I've been eager to get my hands on Gears of War: E-Day's new Horde mode, Horde Siege, which appears to be a more smartly designed, more engaging iteration. June's Xbox bonanza first look sold me on the campaign, but the iconic mode has long been my favourite non-campaign mode in Gears. This isn't Xbox's first digital preview; I've been to several over the years, including for the Gears of War series, and I can't think of anything that comes close to last week's E-Day event. My biggest takeaway from playing Horde Siege is that it feels like a standalone game that could easily exist outside E-Day. Horde Siege evidently has plenty to chew on, even if preview event logistics put a damper on my first impression.