Gears of War Judgement teaser with Epic Games’ lead level designer (Part 2)

Jim Brown, lead level designer from Epic Games, sat down to discuss their highly-anticipated sequel in this Prima exclusive interview. Part II of II.

What’s your favorite weapon in the Overrun mode and why?

I think my favorite weapon in Overrun isn’t necessarily a weapon, it’s the Corpser because he is just this hulking giant with big claws.  You have a built in shield with the legs in front of you.  You have a very powerful attack and you’ve got a great escape because you can go underground to hide, so there’s a lot of different strategies that you can use there and when they see you coming they know they’re in trouble.  Just the intimidation factor alone makes it worth playing.

What’s your favorite Cog Overrun class and why?

I tend to play more as a support player.  So I like the Scout Class and the Medic Class personally.  The Scout Class is great because you are the one that lets the other people on your team when everyone else is coming and you have a beacon grenade that puts out like a radar pulse and it marks everyone in the area so you can see – even through walls. They get highlighted so you can keep track of them and while they’re marked they also have a debuff on there so they take more damage.  So not only are you spotting enemies for your teammates, you’re actually helping them because the enemies are more vulnerable when you have eyes on them.  So that’s really great and then the medic is my other favorite just because who doesn’t love a medic; right?  Things start to go south on the battlefield and chief runs out there and throws down a stem grenade, everybody gets back up and is back in the fight and you’re the hero.  So there’s nothing better than that feeling.

What’s your go to weapon and why as Cog in Overrun?

Well, in Overrun it depends on your class.  Like I said, playing as a scout, which I like to do, you’re going to be using the Marksa, you’re going to be using the new sniper rifle which is great.  You just start popping heads and keep people at bay at a distance which is great and then as the Scout – or I’m sorry the Medic, which is my other favorite class you start standard with a lancer, which is – I mean that’s our standard weapon and that’s our go to weapon for pretty much all occasions.

What’s a good strategy for free for all?

Stay alive.

Lol, ok, that works.

Yeah, I mean, it’s all the classic strategies that you get in free for all, right?  You’ve got to keep moving.  You can’t just camp in one place and we’ve actually changed up the game a lot in terms of making it more accessible and easier to play, easier to get into and as part of that weapons and animations have a smoother transitions.  Controls have been streamlined and movement throughout the map has been as well, so for example you can now just walk off a ledge, kick out a window and mantle (ph) through it.  So in free for all, especially, you need to be aware of everywhere around you at all times including up because the maps are a lot more vertical than they used to be and in previous titles it’s been about hey, you get in cover and establish a front and it’s about defending that front against the front of the other incoming team and avoiding the flanks.  In free for all, it’s every man for himself.  There are twice as many enemies as there were in the past.  You have no friends and they’re coming at you from all angles, so you are the front.  Each person is their own front and you just kind of have to be aware of that and be ready to handle it.

To read Part I of the interview, click here.