Xbox 360 nearing limits of capability - Epic
Plus: Gears 2 further along than expected.
Rod Fergusson, manager of the Gears of War franchise at Epic Games, believes developers will soon be at the upper end of what the Xbox 360 can technically achieve.
He said Gears of War 2 had come surprisingly far during the two to three years since development wound down on the original.
"We're certainly approaching the upper end of what developers are able to do with it, but just looking at all the demos we saw today - ours and others - it's clear that all the games just keep improving, and keep pushing that bar," Fergusson told Gamasutra.
"It's a slow cycle; you only get a kick at it every couple years, and so it takes a while for people to see that progress. There will be games in development that won't ship until 2010, and I'm sure they'll look killer, just because, again, they'll have more time with [the console] and learn from mistakes and optimisations of others.
"So, I don't know; I think we're getting up there, but I still think there's room to grow," said Fergusson.
Gears of War 2 will be released exclusively for Xbox 360 on 7th November. Among the many improvements will be expanded online pursuits for two teams of five, plus loads more weapons, characters, abilities and even a more in-depth storyline.
Head over to our hands-on impressions of Gears of War 2 from E3 2008.
