Skip to main content

Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel, not Gears 6

Gears of War E-Day cityscape Sera
The Coalition
Summer Gaming Marathon Feature Image
This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

During the June 2024 Xbox Games Showcase, The Coalition announced Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel to the Gears of War series. The game takes place 14 years before the start of the first game, and is built from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5. However, there is no release date, but it will presumably launch for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

The trailer starts with a protagonist Marcus Fenix as a younger man fighting against a big Locust enemy. When he barely manages to win, he gets pulled up by his friend, Dominic Santiago. The camera then pans out to show a city in ruins. Players are used to a seasoned veteran in Marcus, but E-Day explores a time when he and his comrades were ill-prepared for the Locust threat upon their home planet Sera.

Gears of War: E-Day | Official Announce Trailer (In-Engine) - Xbox Games Showcase 2024

The trailer also brings back the song “Mad World,” the Tears for Fears track covered by Gary Jules that was used for the original Gears of War game that was released in 2006. This time, the track is reimagined for the E-Day trailer, making it darker and grittier.

Recommended Videos

The Coalition has also confirmed that even though Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel, the studio is not abandoning the stories told in Gears of War 4 and Gears 5. However, The Coalition didn’t want to pass on the chance to tell an origin story, including one regarding Marcus’ famous iconic Chainsaw Lancer weapon. It’s also not a spinoff like Gears of War: Judgment is, but a new entry and mainline title.

George Yang
George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…
I played Monster Hunter Wilds, and it’s already a thrill
A hunter runs through a lightning storm in Monster Hunter Wilds.

I've always seen Monster Hunter as a cinematic game, though perhaps not in the way that many gamers picture when they hear the word. I'm not talking about big-budget cutscenes. Rather, spectacle is baked into its world. There's no greater thrill than watching on as the titanic beast I'm tracking suddenly gets attacked by another creature. It's like watching a kaiju battle unfold organically.

With Monster Hunter Wilds, though, Capcom is upping the ante. In a 90-minute demo, I played through the upcoming action RPG's first two missions. They were standard hunts against towering beasts, but something was different this time. A larger emphasis on thrilling cutscenes and cinematic set pieces took center stage between my normal hacking and slashing. That makes for a sequel that takes Monster Hunter to the next level, unlocking its blockbuster potential.
More cinematic
When my demo begins, I'm sailing on an ocean of sand with a crew of ragtag characters. After getting briefed on a monster in the area, the dreaded White Wraithe, I'm treated to an action-packed sequence. I see sandworms chasing a character in the distance, as if I'm watching a scene out of Dune. My hero leaps from the side of the ship and lands on a Seikret and gives chase. As I gain control of my character, I'm suddenly in a chase sequence. Worms leap around me, and I have to knock them off my trail with my slingshot. It's positively dazzling.

Read more
Nintendo Direct August 2024: How to watch and what to expect
Lego Aloy talking to Lego hotdog guy with a machine behind her ready to attack.

It seems like only yesterday when we last got a Nintendo Direct. OK, it was in June, but it was packed with announcements like a new Zelda game and confirmation that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond  is not only happening, but is set for next year. Apparently there's more to show as Nintendo is holding yet another Nintendo Direct, coupled with an Indie World Showcase, on Tuesday, August 27.

The last Direct filled out the rest of Nintendo's 2024 release schedule, so what else could it have in store from its partners? Will we finally get news about Hollow Knight: Silksong? Here's what you need to know to tune in.
When is the August 2024 Nintendo Direct?
The Indie World Showcase/Nintendo Partner Showcase double feature will begin at 7 a.m. PT on August 27 and last "roughly 40 minutes in total."

Read more
Towerborne is a live-service beat ’em up — and that wild idea actually works
towerborne preview live service beat em up key art

Whenever I'm in a gaming rut and not sure what to play, I know I can always boot up a beat 'em up like Street of Rage 4, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, or Castle Crashers and have a good time. If I'm just in the mood for some mindless action, I can button-mash my way through levels as a superpowered fighter. If I want something more involved, I'll take the time to learn and execute powerful combos, as well as find ways to engage with the game's systems on a deeper level. Developer Stoic smartly recognized that this is a kind of game loop common in many live service games, so it's working with Xbox Game Studios to make a live service beat 'em up called Towerborne.

Towerborne will enter early access on Steam next month, but I had the chance to play it early at an Xbox event in Los Angeles. While I wasn't able to go hands-on with most of the social-focused systems that will make Towerborne stand out from the crowd, I can attest to its solid fantasy beat 'em up core that I can see myself sinking countless hours into when I'm back in one of those gaming ruts.

Read more