Gears of War: Judgement Actually Contains Two Campaigns

Assuming you’re as devoted to the Gears of War franchise as the rest of the gaming world, you’ll be pleased to learn that the soon to be released Gears of War: Judgement actually contains two campaigns right out of the box.

Aftermath will be the second unlockable campaign that serves as an epilogue to Judgement and takes place during the events of  Gears of War 3. Specifically, the end of GoW 3 when Baird, Cole, and Carmine set out to track down reinforcements before the COG invade Azura. Aftermath clocks in at just over two hours, so we guess it’s more of a min-campaign, but, the idea of folding a second narrative into an existing title that is both prologue and epilogue is still pretty awesome.

Aftermath can be unlocked by completing each level of Judgement with style and panache. More head shots or fancier execution finishers will grant players ‘stars’ and the more stars you get, the more of Aftermath becomes available. “We wanted to do something that added context to the game, so you had that beginning part, but then this ties everything together with the main trilogy as well,” Gears of War: Judgment’s lead level designer Jim Brown told OXM.

“So you’ll see when you go in there some people you recognize, some places, maybe even some enemies and then see how the two storylines weave together in the context of the whole. Obviously we don’t want to give away too many spoilers in how it’s going to end or what you’re going to see.

“But the basic gist of it is that when they’re at the fort, Marcus sends Barrett and Cole off to find supplies and reinforcements, and then he goes off to Azura. Then at the very end they show up with helicopters. This is where they went and what they did on that mission.”

Like we said, dovetailing events like this gives players a sense of closure and finality. Personally, when a developer decides to add additional content and not make us shell out extra cash for it, it’s always a welcome decision. Check out the debut of the Aftermath trailer and let us know what you think.

Gears of War Judgment Premiere