The new Gears of War teaser trailer is just that, a teaser. Even though it’s an obvious promotional stunt for the inevitably popular sequel, what if there’s actually more to it than meets the eye?

Microsoft’s beloved Halo series is, for the most part over, and it’s now time for a replacement to keep 360 owners happy. We already know that Gears is another planned trilogy, (a more common trend nowadays,) so why not just crank out another forumlaic pair of games?

Epic is beyond that and we know it, but if there was any doubt about a lack of innovation, I’m sure they’d have leart from the “mistake” they made with Unreal tournament 3. If you don’t remember the problem with UT3, then let me tell you - the major detractor was the lack of innovation. Even though I loved the game since I was expecting the same fast paced action of the previous games in the UT series, the sales still didn’t do too well. Many people didn’t like the fact it was more of the same.

So what will GoW2 be? More of the same, or nearly as innovative as the original? First off, there’s a rumor that Microsoft is looking to buy Epic. While this is just a rumor, it doesn’t sound very far fetched. With Bungie gone, who will be there for the continuing killer app releases that the Xbox needs to survive? Certainly Rare is doing their best, but it’s a safe bet that they aren’t making the next Halo killer. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense for Microsoft to buy Epic, and turn the already proven franchise into their central and main series. But what if Epic doesn’t bite? After all, UT3’s 360 development has been a much bumpier road compared to the PC and PS3. Since Epic’s interests are so close to the PC, would they really sell out exclusively to the 360?

Furthermore, enter the fun alternative. Keep in mind that this is of course pure speculation as of writing, but what if they tried something different with GoW2? Let’s guess that there is more to the trailer than just the promise of more action, and maybe some slightly improved melee. My money’s on a totally stylized game. Not as heavy as the trailer, but if anyone could do it, (who’s name isn’t Valve,) and pull it off successfully, it would be the one and only Epic Studios.

Why am I taking the teaser trailer so seriously of all things? Well, a while back there were talks that the Gears of War movie, (production seems at a stand-still,) which was going to be shot in a “film noir”style, very similar to Sin City. I am certainly not the only one that liked that movie, and I really like the idea of implementing that same style into a movie based on a video game. In the original Gears of War, Epic wanted a very gritty theme, but seemed to end up being drab with little variation - that was really the only turn off of the game. So how would one improve upon the original? The obvious choice is to either drastically change the locations, (mind you Halo 3 kicked off in a jungle,) or bring it in an even more unique art direction like Sin City has to offer.

So what do you think the next installment will be? Gears of war 1.5, or an industry saving bitch-slap to art direction as we know it? Lets hear your opinions in the comments.