Devs nervous about casual - Bleszinski
"I think that's a dumb response."
Gears of War 2 lead designer Cliff Bleszinski has said that developers shouldn't be intimidated by the success of mainstream games and the audience they attract.
"Thanks to the success of Guitar Hero and Wii, we've seen a lot of new people play games, and we've seen a lot of ex-gamers get back into gaming," Bleszinski noted in an interview with Develop.
"Some developers are nervous about that, but I think that's a dumb response. I think it's great to have more people playing games, and maybe they'll evolve from playing Guitar Hero to playing Gears or Halo or GTA."
With this in mind, Gears of War 2's "Casual" difficulty level "couldn't be too easy", and Bleszinski jokes that it's "actually harder to die [than not]".
"We want casual gamers to get involved this time around," he explained. "Yes it's got blood, monsters and guns, but it is also a story about loss and redemption and a bit of heart."
Gears of War 2 is due out exclusively for Xbox 360 on 7th November, and you can read our most recent Gears of War 2 hands-on preview, taking in the whole of Act 1, for more on how it's shaping up.
For more from the developer, you might also want to check out Eurogamer TV's interview with Cliff Bleszinski, where he talks about how he hopes to get more points off us this time around. Well Cliff, we've finished the game now, but you'll have to wait and see...