GCO: "Announced for November 2008 by Microsoft, today we can assure you that Gears of War 2 leaves precisely to Europe on 17 of November."
» Read More 

Joystiq:

"We're usually pretty skeptical about rumored release dates as developers and publishers often keep that card close to their chests -- however, we can't help but put our complete faith in a man with a name as awesome as Lester "Mighty Rasta" Speight. Yes, Mr. Rasta, who voiced Gears of War's "Cole Train", recently made an appearance at the TriForce panel at Wizard World to shoot the breeze about the company's line of GoW-related replicas. When asked about the sequel's release date, the TriForce crew remained tight lipped, though Rasta suggested asking him again on November 16."
» Read More 

With Gears of War comics and toys on the way, it was only a matter of time before someone began preparing life-sized armor and weapons based on the popular Microsoft franchise. Today TriForce Sales announced that it has secured the license to create 1:1 scale replicas of the armor and weapons used by the Delta Squad from the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COGs). The company will be working with sculptor Sid Garrand of Nightmare Armor Studios to design each piece
» Read More 

EGM's July issue features 13 'YES' count them, 13 pages of Gears of War 2 Multiplayer details. Different weapons, curb stombs, executions, meatshields and Melee's all below
» Read More 

CONFIRMATION COMPLETE! - The Official Confirmation list on Gears of War 2! It's official: Gears of War 2 is gonna rock. There has been an "epic" (lolpun!) amount of rumors flying around regarding Marcus Fenix and gang. Well, compiled below is what Epic has confirmed and denied -- officially, mind you. Some include matchmaking, larger battlefields, better AI, and basically anything else that you'd imagine would make a game bigger, better and you guessed it: more badass!
» Read More 

Learn up on the information that has been confirmed, or rumored across the internet in regards to Gears of War 2.
» Read More 

This is the complete confirmed list of new details from X360 Gears of War 2 feature.

X3F writes:

Wow, it was actually all true! Thanks to loyal X3F reader Rhemelious, we were given the opportunity to view each and every page of the exclusive Gears of War 2 article that appears in next month's issue of UK magazine X360. The same issue that was rumored to reveal all kinds of new and exciting GoW2 multiplayer details. Well, after giving it a thorough read (sorry, it's kind of illegal to post magazine scans), we can 100% confirm its contents and say that the rumors are indeed true. The new weapons, gametypes, game modes, features and options are all true! So, being the obsessive Gears fans we are, after the break we posted our own recap of what we found inside the pages of X360. Yes, the list is long, but we organized the new GoW2 information the best we could. Believe us, you'll want to jump towards the break, because there's a mountain of juicy delicious Gears 2 details. We're so happy ...
» Read More 

CVG writes:

The first details for Gears of War 2's multiplayer mode have emerged and it all sounds bloody brilliant.

The sequel to one of the most-played Xbox Live games will up the player count from eight to ten, with five-on-five gameplay options. Nice.

New gameplay mode, Wingman, sees ten players face off in teams of two. And Epic has invented its own take on the typical CTF scenario with 'Meatflag', in which the flag is a (presumably CPU-controlled) character who runs around the centre of the map trying to defend himself, while teams attempt to shoot him down and drag him back to base as a 'meatshield' (like a hostage).

Assassination mode has been renamed Guardian, and changes to the gameplay see team members respawn endlessly until the team leader is killed. The game ends only when the leader is dead and then everyone else on the team is killed.

Two new maps are detailed: River and Security.

A new weapon, called the Medusa, is described as a "power weapon" that shoots six shells with each shot - so like a powerful shotgun, we imagine. Bullet Shields - carry-able metal shields to guard you from enemy fire - have also been added. These shields can apparently be stuck into the floor to create new fixed cover.

The executions on each weapon will vary. The Sniper Rifle can, according to NeoGAF's report from X360 magazine, be used as a club to beat opponents to death.

As well as grenade now being attachable to any surface - not just enemies - a new Poison Grenade emits a green gas that's fatal to anyone within close proximity.

And lastly, a new screenshot mode has been added for players who've been killed in game modes where they can't respawn. While they wait, players can fly around in a free-cam mode and take snaps of the action, which can then be uploaded to an online community source.
» Read More 

X3F writes:

As part of their July Gears of War 2 extravaganza issue (which has yet to spill its contents), we have just come across mention that EGM and 1UP are also set to release the first ever multiplayer footage from Gears of War 2. When will we get the GoW2 multiplayer video love? We aren't exactly sure, but have a sneaky suspicion that the video will go live sometime around June 3rd when their July issue hits newsstands. We say bring on the 5v5 multiplayer footage right this very moment, so we can witness the use of meat shields and gather enough blood to fill all these buckets Cliffy told us to stock up on.
» Read More 

Microsoft has begun chest thumping over it's 2008 line-up of games, saying its invention of Xbox has led to a "Christmas Eve like never before" every week of the year.

In an update on its official website the company cites Gears of War 2 (Nov 2008), Ninja Gaiden 2 (June 6), Too Human (August 29), Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (Sep 2008), Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (Holiday 2008), Fable 2 (2008) and Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One (out now).

It says: "It's going to be very tough sleeping at night with this amazing haul coming so soon."
» Read More 

X3F writes:

Over on the GameSpot forums, member Prosecut0rGodot claims to have already received a copy of EGM's July issue and posted a recap of all the new Gears 2 details that were revealed.

Campaign Details

- Co-op will allow each player to play at different difficulty levels.
- If the campaign is played in co-op, players will be treated to special cut scenes and decisions that'll ultimately lead to one of numerous endings.
- The campaign should take, on average, about 15 hours to complete.
- A new boss named "Acheron" is reveled and is described as a gargantuan mammoth that the Locusts use to take out vehicles.

Multiplayer and Gameplay Details

- A new stamina bar is introduced and will determine how far you can run and how long you can fight. In other words, if your stamina bar is low, your overall performance will be lowered as well.
- An "En-Garde" multiplayer mode is revealed and will feature nothing but chainsaw combat.
- Another multiplayer mode called "Ordeal" will be included where teams battle to be the first to score 100 enemy kills. Though, it isn't made clear if the kill count will be made up of opponent or AI kills.
» Read More 

By now we all know that Gears of War 2 will be "bigger, better and more badass", but what it won't have is the original game's system for issuing orders to squad-mates, according to design director Cliff Bleszinski.
» Read More 

The artist formally known as Cliffy B doesn't have the easiest job in the world. Being front-man for the Gears of War franchise is no joke. Luckily he's man enough to take it.

"You've got to have a thick skin," he said. "If I had a nickel for every time I was called a fag on the internet, I could retire."
» Read More 

The Phoenix News has published the first of what are likely to be numerous mainstream media stories on violent new features in the upcoming Gears of War 2.
» Read More 

CVG writes: Gears 2 criticised for 'meat shield' move. Just a week after its first press showing, Gears of War 2 is already receiving flack from the mainstream press for its "level of gore and detail".
» Read More 

OXM UK writes: "Dom's voice actor insists that the storytelling in Gears 2 will go beyond Bioshock.

Carlos Ferro, voice actor for Dominic Santiago in Gears Of War 2, says the story will be "more emotionally affecting than Bioshock."

He made the claim during an interview with OXM, when asked if Gears Of War 2 will be brought up to Bioshock in terms of storytelling.

"Beyond it," Ferro says. "I said it. It's going to be more emotionally effecting than Bioshock. A lot happens."
» Read More 

Epic's big sequel Gears of War 2, which almost cracked a grin from Tomonobu Itagaki during the Xbox spring showcase last week, is "five times bigger" on the action front. That's according to exceedingly efficient interviewee Cliff Bleszinski, who says that the second game shows just how much "smoother" the Unreal Engine has gotten. "[Unreal Engine has] never stopped evolving," Cliff told our buddies at CVG in San Francisco last ... » Read More

Epic's big sequel Gears of War 2, which almost cracked a grin from Tomonobu Itagaki during the Xbox spring showcase last week, is "fives times bigger" on the action front.

That's according to exceedingly efficient interviewee Cliff Bleszinski, who says that the second game shows just how much "smoother" the Unreal Engine has gotten.

"[Unreal Engine has] never stopped evolving," Cliff told CVG in San Francisco last week. "The character lighting is vastly improved, the environment is chippable and the tress get knocked down as physics objects.

"There's just so much shit going on, it's five times bigger this time. I think it shows the engines got smoother."
» Read More 

XboxOZ360 reveals the official news update of Epic and Microsoft's Gears of War 2:
"Gears of War 2 is developed by Epic Games exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. Players continue the story of Marcus Fenix, a reluctant war hero, as he leads Delta Squad on a series of perilous and adrenaline-pumping missions. Gears of War 2 blends a best-in-class third-person shooter with unsurpassed high-definition visuals, all layered on top of an engaging story of survival, loss and retribution.
Features:

* Bigger, better and more badass gameplay. Gears of War 2 builds upon the gameplay of the first title in every way. First, the scope of the action is bigger. New characters, more weapons, nastier enemies, bigger vehicles and grander locales offer players more action, more emotion and more thrills. Next, every major aspect of the game has been refined to create heightened, more immersive experiences. Finally, the overall tone of Gears of War 2 is more badass - replete with new weapon-specific executions, chain saw duels and shocking boss fights."

For MORE details and features as well as screenshots, hit the link.
» Read More 

In this interview cliffy B confirms gears 2 has 4 player co op at 4:12 of the video.
» Read More