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Gears dev: Hard data, human wisdom both vital to fine-tuning games
Data analysis is growing into a huge, more readily-available tool for game developers, but Epic Games Senior Designer Jim Brown delved into his studio's past struggles with data to warn GDC Europe attendees about misreading the swaths of information appearing on their screens. "You need to provide that context," Brown said, "which means that you need to have design skills, and in order to get the right answers, you need to ask the right questions."
Microsoft Studios acquires rights to Gears of War series
Microsoft Studios has purchased the rights to the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games, Microsoft announced. The publisher will take over all existing and future games in the series, and will hand development of future games over to Vancouver, BC developer Black Tusk Studios. Formerly Microsoft Vancouver, Black Tusk was said to be working on a new AAA game for Xbox One as of June 2013. Rod Fergusson, former Director of Production at Epic Games on the Gears of War franchise, is joining Microsoft and will play a "key studio leadership role" at Black Tusk. The last time we heard from Fergusson he was launching a new studio for 2K in the Bay Area; it would appear that relationship didn't work out. Each entry in the four-game Gears of War series was published by Microsoft since its introduction in November 2006. The last Epic-developed game in the series was Gears of War: Judgment, which launched in March 2013.
GameStop rings in the new year with savings on GTA 5, more
Did you make it through the holidays with some spare cash? Well, GameStop wants it, and kicked off a new sale to celebrate the new year to get it. The retailer's deals, which stretch from January 3 to January 5, include $50 savings on both the Wii U Skylanders console bundle ($249.99) and the 250 GB Xbox 360 Holiday console bundle, which includes both Halo 4 and Tomb Raider for $249.99. The games on sale for the next few days, some of which carry over from GameStop's last sale, are as follows: Grand Theft Auto 5 and NBA 2K14 for $39.99 each, Gears of War: Judgment ($19.99), the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Lego Marvel Super Heroes for $49.99 and Wii U, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions for $39.99 as well as the 3DS version of Angry Birds: Star Wars for $19.99 and the DS, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions for $29.99.
PSA: Gears of War: Judgment 'Lost Relics' DLC found today
VIP members can access some new maps in Gears of War: Judgment today, available as part of the Lost Relics DLC pack. Headlining the pack is a new mode called Breakthrough, where one side attempts to move a flag from one point to another while the other team tries to stop them. Lost Relics includes four multiplayer maps in total: Lost City, Museum, Ward (OverRun only) and Checkout, the same fan-favorite map featured in Gears of War 3. Rounding out the DLC pack are some new weapon and armor skins. Hit the jump for some flythrough videos of each map – if you like your DLC tours a little more static, then feel free to peruse our gallery of screenshots below.%Gallery-191677%
Gears of War: Judgment gets 'Lost Relics' multiplayer DLC next month
Epic lays down Gears of War: Judgment with new multiplayer DLC in June. The 'Lost Relics' pack a new gametype and four further maps, including the return of 'Checkout' from Gears of War 3. Also bundled in are new armor and weapon skins. The gametype is called Breakthrough. It features one team trying to get a flag from A to B, and another trying to stop them. The attacking team has a limited pool of lives, while the defensive team has unlimited resources. Sounds like the attacking team's has their work cut out. You can peruse layouts of the four maps - that's Checkout, Lost City, Museum, and Ward (for OverRun) - in the gallery just below these words. More details are due in the coming weeks. Finally, in case you missed it, Judgment received a free OverRun map earlier this week. %Gallery-188676%
Gears of War: Judgment gets free OverRun map May 15
Through another partnership with Maxim, Gears of War: Judgment will offer a free OverRun-compatible map to all players next week, May 15, called Dreadnought. This new map is set on a derelict ship, used by the COG at the outset of the war to transport captured Berserkers. This is the second free piece of DLC sponsored by Maxim. The first free map, Haven, arrived on April 2, when Execution mode was introduced to Gears of War: Judgment.
Variety: Gears of War movie script back in the works
The ethereal Gears of War movie is back in the headlines, with Variety reporting that producer Scott Stuber has signed on with the project. There's still no writer or distributor attached, but Stuber will work with his own studio, called Bluegrass Films, and Epic Games to develop a script and finance the project. Universal Studios currently has first look rights to whatever he can come up with.Stuber has produced a number of big-budget films, including Battleship, Ted, and the upcoming 47 Ronin. A movie based on Gears of War was originally set for a release in 2010, but that project allegedly fell apart due to "creative differences."
Gears of War: Judgment 'Call to Arms' map pack available April 23
The next Gears of War: Judgment map pack, entitled "Call to Arms," will launch on April 23.The pack includes three new maps, a new multiplayer mode called "Master of Arms," and six armor and gun skins.The pack will cost $12.50 (1000 Microsoft Points) on its own, but is included in the $20 (1600 MSP) season pass. The pass will also cover one more similarly sized pack. %Gallery-186202%
New Halo 4, Gears of War Judgment DLC available for free today
If you feel like shooting aliens on your Xbox today, you are very likely to be able to do so in a new venue. Both Halo 4 and Gears of War Judgment have new DLC, available at no extra cost.Having passed certification early, Microsoft has released the Halo 4 "Forge Island" map well in advance of its expected April 11 date. On their own, these aren't the most exciting locations – three big, flat islands – but they're intended to be the base for Forge Mode customization. %Gallery-184351% Gears of War Judgment's Execution multiplayer is also available today, along with the map Haven, "courtesy of Maxim and Epic Games." Weird. Microsoft warns that you have to download this DLC directly from the title menu or from the Dashboard. "The dialogue box prompting you to download the pack in the matchmaking menu is not functioning properly and will be fixed as soon as possible." %Gallery-184350%
Gears of War: Judgment passes Tomb Raider in this week's UK charts
It's no surprise to see new release Gears of War: Judgment slam Tomb Raider off the peak of this week's UK charts. That said, the fourth Gears game's launch sales fall way behind that of its predecessor, at least in the queen's realm. Judgment shifts just a quarter of what Gears of War 3 did in its launch week, albeit in half the time; Gears 3 released in the UK on a Tuesday, Judgment on a Friday.Two other new releases also breach the top ten, with The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct winning out against Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. The Terminal Reality first-person shooter proves its brand traction by taking third, not quite beating Tomb Raider to second.Meanwhile, MH3U, releasing on both 3DS and Wii U, comes in seventh. Two of last week's new releases, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 and God of War: Ascension, place ahead of it, as does the ever-present FIFA 13. Just beneath MH3U is SimCity, with the city builder keeping its foundations firmly planted in the top ten by notching eighth place in its third week.
Gears of War: Judgment trailer opens up a few prizeboxes
Gears of War: Judgment launches tomorrow and as become the norm, a variety of pre-order items and other unlockables are on offer – both in-game and through this summary video.
Metareview: Gears of War - Judgment
Today is Judgment Day for Gears of War - or at least it's the day when reviews of the series' latest entry start popping up online. Once you've read our findings on how People Can Fly fared with Gears, check out some other evaluations and what they had to say. Destructoid (90/100): "OverRun alone is worthy of praise, but there's just so much stuff going on in this package, there's something for all followers of the series. A few of Judgment's experiments may not be as fondly received as others, but overall it's hard to complain about a game that tries so much, and succeeds in almost all its endeavors...This is Gears of War back, unquestionably, on the winning path." EGM (80/100): "While the emphasis on fast-paced replayability and a more intimate, nuanced narrative do wonders for Judgment's single-player campaign, the game is ultimately held back by its surprisingly meager multiplayer offering." Eurogamer (80/100): "Even with the pall of over-familiarity lingering over it, Gears of War: Judgment is a timely reminder that ruthless focus on gameplay, generosity towards players and good old-fashioned design craft can still pay dividends at a time when big-budget action games are at risk of fragmenting into splinters of mindless busywork. Sometimes, being a bloody good shooter is all that's required." Giant Bomb (60/100): "There's just enough exposition there to keep things moving and just enough of a gameplay tweak to make you wish they had made these changes two games ago. It's a fun but feature-light shooter for people who already enjoy the basic style of Gears of War. Nothing more, nothing less."
Gears of War: Judgment review: Horde mentality
There is a parable at the heart of Gears of War: Judgment, a tale of many people affecting the one. Though the words "Horde mode" are not to be found on its main menu, it is this revelatory multiplayer invention of Gears of War 2 that makes Gears of War: Judgment such a success.The guiding principles and universal value of its simple proposition – you and your pals fight back against ever-encroaching waves of enemies – have been so bluntly interwoven into the campaign and multiplayer components of Gears of War: Judgment that it's impossible to miss. Horde mode helped put the Gears of War series on the map and, while the mode itself is technically absent from Gears of War: Judgment, the entire game is a learned execution of its logic.%Gallery-180989%
Gears of War: Judgment's weighty squad desires your company
This is the brand-new Kilo squad in the very-nearly-here Gears of War: Judgment. Well, half brand-new. Joining Baird and the Cole Train are the seasoned Sofia Hendrick and youthful Garron Paduk - hey, did you know their roles were originally reversed? You do now.
Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer unleashes the 'Epic Reaper'
Each week, one randomly-chosen member of the Gears of War: Judgment community will wear a special multiplayer skin called the Epic Reaper – yet the ghoul is more than just a skin. The Epic Reaper has "special abilities and physics" that will make him (her? it?) "not very easy to kill," this Epic blog post notes.In addition to the skin and whatever these special properties are, selected Reapers will get custom dog tags – everyone who kills a Reaper will unlock a special medal and weapon skin. Epic employees will also have the skin in multiplayer after launch on March 19, so if you can take one of them down, you'll get the medal and skin.The only thing Epic Games is willing to share about the process of choosing Epic Reapers is that it will be "based on their contributions to the community." If you want to nominate someone to be chosen, you can do it on Twitter just like every other contest nowadays.
The bow craze continues in Gears of War: Judgment
Since several of 2012's games were delayed into 2013, "the year of the bow" carries on with Tomb Raider, Crysis 3 ... and here we have Gears of War: Judgment with a fancy crossbow. (And let's not forget the wind-up fun of the original Torque Bow.)
Gears of War: Judgment's scribes recount the narrative process
During a preview event last week, I asked Rob Auten and author Tom Bissell, the writers and one pair of "many parents" for Gears of War: Judgment, about the gig and how they were going to instill some drama into a franchise whose calling card is killing underground-dwelling monster men.%Gallery-180347%
Gears of War: Judgment's multiplayer comfort food
I am an unabashed Gears of War multiplayer fanatic.I was immediately hooked by Gears of War and its intoxicating blend of third-person cover-based shooting. I struggled through the muddled mess that was Gears of War 2's launch, yet kept playing regardless. Gears of War 3 made up for a lot of missteps with the most solid multiplayer offering yet, and found in me a stalwart soldier for over a year.So when Epic Games announced not only a new control scheme in Gears of War: Judgment, but a smattering of new modes and changes, I was a bit worried – as I'm sure some of you were and perhaps still are. Taking off the press cap and putting on the fan hat, I found my few hours in Gears of War: Judgment's multiplayer suite a reassuring slice of grandma's apple pie – a comfort food not entirely as I remember it, but still as rich and full of empty calories as I could hope.
Gears of War: Judgment's 'Aftermath' builds a bridge to Gears 3
Gears of War: Judgment will have a special unlockable mini-campaign taking place during the events of Gears of War 3, called Aftermath. The Aftermath campaign is an epilogue to Judgment's main story, centering on Baird, Cole and Clayton Carmine's mission to track down reinforcements before the COG invade Azura during Gears of War 3.Senior producer at Epic Games, Alan Van Slyke, says the choice to include Aftermath is two-fold. "Aftermath is two things. One, for the Gears 3 fans who wanted more traditional Gears 3 content, it's there to satisfy them," he said. "Two, I think it gives us a chance to bookend the trilogy, so we have Cole and Baird leaving to go get reinforcements at the end of Gears 3 and we're able to build upon that. So it gives Judgment this nice additional content to be able to bookend the trilogy with something that happened right after Emergence Day prior to Gears 1, and also plays off of the traditional Gears 3 content."Aftermath will be unlocked after players compete the main campaign in Gears of War: Judgment.
Gears of War: Judgment's Execution mode, Haven map free after launch
Gears of War: Judgment gets two pieces of free, downloadable content a few weeks after the game launches on March 19: The Haven multiplayer map and Execution mode, both scheduled to hit Xbox Live on April 2.Haven is a frozen, ancient monastery in the Azura mountains, featuring an asymmetrical, circular layout with all paths leading to the center. Lead level designer Jim Brown says "nowhere is really safe" in Haven. "It makes for especially hectic Domination games because the rings are easy to access and difficult to defend."Execution mode has players attempt to kill every member of the opposing team before time runs out, though unless hit with a one-shot-kill weapon (see: Booshka) or a follow-up execution move, enemies will enter a "Down But Not Out" state, where they will revive after a period of time. Gotta get that doubletap.Oh, and both of these pieces of DLC are sponsored by Maxim, for some reason.
