Gears of War 2: GotY Edition revealed by GameStop spam

Written on August 26, 2009 at 3:05 pm, by James Fudge

A Gears of War 2: Game of the Year Edition is on the way, according to a GameStop email I recived this morning and evidence on a GameStop product page and one on Amazon.com.

According to a report on Joystiq, Gears of War 2: Game of the Year Edition will include the full game, the $20 All Fronts retail compilation package (maps such as Flashback, Combustible, Dark Corners and Snowblind) and campaign chapter “Road to Ruins” – which was omitted from the game original release.

GameStop puts the GOTY edition at right around $40 USD and Amazon has a list price if $37 USD. Both retailers say it will be released on September 1.

Gears of War 2 Dark Corners DLC released

Written on July 28, 2009 at 6:34 pm, by James Fudge

The new Gears of War 2 DLC, Dark Corners, is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace for a mere 1200 ($15) MS Points.

This downloadable content pack features seven new Gears of War 2 multiplayer maps and a bonus deleted single-player chapter called “Road to Ruin,” from the Gears of War 2 campaign. In “Road to Ruin,” Marcus and Dom finds themselves navigating the deadly Locust highway, having to choose which way to handle situations: stealthy infiltration or a full frontal assault.

Those more interested in multiplayer will get seven new maps to play: War Machine, Allfathers Garden, Highway, Memorial, Nowhere, Way Station, and Sanctuary.

You can learn more about Dark Corners by visiting xbox.com.

Halo 3, GOW2 Add-Ons Soon

Written on March 23, 2009 at 11:04 am, by James Fudge

Microsoft announced this morning that two add-ons will make multiplayer a real spring fling for Xbox 360 owners. On March 31, the Snowblind map pack for Gears of War 2 will be released, giving players four new, winter-themed environments: Grindyard, Under Hill, Courtyard, and a frozen version of the Gears of War favorite, Fuel depot. On April 9, Halo 3 players will get the Mythic Map Pack featuring three new maps: Assembly, Orbital and Sandbox.

Both Game Add-ons will be available only on Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points.

In addition to the items mentioned above, Xbox 360 will have new add-ons for many of the year’s top titles. From Fallout 3 episode The Pitt (March 24) to the Left 4 Dead Survival Pack (April 21), gamers will have plenty to do this spring..

Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead Top ELAN Noms

Written on March 13, 2009 at 3:15 am, by James Fudge

Valve Software’s Left 4 Dead, Bethesda’s Fallout 3 Gears of War 2 and Fable II have been nominated in the lion’s share of categories for this year’s ELAN Awards. These four titles have been nominated in nine different categories including Videogame of the Year, Best Console Game and Outstanding Technical Innovation – to name a few.

The awards will take place in April and be hosted by Tom Kenny, comedian and voice of the SpongeBob SquarePants.

The full list of categories and nominations after the break:

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January Video Game Sales Up 13 Percent

Written on February 13, 2009 at 5:25 am, by James Fudge

Sales of video game hardware and software grew 13 percent in January, according to fresh January numbers from NPD Group. Overall software and hardware sales were $1.33 billion in North America, up from $1.18 billion from the same period a year ago. Game hardware, led by sales of the Wii, were up 17 percent to $445.4 million, while software saw a year over year increase of 10 percent, raking in $676.6 million in January.

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Gears of War: The Ten Year Plan..

Written on February 10, 2009 at 1:52 pm, by James Fudge

Like the PlayStation 2 and the old guy who stole Adam Sandler’s girl in Big Daddy, Epic has a ten year plan for the Gears of War franchise. Speaking at the New York Comic-Con over the weekend, Gears of War 2 writer Joshua Ortega said that fans of the popular series would not be disappointed “in the next ten years.”

That sounds like some sort of challenge: “I dare you to not be disappointed!” Gives us three games and we start belly aching about the lack of innovation. Give us six and sometimes we hate you. We’re a fickle bunch.

Ortega went on to say that Microsoft and Epic have plenty more in store for gamers and that they are in it for the long haul. Besides the possibility of new DLC at some point for Gears of War 2, Ortega did not elaborate on what these plans might entail and Gears of War 3 was not even hinted at.
Ortega also said that the Lancer was the new lightsaber, intimating that both companies see this game universe as one that will be as epic and as far reaching in scope as the George Lucas films, games and merchandise.

Of course Gears of War is no Star Wars, and the comparison is pretty silly right now, but a lot can happen in ten years. I mean the economic crisis only took eight..

Gears of War 2 Patch Released, Detailed

Written on January 21, 2009 at 2:47 pm, by David Chapman

Since its release, Gears of War 2 has been a huge hit for both Epic and Microsoft. The road to success, though, hasn’t been without its potholes, as a number of various glitches have plagued the gameplay. Well, today the ride got a lot smoother, as the latest Gears of War 2 is now officially live, fixing a massive number of the problems with the game.

In a post on the Epic forums, executive producer Rod Fergusson listed the full details of the new patch.

According to the new title update includes the following fixes and improvements:

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