Everything We Learned About Gears of War: E-Day Behind Closed Doors - Unlocked Clips

[00:00] Uh, we got to see some of this stuff

[00:02] behind closed doors. Let's start with

[00:04] Gears, that's where I was That's where I

[00:05] left off here before my my crazy

[00:07] tangent. Miranda, you and I got to see

[00:09] this thing, um, sort of. We didn't

[00:11] actually see any additional footage,

[00:15] but we got We basically we talked to the

[00:17] developers in group interview settings

[00:20] for an hour.

[00:21] So, what are your thoughts with that

[00:23] additional context, additional detail?

[00:25] Cuz we did learn a few extra things in

[00:27] those Q&A sessions.

[00:29] >> Yeah, so I guess this is a a little

[00:30] promo for myself. Um, I put together I

[00:35] I was in a curse. I'm like, "I didn't

[00:36] curse. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, video

[00:37] editors." It's a huge interview like

[00:40] overview, um, and I try to keep it

[00:42] really focused on things that It's

[00:44] always hard, right? Cuz like they they

[00:45] only want to show so much, and they've

[00:47] been pretty tight-lipped on a lot of,

[00:48] um, aspects of Gears. But, we learned a

[00:51] lot about how they're approaching lore,

[00:53] the new movement mechanics. Like,

[00:55] obviously they keep telling us like,

[00:56] "You know, we're built this from the

[00:57] ground up." They're They're big thing is

[00:59] they have an empty hard drive, so

[01:01] everything is brand new, completely

[01:03] custom for this game. Um, and that of

[01:06] course means that they're going to make

[01:07] a lot of changes.

[01:09] Um, and and my concern there was like,

[01:12] "Hey,

[01:14] how do I ask if this is a restart of the

[01:16] franchise without saying it like asking

[01:18] explicit if it's a restart of the

[01:19] franchise, right? Cuz like they they

[01:21] might not want to get into that, and

[01:22] especially like they they'll never They

[01:24] have declined to answer both times

[01:26] you've asked about Gears 6. Like,

[01:28] basically, "No, this is what we wanted

[01:29] to make. We're focused on this. Like, if

[01:31] we're starting with an empty hard drive,

[01:32] this is what we wanted to do." Um,

[01:35] and so Gears 6 is just like

[01:37] who who knows what's going to happen.

[01:39] However, so kind of how I went about

[01:41] asking about this without saying Gears 6

[01:44] was like, "Hey, is this like an

[01:46] Star Wars Episode 1 approach where

[01:48] something is going to fundamentally

[01:49] change in here that will change the view

[01:51] of the entire series? So, like yes, the

[01:53] the episode, uh,

[01:56] 4, 5, and 6 are still classics. We love

[01:58] those.

[01:59] They're great, but they're also

[02:00] fundamentally wrong now because of what

[02:02] they did in one, two, three. Like

[02:03] there's just like a part of It's just

[02:04] not It's not wrong. It's just different.

[02:06] Like the perspective of it is different.

[02:09] Um,

[02:10] basically they're like, "No. No. No. No.

[02:11] No. No. Like we're preserving the lore.

[02:13] Like what comes after this moment is

[02:16] still there and if anything it's

[02:17] enriched cuz you're getting more time

[02:18] with Marcus and Dom to learn more about

[02:20] them, more about like

[02:23] the approach to E-Day, of course, like

[02:25] what what this place suffered, which is,

[02:27] you know, massive losses, and then also,

[02:30] um, getting into some

[02:32] I think they said that this is like the

[02:34] most lore-rich game they think they've

[02:36] ever made because it is also just set in

[02:39] one setting, so it is just set in the

[02:41] city of Colonna and they're like, "Yeah,

[02:44] because of that we were able to get like

[02:45] really crafty in like what we included,

[02:48] whether it's posters or graphics or just

[02:50] different kinds of art from comics, from

[02:52] books, from other things that you've

[02:54] seen before

[02:55] and bring them to life in a new way,

[02:57] which I was like, "Okay, that's actually

[02:58] really sick." And like even in the

[03:00] trailer, if you look at the back of the

[03:02] bar, there there's a cool train poster

[03:04] cuz it's like he's a he's a superstar.

[03:06] He's a like just a

[03:08] superstar athlete, so it's like makes

[03:10] sense that he's there.

[03:11] Um,

[03:13] I could go on. For Ryan, do you want me

[03:14] to continue or

[03:15] >> Can [laughter] I give you my

[03:18] baseless like tin foil hat theory about

[03:21] why what why they're doing this prequel?

[03:23] Cuz

[03:24] >> Yeah.

[03:24] >> Uh, so I I'm going to preface this. I

[03:26] have This is I have zero factual basis

[03:29] in any of this. This is pure

[03:32] unadulterated like hook it to my veins

[03:34] kind of speculation, but cuz it like

[03:37] can either of you think of a time ever

[03:41] where a main line game franchise that

[03:43] has it like a an evolving game-to-game

[03:46] continuous narrative has ever stopped

[03:49] [snorts] after a cliffhanger

[03:51] and gone back and done a prequel as the

[03:53] next main line [laughter] game. Like

[03:55] that I don't think that's ever happened.

[03:57] >> I mean Halo Studios is kind of weirdly

[03:59] doing that. Not really, but also they're

[04:00] following the same path. It's [laughter]

[04:02] not It's not a main line, but they have

[04:05] three new prequel chapters technically.

[04:07] >> [laughter]

[04:07] >> So I guess I guess there's Although this

[04:10] would probably Halo would probably fold

[04:13] into this tinfoil hat theory. And so

[04:17] We Everybody knows Miranda and I love

[04:20] Gears 4 and 5. We combined reviewed it

[04:23] single-player, multiplayer. I but I know

[04:25] there's not as much love for 4 and 5

[04:27] kind of generally speaking in the

[04:28] community. My theory is again baseless

[04:33] pure speculation theory is that

[04:36] uh that 5 did not sell super well

[04:40] and the the number was trending down on

[04:43] the sales chart and they had started to

[04:45] make their internal pivot towards

[04:47] multi-platform and they went, "Okay, we

[04:50] can reset this thing. We can get

[04:52] PlayStation 5 players in here at the

[04:55] ground floor with a prequel. Everybody

[04:57] loves Dom and Marcus. This will sell way

[05:00] better and we'll we'll go back and do

[05:02] this."

[05:03] And there's and of course again, I don't

[05:06] know the sales numbers. Microsoft

[05:08] doesn't give that stuff out. The the as

[05:10] Miranda you said, they insisted in the

[05:13] behind closed doors session that well

[05:14] this is what we wanted to make which I'm

[05:16] sure is also true. I'm not saying

[05:18] they're lying. But I I have to think

[05:22] that it's it's just so odd that they

[05:24] would leave the Kate story completely

[05:27] hanging with no apparent plan to ever

[05:31] resolve it which I'm not like super mad

[05:34] about. Like I I've loved those games,

[05:37] but if they end up resolving that in a

[05:39] book or a graphic novel or something,

[05:41] okay. But I just think it's and it's

[05:44] this is like a little maybe crumb of

[05:47] anecdotal evidence by the fact that like

[05:50] there was some leak of of was it a store

[05:53] page or something that had the

[05:54] PlayStation logo

[05:56] attached to to Gears of War E-Day and so

[05:59] that the scuttlebutt is that this pivot

[06:01] to Gears E-Day being a a total console

[06:04] exclusive was a last-minute thing. So,

[06:06] anyway that's

[06:08] it I guess it doesn't matter, right? It

[06:10] is it is what it is, but um that's my

[06:13] sort of tin foil hat conspiracy theory

[06:15] on maybe why they just completely bailed

[06:19] on on Kate's story and the Gears 5

[06:22] cliffhanger and are coming back to uh to

[06:25] a prequel.

[06:26] >> I think also part of it is that they

[06:28] narratively wrote themselves into a very

[06:31] difficult spot for how they will format

[06:34] the next game. So,

[06:38] like if

[06:39] your choice has to carry over in some

[06:40] way and it's very consequential.

[06:43] And so, but it's going to change the

[06:45] game for like depending on what you did

[06:47] for everybody. And like

[06:49] >> Who did you save, Miranda? Remind me.

[06:51] >> I saved Del. I let I let JD go because I

[06:55] I really wanted

[06:57] I don't know. I wanted to see the drama

[06:59] with Marcus. Like I'm so sorry.

[07:01] >> his poor heart.

[07:02] >> you, but I want to hurt you more.

[07:05] >> [laughter]

[07:05] >> This is an abusive relationship.

[07:08] Um

[07:10] yeah, I But but that's like huge, right?

[07:13] Like whatever they would do next, but I

[07:16] that was my other main theory is that

[07:18] they just didn't They were like

[07:20] let's just hold off on this and figure

[07:22] it out later kind of thing. Future

[07:23] problem. But they've also been like the

[07:25] Coalition's been pretty clear and the

[07:27] various people I've talked to who have

[07:29] been there and some of them have moved

[07:31] on at this point, but

[07:32] every time I talk to them, they're

[07:34] pretty adamant about like wanting to

[07:35] like explore different stories within

[07:37] the franchise. I mean, we saw that that

[07:39] like their detour with like Hivebusters,

[07:40] right? We also had Gears

[07:42] Yeah, they do such a great job like

[07:45] exploring these other parts of the

[07:47] series that even though this is that

[07:50] detour, I don't I think to your point, I

[07:53] don't feel too too sad. I think at this

[07:55] point because they they've really sold

[07:57] me on E-Day as a story.

[07:59] Um

[08:00] >> I can't help but do the

[08:02] the gamer thing of like looking too far

[08:05] ahead instead of enjoying what's right

[08:07] in front of me.

[08:08] >> Yeah.

[08:08] >> But I can't help but wonder, but where

[08:10] do they go after E-Day? Like

[08:13] I I don't know. Cuz Gears of War 1 like

[08:17] how isn't it like was it 14 years or

[08:19] something, Miranda? It's some

[08:21] >> Yeah, there's there's a quite a bit of

[08:23] time between now and Gears 1. And

[08:26] there's like Judgment in there kind of

[08:28] like or Judgment's part like

[08:30] weirdly in there somewhere. But um

[08:33] I think

[08:35] or I hope at least

[08:37] that they don't just sit in this period

[08:40] in between E-Day and 1.

[08:42] But again, like we'll see, right? Like

[08:44] it it just really

[08:46] it's really hard to say where they'll

[08:47] go, but I think

[08:49] I kind of need to get back on like why I

[08:51] was sold on this cuz when this was

[08:52] announced, I think it was pretty like

[08:53] obvious. I was like rather bummed cuz I

[08:55] love Kate's story. I love Kate so much

[08:57] and I think that uh her relationship

[08:59] with Marcus is really interesting and

[09:01] they have something cool going there. Um

[09:04] but the the moment that sold me like I

[09:07] was locked in during the direct like Uh

[09:11] they're trying to like set up our

[09:12] headphones and I was like, "Don't don't

[09:13] talk to me."

[09:14] >> [laughter]

[09:14] >> Like I don't want to talk to you right

[09:16] now. Leave me alone.

[09:17] Um I felt so bad, but there's this

[09:19] moment in the bar like kind of early on

[09:22] where Dom and Marcus are

[09:26] just just in the bar and Dom is on the

[09:29] phone and he's obviously talking to

[09:31] Maria and he's like, "Love you, baby."

[09:33] And he's just so happy and I'm like,

[09:35] "Okay, this is the reason. This is

[09:38] This is such a like a good reason to

[09:40] have E-Day cuz obviously this is within

[09:43] like the first part of the game, but it

[09:47] is not the beginning of the game. Like

[09:48] you can tell that we're going to get

[09:49] some moments with them when they have

[09:52] like This is what kind of what I wrote

[09:53] at the interview of like, we have

[09:55] relative peace. Like we've never really

[09:56] seen that in old Sarah. Like we've seen

[09:58] Marcus being really sad and grumpy and

[10:01] in peace

[10:03] quote-unquote as an [laughter] old man

[10:05] and it's really sad and he's really

[10:07] bitter. Yeah, it's tomatoes.

[10:10] Thank you.

[10:11] Um

[10:12] But so like this is such a unique spot

[10:14] and of course they're like grieving

[10:16] Dom's brother, but even still like

[10:18] they're not

[10:19] stressed about

[10:21] the entirety of humanity's future and

[10:23] how it's collapsed and other things.

[10:24] Like it's going to be just such a unique

[10:26] perspective to see these two and and

[10:28] that's made me really excited basically.

[10:31] >> Well, yeah, I'm I'm with you. Like I'm

[10:33] I'm all in on this, too. I mean, I'm I'm

[10:35] super excited about Again, would I have

[10:38] loved to have seen the as you noted the

[10:40] choice that the coalition would have had

[10:42] to make about how to resolve the the the

[10:46] choice in Gears 5. That that would have

[10:48] been quite an interesting thing, but but

[10:50] yeah, I mean,

[10:52] I'm thrilled to have Dom back. I'm

[10:54] thrilled to be exploring E-Day.

[10:57] Um I I can't wait for this. And so and

[11:00] it and you know, it's I'll I'll be

[11:02] completely honest and I mean, I said

[11:04] this to you guys in the room just

[11:05] privately but

[11:07] it in the initial showcase,

[11:10] I was like, this doesn't look as amazing

[11:14] visually as I

[11:16] expect from Gears, but then when we got

[11:19] the behind closed doors thing and they

[11:21] kind of showed some more scenes and

[11:23] stuff. I it started to it started to

[11:25] click for me and I'm I'm

[11:27] I'm kind of curious where it's going to

[11:29] ultimately land. Like cuz this series

[11:30] has always visually set the bar. I mean

[11:32] it's always been like the Unreal Engine

[11:35] game. I mean it it was the original of

[11:37] course was 100% that. It was it probably

[11:40] sold a lot of Unreal Engine licenses

[11:42] when the first one came out. But um

[11:45] yeah, I mean October 6th can't come soon

[11:48] enough. And for anyone that hasn't

[11:49] heard, there is going to be a a beta

[11:52] weekend for starting August 6th. So

[11:55] that's coming up.

[11:57] >> I'm so excited.

[11:57] >> you want to give that there's a couple

[11:59] of we got a couple of quick little like

[12:01] we didn't see multiplayer, but they gave

[12:02] us a like top level bit of multiplayer

[12:05] information.

[12:06] >> Yeah, so one big thing that I wanted to

[12:08] highlight for folks in the competitive

[12:10] scene who get like really deep in um

[12:13] wall bouncing's changed. So obviously

[12:14] the way they do running has changed

[12:16] pretty significantly. Like it's not the

[12:17] classic roadie run in the way that we

[12:19] know it. Like they don't punch in, their

[12:21] screen doesn't shake, they pull out. Um

[12:23] I guess also that's changed with sliding

[12:25] and how cover works. So uh they said

[12:28] that wall bouncing does not work the

[12:30] same way. You can still cancel on

[12:32] specific ways that work, but it's just

[12:35] not going to be like exactly as it was

[12:37] before. Um

[12:39] they also we didn't talk too too much

[12:43] about multiplayer. It's more like

[12:44] movement cuz they were like, well, at

[12:46] least in my sessions like weird type of

[12:47] sessions to be clear. Um

[12:49] they're like, we're going to

[12:51] learn more multiplayer later. But that

[12:54] that was kind of part of it. And of

[12:55] course the four player thing just being

[12:57] central to all facets of this. So you're

[13:00] going to play four player multiplayer,

[13:01] four player in horde even though it's 12

[13:04] people. So you'll be in a squad of four.

[13:06] So like things like that is going to be

[13:08] there.

[13:09] Um I guess some other like mechanical

[13:12] stuff the

[13:14] active reload bar that pops up that you

[13:17] see in the

[13:18] in the demo and I guess in the trailers

[13:20] and stuff in the gameplay, you can move

[13:22] that back up to the top right. Like you

[13:24] don't have to keep it in the middle.

[13:26] Yeah, I was like at first I was just

[13:28] like wait, what is happening? Why is

[13:30] this just right in front of me? Like I

[13:32] think that is a great as I said like

[13:34] onboarding for new people or if you're

[13:36] trying to learn some of the active

[13:37] reloads, I think that is helpful. But

[13:39] for like folks like you and I, Ryan,

[13:42] like we

[13:43] move it up, please. Move it up. Like

[13:45] [laughter] I don't I don't need that

[13:46] here.

[13:47] Um, and then some other like quick

[13:49] nuggets on the silly about multiplayer

[13:51] that I just wanted to highlight before

[13:52] we have to move on.

[13:53] I could talk about Gears all day. We did

[13:55] this whole podcast [laughter] about

[13:56] Gears.

[13:56] Um, but I will spare you guys. Um,

[13:59] they said that the campaign is still

[14:01] linear, but that some levels feature a

[14:03] larger areas to explore. Like this is

[14:04] not an open world sandbox, which you

[14:06] know, makes sense for Gears. But that,

[14:09] you know, as they showed that there

[14:10] going to be other things to do in some

[14:12] of the larger levels. So for instance,

[14:15] like there are people they they showed

[14:16] where there's like a survivor out there

[14:18] that you need to go help or you can

[14:20] help. Um, obviously there'll be

[14:21] collectibles. They said this is the most

[14:23] collectibles they've had in the game. Of

[14:25] course we're going to have cog tags.

[14:27] They said that this is longer, quote

[14:29] unquote, longer than any campaign

[14:31] they've built

[14:32] um, at over 14 hours. So

[14:35] we got some like meat there. And that

[14:37] also all four members of Bravo squad are

[14:40] playable right from the beginning and

[14:41] that you don't have to play as Marcus.

[14:42] So if like if you just want to play Dom

[14:44] as as Dom the whole game, you can.

[14:46] >> Oh, I'll just add um, for cuz it's

[14:50] people may be wondering four player

[14:52] co-op, two player split screen. Yes. So

[14:55] that that's I know that's a lot of

[14:57] people are always curious if it's if

[14:59] it's all four on one console. Not not

[15:02] for this one. Two, you can go two and

[15:04] two if you want or two and one and one I

[15:06] guess, but um, yeah, that was that was

[15:09] the only other nugget. So

[15:12] yeah [snorts]

[15:13] uh, so that means in less than two

[15:15] months we'll be playing multiplayer and

[15:17] then what? What are we like four months

[15:19] away from the game? So

[15:21] um, from the whole thing. Yay.

[15:24] >> Yay.

[15:25] >> Michael

[15:26] >> yeah.

[15:26] >> Let's talk about Fable.

[15:28] >> All right.

[15:28] >> Fable time. Well, actually well, quickly

[15:31] I want to say I am this is the most

[15:33] excited about him I've been about Gears

[15:35] and talking to Miranda at the Xbox

[15:38] event. I have so much respect for

[15:40] Miranda's love for Gears.

[15:42] She was dropping mad lore on me and you

[15:44] basically looked at me he's like,

[15:45] "People say that Gears doesn't have

[15:47] story and they're wrong." And I was

[15:49] like,

[15:50] "That's you know what, Miranda? You have

[15:52] convinced me." But, I am looking forward

[15:54] to E day and I'm also looking forward to

[15:56] Fable.

[15:57] >> Thanks for checking out this clip from

[15:59] Unlocked, IGN's weekly Xbox show. If you

[16:01] enjoyed it, don't forget to watch the

[16:03] full episode at youtube.com/igngames.

[16:07] New episodes of Unlocked drop every

[16:09] Thursday on IGN Games, ign.com and your

[16:13] favorite podcast platforms. Thanks for

[16:15] watching and we'll see you next time.

[16:17] >> [music]