From Kotaku write-up on Ortega (writer for Gears 2) speaking in Comic Con:
So while Ortega might have his work cut out for him in Gears 2, this time around, the Epic team says it plans to address some fan questions on the Gears backstory — and the stuff that doesn't make it into the game will be fleshed out in the comic books. Expect Gears 2 to present a much more in-your-face portrayal of war, too. Capps says he told the designers, "I want D-Day," and less the spying and infiltration feel he felt the previous installment had.
For Ortega, this presents an interesting opportunity to look at the smaller dramas that often go on during the larger conflict of humans at war. Dom's wife Maria will apparently play a significant role; while Capps joked that this was because the Gears franchise didn't have enough hot chicks, Ortega pointed out the added significance that human emotional relationships can take on in wartime.
Even the Locust horde may see a somewhat more complex treatment this time, possibly even a sympathetic one. The original Gears of War ended with a surprisingly erudite female voice — the Locust Queen, promising her forces would fight on. Why, an audience member asked, give her that elegant British accent? "Because British accents mean you're smart," Capps teased. But more sincerely, the team confirmed that adding a shade of complexity, some facets of humanity to the series' villains, as Halo 3 did with the Covenant, was part of their strategy to give Gears 2's story more depth. "A bad guy can't just be 'roooar, destroy world, evil,'" said Capps.
