Ep.271 – Chainsaws and Cover: How Epic Games Redefined the Modern Shooter with Gears of War cover art

Ep.271 – Chainsaws and Cover: How Epic Games Redefined the Modern Shooter with Gears of War

Ep.271 – Chainsaws and Cover: How Epic Games Redefined the Modern Shooter with Gears of War

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 In 2006, Epic Games released Gears of War, a brutal and cinematic reinvention of the third-person shooter. In this episode, we trace Cliff Bleszinski’s journey from teenage shareware designer to creative director at Epic, and how his vision helped transform a scrapped Unreal prototype into one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. We explore the birth of the Lancer, the evolution of cover-based combat, and how Epic’s technical mastery of Unreal Engine 3 changed console gaming forever. Our conversation covers Gears’ critical and commercial success, its influence on modern shooters, and how it became a defining moment for the Xbox 360. Join us as we reload, rev up, and fight through the Locust Horde on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

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