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20,000 stores to open for Gears of War 2 midnight launch

Pre-orders of Epic shooter surpass original title

Over 20,000 retailers worldwide are opening at midnight on November 7 for the release of Gears of War 2.

Microsoft has revealed that pre-orders of the shooter developed by Epic Games have surpassed pre-orders of the original title, released back in 2006.

Consumers attending the Midnight Mayhem events will receive a token for a limited-edition in-game item, and over the launch weekend players will be able to take on the development team at Epic over Xbox Live.

Everyone buying Gears of War 2 will also be able to download a free map pack and gain free access to the Xbox Live Gold service for 48 hours.

Exclusive to Microsoft's console, Gears of War 2 is the company's big release for the hardcore consumer before Christmas.

Epic's Cliff Blezinski had recently told GamesIndustry.biz that although the title is aimed at shooter fans, it's does have a softer edge which may appeal to a wider audience.

"There's still a fair amount of jock, fratboy, macho bullshit in the game - I'm not going to lie," he said. "But at the same time, there's a little bit more personal elements in there, and some of the themes in the game with loss, retribution and the sadness of war, I think they're coming through a lot more in this game."

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Matt Martin

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Matt Martin joined GamesIndustry in 2006 and was made editor of the site in 2008. With over ten years experience in journalism, he has written for multiple trade, consumer, contract and business-to-business publications in the games, retail and technology sectors.