GearsOfWar
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GOW crew gets busy in Hollywood graveyard
Is anything funnier than sacrilege? We think not. The peeps over at Gamerscore Blog have posted some pictures from last night's Gears of War party at the Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles. Above we see CliffyB -- "Scratch Master Cliff," as he likes to be called -- laying down some fat beats ... inside a mausoleum. Apparently, the acousitcs are fantastic. It looks like Hollywood's spirits got some revenge, though. See how after the break.
Reminder: carve a pumpkin, win Gears of War
Just a quick reminder about our 1st Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest. Read the rules, carve a pumpkin, and you might win a copy of Gears of War or one of our other fabulous prizes. We don't have too many entries right now, so you're odds are still pretty good. Besides, making Jack-O-Lanterns is fun, right?
Gears is gold, Emergence Day goodies
Microsoft has just sent word that Gears of War has officially gone gold, which means the game is ready to be pressed, boxed, and shipped. To mark this occasion, several Emergence Day activities have been announced. Set to begin at 12:01 a.m. on November 12th, the activities range from tournaments to gaming with Megadeth. A 24-Hour Leader board Tournament. The tournament winner receives a one of a kind "Gears of War" branded guitar as well as an automatic bye to the finals of a Global "Gears of War" Tournament planned for 2007. Hourly sweepstakes drawings and prize giveaways including the chance to win one of several Samsung HT-P29 Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Systems An exclusive free "Gears of War" Gamer pic and theme only available on Emergence Day Game with Fame sessions with legendary heavy metal band and "Gears of War" fans Megadeth, the game's lead designer Cliff Bleszinski and other members of the Epic Games team Never before seen videos including a special Emergence Day transmission from Cliff Bleszinski An MTV "Gears of War: The Road to Launch" Sneak Preview Not a bad list of events. Anybody plan on joining the tournament? The 5.1 system looks a little "blah" if you ask us, but we certainly wouldn't turn down a free one. If anybody doesn't want their's, we'll take it. Also, Gears of War is great and all, but we'd like to know if we could also challenge Megadeth to Guitar Hero II. And once again, if you'd like a shot at winning GOW for free, all you have to do is carve a pumpkin.
Gears is gold, Emergence Day defined
We had a hunch Gears of War had gone gold. Today it was confirmed. To reflect this milestone, Microsoft and Epic have released a "Mad World"-laced promo trailer onto Xbox Live (available now). The trailer was first shown at X06 Canada and will lead the charge on TV and in movie theatres during the days leading up to November 12, or 'Emergence Day.'While many gamers will have Gears in hand on November 7, the following Sunday will play out as an Xbox Live extravaganza -- aside from being the official launch date. Gold members can jump into a 24-hour tournament (beginning at 12:01 a.m.), with the winner receiving a Gears-branded guitar (straight to eBay!) and an automatic bye to the finals of a future tourney. The thrashing tie-ins don't stop there, as game sessions with Megadeth and CliffyB, who's considered a rock star in certain circles, will also be online. Some prize giveaways, free downloads (gamer pic, theme, video), and an MTV infomercial round out the day.Helluva marketing blitz...[Via Press Release]
New GOW trailer pulls at your heartstrings [update 1]
There is a new Gears of War trailer available on Xbox Live Marketplace. This one is a little different from previous trailers. Instead of focusing on killing, death, and chainsaws, this ad focuses more on the "destroyed beauty" theme of the game. Set to the Tears for Fears song, "Mad World," -- performed here by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules -- the mood of the trailer is perfect. We can't help but remind everyone how gorgeous the game is, either. If they really wanted to, Epic could make a Gears movie just using the game engine.For those of you away from your 360, you can check out the trailer on Xboxyde here. We'd still suggest you download the 720p version from Marketplace when you get the chance, though. Only 12 days left, people. Don't forget to enter our Pumpkin Carving Contest if you'd rather not pay for your copy of GOW.Update: The song also includes Gary Jules
Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest (Win GoW!)
Reader Subnoise Rat's skill with squash fruit and kitchen knives has inspired the 1st Annual Xbox360Fanboy Pumpkin Carving Contest. Here's how it works: Carve an Xbox 360-related Jack O' Lantern based on a logo, game, character, etc. Send one color photo (at least 425 pixels wide) to x360f.contests+halloween@gmail.com before 11:00pm EST Monday, October 30. Include a title so we know what we are supposed to be looking at, your name, gamertag, and mailing address. 1 entry per person No stolen pics Richard and I will choose the top 10 pumpkins based on workmanship and creativity for a public vote to be held here on October 31 (also known as Halloween!) with winners announced and notified by email the following day.1st Prize: One NTSC copy of Gears of War shipped to your door via Amazon.com as soon as it becomes available. This prize is proudly sponsored by RockMeTV.com -- which, by the way, will be LIVE and Interactive Wednesday October 25th at 3:00pm EST. Tune in for a chance to win more free stuff.2nd Prize: One copy of Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged3rd Prize: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for Xbox Live ArcadeIn the event of a tie, the winners will be decided by a random drawing. Xbox 360 Fanboy reserves final judgement in all disputes.Happy Carving!
X360F Contest: GOW themes & picture packs [update 1]
It's getting perilously close to Halloween (CliffyB is going as a bunny. A chainsaw happy, curb stomping bunny). So close that we think it's time for another contest! The prize: a free Gears of War theme and picture pack for your Xbox 360. You may remember that we got a few extras at our local GameStop during the "After Dark" event last Saturday. We couldn't give them away before because they didn't work. Well, now they do. Huzzah!Since the prize isn't as grand as, say, a copy of Lumines Live!, we're making this contest a little easier. All you have to do is leave a comment describing what 360 inspired costume you'll be wearing this Halloween. We'll pick 5 random winners. The winners will be announced tomorrow. See, that's easy. We've got five to give away, so that's five chances to win, five times the fun.But wait, there's more. If you don't win tomorrow, stay tuned for another contest, in which you could win a copy of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (hint: hope you like pumpkins). And hopefully, we'll have even more swag to give away after that. We've gone contest crazy, I tells ya! So, leave us a comment telling us what your (possibly fictional) costume is, and you could be a winner.General contest stuff: only 1 entry, please. Winners will be decided completely randomly. The quality, or lack thereof, of the entry has no bearing on its odds to win. That's it. Have fun.Update: The contest is now over, click here to see the winners.
GOW pictures worth a thousand words
The Gears of War photoshop contest we told you about a couple of weeks ago has drawn to a close. If you don't remember, the object of the contest was to create a Gears of War image. That's it. Some funny (and not so funny) images were sent in to Aeropause and they have picked their winner and compiled some of the best entries into a single post. The entry pictured above is one of our favorites. Head over to Aeropause to check out the winning image (he gets Gears of War!) and some honorable mentions.
Gears of War is 'goldish,' CliffyB done
"My job as designer of Gears of War is, well, more or less done," writes CliffyB in his latest blog, titled "fin." The Gears lead designer is now off to fulfill his duties for the hype machine, leaving us to assume that Epic's game is gold and ready to lead Microsoft's holiday charge. Of course, Cliffy "can't speak to the status of gold" ... or can he? During a recent interview with Major Nelson, the designer clearly drops the "gold" word:"We actually found out like about week before we went gold that [the final boss] was actually too tough to beat, even on casual." [8:19][Thanks, Baker]
CliffyB puts his baby on the bus
In a post on his personal blog, Epic it-boy CliffyB says his work on the monumental gaming/hype event known as Gears of War essentially done -- save for the promotional tour:My job as designer of Gears of War is, well, more or less done. I can't speak to the status of gold or shipping but those of you familiar with development know that at a certain point you've just got to let your baby get on the school bus and hope for the best.The days of shipping a game and hopping on a plane for someplace warm to get the heck away are long gone. I've got a busy few weeks ahead of me filled with promotional events; a pair of them in everyone's favorite town of LA. Microsoft knows they're not launching a game anymore, ever since the smash of Halo 2 I think they've realized that they're launching entertainment itself. It's not just a game, it's a f---ing EVENT. Congratulations, Cliff, your hard work has earned your game a some precious time in my mental cycle. Now get to work on Gears of War 2.
X360F at the GOW "After Dark" event
A buddy and I hiked out to GameStop last night for the Gears of War "After Dark" event. You know, the one with the "exclusive" video that's been on the internet for a whole day now. Of course, the dinky YouTube video doesn't really do the game justice like a 42" HDTV (I forced myself not to watch the leaked video so I could see it on a big screen). We met some GOW fans, shot some (probably awful) video, and we even got some swag. Read on for our experience and X360F's first video evar -- shot by good friend and occasional commenter, thomdano (scroll to the bottom if the thought of reading about our visit makes you cringe).
X360F will be at Gamestop tonight [update 1]
Sure, we've all seen the video now, thus nullifying tonight's Gears of War event at GameStops around the US. In fact, Joystiq even told everyone there's really no reason to go. Call me stubborn then, because I'm going. A buddy of mine has even agreed to film it, assuming the GameStop goons will let us. What's more, I promise that any swag I receive will be swiftly given away right here on Xbox 360 Fanboy. So, if by some bizarre cosmic coincidence you happen to be reading this and live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, you can meet my buddy and me at the Woodland Hills GameStop (I'll be the guy in a red shirt that's being followed by another guy with a camera). Come by and chat with us about Gears of War. You might even see yourself on the internet without paying those nasty hosting fees!Is anybody bothering to go to their local GameStop? After all, you will get free stuff, and we're sure you'll see better quality video than the YouTube stuff we posted earlier. So, who's going?Update: The event is over now, and we have some fairly extensive coverage (and a video!). Check it out here.
EB / GameStop GoW preview video [update 1]
12 minutes of fresh Gears of War footage from the EB/GameStop preview! Update: Video is now embedded after the break. [Thanks Krazy Koala]
Don't bother tonight, see Gamestop's Gears video here
Select Gamestop stores are hosting a special Gear of War event tonight after closing up shop. Why didn't we tell you about this earlier? There are two reasons. First, they're only showing video of the game, it won't be playable -- yes, we're excited about it ... but not that excited. Second, the giveaways are pretty weak: lanyards and pins. Where's the free shirts or -- even better -- demo discs? Really, exclusive video content? Isn't this what Xbox Live was made for?Since we're loathe to recommend that you run down to your local Gamestop on a Saturday night to crowd in and watch video of a game you've undoubtedly pre-ordered and will be playing in a couple weeks, we're extremely pleased to present you with ... the very same video footage they'll be showing tonight! So, unless you have a real hankering for those lanyards and pins, and an absolute void where your social life should be, we think you oughta skip Gamestop tonight and start practicing for playing Gears.Video is embedded after the break, in two parts. One of the exclusive footage and the other is a clip of CliffyB telling folks they won't find that exclusive footage on the internet ... you mean, this internet?[Many thanks, geneticdefect!]
Gears of War achievements reveal new game details
Gears of War's 1000 gamer points will be distributed throughout 49 achievements. To earn these points, you'll have to beat all three difficulty levels (Casual, Hardcore, and Insane), and then beat the game again in co-op mode (using Dom); and at some point collect all the hidden COG tags (like 'dog tags'), taking out some particularly nasty Locust-types along the way. You'll also have to perfect the game's reload system and then take your skills online where, if you really must have every last point, like "Seriously ...", you'll need to amass 10,000 frags in ranked play.Browsing the list of Gears achievements does reveal some little known tidbits about the game (without revealing major spoilers): Single-player/co-op campaign is five acts, plus training level (the prison break) COG tags will be hidden, collectible items "Berserker" and "Corpser" are two of the Locust classes General RAAM is a boss Weapon names include: Boomshot, Torque Bow, Longshot, and Hammer of Dawn Gears was inspired by Brokeback Mountain, hence the "I Can't Quit You Dom" achievement [Thanks, Baker]
Sign up to play Gears of War early
It looks like registration for the Gears of War cemetery event is now open. What's more, it looks like another event is planned for Six Flags New England. So, sign up now for your chance to play Gears of War with celebrities who have no idea what it is (Paris Hilton heard it was "hot"). If you're lucky, you might even be invited to the private concert with aging metal band, Megadeth.[Via Major Nelson]
GOW launch event at a Hollywood graveyard
The marketing blitz for Gears of War is finally building up steam, as another GOW event is planned for this month (you gonna be at GameStop this Saturday?). The event, scheduled for October 26th at 12:01 AM, will be held in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in beautiful Los Angeles. The event -- part of "Match Made in Hell" month (sheesh) -- promises to mix up the likes of CliffyB and the GOW team, developers, game industry big shots, and even (gasp) celebrities. If you'd like to win a chance to attend, check out the "Match Made in Hell" website (as of this posting, registration has not opened for this event). It seems like Epic and Microsoft are really pushing the horror angle of Gears of War. Maybe we're just seasoned by marathon sessions of Silent Hill games, but GOW doesn't look all that scary to us. Hopefully, we'll hear a little more about it before the game ships.
Germany says NEIN to Gears of War
Entschuldigung Cliffy B, aber dein Spiel ist verboten! VERBOTEN! Germany's Unterhaltungssoftware Selbskontrolle (USK), the German version of the ESRB, has refused to give the upcoming Gears of War a rating due to the game's violence. This doesn't outright ban the game in the country, but puts it in a state of limbo. This is the second time in recent memory that the USK denied to rate a game due to violence, they used the same tactic on Capcom's Dead Rising. German gamers currently need to import Dead Rising from another European country to play.German politicking and regulations on video games has always been strong. Despite the Wolfenstein series' anti-Nazi message, images of swastikas and Nazism are still banned in the country -- unless in a historial context -- and therefore no Wolfenstein for the Germans. It is understandable that Germany might be a little sensitive on that whole Nazi thing; however, the USK not rating a game, whatever the reason, as a tactic to passive aggressively ban it is an insulting move against the German people. Doesn't the USK trust German gamers, especially adults, to make up their own minds?
Surprise! Gears banned in Germany
Another day, another violent game banned in Germany. It seems that Gears of War -- like Dead Rising before it -- has effectively been banned in Germany. This requires some explanation, as the game isn't technically banned. Basically, the ratings board -- charmingly named Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle -- refuses to dole out a rating at all. As a result, German stores will be unable to sell the game. It sounds worse than it is, though, because real German gamers know they can always import from Austria.Microsoft could retool the game and make it suitable for impressionable young Germans, but that would cause Live compatibility issues with other versions. Hence, banned. So, any bets on which game will be banned next? Our vote: Viva Piñata. Seriously, you can beat innocent piñatas to death in that game. It's sick.[Thanks, Bobby]
Gears demo rumor is shot down (again)
Epic guru, Mark Rein, has once again shot down the ever persistent Gears of War demo rumor. It flared up again yesterday when web denizens spotted the Gears of War demo graphic above. "Just saw the dog tag image with the "Microsoft points". It just isn't true. There is no demo coming out before the game ships and I have no idea if we'll do one after the game ships or not. Right now there are no plans to do one as I said earlier in this thread. I have asked Microsoft to take that image down."It's kind of weird when developers have to ask Microsoft to take something down. Makes us wonder how serious the split between Microsoft PR and developers really is.[Thanks, aragorn]
