Fans have known Gears of War 4 was coming for a long time. Most knew no matter how much Epic Games claimed the third instalment was the final chapter, there was no way the studio was walking away from the franchise for good – or that the fictional war at the heart of the series was truly over. Those pesky locusts may have been wiped out, but it would surprise no one if some had somehow survived, or if a new threat surfaced out of nowhere.
And so, the time finally came when Gears 4 was officially announced, and that sparked all sorts of debates and speculation as to what the main story would be and what characters would be driving it. Now, thanks to an exclusive from Game Informer, the new main characters in Gears 4 have been revealed. And, interestingly enough, one character in particular has a unique relationship with the three previous Gears games. His name is JD Fenix.
Yes, one of the main playable characters in Gears of War 4 is the son of the original trilogy’s hero, Marcus Fenix. He is apparently an idealist (like a lot of heroes) and runs away from home to join the COG militia. But things don’t work out too well for JD, as he goes AWOL after an incident during a classified mission – the basis of which will apparently be the game’s main plot.
Joining JD in his fight will be his boarding school buddy ‘Del’ Walker, another former COG soldier. There’s also a character called Kait Diaz. Not much is known about her, but following the rule of three, she’s probably the non-soldier wildcard thrown into the mix. The character announcement also revealed the cast of voice actors playing these roles. JD Fenix will be played by Liam McIntyre of Spartacus and The Flash fame, while Laura Bailey (World of Warcraft) plays Kait Diaz. The role of Delmont Walker is taken up by Eugene Byrd, who recently appeared on Arrow as John Diggle’s troubled brother Andy. The images of the new trio should immediately strike a chord with fans, as they look tiny compared to the unrealistic bulk of Marcus Fenix and Cole Train. 25 years has passed since Gears 3, so maybe the military has eased up on the protein shakes?
Given some of the information that has come from the development team at The Coalition, they definitely recognize what a huge undertaking this is and understand that Gears 4 is a completely different beast than Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. The Coalition team also say they hope to bring the game back to its darker, horror-themed roots and that fans can look forward to more co-op, along with the addition of new gameplay elements and a new threat.
It’s still widely believed that the game will launch in 2016, but that release date will have to be taken with a grain of salt, as it would be most impressive if such a big title manages to hit store shelves without at least one delay. Microsoft is certainly in need of a big, splashy title that’s an Xbox exclusive to boot. After the lukewarm launch of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Gears 4 could make the impression the company has been after for so long. Surely a full-fledged trailer is just an E3 away.
Screen Rant will have more information on Gears of War 4 as it is made available.
Source: Game Informer
