Gears of War
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Gears of War to ship with 10 multiplayer maps
Up from a proposed eight, ten multiplayer maps will ship with Gears of War, confirmed CliffyB. Coupled with two-player co-op over Xbox Live, does this number hit your sweet spot?In other Gears news, time is winding down on the 48-hour window Epic is using to grant visitors access to this promo site (pictured). What will happen when time expires? Our money's on another timed dose of viral marketing -- not an Xbox Live demo. But you can still dream ...
Gears of War's ranked matches smell rank
Despite being considered a tactical, team-centric game, Gears of War will not allow you choose who you play with in ranked matches. Epic Games programmer Joe Graf confirmed as much on the official forums recently, citing Microsoft certification as the reason. Graf, through a long series of discussion, explains that Microsoft would not allow the game to be shipped unless ranked match-ups were randomized (based on skill level, of course), though non-ranked games will still allow you to play with friends, privatize games, and send/accept invites.From Graf's tone, we get the feeling Epic would prefer a more clan-friendly online system, and we're inclined to agree. Microsoft's theory, according to Graf, is that randomized ranked matches "prevent collaborative cheating (I kill you ten times, now you me, etc.)." However, this move will breed loner behavior -- why should I help a fellow teammate out when I now have less competition against my kill count? A potential solution would be to reward players who heal their down-but-not-out brethren, thus promoting brotherly love. But might one also abuse this reward if friendly fire is enabled?Halo 2 is cited by several forum members as having a matchmaking system that promotes teamwork, allowing you to play with a party of people. Halo 2 is an original Xbox title, however, and is therefore not bounded by MS's new policy. Will Halo 3 follow the same suit as Gears of War?[Thanks, Sanchinos]
Circuit City getting GoW early?
Pipe dream of the day: Is this blurry pic evidence that Circuit City is getting Gears of War before the official November 7 release date, or just evidence that they can't be bothered to correct their pre-order cards?][Thanks AZ]
Gears of War and chainsaws: a match made in heaven [update 1]
Joystiq attended New Line Cinema and Microsoft's special "A Match Made in Hell" event last night, which could also have been called "Torture and Joy." Torture: sitting through Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Joy: Gears of War hands-on. If you have the means to turn a full-size movie theater into your personal gaming arena, then do it. You'll never look at gaming the same way again. Only chainsaws link GoW and TCM:TB together. The Lancer gun in GoW has a chainsaw attachment on the end of it that can be used for gore-ific melee attacks. Chainsaw someone in front of you and see their head rip off, their guts burst out, blood spray everywhere. Your opponent getting ripped in half from head to crotch has to be the most dramatic, and you can actually see everything inside. It made the audience scream with delight every time someone playing the game on the big screen would meet their death, or dish it out, this way.Plus, this blogger has to admit that he was so very wrong about Gears of War. After playing this game in person, I'm a convert. There is something about getting your head chainsawed off on a megaplex screen in front of more than 200 screaming people that can make you reevaluate the gameplay.
Gears of War still buggy, complain 'Chainsaw' event attendees
Microsoft and New Line Cinema teamed up last night to show off their upcoming projects, which both feature chainsaws forced upon the human (or humanoid) figure. A "Match Made in Hell" provided the first opportunity for the public to get hands-on time with Gears of War multiplayer, but attendees had to sit through a screening of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning first.Two reports of the event (2old2play & Siliconera) have cited control issues, which affect the flow of gameplay. When asked if he thought Gears of War would be a hit, one attendee answered, "No not in this state. Not in its present form." With 'Emergence Day' just over a month away, should Microsoft be concerned? Our guess is that the event generated more than enough good PR to negate any complaints. The hype wave is gathering momentum. You gonna get swept up?
CliffyB's got your jump button right here
F*** jump.That's what he said and, in a recent interview with CVG, CliffyB elaborates on his original theory that Gears of War is more Bionic Commando than Mario. You are jumping ... just with a grappling hook ... and on a different plane. He explains, "In GoW you're essentially jumping but you're jumping on the X and Y axis. So you're leaping into the environment. If you were to look at a GoW battlefield from an overhead view, it would almost look like a Sonic or Mario level because that's how all the cover plays out."That's a pretty novel way of looking at the game's construction. Though Cliffy does his best to appear otherwise, he often reveals a thoughtful side. Our favorite part of the interview: when he eschews the sentiment that a Hollywood adaptation means your game has made it. "I love movies but I believe I'm working in the most exciting sector of the entertainment industry." Oh snap! Take that movies! But he still offered up his candidate for the role of Marcus: Clive Owen. Really? He seems like he would need to put on about 150 ell-bees of muscle. And what's all this about Scarlett Johansson?
Win a date with CliffyB and play some Gears *squeeeeeal*
We missed telling you guys about the "Match Made in Hell" Gears of War promotion, but we'll make it up to you by cluing you into another opportunity to get your mitts on the 360's upcoming chainsaw-sim. According to a now missing Xbox.com page (helpfully clipped after the break), you'll be able to win a chance to play Gears a full week before the unwashed masses. And that's not all, you'll get to play it with CliffyB himself at Epic Studios in beautiful Raleigh, North Carolina.Rules are simple: you must be a resident of the US or Canada (sorry Hungary!); you must be 18 or older; you have to enter before October 15th; and you need to fill out this form. Hop to it! If any Fanboys win, make sure to wear something nice ... and bring flowers![Via TriXie]
Gears of War previewed
Eurogamer has big hopes for Epic's Gears of War, posting a glowing preview of Microsoft's darling. You'd be hard pressed to comb out new details from the write-up, but Eurogamer does confirm what others have reported: intuitive gameplay and purdy visuals. The only issues that could hold this one back are the beefy-guy art style and predictable dialogue. Looks like Gears has already been stamped with Eurogamer's seal of approval.See also: X06: Gears of War impressions Xbox 360 impressions: Gears of War multiplayer
Full version of Gears of War leaked? [update 1]
Gears of War has been pirated and uploaded to an Xbox 360 binaries group on Usenet. The file clocks in at around 7.2 gigs in 157 parts, and will require someone with patience, bandwidth and no sense of morals to download. Is it real? Nobody knows. While it is hard to imagine this being legit, it definitely represents a problem to the developers. We're surprised the feed didn't get the smackdown immediately, but trying to rollout a significant next-gen title might occupy most of your free time.If people could just be patient, this game will be in your hot little hands very soon. So stop wasting your time downloading useless binaries, and just stare at a calendar. Or you could go to a preview of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, and get hands on with Gears afterwards.[Thank, Bran][Update, took out the link ... we're definitely not encouraging piracy here, folks.]
Watch Chainsaw, play Gears of War
Microsoft is launching their Match Made in Hell promotion for Gears of War this week, and what better way to show off the game's chainsaw bayonet than at an advance screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning? On Wednesday (Oct. 4), AMC theaters in New York, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco will be treating select attendees to a bloody big screen demo of Gears. There are only a limited number of tickets available at the official site, but Microsoft is planning additional events before the game arrives Nov. 7.
X06: Gears of War gameplay video
Remember when Halo came out, and everyone around the planet collectively dropped their jaws in awe and drooled at the incredible gameplay, and it helped sell bazillions of original Xbox consoles?Then everything was touted as being, 'the next Halo.' Besides Halo 2, nothing was called this more often than Brute Force when it was in development. However, Brute Force pretty much suckedwhen it was released, and we're hoping this doesn't happen with Gears of War as well. We like Gears of War, and don't want it to get sucked into the black hole of the video game store known as the bargain bin.While our experience with Gears so far has been impressive, this gameplay video is a tad underwhelming. What stands out: puny grenade explosions, repetitive shooting, and AI that won't flank you. Although the chainsaw attached to the gun at the end is a nice touch.Check out the video after the jump and let us know what you think.
X06 brief, see it again for the first time [update 1]
If you were unable to catch the live webcast of Microsoft's X06 briefing, it's now available on Xbox.com (links directly to video). We've given you some snippets of it already, but now you can get the whole enchilada (mmm ... enchiladas). The briefing was filled with lots of glitz, glamour, and video, things that were lacking in a certain other keynote at TGS earlier this month. Viva Piñata, Gears of War, Blue Dragon, you name it. If it's a big game, it's there. Check it out, if you're so inclined.Update: It looks like the link wouldn't play nice with our interface. Should be fixed now. Click here.
Gears of War ain't easy, defends Epic
In response to concerns that Gears of War, with frequent checkpoints and regenerating health, is too easy, Epic's Mark Rein has chimed in over on Epic's forums. Rein has clarified that the Gears demo is set to "casual" (easy mode) and implies that first-time players will encounter plenty of challenge on harder difficulties.Games like Halo 2 and Call of Duty 2 have proved that regenerating health does not impede on our sense of accomplishment when we pwn Legendary or Veteran mode. Here's to hoping Gears follows in their footsteps -- and not down Prey's path.[Thanks, michael]
X06: Gears of War gameplay is bloody good
We snagged this X06 video of Gears of War gameplay for your enjoyment. Filled with lots of gunfire, blood, and apparently ineffective grenades, it's sure to delight both young and old. Emergence Day is getting closer and closer, folks. See the video after the break. (Fanboy Trivia:CliffyB is behind the controls of this demo.)
Gears of War gets Penny Arcadified
Gabe over at Penny Arcade whipped up this very nice sketch of Marcus from Gears of War yesterday. I guess we missed it somehow. Was something going on yesterday? Perhaps some of you might like to make it your new wallpaper (though I have opted for Halo Wars). I'd use it as my wallpaper, but white backgrounds hurt my sensitive little eyes. See a larger version after the break.
X06: Gears of War impressions
At the X06 post-conference party, Microsoft showed off the first public (meaning not behind-closed-doors) demo of Gears of War. The over-the-shoulder camera work immediately stands out. By simply shaking the perspective as you move (and shaking it more severely as you run for cover), the game takes on an added cinematic feel unmatched by most other shooters. The shaky-cam doesn't get in the way of gameplay nearly as much as I expected, either, thanks to a well-designed tracking system that follows you around corners perfectly.Using the A button as an all-purpose run, duck and dive button based on the context makes is a welcome change from the usual mishmash of FPS button functions, though the game did occasionally have some trouble detecting when I wanted to duck behind some pylons. This is pretty key, because the entirety of the single player demo consisted mainly of ducking behind things and popping out to shoot wave after wave of enemies as they pop out of emergence holes. The fact that this pop-and-shoot gameplay doesn't get immediately repetitive is a testament to the enemy AI, which utilizes cover and team strategies surprisingly well, and a testament to the visceral thrill generated by the game's graphics, which are detailed enough to show off every scar on the soldiers' necks.My only major gripe with the game as it stands now is the ability to come back from the brink of death just by kneeling behind some cover for a short period of time. Between this feature and the frequent checkpoints, the game may not prove much of a challenge for FPS veterans. But the joy of playing Gears of War doesn't really come from the challenge of playing any more than the joy of an action movie comes from the challenge of watching. When everything flows this smoothly, and the details are all handled just right, who cares if you don't have to restart a level 50 times just to finish it?
X06: Press conference liveblogging [update 28]
We're here live at Microsoft's premiere European promotional event, scheduled to start at 7 PM Barcelona time (1 PM Eastern, 10 AM Pacific). Continue reading and keep refreshing for all the announcements and updates straight from Microsoft.
TGS: Cranking the Gears of War
Though it wasn't playable on the Tokyo Game Show floor -- not even in the booth with other mature-rated games like Riot Act (Crackdown) and Dead Rising -- Microsoft was giving press a tease of Gears of War, their fall lineup's killer app. Alan Willard, a technical designer at Epic Games and a giant scruff of a man with a penchant for terse answers, walked us through a demo level gleefully pointing out areas of interest. For example, the gratuitous splattering of blood and gore that spits onto the screen after the equally gratuitous chainsaw-bayoneting was his handiwork. "I did that," he said proudly. And, if you're curious, it's a particle effect.
Epic joins Shanghai development community
The number of foreign game developers descending upon China has become legion, and Epic Games is the latest to establish a foothold in the growing market. At the Tokyo Game Show, Epic VP Jay Wilbur outlined his company's plans to create an outsourcing division in Shanghai, which will be responsible for creating assets to be used both internally and by third party developers. Not only will Epic be cutting production costs, but their new office (and popular Unreal 3 engine) will most likely attract the attention of local outfits Shanda, The9, and the forthcoming Made in China Online Game Project.See also: Epic's Rein talks Gears, UT2007 American McGee gets episodic in Shanghai
Gears of War should look great on your crap TV
Gamers will be pleased to learn that all missions in the upcoming Gears of War should be easily accomplished without the need for excessive squinting or unanswered pining for a better television set. According to an entry on the official Epic Games forums, the upcoming, Unreal-powered and unbelievably macho tale of man versus monster has been tested on "small, non-HD TVs, to make sure you can read the writing." Presumably, the legible on-screen text in Gears of War will not be conveyed by a lonely security guard who calls at the worst possible times. Though this news will allay the fears of those still confined to the realms of standard definition, developers shouldn't expect a pat on the head whenever they cater to a huge part of their audience. This just in: Gears of War will totally work on your Xbox 360. Thanks for going the extra mile, Epic![Via 1UP]See also: Dead Rising: patch chance lost! Mea culpa for 360's Kong In defense of Sony's HDMI.O.U.
