Coming mere minutes after our last report on Gears of War and the looming "Major Announcement", Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games today officially lifted the wraps on when Emergence Day will occur.

Scheduled for release in North America on November 12th and 17th in Europe (just in time for the PS3), Gears of War will be released in both standard and limited editions. The latter will provide an even greater insight into the world of Gears of War, with an official "Destroyed Beauty" art-book and a bonus "Making Of..." DVD.

"'Gears of War' represents the emergence of a thrilling new franchise for Xbox 360 and is the must-have game of 2006," said Shane Kim, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios. "Combining the best in innovative gameplay, next-generation graphics and interactive storytelling, Epic has harnessed the extraordinary power of Xbox 360 to create an extremely powerful and immersive entertainment experience."

"Our vision is to deliver a one-two punch of cinematic action paired with a thrilling and compelling interactive experience," said Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer at Epic. "With 'Gears of War' we've created a title that will place gamers directly in the shadows of a ravaged world, surrounded by the beautiful remnants of a destroyed city and the horrific dangers that hide in the rubble."

Look out for more on Gears of War soon.