…but it hasn’t. Not until November 8th, if I can trust what the lady at Toys “R” Us told me today…which I won’t.
Anyway, as you’ve probably heard by now Gears of War has hit Gold status, or what we like to call where I work “Code Complete.” As if this weren’t news enough, Microsoft announced that on the game’s official launch day (a.k.a. Emergence Day) of November 12th, they have an entire lineup of Live content to keep gamers occupied for a full 24-hours.
Starting at 12:01am on 11/12, Emergence Day will kick off with the start of a 24-hour leader board tournament. The winner of said tournament will receive a Gears of War themed guitar along with an automatic bye into the official Gears of War tournament which is slated for sometime in 2007. Make sure you have the Red Bull handy.
In addition, there will be hourly sweepstakes drawings where players could win a Samsung surround sound system. There will be free Gears of War gamer pictures and themes only available on Emergence Day, as well as never before seen videos of the game from lead designer CliffyB and MTV.
Finally, the coolest part of this whole thing is the special “Game with Fame” session they have set up. Players will get the opportunity to face the band Megadeth online. Hear me now Dave Mustaine, I’m coming for you.
To top all of this news off, Microsoft released the below clip which was created with guidance from David Fincher, director of some of my favorite movies including “Se7en” and “Fight Club.” This footage is also downloadable via Xbox Live if this tiny monitor is too small for you.
Having over 25 years of gaming experience, Zach knows a thing or two when it comes to one of his favorite entertainment activities. Additionally, he has also written many articles previewing and reviewing titles which can be found in various places around the net, including VGBlogger.com. 
Yeah, the release date for Gears of War is confusing. It’s scheduled to start releasing on the 7th, but won’t be widely available in retailers nationwide until “Emergence Day” on the 12th. I’m not sure what the early launch date is and what stores and where will have it on that date, but I guess we’re gonna find out soon enough. Hopefully sooner rather than later, as I want to play through it before getting sucked away into the Wii and PS3 launches (hopefully).
Oh, and I doubt Toys “R” Us will have it before the 12th lol.