Microsoft officially took the wraps off Gears of War 2 at the Game Developers Conference yesterday. Gears of War 2 will launch exclusively on the Xbox 360 this November.

The announcement was made towards the end of Microsoft’s GDC keynote by Epic Games Inc.’s lead designer Cliff Bleszinski. Gears of War has sold 4.5 million copies to date and the sequel will see Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad continuing to struggle against the Locust Horde in an “epic saga of survival, loss and retribution.”

Bigger, better and more badass

“To our team the original game was just a tease, the appetizer to the ‘Gears of War’ characters and new style of gameplay. We were so amped to get to the next chapter, and dig deeper into the universe of this franchise,” said Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer for Epic Games. “Gears of War 2 is an even bigger, better, and more badass experience than the first game, and we can’t wait to get it in the hands of eager gamers this November.”

Check out the teaser trailer for Gears of War 2 which was shown at the GDC yesterday. It begins with the words “Sometimes death is all you can see, it’s all around you, it consumes you. So you have to look it in the eye and bear your teeth.” The trailer is set on a red background and depicts Marcus Fenix facing off against a Locust with a lancer.

Picture the scene…Microsoft’s keynote was over and no mention had been made of Gears of War 2. Everyone had anticipated that the sequel would be officially announced at GDC 08. The lights were dimmed and the trailer was then played followed by Cliffy B chainsawing through a sheet to enter the stage. He says “Gears of War one was a setup. Gears of War 2 will be much bigger and available exclusively on Xbox 360 in November 2008.” Talk about keeping us on the edge of our seats.