Baird cracks wise about Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer

Gears of War: Judgment shakes up the Gears formula on the multiplayer side, adding a host of new weapons and tweaking established ones. For example, grenades now stick to enemies when tossed. The video above showcases some of the content found in the upcoming prequel, including OverRun and Domination, a capture-point game type where two teams battle to control three different rings in the environment.

Narrated by Baird, the video gives us a look at the new prize box system, which yields XP bonuses, characters and weapon skins after each multiplayer match based on performance. As you get more ribbons in a multiplayer match, you improve your odds when it comes to opening the prize box.

The last big change is the multi-storied maps. In Gears of War: Judgment, maps aren't as flat as they've been in the past, and players will need to keep an eye out for other players dropping in and, in the case of the video above, firing off a boomshot in their faces.

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Epic Debuts "The Guts of Gears – Multiplayer" Video Showcasing the Bone-Crunching Action of "Gears of War: Judgment's" Extensive Multiplayer

New multiplayer modes, weapons, accessories, rewards, and even gameplay tactics keep the most seasoned COGs on their toes in "Gears of War: Judgment" launching March 19

Microsoft and Epic Games today unveiled a new "Gears of War: Judgment" video entitled "The Guts of Gears – Multiplayer," giving fans a look at the new multiplayer modes, weapons, in-game rewards and gameplay updates that will make it the most intense "Gears" game ever when it launches worldwide starting March 19.

In the new video, everyone's favorite smart ass hero, Lt. Damon Baird, walks gearheads through four multiplayer modes, and showcases fresh ways to take down the opposition with new weapons, grenade types, and more.

The details covered in this video include a sampling of the biggest and most exciting updates coming to "Gears of War: Judgment" multiplayer, but there is much more to come, so stay tuned in the coming days and weeks heading into launch for more juicy info.

Multiplayer Modes:

Highlighted in the video are the following four multiplayer modes, with more to be announced as we get closer to launch:

· OverRun:

o OverRun marks the first time that class-based competitive multiplayer has been introduced into the "Gears of War" series. Think of it as a combination of our popular Beast and Horde modes pitted against each other. OverRun is a 5v5 attack/defend game type, where the COG are always defending, and the Locust are attacking... and you have an opportunity to play both as attacker and defender to determine the winning team.


· Team Deathmatch:

o In this returning fan-favorite, two teams of five players start with a shared pool of respawns. The goal is to take out your opponents and deplete their respawns before your own pool is gone. Perfect for "Gears" veterans and new recruits alike, Team Deathmatch has everyone battling to be the last squad standing.



· Free-For-All:

o Free-For-All is an "every player for themselves" Deathmatch mode. No teams mean shoot anything that moves. The perfect mode for relieving some stress.



· Domination:

o Domination is a 5v5 team based competitive multiplayer mode. Teams will compete over three rings placed throughout the map. Control the ring to earn points, the first team to 250 points wins the match.


Armory Updates:

Not only are there new grenades for any situation you might encounter online, but Epic also confirmed that players will have the ability to toss grenades without a windup – a new addition to the franchise built specifically for quick, close-quarter encounters. Adding to the expansive war chest of returning weapons and grenade types, below are six new additions to the "Gears" arsenal:

· Sticky Grenades: Like Frag Grenades, these cause lethal damage to opponents, except they stick to targets before detonation.

· Beacon Grenades – The Beacon is a tactical grenade most commonly used by COG Scouts. It electronically marks all enemy targets in its blast radius, and reveals their position for a short time, even though walls and other obstacles of any thickness.

· Stim Grenades – The Stim is an extremely useful tool for Medics and those wishing to play a support role in combat. When detonated, it emits a cloud of medicinal gas that will instantly heal all friendly targets within its radius.

· Markza: Before the Locust invaded Sera, the people of the COG had spent decades at war with the Union of Independent Republics, and the Markza is one of the UIR's most infamous weapons. This semi-automatic rifle is perfect for medium range combat, with a deep clip and an attached scope that extends its effective range and ensures greater accuracy at distance.

· Breechshot – The Locust are more than just a brute force, and the Breechshot is a shining example of their ingenuity and tactics: the base of the gun is a confiscated UIR Markza that has been converted to inflict massive amounts of damage. The barrel has a larger bore to support a higher-caliber projectile, and the stock has been retrofitted with a vicious blade making this versatile weapon perfect for short to medium range combat.

· Booshka – The Booshka is a devastating grenade launcher of UIR design. It is capable of lobbing smart shells that detonate on direct impact with an enemy, or bounce off walls and other obstacles to detonate off a brief timer.



Rewards:

With "Gears of War: Judgment," your multiplayer career is always in your control; the better you play, the bigger the payoff. With Prizeboxes, players can earn XP bonuses and exclusive unlocks like weapon and armor skins to get a leg up on the competition.

Developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by Epic Games and People Can Fly, "Gears of War: Judgment" delivers a riveting campaign featuring new characters, weapons and enemies, and new multiplayer experiences. The "Gears of War" series is one of the most popular franchises in Xbox history, having sold more than 19 million games worldwide, and spawning New York Times-bestselling novels, toys, collectibles, graphic novels, and more. To learn more about "Gears of War: Judgment" and the "Gears of War" franchise, please visit: http://gearsofwar.xbox.com "Gears of War: Judgment" will launch worldwide on March 19, 2013.