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Gears of War limited edition Xbox 360 bundle on Sept. 20 for $399; controller for $59.99 on August 11
Sure, you've seen the footage on Gears of War 3, but without an Xbox 360, how are you going to gunsaw dudebeasts in half? Well, with a limited edition branded console, of course! Epic and Microsoft are teaming up to offer not only a special console bundle pack, but also custom, individual controllers -- both of which will be accompanied by download tokens for in-game content. For $399, you can snag the console bundle (which has special sound effects like the Halo: Reach console), which features a 320gb hard drive, two Gears of War 3-branded wireless controllers, a copy of the game, headset and two pieces of DLC: the Infected Omen Weapon pack, skins for the game's starting weapons (the Lancer, Retro Lancer, Gnasher, Hammerburst and Sawed-Off Shotgun) and the Adam Fenix multiplayer character. This bundle goes on sale September 20. If you're looking for just a special controller, you can snag one of them for $59.99 starting on August 11 -- which has that new transforming d-pad and the aforementioned in-game content. Hit the gallery below for some shots of the new hardware, conveniently posed up against a red wall. So much red! %Gallery-125565%
Gears of War 3 co-op gameplay footage from E3
Keen on seeing Cliff Bleszinski and faux-detective Ice-T take on the stage three boss from Contra? Mantle on past the break and see the gameplay demo for yourself, direct from the E3 2011 Microsoft press conference stage.
Gears of War 3 campaign trailer is a great soccer moment
For us, the most exciting part of the Champions League Final was when that grotesque tentacle-necked monster started tossing cars around, while Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" played in the background. Or did that happen in the Gears of War 3 campaign trailer that premiered after the game? We might be getting the two mixed up. We'll watch the trailer again (after the break) to straighten the situation out.
Gears of War 3 story teaser warns of impending father-son moments
Somehow, we expected Marcus Fenix's dad to have a thicker neck, but his brief appearance in the tease for next week's big Gears of War 3 TV spot depicts a man with a svelter torso than his offspring. Head past the break for details on the TV spot and to see old man Fenix for yourself.
Gears of War 3 beta attracted 1.29 million testers
The cogs did their part, as 1.29 million fans enlisted in the recent Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta and pre-ordered the game in hordes. In all, Epic gathered 249 years worth of match-time data from players spanning 145 countries during the four-week public testing phase, which wrapped up this past Sunday. And it was all up and running, for the first time, on dedicated servers. (Oorah!) While neither Microsoft nor Epic specified how many beta testers got in early through their "Epic Edition" copies of Bulletstorm, the pair was quite pleased to announce that Gears of War 3 has surpassed one million pre-orders (the other ticket into the beta) -- and we're still four months away from the game's September 20 launch. That's got to be some kind of record, right? Uh-huh. Gears 3 now holds the distinguished honor of being "the fastest pre-ordered Xbox exclusive title to reach this milestone in the history of the platform." (*Golf clap*) Pore over some more beta stats after the break.
Gears of War 3 Limited and Epic Edition extras revealed
Listen, everyone -- your desk simply isn't intimidating enough. What you need, what you've got to have is an 11-inch statue of a muscle-bound future-marine. That's just one of the many, many bonuses include in the $150 Epic Edition of Gears of War 3; a monstrous package that encapsulates the aforementioned statue; a 96-page book penned by Tom Bissell (author of "Extra Lives") about the art and design of the shooter; an "Octus Service Medal;" and everything else pictured above. (Is that Adam Fenix's will? It certainly is.) Shoppers will also have the option of purchasing the game's $80 Limited Edition, which includes the Service Medal, a COG flag, some Fenix family documents and an exclusive Adam Fenix multiplayer skin. No statue, though; so who's going to keep your mug full of pens from stepping out of line? Check out the full list of the extras in the Epic and Limited Editions -- as well as a video demonstration of that statue -- after the break!
Bleszinski: Master Chief passed on a Gears of War 3 cameo
Curious as to why the Xbox 360's two biggest exclusive shooters never managed to fuse, forming some kind of chimera made of space armor and hilariously disproportionate guns? Wonder no more -- in a recent interview with Complex, Gears of War' designer Cliff Bleszinski revealed, "I actually approached Microsoft on getting Master Chief into the game, but those guys are kind of squeamish." He jokingly added, "If you had to break it down, I'd say that Gears is like Mortal Kombat and Halo is like Street Fighter." From there, things get ... a little grisly. Bleszinski said, "if we were to get Master Chief, we'd get his model, put him in a COG suit, make it blow up, and do some test animation work. We'd have to see what his head looks like being blown to smithereens or how his arm would look getting sawed off." We're not sure the ol' arm-saw technique's gonna work on MC. After all, this is the same guy who can get shot point blank by a rocket-propelled grenade without suffering any structural damage.
Share Gears of War 3 beta invites beginning May 8
The "Never Fight Alone" phase of the Gears of War 3 beta will begin May 8, allowing players to invite friends into the foray. Participants in the beta will earn "buddy tokens" by finishing challenges or completing tasks ... like giving Microsoft more money. Every person who has played a game in the Gears beta will receive a buddy token. Additional ways to obtain a token are by purchasing any Gears content off the Xbox Live Marketplace or by adding a 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription to your account. Tokens can also be earned by having played 20 hours or more of the Gears 3 beta -- time already spent does count -- and by playing more than 100 hours of "any Gears of War title, lifetime to date." Players have until May 4 (this Wednesday!) to complete the tasks and earn up to five tokens. Participants don't need to take any addition action for their tokens, and the alpha-numeric codes will be distributed by email starting May 8 (so make sure your account details are up to date). This will give players a week to team up with their buddies for some Gears 3 action before the beta ends on May 15.
PSA: Full Gears of War 3 beta launches today, more content next week
If you're just joining the Gears of War 3 beta today, then you're not that big of a fan, are you? Sure, it means you've pre-ordered the game from GameStop (or another participating retailer outside of the US) and secured your ticket to the beta, but true Gearsheads have been playing through their copies of Bulletstorm for a full seven days now. What's your excuse? Your half-assed engagement means that you're already way behind in the race to unlock the most demanding rewards before the beta ends on May 15, including the "Thrashball Cole" character skin and the Gold-Plated Retro Lancer weapon skin (both pictured). And, of course, you've already excluded yourself from adding the Flaming Hammerburst to your permanent arsenal -- it was only available to beta players last week. If you're saying to yourself, "I really don't care about the unlockables -- I just don't wanna get owned by all the 'cheaters' who have been playing the beta forever already." Well, for one, you're lying to yourself. But you can also check out some tips for preparing to enter the beta from senior gameplay designer Lee Perry over on Ars Technica. And you can relax a little, too. Bulletstorm early access players were limited to Team Deathmatch on two maps, so they're just as new to the King of the Hill mode and the Trenchtown and Old Town maps as you are. Additionally, next Monday, May 2, Epic will reintroduce the Capture the Leader mode, rounding out the beta's full slate of three gametypes on four maps (not to mention, "special events and surprises" will occur "throughout the beta"). But if you wait until then, it's kind of like why bother? Update: Corrected schedule of gametypes and maps availability.
Gears of War 3 beta gets a long-eared Easter egg
If you've managed to snag yourself access to the Gears of War 3 beta, you ... need to go play it. Right now. Don't watch the video after the jump, just go experience the magic for yourself. Everyone else, check out the beta's one-day Easter egg after the jump. It's both gory and adorable.
PSA: Gears of War 3 beta available now to Bulletstorm 'Epic Edition' owners
Those jerks in the press (and those other jerks who won codes from us) aren't the only ones who get to enjoy the Gears of War 3 beta anymore. You too can be a jerk (and help fine-tune the multiplayer of a major game!) if you picked up the "Epic Edition" of Bulletstorm. The beta is open to Bulletstorm buyers today, and will open even further, to those who pre-ordered Gears 3 at Gamestop, on April 25. It will run through May 15.
Gears of War 3 beta: The rundown
The Gears of War 3 beta officially kicks off next Monday, April 18, for Bulletstorm "Epic Edition" owners, followed by the April 25 entrance of those who pre-ordered the game from GameStop. As the first public taste of Gears 3, there's a lot of content for fans to digest -- and that's where this handy guide and video preview come in! So rev up the old Lancer and roll past the break to take it all in.%Gallery-117485%
Gears of War 3 multiplayer design video preps us for beta
The Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta will run from April 25 until May 15 for those who preorder the game from GameStop and other select retailers. This new video gives a taste of the gameplay. Oh, pink lancer, you will enrage so many bro-dudes as you sever them in twain.
Xbox Live April schedule redux: Gears 3 beta, deals on Limbo, Shadow Complex and other MGS content
It's going to be a busy month on Xbox Live. Not only is the Gears of War 3 beta set to drop on April 25 for those who pre-ordered through GameStop (April 18 for those who snagged Bulletstorm), there's also a half-month full of XBLA games, Games on Demand titles and deals -- even some slashed prices on Microsoft Game Studios content, like the Halo: Reach Noble Map Pack and Alan Wake's The Writer DLC. Let's get to it, shall we? %Gallery-117485%
Bleszinski: Gears 3 multiplayer has to be good, or 'the franchise is dead'
Not only are we excited about the prospect of joining the Gears of War 3 beta next month because, you know, of all the dude-sawing -- we're also hopeful that the tests will prevent a rough start-up for the full game's multiplayer experience. In an interview with IGN, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski acknowledged (the beta test-less) Gears of War 2's less-than-optimal online offerings at launch, saying the developer "can't afford to make that mistake twice." The outspoken developer explained, "if we release Gears 3 and it has the same launch as Gears 2 online then the franchise is dead." He later added, "to be fair, over the course of the six title updates, we got Gears 2 in a very good position. And we need to take it to great. And that's what this will help do." We've got another suggestion for making the game "great" -- two chainsaws. One on your gun, and another one on your chainsaw. Chainsawsaw.
Bleszinski: Marry gamers, don't date them (or: design long-term engagement for fans)
In a candid talk during the Game Developers Conference on Thursday, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinksi advised attendees to "have an educated gut," and to be cognizant of the value of marketing and long-term relationships with customers. He encapsulated his talk in the "power creative," a project member who is unique, valuable and visibly tied to the game's identity. "This could be anyone," Bleszinski said. With consumers constantly immersed in an information feed -- via social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook -- it's important for game designers to be "surgical" and "devious" in creating IPs that thrive in an always-on, heavily branded world. According to Bleszinski, the market only tolerates games that land on the far ends of the spectrum between freemium or "snack" games and big-budget productions like Gears of War. "I believe the middle class game is dead."
Gears of War 3 beta: Bulletstorm players in April 18, GameStop pre-orderers join April 25
Nobody should have to wait for the chance to carve up their best friends with gas-powered chainsaw rifles -- luckily, interested parties can ensure their entry into the Gears of War 3 beta on April 25. All you have to do to grab a golden ticket is pre-order the Locust-massacring shooter at GameStop, and you'll be eligible to participate in the three-week beta testing process. If you grabbed the Bulletstorm "Epic Edition," you'll be able to get your hands dirty one week earlier, starting April 18. Participants in the beta will be able to unlock not only the Gold-Plated Retro Lancer, but a whole bevy of bonuses (listed after the jump). All that's left to do now is plan what kind of murders you're going to make first. Us? We're gonna shoot a guy, and then stomp on him, then stand him up, and then do something unspeakable to him with a grenade.
Gears of War 3 beta launching mid-April, will feature 4 maps
Who wouldn't want to test that out? Microsoft today announced that the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta will start in mid-April -- presumably for early-access Bulletstorm owners. The public tryout will feature three, "new" versus modes and four maps (to be decided by a community vote this month). No end date for the beta was given. Voting for the beta maps opens today on the Gears of War Facebook page and ends Monday, February 28. %Gallery-117485%
Gears of War 3 gold Retro Lancer to be exclusive multiplayer beta unlock
Aside from the opportunity to test out Gears of War 3's multiplayer before its retail release, the forthcoming beta will feature at least one additional incentive for Gears heads to enter: an unlockable, gold-plated version of the Retro Lancer (modeled above by Cole Train). This new (old) rifle, with bayonet, made a cameo appearance in Gears 2 and will feature in the new game. Epic hasn't decided exactly how the gold Retro Lancer will be unlocked in the beta for use in the retail version of Gears 3, but, during a press event this week, producer Rod Fergusson offered a rough idea of what it might take. "If you play -- right now, we're still fiddling with the numbers -- but right now we're talking like 90 matches," Fergusson said. "If you play 90 matches and get, say, 100 kills with [the Retro Lancer] weapon, [the gold version is] yours. There's no other place to get it." Fergusson also promised there would be additional unlockables in the beta, though he didn't go into specifics. The Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta will launch in mid-April, when early access opens to owners of the limited-run, "Epic Edition" of Bulletstorm, available now.
Gears of War 3 multiplayer preview: Dedicated to the fans
When Gears of War 2 launched, its mutliplayer community quickly singled out two distinct issues: the nerfed shotgun and a mess of glitches, including a host exploit that was allowing unscrupulous players to gain an unfair advantage. Epic would eventually address these issues through title updates, but one serious problem remained: all of those damn cheaters. These ne'er-do-wells plagued the community until the bottom fell out, leaving only a dedicated core group of players. You won't find too many folks playing much Gears 2 these days. For Gears of Wars 3 multiplayer, Epic is adding dedicated servers, the community's most requested feature, which design director Cliff Bleszinski describes as "the best way" to combat cheating. %Gallery-117484%
