<s>
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Epic	O
Games	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
third	O
installment	O
of	O
the	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
received	O
widespread	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
sold	O
over	O
3	O
million	O
copies	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
second	O
best	O
selling	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
titled	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
4	I-Application
,	O
not	O
developed	O
by	O
Epic	O
Games	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
that	O
emphasizes	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
cover	O
and	O
squad	O
tactics	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
survive	O
combat	O
situations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
player	O
reloads	O
a	O
weapons	O
ammunition	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
an	O
opportunity	O
for	O
an	O
"	O
active	O
reload	O
"	O
,	O
shown	O
by	O
a	O
small	O
cursor	O
moving	O
over	O
a	O
line	O
with	O
a	O
marked	O
section	O
on	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
heads-up	B-Application
display	I-Application
(	O
HUD	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
in	O
combat	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
take	O
some	O
damage	O
from	O
enemy	O
fire	O
,	O
filling	O
a	O
blood-colored	O
"	O
crimson	O
omen	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
HUD	B-Application
as	O
a	O
measure	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
health	O
,	O
unlike	O
the	O
traditional	O
health	O
bar	O
in	O
other	O
shooters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
some	O
cover	O
can	O
be	O
destroyed	O
after	O
taking	O
some	O
amount	O
of	O
damage	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
a	O
tactical	O
advantage	O
to	O
draw	O
out	O
enemies	O
from	O
cover	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
to	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
is	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
tag	O
enemy	O
opponents	O
;	O
computer-controlled	O
allies	O
will	O
then	O
concentrate	O
fire	O
on	O
these	O
marked	O
enemies	O
,	O
while	O
human	O
allies	O
will	O
be	O
alerted	O
to	O
their	O
location	O
on	O
their	O
HUD	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
two	O
years	O
after	O
Jacinto	O
,	O
humanity	O
's	O
last	O
stronghold	O
,	O
is	O
destroyed	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
completely	O
eradicate	O
the	O
Locust	O
Horde	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
begins	O
as	O
Chairman	O
Prescott	O
unexpectedly	O
arrives	O
on	O
the	O
Sovereign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
DLC	B-Protocol
acting	O
as	O
a	O
secondary	O
single	O
player	O
campaign	O
to	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
takes	O
control	O
of	O
both	O
General	O
RAAM	O
,	O
the	O
Locust	O
's	O
main	O
General	O
,	O
and	O
Michael	O
Barrick	O
of	O
Zeta-Six	O
from	O
the	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
comic	O
series	O
set	O
during	O
the	O
Evacuation	O
of	O
Ilima	O
several	O
years	O
before	O
the	O
first	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
major	O
characters	O
include	O
Lieutenant	O
Minh	O
Young	O
Kim	O
from	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
Tai	O
Kailso	O
from	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
new	O
character	O
Alicia	O
Valera	O
and	O
Jace	O
Stratton	O
from	O
the	O
comics	O
and	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
setting	O
,	O
the	O
COG	O
city	O
of	O
Ilima	O
,	O
previously	O
briefly	O
appeared	O
in	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
as	O
ruins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
includes	O
a	O
stereoscopic	O
mode	O
for	O
3DTV	O
sets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
gameplay	O
and	O
cinematics	O
have	O
S3D	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
this	O
extends	O
to	O
split-screen	O
play	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
17	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Epic	O
Games	O
confirmed	O
that	O
the	O
Epic	O
Edition	O
of	O
Bulletstorm	B-Application
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
included	O
early	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
beta	O
of	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
access	O
to	O
exclusive	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
announced	O
that	O
pre-ordering	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
in	O
any	O
edition	O
at	O
GameStop	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
or	O
GAME	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
would	O
grant	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
beta	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
exclusive	O
beta	O
began	O
on	O
April	O
18	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
a	O
week	O
before	O
the	O
GameStop	O
pre-order	O
beta	O
which	O
began	O
on	O
April	O
25	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
and	O
later	O
in	O
2020	O
,	O
footage	O
of	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
running	O
on	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
surfaced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
footage	O
was	O
confirmed	O
to	O
be	O
legitimate	O
and	O
appeared	O
to	O
be	O
from	O
a	O
data	O
breach	O
Epic	O
had	O
suffered	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
but	O
Kotaku	O
confirmed	O
with	O
Epic	O
Games	O
that	O
the	O
source	O
of	O
the	O
footage	O
was	O
not	O
from	O
an	O
unannounced	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
was	O
from	O
a	O
test	O
of	O
the	O
Unreal	O
Engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Tim	O
Sweeney	O
,	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
cost	O
between	O
$	O
48,000,000	O
and	O
$	O
60,000,000	O
to	O
develop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
the	O
official	O
reveal	O
,	O
an	O
advert	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
accidentally	O
displayed	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
Dashboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Standard	O
Edition	O
contains	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
a	O
cut-down	O
manual	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
sheet	O
of	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
themed	O
decals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
Limited	O
Edition	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
console	O
included	O
a	O
customized	O
red	O
console	O
with	O
the	O
'	O
Infected	O
Omen	O
 '	O
design	O
,	O
two	O
Special	O
Edition	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
wireless	O
controllers	O
,	O
a	O
320GB	O
hard	O
drive	O
,	O
and	O
two	O
tokens	O
to	O
unlock	O
Adam	O
Fenix	O
and	O
the	O
Infected	O
Omen	O
Weapon	O
Pack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clayton	O
Carmine	O
,	O
brother	O
of	O
Anthony	O
and	O
Benjamin	O
,	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
two	O
games	O
,	O
appears	O
in	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
vote	O
was	O
held	O
between	O
July	O
29	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
and	O
September	O
6	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
to	O
determine	O
whether	O
Carmine	O
would	O
live	O
or	O
die	O
based	O
on	O
sales	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
avatar	O
T-shirts	O
available	O
for	O
purchase	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
;	O
Epic	O
had	O
developed	O
endings	O
reflecting	O
either	O
choice	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
conclusion	O
of	O
the	O
vote	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
announced	O
during	O
E3	O
2011	O
that	O
Ice-T	O
'	O
s	O
band	O
,	O
Body	O
Count	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
reuniting	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
song	O
titled	O
"	O
The	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
"	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
featured	O
in	O
the	O
Horde	O
2.0	O
trailer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Announced	O
via	O
Twitter	O
from	O
Cliff	O
Bleszinski	O
,	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
will	O
have	O
unlockables	O
just	O
like	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
1	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
Bleszinski	O
announced	O
as	O
an	O
April	O
Fools	O
 '	O
joke	O
via	O
Twitter	O
that	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
will	O
have	O
a	O
new	O
unlockable	O
weapon	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
6	O
barrelled	O
shotgun	O
that	O
has	O
a	O
special	O
ability	O
to	O
shoot	O
nukes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
who	O
purchased	O
the	O
Bulletstorm	B-Application
Epic	O
Edition	O
unlocked	O
an	O
exclusive	O
Flaming	O
Hammerburst	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
the	O
beta	O
and	O
the	O
full	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
confirmed	O
on	O
June	O
24	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
that	O
completing	O
required	O
achievements	O
from	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
will	O
earn	O
the	O
player	O
new	O
weapon	O
skins	O
and	O
medals	O
in	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Gold	O
Lancer	O
and	O
Hammerburst	O
have	O
been	O
confirmed	O
as	O
returning	O
from	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
to	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rod	O
Fergusson	O
announced	O
that	O
players	O
with	O
the	O
Veteran	O
Gear	O
achievement	O
from	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
will	O
earn	O
an	O
in-game	O
Old	O
Guard	O
medal	O
and	O
callsign	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
gold	O
variants	O
of	O
all	O
five	O
starting	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chrome	O
weapon	O
skins	O
for	O
the	O
five	O
starting	O
weapons	O
have	O
also	O
been	O
confirmed	O
to	O
be	O
unlockable	O
by	O
playing	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
or	O
PC	O
version	O
of	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
who	O
watch	O
the	O
Mission	O
Impossible	O
:	O
Ghost	O
Protocol	O
trailer	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
and	O
then	O
complete	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
on	O
Insane	O
Difficulty	O
by	O
December	O
25	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
either	O
in	O
single	O
or	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
will	O
unlock	O
an	O
exclusive	O
Mission	O
:	O
Impossible	O
—	O
Ghost	O
Protocol	O
Weapon	O
Skin	O
Pack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Designs	O
aka	O
"	O
PJD	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
of	O
Paul	O
Teutul	O
Jr.	O
from	O
the	O
Discovery	O
series	O
American	O
Chopper	O
,	O
revealed	O
their	O
commissioned	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
trike	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
29	O
August	O
2011	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Epic	O
Games	O
announced	O
a	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
Season	O
Pass	O
that	O
entitles	O
gamers	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
four	O
installments	O
of	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
(	O
at	O
a	O
discount	O
)	O
that	O
will	O
roll	O
out	O
over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
the	O
next	O
year	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
releasing	O
in	O
November	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previous	O
characters	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
including	O
Tai	O
and	O
RAAM	O
,	O
will	O
be	O
future	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
also	O
been	O
confirmed	O
that	O
Story	O
DLC	B-Protocol
will	O
be	O
available	O
after	O
launch	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
regular	O
cast	O
of	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
will	O
not	O
be	O
in	O
future	O
DLC	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
is	O
the	O
"	O
Horde	O
Command	O
Pack	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
1	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
is	O
called	O
"	O
Versus	O
Booster	O
Map	O
Pack	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pack	O
contains	O
five	O
multiplayer	O
maps	O
which	O
includes	O
Blood	O
Drive	O
,	O
Azura	O
,	O
and	O
Rustlung	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
originally	O
made	O
available	O
through	O
the	O
Horde	O
Command	O
Pack	O
;	O
and	O
Bullet	O
Marsh	O
and	O
Clocktower	O
,	O
which	O
will	O
be	O
new	O
to	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
third	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
is	O
"	O
RAAM	O
's	O
Shadow	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
takes	O
place	O
before	O
the	O
first	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
set	O
in	O
Sera	O
post-emergence	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
will	O
be	O
in	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
General	O
RAAM	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
antagonist	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zeta	O
is	O
led	O
by	O
Michael	O
Barrick	O
(	O
from	O
"	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
"	O
comics	O
fame	O
)	O
and	O
composed	O
of	O
returning	O
characters	O
such	O
as	O
Lt	O
.	O
Minh	O
Young	O
Kim	O
,	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
Tai	O
Kaliso	O
from	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Jace	O
Stratton	O
from	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
also	O
includes	O
a	O
new	O
female	O
character	O
,	O
Alicia	O
Valera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
primary	O
setting	O
is	O
the	O
city	O
of	O
Illima	O
from	O
Gears	B-Device
of	I-Device
War	I-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fourth	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
is	O
entitled	O
:	O
"	O
Fenix	O
Rising	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
17	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DLC	B-Protocol
includes	O
five	O
new	O
multiplayer	O
maps	O
and	O
also	O
introduced	O
four	O
new	O
character	O
skins	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
system	O
that	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
rank	O
up	O
through	O
level	O
100	O
multiple	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fifth	O
and	O
final	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
,	O
entitled	O
"	O
Forces	O
of	O
Nature	O
"	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
27	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
maps	O
,	O
the	O
DLC	B-Protocol
also	O
includes	O
four	O
new	O
character	O
models	O
,	O
five	O
weapon	O
skins	O
ready	O
to	O
use	O
immediately	O
,	O
and	O
two	O
unlockable	O
weapon	O
skins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
received	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
,	O
garnering	O
an	O
aggregate	O
score	O
of	O
91.49	O
%	O
on	O
GameRankings	O
and	O
91/100	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jeff	O
Gerstmann	O
of	O
Giant	O
Bomb	O
gave	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
a	O
review	O
of	O
5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
;	O
stating	O
"	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
is	O
a	O
fantastic	O
follow-up	O
that	O
answers	O
important	O
questions	O
about	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
Gears	O
universe	O
while	O
backing	O
it	O
all	O
up	O
with	O
an	O
even	O
bigger	O
,	O
better	O
multiplayer	O
suite.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informer	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
9.5/10	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
Gears	B-Application
3	I-Application
is	O
a	O
fantastic	O
idea	O
polished	O
to	O
near	O
perfection	O
by	O
an	O
enormous	O
crew	O
of	O
talented	O
developers	O
and	O
a	O
bottomless	O
budget	O
,	O
"	O
with	O
"	O
a	O
constantly	O
shuffling	O
deck	O
of	O
threats	O
that	O
encourage	O
players	O
to	O
experiment	O
with	O
new	O
weapons	O
and	O
tactics	O
,	O
"	O
"	O
hilariously	O
over-the-top	O
set	O
piece	O
moments	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
smart	O
approach	O
to	O
network	O
play.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
3	I-Application
received	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
million	O
pre-orders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
3	O
million	O
copies	O
during	O
its	O
first	O
week	O
—	O
higher	O
than	O
the	O
previous	O
two	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
entries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
second-best	O
selling	O
game	O
only	O
behind	O
Madden	B-Application
NFL	I-Application
12	I-Application
.	O
</s>
