GameSpy: The pacing and general feel of Gears is unlike anything we've played before, with such a cinematic-feeling experience. Were there specific areas or battles in each environment that found inspiration in particular films, and if so, which ones?
CliffyB: We were joking around the other day about the steps we've taken to keep the game as interactive as possible but also provide a cinematic camera... "Cinemactive?" We agonize over the framing of Marcus alone. Is he properly in the frame? What's the field of view when you're in cover versus out of cover? How far should he be from the camera while "roadie-running"? How wobbly should the camera be in general?

Jerry (our art director) has a great film sense and we're all a fan of cinematic gaming so all of these bits were a no brainer for the game.
GameSpy: What is the emotional response that you aim to create through your level design?
CliffyB: The core loop of the game is tremendously fun but any core will get boring after continued repetition. This is why God of War has its mini-games. This is why you drive vehicles in Halo. In Gears we take the mold of fire team combat and continue to flip it. Here, deal with fast tactical action... in the evening... with air piranhas circling overhead waiting to eat you if you enter the darkness. Here, deal with fast tactical action... but all of your cover is getting blown to smithereens. Now figure out how you're going to take down a 500 lb Boomer who doesn't even bother to take cover... or the little Wretches that climb on the ceiling and try to drop down behind you.

GameSpy: Aside from stuff like buildings and bombed-out cars, what other types of cover will players be able to use?
CliffyB: Oh god, I can't keep track. Desks, tables, pillars, chairs, vending machines, pianos, benches, newspaper vendors, the list goes on and on. This was one of the challenges early on; if every room was just a bunch of conveniently fallen pillars it'd get old really quick. So we've got tons of meshes that are clearly cover. I'm a fan of the stove myself.
GameSpy: Until now, the environments we've seen have been primarily urban. Will we be seeing old standbys like forests or alpine levels?
CliffyB: Actually, now that you mention it, the snow level is in production right behind the lava level. (Just kidding!)

Seriously though, we've got tons of variety in the game. I believe that game developers generally tend to paint in extreme brush strokes because our medium sometimes is very difficult with expressing subtleties. Facial animation is getting better but until recently you couldn't express a nuanced brow raise or wry grin which can say a thousand things to the user. Instead we'd just go "That's hard, let's give her some huge boobs and call it a day."

So, to bring this full circle, we've got tons of variety in the game (and some spectacular locations) without having to go completely insane with every single locale. A forest at night that's raining... and something's out there stalking you... or a homeless camp beneath a bridge that's huddling away from the terrors of the night. Not to mention the first time you witness the threatening beauty of the underground of the planet -- The Hollow. It's quite the ride!
GameSpy: If so, will the types of cover available change? After all, aren't trees the original destructible cover?
CliffyB: Generally speaking, most wooden cover is vulnerable to damage and destruction. Metal cars have their doors flying off and whatnot and items fall down in order to create cover.
GameSpy: During the minecart sequence we saw at X05, the game briefly turned into an on-rails shooter. Are there a lot of instance like this, in which the environments themselves actually change the style of play?
CliffyB: We have a few sequences like this, but at press time I'm not really available to spill the beans on them. I've already blabbed too much as it is!