It's finally official. The sequel to Gears of War, creatively titled Gears of War 2, will release on Xbox 360 this November. We've just received the first teaser video and blood-soaked artwork from the game, which you can view immediately below.

Mind stopped racing yet? Heart stopped pounding? Good, 'cause you might need to watch the video again to soak in all the details. First, Marcus is clearly still the protagonist. Duh. But also, we can hear Dom's voice in the background, pleading with Marcus to find his wife if he doesn't survive the upcoming battle.

Is this dialogue meaningless, meant only for dramatic effect, or is it a piece of the sequel's storyline? Could Dom actually be killed and replaced with a new coop partner? We doubt it... but we also doubt the script of this teaser is accidental. Expect a grimmer, darker follow up. Marcus mentions death multiple times and one panicked grunt screams, "Oh no, they're all dead! They're all dead, Sarge!"

The gruesome chainsaw battle between Marcus and a Locust also hints at what we might experience in the actual game. A big complaint about the original Gears was the randomness of the chainsaw. When you went at a baddie or multiplayer opponent, the odds of your saw beating the other guy's saw seemed completely arbitrary and, thus, grew increasingly frustrating. We hope such clashes will now result in dueling minigames, complete with counter attacks and finishing moves (like the blade to the back shown in the teaser above... and much like the "active reload" minigame in the first Gears.)

Are we wrong? Crazy? Tell us YOUR theories in the forums.