14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft and Epic Games are expected to present Gears of War: Judgment to the world later today, as part of their special E3 2012 press conference, but many details have already surfaced on the web, confirming that it’s a prequel that focuses on the Killo Square led by Damon Baird and Augustus “Cole Train” Cole from the previous titles.
Gears of War: Judgment was first presented to the world by Game Informer as a mysterious new project from Epic Games. Since then, we found out that it’s called Judgment and it’s going to focus on two characters from previous games, in the form of Baird and Cole Train.
Now, more details from Game Informer have appeared on the official Gears of War forums, confirming that it’s a prequel set 15 years before the first game in the series.
"Judgment begins 15 years before Gears of War, with Baird and the rest of Killo Squad standing trial for transgression against the Coalition of Governments. The testimonies are being over seen by Colonel Loomis, a by the-books COG leader who accused the team of desertion, cowardice, trespassing, theft of experiment military tech and treason," according to forum post.
Epic’s Production Director, Rod Fergusson, has said that this change allows the team at Epic and the one at its Polish subsidiary, People Can Fly, to try out lots of new things without impacting the already-established Gears of War trilogy.
"Whenever you a grow franchise there's a certain level of betrayal,” Fergusson said. "If you don't betray the customer a little bit, then it's not changing enough and people feel like it's becoming stagnant. But if you betray them too much then you lose them. You've always got to keep it fresh. By being outside the Marcus Fenix story, we're going to have more opportunity to do new things."
According to Fergusson, People Can Fly is helping a lot with Judgment, taking care of development while being overseen by the core Gears team at Epic.
"People Can Fly is heavily involved in both the campaign and multiplayer, but especially the campaign. This is something we have initiated. We proposed the story and the gameplay hooks. Basically everything about campaign was initiated by People Can Fly. Obviously, there is heavy involvement from Epic. I like to think about as the best of both worlds. On one hand we bring something fresh to the franchise, but on the other hand we have the original creators making sure it's still Gears."
Special descriptions of Killo Squad’s members have also been revealed, showcasing more details about Baird and Cole Train, as well as their two comrades, Garron Paduk and Sophia Hendricks.
Damon Baird: Before this sarcastic, genius mechanic went on to help Marcus Fenix save the world, Baird worked his way through the Gears ranks. He’s always quick to joke, but Judgment suggests there’s more to his character than being a comedian.
Augustus Cole: A former Thrash Ball player turned soldier the "Cole Train" became famous in Sera for his on-field performance and boisterous demeanor. Cole met Baird soon after enlisting, and the two quickly became best friends.
Garron Paduk:
A miltia refuge from the Union of Independent Republic, Garron comes from the other side of The Pendulum Wars. He brings a new perspective and brush personality to Kilo. Garron is the devil on Baird's shoulder that says "Let's blow stuff up."
Sophia Hendricks: A cadet from the onyx guard academy, she is more in line with colonel Loomis by the book approach to combat. E-day halted her path to graduation from the academy, but she is still worth the soldier. She is the opposite of Garron, ready to suggest informing superior officers of every deviation from protocol.
Expect to hear some more details later today, during Microsoft’s E3 2012 press conference.