Alright kiddies time for some sleuthing courtesy of the Gears of WarOfficial Forums. The Gears site has a new splash page up (above) and in Marcus' hand are some Dog (Cog?) Tags. Immediately upon discovery, there was the speculation that this meant death and loss would play some larger part in the game's story. But then someone decided to take a closer look at the number sequence visible on the tag: 033-116-117-126-071.
Seemingly random right? Nope. Match those numbers with one of these ASCII tables, and you'll get yourself the following letter string: "ESC N O V 9". We'd love to beleive that this was simply thrown in there to mess with the community, but it seems to be too much of a coincidence to be something wholly meaningless. Is this an early "word" on the release date? We sure hope so.
The Gears of War 2 footage is flowing again, only this time, it's all Epic approved (and direct feed). We've got a Gears of War 2 gameplay mashup, an interview with lead designer Cliff Bleszinski, and also a high quality version of the video included on the Unreal Tournament III disc. In Cliff's interview, he notes that he wants Gears 2 to be very memorable, stating, "We really want players to feel like they're playing a Hollywood blockbuster experience start to finish." In addition, he says that the environments in the game will be more varied than the first, ranging from underground tunnels (old!) to snow covered mountains (new!). Also mentioned in the interview, over 400 "tweaks" have been made to improve the cover system. Finally, the chainsaw can be used to cut through obstructions and reach new areas.
But enough reading. Start watching! Find the other two videos after the break.
While there are technically two games coming out this week, there's really only one. You see, one of them is the Gears of War re-release (which we thought came out last week). That's all well and good for the folks who have yet to pick up Epic's super gory and very playable shooter. Just remember to watch out for that host shotty. Strangely enough, the new game releasing this week isn't all that new either. It's Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which is, you guessed it, Guitar Hero with a lot of Aerosmith tracks. Whether or not you regard that as a good thing is entirely up to you. One point in defense of Aerosmith: they did give us Alicia Silverstone.
Yes, there is moreGears of War 2 beta footage to feast your eyes upon (again pulled from ThisIsGame.com and uploaded to YouTube by AnalogHype). It's amazing, almost as amazing as the fact that the other two Gears of War 2 beta videos are still online. There are a few tasty bits in this one. We get to see the Locust version of the UFC-style punching execution for one. Perhaps most interesting is the instance of an interrupted chainsaw duel. As a Locust and COG duel it out (at around 2:45 in the video), a second Locust interrupts with his own chainsaw, thus disrupting the duel, scoring a kill and ensuring that his buddy lives to tell the tale. A beta tester then shouts "duelus interruptus." We think that's going to catch on.
Update: You're too late, this giveaway is now closed. To enter the latest giveaway and to see who won this prize, simply make you way here.
Today is day two of our Gears of War action figure Fanswag giveaway and we're continuing our gracious giving. But first we have to congratulate BigDaddyBooth for winning yesterday's prize. And we 100% agree with him, Marcus Fenix is da man.
Now, onward to today's giveaway where we'll be awarding one lucky fanboy a set of two NECA created Gears of War action figures including "da man" Marcus Fenix and Augustus Cole. All you have to do is follow the rules below and enter by tonight at 9:00PM eastern. It's really that easy. Easier then cleaning your room and much easier then making a bowl of ramen noodles. Here's how you enter:
Marcus Fenix has been sporting his iconic soul patch facial hair for a few years now and we're curious to know what other kinds of facial hair Fenix would look good with. To enter today's giveaway, comment on this post telling us what new style of facial hair you think Fenix should sport.
Only one comment per person will be accepted. Posters of multiple comments will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 9:00PM Eastern time today, June 26th, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).
Later today, we'll pick one winner via a random drawing
One winner will receive a set of two Gears of War series one figures worth $30.
Update: This giveaway is closed, but to see who won and to enter a new giveaway, simply make your way over here.
To celebrate this week's re-release of Gears of War (now with more content and a cheaper pricetag) we're giving away a truckload of officially licensed Gears of War action figures thanks to the generosity of the guys and gals over at NECA. So, that means each lucky fanboy chosen on Wed., Thur. and Fri. will receive an assortment of GoW series one action figures including Marcus Fenix, Augustus Cole, Locust Drone and Locust Sniper. That also means entry into this Fanswag Weekly will end each night at 9:00PM eastern. Just so you know.
Now, to kick off the Fanswag fun, today we're giving away a complete set of all four GoW figures valued at a cool $60 in total. To enter the giveaway, simple ...
We want to know who your favorite Gears of War character is. Is your fav the ever cool Fenix, loud and brash Cole or are you more of a Carmine kinda guy? To enter, simply comment on this post telling us who your favorite Gears character is.
Only one comment per person will be accepted. Posters of multiple comments will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 9:00PM Eastern time today, June 25th, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).
Later today, we'll pick one winner via a random drawing
One winner will receive a set of four Gears of War series one figures worth $60.
No, it's not a news related OMG Megaton. It's more like a "holy effing crap, look at all these games" kind of megaton. There are ten, ten games hitting the Xbox 360 this week. What's more, a lot of them look decent and, dare we say it, some of them even look good. Just look at all of 'em.
It's enough to give someone googly eyes. Alone in the Dark has our interest piqued (and has thus far fared decently in Europe). Here's hoping it -- and everything else here -- is up to snuff.
In its historic 1000th issue, Entertainment Weekly made a point to name the new classics of the last 25 years. While EW took everything from movies to tech to task, writers Geoff Keighley, Wook Kim and Gary Eng Walk clawed through the last 25 years of gaming to list the industry's most important releases. Two Xbox-exclusive titles landed in the top 25 of the 50 title list, at number 11 the classic 2001 Xbox launch title Halo: Combat Evolved from Bungie and ranking in at number 20 was Epic's Gears of War.
What are the most important titles in your gaming life and how do you think this list stacks up as a collection of gaming's new classics in the last 25 years? The full 50 title listing can be found after the jump.
The first promo vid takes on Gears of War's unforgettable "Mad World" trailer, where the B Company crew comes up with their own, more happy rendition that incorporates a musical injection of shortening bread. High-larious! The Rainbow Six parody, embedded after the break, is also enjoyable as it mocks the over exaggerated, charades-style communication style RS soldiers are known for. You must admit, that even if you aren't interested in the game, it's refreshing to see EA and DICE take this kind of entertaining marketing approach. They get the X3F seal of approval.
Posted Jun 19th 2008 9:30AM by Dustin Burg Filed under: News
Adding to the already solid Gears of War action figure lineup, this week toy manufacturer NECA released official product shots of the seconds series of Gears of War figures that are set to hit retailers sometime this Fall. And no, you aren't experiencing a Gears induced case of deja vu. We've previously been treated to a few toy expo photos of the second series figures, but these are prettier and 100% official product shots. 'Nuff said. Browse through our Gears of War action figure gallery below to view all four new series two figures including Dominic Santiago, Damon Baird, Locust Theron Guard without helmet and Locust Theron Guard with helmet both sporting our favorite weapon of death, the torque bow. Sadly, there is no mention of the gruesome Locust headshot figure. It must be a limited edition.
(Psst, if you're in love with these figures, wait until you see what Fanswag surprise we have for you next week. It's truly epic.)
Posted Jun 17th 2008 10:15AM by Dustin Burg Filed under: News
Progress is being made on the Gears of War movie (which is something we can't say about our long desired Halo movie) as evident by the fact that the New Line Cinema business execs in charge of bringing Marcus Fenix to the big screen have settled on a director for the film.
Variety is reporting that Live Free or Die Hard and Underworld Evolution director Len Wiseman will be taking the Gears of War movie reins. Which isn't really a huge surprise seeing that Gears of War had a cameo in Wiseman's latest flick Live Free or Die Hard which all but confirmed his involvement in the Gears movie ... or at least that's how our impressionably hopeful fanboy minds took it. A Gears movie that was originally slated or a Summer 2009 release, but development on the film has been taking longer than expected which means a delay into 2010 is inevitable. Also, is it just us or does it look like Wiseman is giving the old Bleszinski a run for his "pretty boy" money? Eh?
Update: The event has now ended. Thanks to everyone who participated and stay tuned for another X3F LIVE event in the near future!
Drop your keyboard. Throw your monitor out the window. Pop in your dusty old copy of Gears of War. X3F LIVE is online now. Join us online in Uno from 9:30PM EST until 10:30PM for some hot card-on-card action and then stick around for a chainsaw fest in Gears of War from 10:30PM EST until 11:30PM.
Most of the gang is here and we're eager to play with the community. Add X3FLIVE to your friends list and track down Richard (SenseiRam), Dusin (SuperDunners), Alexander (Sli Xander) and Xav (Snypz)-- join the social gaming night as the night progresses and have a blast!
The votes are in and a recount isn't necessary. Gears of War swept up the competition claiming the top spot for tonight's gaming session; with Uno leading the charge for Xbox Live Arcade. Originally we were going to have a dedicated Gears of War marathon tonight but the rest of the team has fond memories of Uno and decided to throw it in hour numero one (you thought I was going to day Uno didn't you?).
Tonight look out for the following gamertags and join the gaming sessions in progress, the games will be open and we hope you can jump in to play around!
Add X3FLIVE to your friend list and use the Friends of Friends feature to spot the rest of the crew online! If you'd like to join us online spot the rest of the crew (Gamertags below) and join our gaming sessions!
Uno -- 9:30-10:30 PM EST SenseiRam (Richard)* Sli Xander (Alexander)* Snypz (Xav) SuperDunners(Dustin) (each gamertag will host their own game) *Richard and Alexander are going to try to make it for the Uno portion of the event
Gears of War -- 10:30-11:30 PM EST Snypz-- In one hosted room Scheduled to play: Richard, Dustin, Xav
Check back here at X3F at 9 PM EST for a reminder of the event and any last minute detail changes! We look forward to chainsawing you later tonight!
Action figure creator NECA just announced that the first series of their Gears of War action figures are now available at retailers and also announced a new boxed set featuring exclusives.
The Gears of War Action Figure Box Set features all four series one figures including Marcus Fenix, Augustus Cole, Locust Drone and Locust Sniper, their standard weapons as well as an exclusive Hammer of Dawn accessory and an alternate helmeted Locust head. A helmeted Locust head that comes complete with removable respirator and goggles! NECA didn't supply pricing or availability details, but we're sure your GoW fanboyism will kick in and you'll be able to track down this big box of action figure fun.
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In its historic 1000th issue, Entertainment Weekly made a point to name the new classics of the last 25 years. While EW took everything from movies to tech to task, writers Geoff Keighley, Wook Kim and Gary Eng Walk clawed through the last 25 years of gaming to list the industry's most important releases. Two Xbox-exclusive titles landed in the top 25 of the 50 title list, at number 11 the classic 2001 Xbox launch title Halo: Combat Evolved from Bungie and ranking in at number 20 was Epic's Gears of War.
Adding to the already solid Gears of War action figure lineup, this week toy manufacturer NECA released official product shots of the seconds series of Gears of War figures that are set to hit retailers sometime this Fall. And no, you aren't experiencing a Gears induced case of deja vu. We've previously been treated to a few toy expo photos of the second series figures, but these are prettier and 100% official product shots. 'Nuff said. Browse through our Gears of War action figure gallery below to view all four new series two figures including Dominic Santiago, Damon Baird, Locust Theron Guard without helmet and Locust Theron Guard with helmet both sporting our favorite weapon of death, the torque bow. Sadly, there is no mention of the gruesome Locust headshot figure. It must be a limited edition.
Progress is being made on the Gears of War movie (which is something we can't say about our long desired Halo movie) as evident by the fact that the New Line Cinema business execs in charge of bringing Marcus Fenix to the big screen have settled on a director for the film.
Update: The event has now ended. Thanks to everyone who participated and stay tuned for another X3F LIVE event in the near future!
