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GOW claims top spot in UK sales
Gears of War continues on its path to world domination (much to Bungie's chagrin) this week, and has now become the number one selling game in the UK. Furthermore, it has become the fastest selling 360 game in UK history, beating the previous record holder, Pro Evo 6. Even more, Gears of War is the second fastest selling Microsoft game ever (behind Halo 2, natch). Finally, it's the third fastest selling game overall this year, with Pro Evo 6 and FIFA 07 holding the top two spots. With Gears of War a success around the world (so far), can Game of the Year be far behind?
PA ditches GOW for Vegas, will you?
In their latest update, Penny Arcade informs the world that they have switched from Gears of War to Rainbow Six Vegas as their game of choice -- though Tycho admits he was against the idea. The reasons for the switch are about what you would expect: Vegas is what some would call more "hardcore." Kills are near instantaneous, weapon choices are numerous, player counts are higher, the cover system is (arguably) more flexible than Gears, and Vegas has a robust persistent online structure. I had a feeling after playing the Vegas multiplayer demo that it might become the hardcore game of choice, much like Rainbow Six 3 was on the original Xbox. However, just because it's more hardcore does not mean that it will be more popular. If that were the case, Halo 2 would have been knocked from the Live top spot long ago. Will Vegas topple the new Gears behemoth? Well, no. No it won't. There are many reasons for this, but the main reason is that Vegas simply isn't as accessible as Gears. Even if pressing "A" can have undesired results in Gears -- diving from cover instead of rolling around the edge for instance -- it's still a more friendly setup for the masses (compared to Vegas' use of the left trigger). Also, the weapons of Vegas can be daunting to the uninitiated, as the advantages of one machine gun over another may elude the average gamer. And of course, there is the quibble that Vegas looks nowhere near as good as Gears, despite the fact that they run on the same engine. It seems minor, but graphics alone were enough to turn many of our readers off of the demo, despite how fun it is to play. What are your thoughts? Will the hardcore, fast tactics of Vegas lure you in, or do you prefer the polished, simpler destruction of Gears?
GOW knocks Halo 2 from Live top spot
Today is a momentous day. For the first time since, well, ever, Halo 2 has officially been knocked from the number one slot on Xbox Live. If you keep track of Major Nelson's weekly updates on the most played games on Live, you'll know that Halo 2 consistently trumps all other Live titles, even all the fabulous titles on 360. That's right, one original Xbox title is routinely played more than any 360 title. Until now, that is. Of course, now the question is: how long will it stay there? We'd like to extend our congratulations to Epic and to Microsoft for their success. So, have you made the switch from Halo to Gears?[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Sherveen Mashayekhi]
European Emergence Day festivities begin
To all of our European readers, happy Emergence Day! It's been a long time coming, but now you can finally celebrate Gears of War with the rest of the world (we hope you enjoy all of the cheaters). Huzzah! As an extra special treat, European 360 owners (except Germany) can now download the special Emergence Day theme and picture from Xbox Live Marketplace. So, now that you finally have your hands on Gears of War, what do you think? Does it live up to the hype we Yanks have been generating? Is curb stomping everything it's cracked up to be? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think.[Thanks, honz12]
Epic supports Gears of War updates
The oh so dashing Mark Rein posted a heart warming message to Gears fans on the official Gears of War message boards. Simply put, he stated that Epic was "going to support Gears of War and we're going to make improvements and enhancements for it." No dates or timetable was stated, but Epic just wants the fans to know that they are listening to us, hearing our complaints and praise, and will come out with updates and possibly new content in the near future. Now that's a real game developing company, actually caring about their customers and going the extra mile for them. Here's looking at you Electronic Arts, you're still grounded.
Gears of War Wiki guide needs your help
The lads at GearsRealm.com have started a Gears of War wiki guide to help budding Gears players reach their full potential. There is a problem, though: the guide is empty. Right now, it even lacks the basic information that you can find on Wikipedia, which is why Gears of War Realm needs your help. If you've got some valuable information about Gears that you'd like to share -- pictures, map layouts, strategies, tips, etc. -- head over to the guide and start building it up. We've already learned one valuable tip, the reload melee trick, that assures us our bullets will always be boosted. We're sure all of you have plenty of other tips to share (it's not like people on my friends list are playing anything else). Besides, what else are you going to do today? Work? Study? No, we didn't think so.[Thanks, Luke Wallace]
Broken cogs in Gears of War multiplayer [update 1]
The ranked matching system in Gears of War smells more rank than we originally thought. Gamer Andy have outlined a multitude of methods cheaters are employing to undermine the game. As it is easy to find your friend's game in a list of hosted servers, you can always join a team -- or, worse yet, join the other side's team and sabotage it. The host can wait until all his friends are on the server before starting the game -- in fact, the host can start the game whenever he chooses, regardless of whether or not everyone has clicked on "Ready." Want more? How about abusing the Execution mode by leaving all opponents "bleeding out" forever while you keep shooting down one guy? In execution, players bleed out forever, and you can continuously earn points by shooting down the last guy, letting him revive, and destroy again ad infinitum. Imagine being stuck on the losing end of a 4v2 when all 5 players are in the same "clan:" if you leave, that's a lot of negative feedback. Most of this can be fixed in an upcoming patch which has been promised by an Epic Games forum moderator; let's hope they've been listening. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy][Update 1: Incorrectly misattributed to Xbox 360 Fanboy, when primary source was Gamer Andy. Fixed.]
Gears already riddled with cheaters
Emergence Day was supposed to be a celebration. A celebration of chainsaws, headshots, and curb stomping. It looks like it was a celebration of something else entirely: cheating. Remember the hubbub about not having friends in ranked matches of Gears? It looks like it was all for naught, as getting into ranked matches with your friends is easy as hell. All you have to do is host a game and your friends find your name in the host list. So, in pursuit of points and prizes, there were plenty of stacked teams yesterday. Gamer Andy tells of a particularly nefarious exploit using 5 people. "But GOW uses teams of four," you say, and right you are. The fifth person is actually on the opposite team, a saboteur for whatever clan is trying to rise to the top of the leaderboards. That not cheatery enough for you? How about the fact that the host has the power to start the match at any time, whether all members have clicked "Ready" or not? This makes it easy to stack games with uneven teams of 4v3 or even 4v2. Easy, ranked pickings for anyone. But wait, there's more. Another nasty exploit can be employed during execution matches. In execution, players can only be killed via curb stomp or execution. After a predetermined amount of "bleed out" time, a downed player will simply revive. So, cheaters start by stacking a 4v3 game, execute 2 opposing players, and leave a third alive. The third player is then shot down, but not executed. Why? Because downing a player is worth more points than executing them. Once the player revives, cheaters shoot him down again, wait for him to revive, rinse, repeat. This continues for the duration of the round. This also leaves the victims with an unfortunate choice: quit a ranked match and risk negative feedback from cheaters, or stay and endure fruitless minutes of death and rebirth.We'd like to believe that all this cheating was merely for the sake of winning some of the Emergence Day prizes, but we know better. Sure, cheaters may have hoped for a prize, but they would have cheated regardless. The unfortunate truth is that some people are just jerks (especially Pod 6). A lot of these problems could be solved simply by tweaking the lobby system -- not displaying host names, not letting hosts force start matches, etc. Hopefully, this will be addressed in the upcoming patch. Has anyone experienced these exploits online?[Via Inner Angst]
EA exec disses Gears of War, Eurogamer pats back
Did EA Montreal GM Alain Tascan really believe he could get away with bad mouthing Gears of War for lacking innovation? Dude, c'mon, you work for EA; its bread n' butter is copy-pasting last year's game (and somehow making it worse in the process).The problem here is that 'innovation' is being tossed around as a magic substance that makes a game superior. But what is innovation? How do we measure it? Are Gears' cover-system tweaks innovative? We think so. How about its active reload minigame? Sure, we haven't seen that before. Aliens threatening human existence in a post-apocalyptic shooter? Of course not. But how would Tascan know that? By his own admission, he's never played the game.Aside: Tascan also bad mouthed reviewers for praising Gears. He did however applaud "two very brave UK-based journalists" who dealt Gears 8/10s -- sadly, low scores in the twisted world of games reviews. One of those outlets was Eurogamer, which picked up on Tascan's rant and used the incident to herald its own "brave" work with a link-back (in the original post; now edited). But once commenters created a stir, upset by Eurogamer's display of hubris, the site removed the link in an attempt to save face. Tsk tsk.
Clans still possible for Gears of Wars ranked matches [update 1]
Mark Rein maintains that Microsoft prevented the developer from implementing clan support (e.g., Halo 2's Party System) into Gears of Wars' ranked multiplayer matches. But, in a recent interview with Gamer Andy, Epic's VP did hint that team support could still be added, stating vaguely, "In the future we might roll out some additional functionality."In the meantime, a tedious workaround does exist. If one member hosts a ranked match, it's possible for the rest of the clan to grab spots in the match via the custom search menu. Of course, this method will become more difficult as the Gears player base grows and you and your teammates' TrueSkill ranks begin to differ.Update: Gamer Andy contacted us to clarify that his conversation with Rein was not an interview. According to Gamer Andy, Rein's comments did not hint at future clan-play implementation. The cryptic statement about upgrading functionality was just an offhanded remark delivered to steer the conversation toward a new direction (i.e. away from concerns about Gears' multiplayer).See also: Gears of War's ranked matches smell rank[Via 1UP]
GOW: ranked friends matches a possibility?
Many people are understandably upset that they can't play ranked matches of Gears of War with their friends. After all, Halo 2 spoiled us on this feature, and most assumed it would be standard on a game as big as Gears. Unfortunately, thanks to the workings of the TrueSkill system, ranked friends matches are a no-no. Don't resign yourself to this grisly fate just yet, though. Numerous sites around the net are latching on to a few choice words from Epic's Mark Rein, featured on Gamer Andy. When asked about the current matchmaking system, Rein had this to say:"Yeah, Microsoft came to us and said there would be a lot of cheaters if we did it that way so for right now this is how it is. In the future we might roll out some additional functionality."Could ranked friends matches be in the cards? We hope so. If non-ranked matches is all we'll ever be able to play with our friends -- in Gears or any other game -- will it change your feelings about Xbox Live?[Via Major Nelson]
Nintendo blogger crossed the line, claims blogmate
Blogging on Intendo, Rollin (also of Infendo) criticizes fellow Infendoite Jack for crossing the line from fanboy to propagandist. In a recent post, Jack pointed to a couple low Gears of War reviews (8/10s) to simultaneously slam Epic's latest and herald Wii.There's nothing inherently indecent about this tactic. After all, Jack is writing for Infendo, a Nintendo community site. But Rollin brings up a good point, why are so many of us so sure Wii's best will best Microsoft and Sony's best? There's no question that there is a desire for Wii to succeed -- many of us are starving for a change of pace in the industry. But to morph that desire into assurance is dangerous. Wii has not proven anything yet.
Error: Do not pass GO, do not collect GOW
Reports are coming to Xbox 360 Fanboy that many of our readers on the East coast are having trouble getting a copy of Gears of War. Readers report of showing up the morning of November 8th -- as instructed by EB/GameStop -- only to be turned away. Reader Mark FitzGerald sends this unfortunate message:"The shipments were supposed to come in 11/7/06. Upon not arriving a pre-recorded message was sent to everyone's phone who made a pre-order telling them they could pick it up 11/08/06 at 10:30 a.m. EST sharp. Upon arriving this morning at many locations customers were surprised to learn shipments were "delayed" until the afternoon. but again at about 3:00 p.m. EST, calls were sent again to pre-order customers telling them due to a shipping error, the game again would not be available until 11/09/06 at 10:30 a.m. EST. They are giving a five dollar refund to all those who pre-ordered"Other readers write in with similar shipping error stories. How about your neck of the woods? Does your local store complain of shipping problems? If so, were you offered any kind of refund or discount once the game finally shows up?
What is next-gen? CliffyB asks, Joystiq answers
[Click image to enlarge]What is next-gen, Cliff Bleszinski ponders in his developer's note, a preface to the Gears of War instruction manual. Well CliffyB, we think you are.This little personalized note sets a new precedent for the industry, where next-generation isn't just about hardware upgrades and "soul," as Bleszinski puts it. It's about celebrity. In this next generation we will begin to see the rise of popular interest in the off-the-job undertakings of the game world's celebs; a new gaming culture that builds up these personalities. We're not far from a time when, for lack of blockbuster franchises, rising development costs will prompt publishers to sell their games using these freshly sculpted celebrities' names -- the games' concepts being just footnotes. And then, wrought with betrayal and jealousy, we will strike down these primmed and pampered figures from their pedestals, greedily hastening their downfalls; and the industry with them.So, if you find yourself in the line at the EBGames at Universal Citywalk this evening (4pm, PT), waiting to get Mr. Bleszinski's signature emblazoned across your brand-new copy of Gears, just think: man, I'm so 'next-gen' right about now.
The X360F Gears Of War Play-a-thon
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, announcing the 360 Fanboy Gears of War Play-a-thon. I'll be picking up the game this afternoon and playing the eff out of it. I can only assume that the other X360F bloggers will be picking it up in short order as well. By now, I'm sure you all know that multiplayer GOW is where it's at, so I ask you all to check out the offficial X360F leaderboard at MGC and find someone to play with, whether it be co-op or versus. If you'd like to play a few rounds with little old me, send a friend request to SenseiRAM (I know, I know, number 70 on the leaderboard). And since the leaderboard only holds 100 people, anyone who isn't listed can feel free to share their Gamertags here. So, go find a buddy an rev up that chainsaw, power your way through the campaign, or lay down some punishment in multiplayer.Once we've all gotten a chance to play and get the hang of setting up custom games (if possible), we'll try and set up an X360F multiplayer frag fest later this month. Have fun and we'll see you on Live!
Metareview: Gears of War
The day has finally come, and embargoed Gears of War reviews are pouring onto the internet. In case you were wondering, Gears of War is apparently the best damned thing since the discovery of fire. The reviews so far are universally good, with an average rating of 95 on Metacritic. 1UP (10/10) "...you really need to play this visual and visceral masterpiece for yourself. When you do, you'll find plenty of minor problems, just like I did...but you can always find reasons not to give a game a 10." Gamespot (9.6/10) "Gears of War is a game that capitalizes on all of the promises made by the next generation of gaming. It looks more than a few steps beyond what consoles have been doing to this point, and the gameplay is supremely fulfilling from start to finish in all of its various modes. While there have certainly been plenty of similar shooters before it, the game's great weapons, amazing graphics, and absolutely thrilling action make it stand out from the pack in a big, big way." IGN (9.4/10) "Even with the minor faults, Gears of War is easily a contender for game of the year. The graphics, sound and presentation are nearly unparalleled. The gameplay is phenomenal and you'd be hard pressed to find a more complete package. Gears of War has shown what Xbox 360 is capable of. Now it remains to be seen what other developers can do to keep up." It should be noted that all of these reviews point to problems in the game. Most notably, they mention flawed enemy and squad AI, occasionally cumbersome controls, and very shallow multiplayer options, and yet, these universally acknowledged flaws are not enough to dip the score below 90%. We try to keep effusive, glowing praise out of our metareviews, but this game looks like it's shaping up to be the killer app it was always meant to be. Anyone lucky enough to get their copy yet? Tell us what you think.
Grab Gears at Target, get 3 months of Live
If you haven't already reserved your copy of Gears of War, Target is offering 3 months of Live Gold with a pre-order of the Gears of War collector's edition. Effectively, this means the collector's edition will net you the collector's tin, bonus DVD, art book, and 3 months of Live for 10 extra bones. Not too shabby. The offer expires November 8th, so get it while the gettin's good. If you weren't planning on the collector's edition before, will 3 months of Live sweeten the pot?[Thanks, delerious]
GOW merch madness, new faceplates, crate
Sure, Gears of War makes a great videogame, but it makes an even better lunchbox. Joystiq got their hands on the first images of the impending tidal wave of Gears merchandise (all of these are made by Mad Catz). The image above is in fact not a lunchbox, but rather a "console crate," presumably for hauling your 360 to Gears of War LAN parties. It looks like there will actually be 4 different faceplates, with 3 of them exclusive to different stores. See each faceplate after the break.
Random GOW thing: a tattoo (it's real)
This is just getting ridiculous. In a twisted version of a Klondike Bar commercial, some guy is so crazy about Gears of War, he got a tattoo. Like, a really real tattoo. The grisly design depicts a red gear emblazoned with a skull tearing its way through his flesh. According to Major Nelson (it's his Flickr account) this guy was actually flown in by MTV, claiming to be the most hardcore Gears fan alive. Let's hope the game lives up to its reputation, because this guy's arm depends on it! It's not like he'll be able to turn that thing into a heart with "MOM" in the center if the game turns out to be crap.Have any of you gotten a GOW tatoo? Done anything else crazy in anticipation of the game?[Thanks, Doc P]
Tons of new GOW multiplayer vids
The fine folks at GameTrailers are apparently having a ball playing Gears of War multiplayer matches, because they won't stop posting videos of them. Right now, they are up to twelve (!) different videos. We've picked one in particular for its chainsaw wielding, headshot making goodness. Plus, you'll get a chance to see what it's like to play as one of the Locust horde. This video, and all the others, looks like a lot of fun. Check it out after the break. Oh, and the video is age verficataion required. And don't think you can cheat just because there's absolutely nothing we can do to stop you.
