We're one day away from the launch of Epic's Gears of War 2, an event which we're calling "Emergence Day 2: The Emergening." Many fans will stand in line at midnight launches to get their copies, and to snag a download code for the limited edition launch exclusive in-game "Golden Hammerburst" assault rifle.
Most will go home and tear open their game, pop the disc into their 360 tray, and follow the in-game tutorial, never bothering to look at the game's instruction manual. But if they did, they'd discover something relatively unheard of in the videogame industry -- a preface by the game's design director, Cliff Bleszinski.
"This is a story that is both epic in scale and also immensely personal," he writes of Gears of War 2 on the second page of the game's manual.
Author- and director-written prefaces are common practice in print, and in film when it comes to DVD releases; in fact, this is the first time I can recall seeing one by a developer in a game's manual. (It's unfortunate that most manuals are only a few thin black and white pages. I'm looking at you Electronic Arts.) It's interesting to see that, as games become bigger productions, we start putting a brighter spotlight on the folks behind the games we play. We're beginning to see bigger (badder, and more badass) personalities -- Peter Molyneux, David Jaffe, and more -- much how the movie industry views film directors.
Say what you will about Bleszinski, but his outspoken nature and passion for games reveals a designer who clearly puts his heart into the games he makes. And after playing through the first few hours of Gears of War 2, it's evident.
You'll be able to read Bleszinski's full preface in your manual tomorrow, when Gears of War 2 goes on sale. I'd re-print it here, but I'm afraid the dude would Cliffy-Punch™ me in the forehead.
Contest:
1:03 PM on 11.06.2008
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It's not in the box, it's a separate code given to people at the midnight launch (which it doesn't seem like you went to one ... is it midnight somewhere?).
And I did check the Fallout manual and it DOES have a preface by the "Fallout 3 team"!
Nah not midnight here in NY but I found a spot that sold it early. That's kinda silly to not put it in there if it says on the box there is a code in there, street date or not. We'll see tonight and if it doesn't work no biggie.
My favourite VG Manual of all time has to be the one for the original Heroes of Might & Magic 3, it had information on everything in the game.
Monsters, spells, heroes, towns - you name it, and it also had a preface like this in the beginning iirc
I need to do some convoluted stuff to get a golden hammerburst code tonight. I preordered at Best Buy for the RC tank car, but they're not doing a midnight launch, and Best Buy corporate wouldn't give me a code when I called, so I'm going to a Gamestop launch event tonight and buying the game to get the code. Then, I'm returning it the next day (I'll just transfer the money to a Mirror's Edge preorder if they give me trouble) and going to pick-up my Limited Edition preorder at Best Buy with free RC tank car. Yay swag whoring!
I put put my heart into every shit I take. Sorry, I said what I will. He's a wanker.
You wouldn't think Cliffy B would do something like that, though, considering he, in one of his interviews, talked about how wanting to get online to tear people's arms off to beat them with their own limbs...