Microsoft wants you to determine the fate of Clayton Carmine in Gears of War 3

by: Chuck - posted: 7/21/2010 8:23:00 AM

One of the better running jokes in the Gears of War series (outside the obvious bromance between the two main characters) is that each game has had a member of the Carmine family in it and that member dies in each game.  Gears of War 3 will be no different as it will feature the third Carmine brother,Clayton, and Microsoft wants you to determine if he lives or dies in the game.

To cast your vote you just need to buy either the "Carmine Must Die" or the "Save Carmine" t-shirt from the Xbox Live Marketplace starting on July 29th.  The proceeds of the shirts will all be donated to Child's Play so no whining about Microsoft exploiting people to line their pockets.  If you're going to Comic Con later this week you can buy either shirt for $20 and cast your vote that way.

It's a fairly cool move by Microsoft and kind of echos what DC did a while ago with the second version of Robin in the "A Death in the Family" as you could dial a 1-900 number and determine if Jason Todd would live or die with the folks who wanted him to die winning.  The system Microsoft has in place seems to be a little more fool proof than a 1-900 number though and I'm interested to see how the vote turns out.

Place your vote for the fate of the newest Carmine brother through the purchase of avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace with benefits going to charity

The fate of Carmine lies in your hands! For the first time in franchise history, Epic Games and Microsoft are giving fans the chance to decide the fate of a character in “Gears of War 3.” By purchasing avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, fans and gaming communities around the globe will decide the destiny of the newest Carmine brother set to appear in “Gears of War 3,” with all the proceeds going to the Child’s Play Charity.

Keeping with the series’ tradition, Clayton Carmine will be introduced in the trilogy’s final chapter, and like Anthony and Ben, the newest rookie brother runs the high risk of meeting an early death. However, unlike in the previous games, the Xbox community will choose whether Carmine lives or dies by purchasing special “Gears of War 3” avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Starting July 29 two new avatar t-shirts will be available on the Avatar Marketplace on Xbox LIVE – one shirt reads “Save Carmine” and the other reads “Carmine Must Die.” By purchasing the “Save Carmine” shirt, you’re casting your vote to let Carmine live in “Gears of War 3.” Conversely, purchasing the “Carmine Must Die” shirt means you want to see Clayton follow in the fate of his brothers.

Fans attending Comic-Con International in San Diego this week will also be able to cast their votes early by purchasing real life limited edition “Save Carmine” or “Carmine Must Die” t-shirts at the NECA booth (#3145) for $20.00. “Gears” fans can also visit the Xbox 360 booth (#5153) to be amongst the first to play “Gears of War 3” Beast Mode throughout the show. Finally, the team from Epic Games, including design director Cliff Bleszinski, executive producer Rod Fergusson and lead writer Karen Traviss, will be signing Comic-Con exclusive posters at the Xbox booth on Saturday, July 24 at 12:00 p.m. PDT.

Child’s Play is a community-based games industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world. Through their network of more than 60 hospitals and through the generosity of their community of donors, Child’s Play raises millions of dollars each year to donate games, consoles and toys to sick children. The proceeds from the sales of the “Save Carmine” and “Carmine Must Die” avatar gear and limited edition NECA t-shirts will go to Child’s Play, so cast your vote, donate to charity, and get cool “Gears of War” gear! Fans can get up to date information about the fate of Clayton Carmine by visiting www.gearsofwar.com.

Published by Microsoft Game Studios and developed by Epic Games, the “Gears of War” franchise has won over 30 “Game of the Year” awards, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and redefined the third-person shooter genre for this console generation. The “Gears of War” series is exclusive to Xbox 360 and its riveting multiplayer action makes it one of the most popular titles on Xbox LIVE. The trilogy finale, “Gear of War 3,” will release on April 5, 2011, only on Xbox 360.