Cliff Bleszinski is one helluva fast talker, and I don't mean that in a car-salesman way. When I asked the design director for Epic Games for his thoughts (both good and bad) on their new weapons for Gears of War 3, he gave me a full-auto overview in just under five minutes. Keep on reading to see what he has to say about the One Shot, Digger Launcher, retro Lancer, sawed-off shotgun, and more, including how best to use these gib factories in battle.

Gears 3 is due out September 20 this year for Xbox 360, but you'll be able to try out the new hardware for yourself during the open beta, which will start sometime in mid-April. (Check out the Gears of War Facebook page over the next few days to vote on which of the currently available maps you'd like to play in the beta.)

Sawed-off shotgun

A double-barreled hand cannon, designed for (very) close-up death.

Pros:

Cliff Bleszinski: "So I think any good first-person shooter -- any good shooter in general -- has a set of weapons that speak to a person's personality. It's almost like the Myers-Briggs test of weaponry.

"If you look at the sawed-off shotgun -- it takes the Gnasher [editor's note: the old shotgun] to the next level, where you really have to close. We had this conversation with a lot of the gamers who didn't like stopping power [editor's note: when gunfire slows down enemies running at you]. It's like, 'Well, now that we have a sawed-off shotgun, you better earn your kill, otherwise people are going to down you with stopping power.'"

Cons:

"So [with the sawed-off shotgun], you need to be right on top of somebody -- melee distance -- to jib them. A little farther back, you might be able to down them, but beyond that, you're barely going to do any damage. And the reload time is excruciating on that weapon. You're loading both shells manually, so keep that in mind. It may make sense if you miss with that to switch to another weapon -- it may be quicker."

One Shot

The person aiming this heavy, mountable weapon scans the level through a scope and with a tell-all laser sight. Watch out and take cover -- if he sees you, he can disintegrate you with a pull of the trigger.

Pros:

"The One Shot is one of my favorites. When you get a hold of it, you get this Terminator laser -- Predator also -- going over the battlefield. When it lands on someone, you just wait for that tantric moment where it settles for a second then you get that pink mist, which is really gratifying.

"When I get a heavy weapon like that or the mortar, and other players are the spotting players, I'm like, 'Spot some people for me! Spot some people for me!' so I can get some vague idea of where to aim, which is really nice."

Cons:

"When you're zoomed in with the One Shot, your field of view is super tight and snug, so your periphery is totally hosed. So if somebody came in from the side, they can wind up chainsawing or shotgunning you."

Retro Lancer

Long before soldiers thought to mount a chainsaw at the end of this assault rifle, it came with a huge blade as a bayonet. If you hold down the melee (B) button, you can charge at an enemy and spear him with it.

Pros:

"The retro Lancer has the B [button] to do the bayonet charge, which is really fun to do, especially through a smoke [grenade] cloud. You will get extra points if you manage to spear somebody because there's this risk/reward there where you're [sitting still and] holding them up for a second and a half, which is an eternity in online gaming."

Cons:

"This thing kicks like a mule. It kicks like nobody's business, so at range, it's absolutely horrible. At mid-range, you're going to want to tap and fire. At close range, you're going to want to just unload -- it's the most powerful close-range rifle in the game."