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Gears of War PC montage video leaked [update 1]
Looks like someone made a boo boo. Those silly cats over at GameVideos.com posted a video entitled "Gears of War PC 'E3 Action' montage" and quickly pulled it. But fret not fanboys, because Quellex saved the video and posted it on YouTube for everyone to enjoy. But before you take a look at this leaked Gears PC montage be warned that it may make your inner fanboy scream with anger and disgust. Why? Because the video showcases what looks to be not only new multiplayer maps and additional campaign missions, but it also showcases a boss battle with a Brumak. Yup, that same Brumak that didn't make it into the 360 version of Gears. Hopefully there's more to this story that'll come out of E3, something along the lines of all the new additional PC content being available for free to Xbox 360 owners. Otherwise we shun you Epic and your PC content ... we want to fight Brumaks too!Update 1: We've removed our link to the YouTube video at GameVideos.com's request, but now that the giant cat Brumak's out of the bag, it's gonna be awfully tough to get him back in.[Via NeoGAF]
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!
Fanswag: Gears of War Modeling Book Contest
We've been bitten by the contest bug and feel the need to offer up three copies of Ballistic Publishing's d'artiste: Character Modeling 2 hardcover books, which feature Gears of War modeler to the stars Kevin Lanning. We've mentioned this amazing modeling book before, because it features Lanning's Gears artwork, wire-frames, renders and actually shows how the pros go about making these high-poly wonders. It's quite the nifty modeling book indeed. So, now that you know what we're giving away, let's get to the details.In the spirit of the creative genius that went into these character models, we're going to ask you to come up with your own character design. Specifically, we want you to create a new species of Locust from Gears of War. You can use any medium you like, be it Photoshop, clay, or a toothpick sculpture. As long as you can submit an image of it (JPEG, 415 pixels wide or more, less than 1MB), it's fine by us.Once you've read the rules, click here to access the official release form. Once you agree to the terms, you can submit your entry to the email address provided. The contest runs until 2:00PM EDT, July 2, 2007, so there's plenty of time to make something that really stands out. The top three submissions will receive a copy of d'artiste: Character Modeling 2. Get to creating and good luck!Click here for the official Gears of War Modeling Book Contest rules
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]
UT3 shall be the prettiest of them all
In the latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine Epic discusses everything Unreal Tournament 3 and says that the game will look graphically better than Gears of War. Epic says that the Unreal Engine 3 has been tweaked and improved for use on the 360 since Gears launched and they're taking full advantage of its capabilities. Lead designer Steven Polge's even goes as far as to say that UT3, "it's Gears on crack. Cover is for wimps!". OXM also confirmed the game's vehicle count, talks about the control scheme, and confirmed that UT3 will include four player campaign co-op over Xbox Live. But we're just excited to see how much prettier UT3 can actually get, because Gears already set the bar quite high.[Thanks, DjDatz]
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]
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.
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]
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]
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 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]
