Gamers from all over the Eastside flocked to the Microsoft Store in Bellevue Square on Monday night, anxiously awaiting the release of ‘Gears of War: Judgment.’ The Bellevue location hosted a release party from 10 p.m. to midnight, where gamers got the opportunity to test out the new game before taking it home.

Bellevue residents Jennifer and Ryan Golabek decided to come to the release party because they thought it sounded like a fun place to check out the game.

“I like how they have the video walls and the whole thing is so immersive and interactive,” Ryan said.

An “old time” gamer whose, just recently started playing on the Xbox game console, Ryan said he is impressed by the quality of the graphics in the new game.

“I’m a big fan of [the game] ‘Doom,’” Jennifer said, “and I wanted to see if [Gears of War] was similar.”

Mukilteo resident Jason Empleo, 25, made the trip to the Bellevue location because he wasn’t able to attend the release party for the last ‘Gears of War’ game. He said he and his friends are big fans of the ‘Gears of War’ games and were impressed by how quickly Microsoft was able to release a new game.

The release party drew approximately 100 people to the Microsoft store, where attendees and Microsoft Store employees chatted about games, ate pizza, and participated in a raffle and tournament play. The top three gamers in the tournament took home prizes that included a new XBox 360, a game and a Tomb Raider game control. Attendees also received exclusive ‘Gears of War: Judgement’ T-shirts.