Ashes to Ashes Trailer

On April 13, 2010, a new trailer was revealed by Cliff Bleszinski on Jimmy Fallon's late night show. The trailer revealed a grim, lifeless world, ash falling from the sky, with petrified human corpses littering the streets. The scene was reminiscent of citizens trapped in the Pompeii volcanic eruption, indicating some sort of massive calamity on Sera. The haunting music in the video is a song titled "Heron Blue" by the band Sun Kil Moon, fronted by musician Mark Kozelek, formerly of the band Red House Painters. The song joins other evocative songs that have been featured in the Gears of War series' trailers. The trailer also reveals Dom's new thickly bearded look as he is rescued by Marcus Fenix - wearing sleeveless armor - after being ambushed by a new Lambent monster with three tentacles. Dom is given a weapon by Anya Stroud that is an older version of the Lancer assault rifle; instead of the working chainsaw, this earlier Lancer has a plain blade as a bayonet. This suggests that the human troops are short on soldiers and weaponry. After the end of the trailer, Bleszinski went on to state that there shall be female soldiers such as Anya. He also explained that the Lambent threat is far more severe than the Locust one, because Lambent creatures can mutate mid-battle.  

Story 

The game will take place 18 months after the Fall of Jacinto at the end of Gears of War 2. After the Coalition of Ordered Governments had fallen apart, humans formed colonies and took to the sea in an attempt to be free of the ever-present threat of Emergence Holes. The story's protagonists find themselves aboard a "Raven's Nest-class aircraft carrier" that, along with other attached boats, forms a temporary haven known as Sovereign. Delta squad has splintered, with Marcus and Dom separated from Cole and Baird for much of the game, with the player switching between each team's story before they inevitably meet up. This was done in an attempt to make Cole and Baird feel like more fleshed out characters instead of bland secondary characters. However two new playable characters, Jace Stratton and Anya Stroud round out the first team of four, and it is not yet known what two characters will be accompanying Cole and Baird through their stretch of the game. After a confrontation with the Lambent, the team receives a surprise visit from Chairman Prescott, who presents Marcus with a data disk from Marcus' father Adam, from which the Gears head off in an attempt to save what is left of humanity. 
 
A new character, Griffin (voiced by Ice-T) will be introduced in the game, but it is yet unknown what his role in the story is.

Gameplay

Cliff Bleszinski has confirmed that the single player campaign will be playable as four player co-op instead of the series staple of two player co-op. Each of the four playable characters will be tied in to the plot and story as the campaign progresses to ensure that no player feels that his or her character is tacked on. It was first stated that this game was set to be easier than the previous one, due to the small number of players who reportedly finished Gears of War 2. However Epic went on to clarify that only the  easier difficulties were going to be easier in order for the more casual players to experience their narrative, but the harder difficulties will remain just as challenging, if not more, as the previous games.
 
The Lambent are set to add a new dimension to the old Gears of War formula of "Stop-And-Pop" similar to what the tickers attempted to do in Gears of War 2. Larger Lambent creatures will be able to attack players over cover forcing the player to adapt and use new tactics. 
 
There has also been confirmation of mechs called "Silverbacks" being present in the game. The Silverbacks are modified labor exoskeletons that have been outfitted with a rocket launcher on one arm and a gatling gun on the other. The Silverbacks have access to many of the tools that the Gears use including it's own version of the Roadie Run and the ability to curb-stomp. Along with their more mobile form, Silverbacks have the ability to plant themselves down and act as a stationary turret as well as a cover point for teammates. 
 
Alongside the "Cinematic" Campaign mode, Epic plans to include an Arcade option for the campaign where players compete for high scores with their friends as well as the inclusion of mutators (A throwback to the Unreal Tournament Series) that can radically change elements of the game world such as gravity and head size. Information of the multiplayer has been scarce but two maps have been revealed, with one taking place on a long abandoned Thrashball court and the other (known as Overpass) takes place in Jacinto as it is slowly sinking. Overpass looks to expand on the concept of the map being "alive" that was first displayed in the Gears of War 2 map, Avalanche, by allowing the map to change as the multiplayer match plays out.  
 
A recent video confirms a new game mode called Beast Mode that allows players to fight as the Locust (including Tickers and Wretches)

New Weapons

• A Pendulum-Wars era Lancer with a knife bayonet
• A rocket launcher that shoots Piranha-like projectiles that travel through the ground and explode under the enemy
• Incendiary grenades
• A Hammerburst with enhanced zoom
• A recoilless-rifle that downs in one shot
• A Double-Barreled Shotgun