Gears of War 3: multiplayer beta starts today, Epic talks about defining HD gaming

With the GoW 3 multiplayer beta beginning today for those that bought Bulletstorm's Epic Edition, it's the beginning of the end of Epic's "HD defining" trilogy. Executive producer Rod Fergusson talks about the journey.

Epic estimates that around 1 million gamers will take part in the beta, which will not only provide invaluable data and feedback to the developer but will also allow participants to unearth special items for use in the full game.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Fergusson said that when in comes to pushing the limits of HD gaming, Epic is competing not just with other developers but with itself and the memories that gamers have of previous Gears games.

"[People] take it for granted. That was one of our biggest problems with Gears 1 to Gears 2. Your memory is far better than reality," Fergusson said. "With Gears 2 we were competing with the memory of Gears 1 and what people remembered it was like."

Fergusson acknowledged that it's a trap he himself has fallen into when reviewing GoW 3 cinematics, but said that a quick viewing of GoW 2 footage disabused him of the notion that the two games are the same.

"Then I went back and watched Gears 2 cinematics and I was like, 'Holy crap.' The stuff that was wrong with our facial animation and our lip-synch... In my memory, this stuff was jaw dropping. We're way better in Gears 3 than we were in Gears 2. I'm excited for people to see that."

The full interview, in which Fergusson also discussed four-player co-op and Gears of War pyjamas, can be found over on Eurogamer.

Gears of War 3 is set for release for Xbox 360 on September 20 in the UK and US.