Gears of War 4 Coming Holiday 2016, Microsoft Announces at E3 2015

Microsoft today revealed a brand-new Gears of War, Gears of War 4, that is coming to Xbox One during holiday 2016.

The game was shown off using the first-ever gameplay footage, which featured two seemingly brand-new characters. A number of elements from previous Gears appear to be returning, including gun-mounted chainsaws and the style of sprinting seeing in previous games.

The demo moved from an outdoor environment where a storm was hitting to an indoor area with very limited lighting. The two characters--one a woman, and one a man whose perspective the demo was shown from--then began fighting a variety of monsters that don't appear to be resemble those seen in past games. In the process, we get to see the Gnasher Shotgun, Lancer, and the chainsaw all used.

While the game undoubtedly looked much better than any past Gears title, there didn't appear to be much new on display; the core gameplay seems largely unchanged, at least based on what we saw this morning. While it's somewhat disappointing that any new elements Gears 4 offers weren't featured in the video, we are still roughly a year and a half away from its launch. In other words, there isn't necessarily any reason for Gears fans hoping for some new wrinkles to panic.