gears
Latest
New GoW PC content not coming to the 360
The Advanced Media Network sat down with Epic's Mark Rein and Cliffy B to chat about their big E3 announcements and learned some sad news about the new Gears of War PC content. When questioned about whether or not the new campaign missions or multiplayer maps announced for the PC version would be headed to the Xbox 360, Rein said it was "unlikely [that] we will bring that content to 360". Cliffy B further emphasized their doubt by stating that "if we didn't have any sort of exclusive on the PC, why would people buy the PC version?". The Epic crew explained that bringing the PC content over to the 360 would be an extremely time consuming task and that they're currently focused on other projects like Unreal Tournament 3.Being the Gears fan that I am it's hard to hear that new, exciting multiplayer AND campaign content will be available, but not for 360 owners. And no, there's no way I'm personally buying a beefy computer to run Gears of War PC just to experience the new content. No matter how you slice the news it sucks for 360 owners and Gears enthusiasts ... it's simple as that. Now, I'm going to go cry myself to sleep.[Thanks, Jason S]
Gears of War soundtrack drops July 31st
Gears fanboys will be excited to know that the sweet, sweet sounds of our beloved Gears of War will soon be lovingly lasered onto a piece of media plastic. The official Gears of War Soundtrack was announced yesterday and will hit major retailers and be available online July 31st. The CD will feature 28 musical tracks that will chronologically take listeners through Gears' campaign and feature the Northwest Symphonia orchestra. Think of the soundtrack as a musical version of the whole "destroyed beauty" motif. Complete list of all 28 tracks are viewable after the break including our favorites "I Will Kryll You" and "Running With Boomers".
Fanswag: Gears of War Modeling Book Winners
Our Gears of War Modeling Book Contest has come to an end and we had some talented folks send in some great Locust creations. Not only did we have some great entries, but we also received entries that weren't really entries. Looking in our inbox we received emails from out of the country (this is a US only contest), entries that didn't include any attached artwork, and entries that were out of the country AND didn't include artwork. Those emails made us laugh and exercise our "delete email" finger. But, in the end, we came away satisfied with the creations our fellow fanboys submitted. So, we bet you are wondering which three entries were chosen to win a copy of Ballistic Publishing's d'artiste: Character Modeling 2, what the Locust creations look like, and if Epic Games will be using the winning designs in the Gears of War sequel. Well, the answers to all those questions and more are posted after the break. Click along and come join our Locust art gallery fun.%Gallery-4473%
Reminder: Submit art for GoW Modeling Book Contest
Did you know we're giving away three hardcover copies of Ballistic Publishing's d'artiste: Character Modeling 2 that feature amazing Gears of War artwork and are valued at over $50 a piece? You did huh? Well, quite being so lazy and send in your locust artwork already! Remember, all you have to do to win a copy is create a new, never before seen Locust creature and send it to us in .jpg format. But you better hurry, because the contest ends July 2nd when we'll be picking our favorite entries who'll win a copy of the modeling book. Complete list of contest rules, details and how to enter are available on the contest page. Run along now and get creative!
Gears of War 2? Not happening at E3
It was rumored, but ultimately the E3 Gears of War sequel announcement was just that ... a rumor. Beyond Unreal contacted Mark Rein about the possibility that a Gears of War sequel would be announced at this year's E3 and his response was somewhere along the lines of no. "We are not announcing a sequel to Gears of War at E3 this year" Rein responded and reinforced their commitment to Gears of War's DLC by stating that "we're still working on the first one". As fans of the Gears franchise we're more than fine with no new news at E3. Microsoft's E3 spiel will more than likely be about Halo 3 and other third party titles, so Gears news really isn't necessary. So Epic, you just take your time and put together one of the most rockin' Gears of War 2 announcement trailers ever and take comfort in knowing that you have the support of at least one blogger around these parts.
New Gears of War achievements rundown
The Gears of War auto update rolled out earlier this morning implementing an updated roadie run (third time's the charm), general maintenance and our favorite ... new achievements. The eight new Gears achievements are wrapped up in the newish content all achievable either by playing the Annex gametype or by playing in the new Hidden Fronts maps (which cost 800 Microsoft points, but will be free in September). Our favorites? Based strictly on their names we love the 300 reference in "THIS! IS! ANNEX!", the nubness of "Nub Pwn3r", and "All That Juice" ... because it made us chuckle. But we're sure we'll achieve "You Down With E.P.I.C?" first, because it looks to be the easiest. Complete description of all eight new achievements is viewable after the break. Annex ... here we come.
GoW Update & Achievements tomorrow
Major Nelson gives word that Gears of War's upcoming title update will be available at 2:00 AM GMT PDT, June 14th. Technically, that's still today in North American timezones. Either way, the update will have 8 new Achievements with a combined worth of 250 Gamerscore, relating to the Hidden Fronts map pack and the new Annex gametype. It also will refine the Roadie Run (again), and fix some exploits in the multiplayer. If you're dropped Gears for some other titles, will this draw you back in?
Gears of War book sighted online
Besides eating and sleeping (and the dreaded "working"), you have to do something between gaming sessions. What better way to utilize this dead space than to read books about video games? If Gears of War is your thing, you're in luck, because It looks like a Gears of War book is in the works. We've found it listed at several retailers, including Wal-Mart. Assuming the listing is correct, the book is being written by game history guru, Steven Kent, most famous to gamers for his book, The Ultimate History of Video Games. Clocking in at 352 pages, the book is slated for an August release from Del Ray. We're assuming the title, Gears of War 1, is only a placeholder (it had better be).What say you fanboys, are you in for some light summer reading? You know, explosions, eviscerations, that kind of thing.[Via CVG]
Next Gears update will bring more achievements
Epic's Mark Rein hopped on the official Gears forums to tell everyone that they are working hard on the next auto update and that they've included a few unexpected goodies. Not only are they tweaking the roadie run as promised, but they are adding some glorious NEW achievements to both the Annex gametype and the Hidden Fronts DLC, taking advantage of the new Gamerscore policy. Rein also goes on to say that the update will take care of random exploits and general housekeeping, but that they do not have a firm release date for the update yet.Brand new Gears achievements simply rocks! It's something that I have been vocal about and to my surprise is going to happen. Now, for those of us who've earned the Seriously achievement, we can milk Gears for even more Gamerscore points. Dreamy isn't it? It's almost as if the Gears of War angels (Epic Games) have flown down from the heavens and blessed us once again.[Via GamingTalkHQ]
MLG adds Gears of War to the 2007 season
In an unexpected announcement, Major League Gaming has added Xbox 360 hit Gears of War to its 2007 season, starting with June's event held at the Meadowlands. For the rest of MLG's 2007 season, Gears 4v4 tournaments will be held at every event with the total prize payouts reaching $140,000 and the finals awarding $25,000 to the team who topples the competition. If interested in competing, be sure to head over to MLG's website to register for events and to get all the details. Who knows, maybe you could be the next "big thing" in gaming.[Via Amped eSports]
First look at GoW's Hidden Fronts map pack
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Video_Gears_of_War_Hidden_Fronts_maps'; Still on the fence and not sure if you want to spend 800 Microsoft points on the new Gears of War Hidden Fronts map pack? Well, we fully understand your dilemma and thought we'd help out our fellow fanboys. Not only did we plop down the cash to buy the map pack, but we thought we'd pull back the secret curtain. Yup, we recorded a quick and dirty video of each map and showcased their uniqueness to give you a taste of what Hidden Fronts has to offer. And, as an added bonus, the video features informative (and somewhat creative) commentary by yours truly. But before you start mocking our lovely video you must know this is our first foray into such a project. Energy drinks were consumed, there was a bunch of swearing, recording, editing, recording, re-editing, and swearing ... but we survived. So, give it a watch, get a taste of the new Gears maps, and see if they are worth the 800 Microsoft points. Enjoy.[Thanks, Grotesque1 for helping with the vid]
"Hidden Fronts" Map Pack now available
So after the announcement and the subsequent screenshots, the Gears of War "Hidden Fronts" Multiplayer Map Pack is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Complete with four maps, Bullet Marsh, Garden, Process and Subway, you can download it now for 800 MS Points, or, if you have that much will power, or that little interest, you can get the maps for free on September 3rd, 2007. So, are you going to get it now, and play with your friends who have it, perhaps even being strong armed into buying it to stay competitive, or should we wake you up when September ends?
Welcome to Hidden Fronts, we'll be your guide
TeamXbox received some celebrity treatment the other day when they got some hands on time with Gears of War's latest multiplayer maps from the Hidden Fronts map pack. And it's safe to say they were impressed. The guys played in Microsoft's test lab against a few mysterious game testers, getting a feel for the maps, and getting pwned in the process. A quick recap of their impressions are as follows; Garden features dense vegetation and green clouds of pesticide that'll kill you, but can be shut off via a control panel. Bullet Marsh is dark, very dark, and if the generator is turned off the map will get even darker and the Kryll will attack to kill. Process is chalk full of vertical elevation shifts, catwalks, and pipes ... a long distance killing machine's dream. Finally, Subway features multiple levels of fun, empty subway cars, beautiful rays of light, and dirty floors. Make the jump for TeamXbox's full impressions and be sure to check out GoW's Hidden Fronts map pack, available tomorrow for 800 Microsoft points.[Thanks, MuJaHiDeEn 420]
"Hidden Fronts" screenshots hit the tubes
Not long after we announced the upcoming Multiplayer Map Pack for Gears of War, we were sent screenshots of the four arenas. We have to say, they look mighty nice. Our favorites being that of Garden and Bullet Marsh, which both really take the "destroyed" beauty motif to the next level. Process looks nice, with the eery yellow glow of the Imulsion surrounding the battlefield, but Subway looks kind of run of the mill in the available shots. What do you think of the levels? The rest of the map shots are available after the break.
GoW "Hidden Fronts" Map Pack hitting Thursday
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/GoW_Hidden_Fronts_Map_Pack_hitting_Thursday'; On Thursday May 3rd at 4:00 AM EDT, four new Gears of War maps will be hitting Xbox Live Marketplace as part of the "Hidden Fronts" Multiplayer Map Pack. Running you 800 Microsoft Points, you'll be able to do battle on Process, Garden, Subway, and Bullet Marsh. For those of you concerned about the price, fret not, as you'll be able to download the pack for free four months later, on September 3rd, 2007. We've got the map descriptions from the press release after the break, but the question we've got for you is this: Are you going to get the maps now, or wait a bit first to see if it's worth your hard earned points and hold off till they're free in the fall?
Gears of War movie script leaked
The sneaky lads over at LatinoReview.com have unearthed the first twenty two pages of our Gears of War movie script. The website, known for posting legit movie scripts prior to their release, summarized the leaked GoW movie script in full detail. And it's weird that since the movie's announcement all we've wanted is more information, any information on the movie. But now that the first twenty two pages have been leaked and are ready to read, we just cannot look at it. Call us wusses, call us babies, but we don't want to spoil the enjoyment we'll feel when we see Gears on the big screen and watching the story unfold for the first time. Nope, we refuse to taint our Gears movie fun, but if you're daring enough to read all the juicy details by all means go ahead. We're just crazy anal about things like that.[Thanks, Machiavelli 420]
WRUP: beta late than neva edition
So, the weekend is officially upon us, and at least in the Great White North, the forecast is wet and gloomy, which pretty much means sitting back in a Sumo lounge chair and gaming away. We'll probably try to get some final matches of Shadowrun in before the beta ends Monday night, rock out to Guitar Hero II, or go back to old favorites like Oblivion and Gears of War. But that's us. What of you, fellow fanboy, what are you going to be playing?Leaderboards:Xbox 360 Fanboy LeaderboardXbox 360 Fanboy Leaderboard Mk. IIX360F Gamertags:Richard Mitchell -- SenseiRAMDustin Burg -- SuperDunnersDavid Dreger -- Knuckles Dawson
GoW tournaments you say? Sign us up
MisurA sent word that all his hard work, dedication, blood, sweat, and coding skills went into his latest online tournament website, Gears of War Tournaments. On the site, you'll be able to partake in various Gears tournaments from 1v1 to 4v4 and be able to manage your team through the super sleek (yet simple) interface. Right now there are a couple hundred players signed up, so the competition should be pretty good. But there aren't any prizes for the tourneys just yet, so it's all about the bragging rights and the community fun. Competition and a legion of Gears players await you at Gears of War Tournaments ... go ahead and give it a whirl.
Buying Gears of War achievements isn't cheap
Yesterday, five new Gears of War COG tag location strategy videos were uploaded to the XBLM for your viewing pleasure. But before you make your way to download the videos you should know they'll cost you money. Yes, Brady Games is happy to help you find those COG tags, but is charging 100 Microsoft points per GoW act. Running that through our fanboy calculator, that works out to be exactly 500 Microsoft points ($6.25 US) for five videos.True, it can be frustrating trying to find the last few tags, but please be strong and do not resort to purchasing these videos. There are plenty of free resources on the internet if you are having trouble locating those darn COG tags. Heck, all the COG tag location information you'll ever need is located here. So, go here, don't buy this, and earn these. Friends helping friends, that's what it's all about.
Remove that icky HUD in GoW
Aspiring Gears of War machinima creators out there will be happy to know that the director's nightmare of a HUD can indeed be removed. How you ask? With a whole bunch of button mashing that's how. Actually, the HUD removal video, button sequence and directions are posted over on crpgchamp's YouTube page under the details section. So now you have the entire screen as your recording real estate, HUD removal just rocks! The only limitation to the whole process is that you'll have to be on Xbox Live (because you can't be host) and you have to be attached to a wall for the full HUD removal effect. Watch the video, take it in, then make the jump to get learned.
