Gears of War hit the shelves in Europe on the 17th of November. Microsoft has forecast that this Xbox 360 exclusive will sell more than one million copies worldwide this Christmas, and set a new record for the fastest-selling original game for the Xbox 360.

With incredible demand from gamers, Gears of War has been hailed as the most anticipated video game launch of 2006. Gamers can look forward to indulging in singleplayer mode on their own Xbox 360 or multiplayer via Xbox Live. Developed by Epic Games Inc. and published by Microsoft Game Studios, it was first revealed at E3 in 2005. This third person tactical action/horror game centres around mankind’s battle against a race of creatures known as the Locust Horde, featuring intense action and dramatic storytelling.

“Gears of War is a title we know will deliver on all of its promise, and we expect the game to reach 1 million copies faster than any new titles for Xbox,” said Chris Lewis, Regional VP Entertainment and Devices Division (E & D) EMEA. “This Christmas is an extremely important one for the entire industry, and Xbox 360 will offer the world unparalleled experiences available only on this console. We’ve put an enormous emphasis on bringing new and exciting titles to market, and Gears of War is a key example of Microsoft’s commitment to developing original and immersive titles for gamers everywhere.”

Gears of War received the Game Critics Awards’ Best Console Game and Best Action Game of E3 2006. It has also earned a rating of 9/10 from the official Xbox magazine in the UK. Cliff Bleszinski, Lead Designer for Gears of War at Epic Games, had this to say about the game: “the reception that Gears of War has received has been tremendous. Designing Gears of War has been a labour of love, and we’ve poured everything we have into the title. We expect this game to be huge, and it’s exhilarating to see that people are as excited about Gears of War as we are.”