10 Video Game Franchises Microsoft Needs To Win The Console War

By Scott Tailford /

2. Gears Of War

Ever owned an Xbox? Then you've played Gears of War. So popular were Marcus Fenix and co.'s inflato-armed adventures that at some point or another you've either seen one of the much-loved 'chainsaw kills', heard John DiMaggio's voicework as Fenix barking out a "Sweet!" as he reloads, or been a devout follower of the franchise since the beginning. In a weird turn though Gears went from being one of the most identifiable series' on Microsoft's console, through one shaky instalment in Gears: Judgment, to almost complete obscurity. Design-head and public face Cliff Bleszinski left developers Epic, and since then there's been barely a jot of a Gears 4, 5 (or whatever they're calling it) even existing. Exist it does though, as new developer Black Tusk Studios (headed up by Gears 2 man Rod Fergusson) are at the reigns this time round, tweeting out confirmation something badass this way comes. It's pegged for a big E3 reveal later this year, so here's hoping its a worthwhile instalment to the series' canon this time.