Gears of War 3 is almost upon us. It's set to launch on 20 September and, presumably, be bunged instantaneously into the disc drive of every serious Xbox 360 owner out there. 

It wouldn't be a triple A launch day, however, if there wasn't some sort of tomfoolery going on and Gears 3 is no exception. Members of the Locust (we hope not real ones) are going to be raiding the Oxford Street GAME store in London at 12.01am on launch day.

Not only will you be able to pick up a copy of the game at midnight release, but you will also treated to Gears of War 3 limited edition posters signed by the developers. Other memorabilia will also be thrown around, including T-shirts and Gears of War 3 vaults. Five lucky fans could find themselves walking away with a Samsung 40-inch D5520 Smart LED TV.

Epic is also planning a Locust based tweet-to-win competition on 19 September. Those who spot any Locust running about, snap one and tweet with the hashtag #Gears3Locust. Head to Marble Arch around 8am on the morning of the 19th and expect to see character Dominic Santiago's voice actor Carlos Ferro hanging around. Better still, arrive armed with a message posted on the @tweetbox360 feed and you could pick up some Gears of War 3 merchandise or console vaults from Calibur 11.

Those at the GAMEfest this weekend in Birmingham should expect to see several Locust hanging about on 17 September too.

Exciting stuff in Gears of War town then. Really not long to go now and believe us, the wait is well worth it. Why not read our Gears of War 3 review while you wait?

Will you be in the queue to nab your copy of Gears of War 3 before your mates? Let us know in the comments below...