn't an improvement it was a complete overhall.

[AliTheBrit19]

I like Cliff, it sounds like he cares about feedback from the community which is always good! Gears of War 3 will be excellent I'm sure, I just hope they make it a top priority to prevent matchmaking problems on launch!

[seinfan]

No Wiimote, no Move, no Natal! All will ruin the hardcore gaming experience.

[N4BmpS]

When you have a creative team or a individual that puts hard work into a product like Gear they do treat it as there baby for better or for worse that's their product, their baby. Not too many people actually take that into consideration when they bash games(myself from time to time included).