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Live Top Ten: It's the demos stupid
This week's Live Top Ten features the same big hitters that have been around for the past few months, but it is also sprinkled with a few demos that hit the Marketplace this past week. Both the Forza 2 and Area 51: Blacksite demos made it on the list at number two and four beating out games like Rainbow Six Vegas and Guitar Hero II. Also spurred into action was Crackdown which jumped to the number three spot probably due to its new content and the Halo 3 beta fanfare. Speaking of the Halo 3 beta, it didn't show up on the Live Top Ten list due to it being released later in the week, but you can nearly guarantee it'll be making an appearance next week. The complete top ten list is posted after the break for your viewing pleasure.
Saturday PSP background explosion
Every week, PSP Fanboy brings you new backgrounds to rejuvinate the look of your PSP. Remember, you can save these images directly to your PSP by accessing the site wireless at m.pspfanboy.com. I still hadn't filled all the fan requests from 2 weeks ago, so I continue those this week. Did your background finally hit real street? Keep reading to find out! Backgrounds after the jump ...
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]
Let's pull a Gears of War all-nighter
If you can find the strength to pry yourself away from the Halo 3 beta, we encourage you to pull a gaming all-nighter with our favorite over the shoulder shooter Gears of War. As part of Xbox.com's calendar of events, this Saturday, May 19th is scheduled to be a Gears of War all night frag fest. So, jump online, kill a few locusts (or COG members), and enjoy your friend's company into the early AM hours. And if you're willing to share your all-nighter story, send the Xbox Live team a brief writeup and a few pictures of you and your friends chillin' for a chance to win a hard bound copy of The Art of Gears of War book. Oh, and if you're feeling generous, have a pizza delivered over to Fanboy Towers. Our appetite increases during early morning gaming sessions.
Gears of War Golf? Not so fast ...
If you think the Gears universe and golf go hand in hand, then you're thinking like a true game industry veteran. Because Mark Rein had the same idea when he talked with Edge Magazine and Games Radar has all the dirt. In the interview, Rein tells of a story when Epic's dev team created a Gears based golf game demo to prove to a Korean publisher that the Unreal Engine 3 could be used for other game genres. Gears Golf took roughly a day to make, features a pre-tee off sweep of the course, and uses the grenade tossing mechanic to aim up shots.But sorry fellow Gears (or golf) fans, because Gears of War Golf was created solely as an internal demo and will not see an actual release. Too bad, because we were excited to see Marcus chainsawing opponents on the green in a rage after going two over par. Now that'd be sweet.[Via Joystiq]
Gears of War gets golf mode
Perhaps tired of complaints that all of the Gears of War gametypes are too similar, Epic has struck back with a new one that's just about as different as different gets: Golf. The only problem? You'll probably never get to play it. Games Radar has the full story from Mark Rein in an upcoming issue of Edge magazine. Eager to prove to a Korean publisher that Unreal Engine 3 is about more than shooting people until they die from it, the team at Epic spent a day transforming Gears into golfing game that used the game's grenade mechanics to aim and swing and featured Marcus Fenix as the man behind the clubs. One of the levels from Gears even got it's landscape reworked to make it more of a course. It all sounds intriguing, too bad we'll never see it. "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper space marine, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!"
Major Nelson co-host burns Epic in 'free' debate
Those of you who regularly listen to the podcast for Xbox Live's Major Nelson may have noticed your clicking finger heating up as you moused over the "Download" link this week, probably because the Major's co-host "e" used the show to totally burn (In l33t parlance: own) Epic. It's either that, or you were having a stroke. Let's hope it was the totally sick burn.The burn-a-thon started last month with Epic's Tim Sweeney's complaint on 1UP Yours that they wanted to give their new Gears of War maps away, but Microsoft was forcing them to charge. On this week's cast, the Major's fellow Xbox Live staffer e retorted: "I do find this amusing though; a lot of people may not remember this but a year ago Epic was bragging about how they cost us one billion dollars." OMG! Burn!
Gears of War multiplayer problems: where is everyone?
[UPDATE: this appears to be system wide across Xbox Live with other games being affected as well. As several people have pointed out, it could be tied to the imminent Dashboard update. We've contacted Microsoft for some answers.]This is one of those things we experienced firsthand, and thought "Gee, we wonder if people are talking about this on the internet." We were right. Ah yes, the internet, where everyone (including us) turns to when there's a problem with anything. If you have a doctor who looks up your ailments on Wikipedia, you might want a second opinion.Anyhow, we downloaded the new Gears of War map pack yesterday, and jumped into multiplayer to get some game on. However, every time we searched for games, usually only one or two would show up. What the heck? Normally you'll have tons of games listed, so there must be something going on. We've emailed Epic for an answer, but until then we remain frag-inhibited. The one or two matches that do show up play fine, but we want some options to choose from.
X3F's video tour of GoW's Hidden Fronts map pack
Been waffling over whether or not to plunk down the 800 MS points ($10) they're asking for the Gears of War Hidden Fronts map pack? Our comrades at Xbox 360 Fanboy took the plunge and recorded this video tour to help you decide. Maybe the killer pesticides in "Garden" are enough to loosen up that wallet. No? Well, maybe the deadly Kryll in "Bullet Marsh" will be enough to change your mind!Still not convinced? Then we recommend you hold off until September 3rd, when they drop the price to Epic's preferred 0 MS points ($0).%Gallery-2901%
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]
Gears of War 'Hidden Fronts' map pack now available
Containing four new maps and a strong allusion to bulletproof codpieces, the "Hidden Fronts" map pack for testosterone explosion simulator, Gears of War, is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. In exchange for 800 MS points ($10), you'll receive approximately 230 megabytes of data that will automagically congeal on your hard drive and form beautiful, post-apocalyptic environments. Those less intent on wiping out the Locust horde can wait until September 3rd for the maps to become free of charge.%Gallery-2901%
"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.
New Gears of War maps hit this Thursday
Take heart, Gears of War fans and Gary Jules, you're finally going to be able to do something about "worn-out places" when a pack of four new multiplayer maps for the game drops this Thursday on Xbox Live. The "worn-out faces"? Still entirely your problem.For 800 points ($10) you'll get the "Hidden Fronts" pack, which includes "Bullet Marsh" (a Kryll-infested swamp), "Garden" (an overgrown conservatory), "Process" (an Imulsion processing plant) and "Subway" (piece it together). They're not free like Epic wanted right now, but that'll be rectified if you download after Sept. 3, when they'll become a free download, Halo 2 style. So, will you be waiting, or will you be wearing out the places with the rest of us?%Gallery-2901%
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 screenplay details leaked online
We take the hard lumps for you at Joystiq. For example, we slogged through a purported summary of the 22-page leaked script treatment of the Gears of War movie over at Latino Review, spoilers be damned. What we found seemed like a competent, if slightly heavy-handed, take on the game that seems to have been crafted by someone who's actually picked up a controller.We're not going to talk plot, but rest assured it seems like its on the right track, with all the characters, settings, etc. you'd expect to see. If we're concerned about anything, it's dialog. Admittedly, there's not much of it here, but the direct quotes are gems like "Could have done with that, like, before the wars ended" and "Congratulations, soldier." Maybe the guy just didn't copy and paste the good dialog, we don't know. Of course, if you crave something close to the spirit of the game, uninspired dialog is a more necessary component than a chainsaw bayonet (which is in there too, don't worry).In fact, now that we've mentioned it, this may be just a bit too close to Gears of War. If the internet were not so very reputable, we might mention that there's a slight possibility this treatment review may be the product of a devoted fan and not Mr. Stuart Beattie. Of course, there's no way of knowing at the moment. We'll simply have to pop some corn, grab a soda, and wait for the movie to be released never.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
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.
