Joystiq

Get your daily dose of murder with this Gears of War 2 Multiplayer preview

Griffin McElroy — 2008-06-29T15:00:00+00:00

While most of the "new" gameplay elements and maps discussed in the above preview for Gears of War 2 aren't really "new" to the video game news consuming populous, it's still nice to see some of the game's fresh features in action. The preview is fairly comprehensive -- there's looks at some of the soon-to-be-covered-in-gore locales, the new gametypes (we absolutely cannot wait for meatflag), chainsaw duels, new weapons and executions, and brand new, colorful ways of describing acts of grisly violence from the game's all-growed-up iconic lead designer, Cliff Bleszinski. We can't think of a better way to spend eight and a half minutes of a Sunday afternoon than to watch beefy combatants get halved.

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New Gears of War 2 screens and art emerge

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-06-25T14:46:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

To accent the release of 1Up's Gears of War 2 multiplayer video, Microsoft has released a bundle of new screens and images of concept art from the game. Peruse the GoW 2 galleries below at your leisure, but fanboys, please try not to spill any Emulsion on the keyboard.

Gallery: Gears of War 2 (6/25/08)

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1Up talks Gears of War 2 multiplayer with Bleszinski

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-06-25T13:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

In an "epic"-ally long video with a lot of talking and not enough gameplay footage, 1Up's Dan Hsu interviews Epic's Cliff Bleszinski (no more CliffyB, remember?) about Gears of War 2's multiplayer. Bleszinski discusses various aspects of GoW 2's online chainsodomy, from god-mode animations, to hostage taking, to the new version of the Gridlock map. Although not confirming the final count, he also says about 10 multiplayer maps will ship with the game. Check it all out in the video after the break.

[Via X3F]

Update: Just to clarify, this video was shot in April before Hsu announced his resignation from Ziff.

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Capcom licenses Unreal engine for Euro-developed title

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-06-25T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Business

Capcom has announced that Epic's Unreal Engine will be providing the stunning and inevitably shiny visuals for another of its upcoming titles, a new project being developed somewhere in Europe. Keiji Inafune, Mega Managing corporate officer for Capcom, described the technology as "a perfect fit" for the unnamed title, deeming it capable of "ensuring a high-quality game experience." We rather like those.

The developers will also benefit from having "thorough knowledge" of Unreal Engine 3, though if they encounter any problems, they should send an e-mail to the folks working on Capcom's Unreal-powered jetpack-em-up, Dark Void.

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We have 360 Unreal Tournament III screenshots

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-06-11T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Online

click to enlarge

Actually ... we only have seven.

But they are new shots from the upcoming Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament III! We thought you might like to take a look at 'em before the game's summer release. In case you've forgotten, the Xbox 360 version of Epic's frantic fragfest features five "exclusive" maps, split-screen capabilities and two new characters.

Gallery: Unreal Tournament III (Xbox 360, 06/11)

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Gears of War getting price drop, special edition emerges June 24

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-06-02T10:56:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure

With Emergence Day: Part Deux on the horizon, Gears of War on Xbox 360 and PC will experience a pricing curb stomp on June 4th, with the Xbox 360 version going down to $40 and the PC version dipping to $30.

If you haven't jumped into the Gears of War emulsion pool yet, it might be worth waiting a couple more weeks until June 24, when the special two-disc version of Gears is released for $40. The special edition contains the multiplayer map packs, along with several other extras (listed after the break). This new Xbox 360 version will not have the PC-exclusive Brumak battle, but we can wait until this holiday for GoW2, when the longing for a Brumak showdown on our Xbox will become but a distant memory.

Gears special edition:

Disc One

Gears of War (game disc)

Disc Two

Gears of War - Map Packs 1 & 2

Gears of War - Theme - 'Emergence Day'

Gears of War - Gamer Pics - 'Gears of War,' 'Emergence Day'

Gears of War 2 - Trailers - 'Duel,' 'Assault'

Gears of War 2 - Theme - 'Bare Your Teeth'

Gears of War 2 - Gamer Pics - 'Crimson Omen'

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We've got Faith No More in the new Street Fighter IV trailer

Griffin McElroy — 2008-06-01T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Arcade, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Fighting

The font of incredible trailers continues to pour from the bounteous spigot of CAPtivate '08 -- the above trailer for Street Fighter IV went live rather subtly last night, only to deliver a patented E. Honda "thousand hand bitch slap" to our unprepared senses this Sunday morning. It even includes one of our favorite songs to sing from Rock Band: Faith No More's "Epic". We don't know why seeing Blanka go all sparky to the disjointed vocals of Mike Patton gets us so hyped, but our excitement for the revivification of what many would argue is the greatest arcade fighting series ever has just increased tenfold.

However, it should be noted that depending on your feelings towards Gamestop and their pre-order policies, you may view the last seven seconds of this righteous trailer as being decidedly un-epic.

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Rumor: Voice of 'Cole Train' suggests November 16 release for Gears of War 2

Griffin McElroy — 2008-05-31T15:29:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

We're usually pretty skeptical about rumored release dates as developers and publishers often keep that card close to their chests -- however, we can't help but put our complete faith in a man with a name as awesome as Lester "Mighty Rasta" Speight. Yes, Mr. Rasta, who voiced Gears of War's "Cole Train", recently made an appearance at the TriForce panel at Wizard World to shoot the breeze about the company's line of GoW-related replicas. When asked about the sequel's release date, the TriForce crew remained tight lipped, though Rasta suggested asking him again on November 16.

DS and Wii Fanboy's David Hinkle was at the panel to witness the football player-turned-actor's Q+A session, and hopes to further press Mr. Rasta to discover the accuracy of his claims. Given that it falls in the game's suggested November release window, we wouldn't be surprised if Speight's date was legit.

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Gears of War 2 info explosion in new EGM

Ross Miller — 2008-05-28T15:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

The latest EGM magazine features one final cover story by outgoing editor Dan Hsu, but boy does he go out with style. The main act is a rather detailed preview of Gears of War 2 with quite a bit of new details about the game. You will now be able to take pictures during the game and upload them to a website for sharing and voting.

Also noticed during their playtime was an Epic dev "watching a video," which is perhaps a hint at saved films. Other hinted features include 4-player co-op and AI bots for multiplayer. Our friends at X3F have some more details, including new weapons and what to do if you find yourself knocked down or stumble upon a downed enemy. The latest EGM, with GoW2 on the cover, should be on newsstands already.

Gallery: Gears of War 2

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Gamestop taking preorders for Gears of War re-release, launches June 24

Griffin McElroy — 2008-05-25T18:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

We're pretty sure that everyone and their dog played the original Gears of War the first time around (aside from most Border Collies, who are, in fact, devout PS3 fanboys), but if you've yet to divide a competitor using a firearm/lumberjack tool, a Gamestop pre-order listing for a $40 Gears re-release might tickle your fancy. We've yet to hear from Microsoft about details for the title (or a confirmation of the game's existence, for that matter), but as the listing reads "Gears of War with Maps", we can only assume it will contain the Hidden Fronts DLC as well as the Raven Down and Old Bones levels, rather than the hit song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. With less than a month until the game's supposed release date of June 24, we're sure to hear more soon.

[Via X3F]

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Gears of War 2 details emerge from X360 magazine

Griffin McElroy — 2008-05-24T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

Though other shooters have surpassed it in terms of Xbox Live activity, we still hold a dear, dear place in our heart for the multiplayer portion of Gears of War -- a place intricately carved by an enemy chainsaw. Sure, the character advancement of Call of Duty 4 and Vegas 2 led to a more compelling overall experience, but they lacked a certain panache that only a well-timed curb stomp can supply.

Imagine our excitement when we caught wind of the intimidating flood of details for the sequel's multiplayer component in the upcoming issue of UK's X360 magazine. There's a full list of said details on our Microsoft-related sister site, but to inspire you to continue reading, here's a few tantalizing buzzwords you'll find behind that link: Meatflag, Poison gas grenade, Flamethrower, Ten person multiplayer, Chainsaw duels, and last but certainly not least, Verandas. If that didn't sell you, we don't know what will.

[Via X3F]

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Squad commands axed for Gears of War 2, other answers

Ross Miller — 2008-05-22T13:27:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

Gears of War 2 designer Cliff "Don't Call Me CliffyB" Bleszinski (note: yes, we have turned his name into a text macro to avoid misspellings) has confirmed with Microsoft's Gamerscore blog that the squad-based commands of the original game have been axed for the sequel.

Bleszinski also talked about the chainsaw vs. chainsaw system, which is not random like the original but based on whoever hits the B button the most. "I didn't want it to be quick time event because I think I'm kind of tired of those in most games," he said. In the video embedded above, he also talked about the use of the crowd system for epic battles and what he likes to label the "summer blockbuster type video game experience." Gears of War 2 is due this November.

Gears of War 2 was just one of the many games Microsoft showed off at this year's Xbox 360 Spring Showcase. Check out our coverage of the event, including new screenshots and hands-on impressions.

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Epic Games takes seat, acquires Chair Entertainment Group

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-05-20T17:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Business

Epic Games today announced its acquisition of Utah-based Undertow developer, Chair Entertainment Group. Under directors Donald and Geremy Mustard, and CEO Ryan Holmes, Chair Entertainment becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Epic, keeping both its name and "its focus on creating new original game properties which utilize Epic's Unreal Engine technology."

We've placed the full press release, which contains the usual "We're thrilled to buy this awesome company!" and "We're so glad this amazing company bought us!" quotes, after the break. Not specifically mentioned is how the acquisition will affect Chair's Ender's Game projects, if at all. After requesting comment, we were promised an update "as soon as one is available." Funny, we were just about to tell you readers the same thing.

EPIC GAMES ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF CHAIR ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

Cary, North Carolina - May 20, 2008 - Epic Games, Inc., creators of the award-winning Unreal and Gears of War video game franchises and the industry leading Unreal Engine, today announced its acquisition of Utah-based development studio, Chair Entertainment Group, LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, Chair Entertainment Group has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Epic Games and will continue to operate under the same name while maintaining its focus on creating new original game properties which utilize Epic's Unreal Engine technology.

"Chair's stylized approach to creating games is further enhanced by their ability to stretch our technology in new directions that not only help in creating amazing gaming experiences but also demonstrate the power and versatility of the Unreal Engine," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games, Inc. "We are thrilled to bring the Chair team into the Epic family, and look forward to working with them to create original new games that continue to innovate and inspire."

"Our team has long admired Epic for its ability to shape the game industry with its innovative technology and first-rate video game offerings," said Ryan Holmes, Co-Founder and CEO of Chair Entertainment Group. "We share Epic's passion for creating ground-breaking game play experiences and are excited for the opportunity to partner with a truly visionary company."

Founded in 2005, Chair Entertainment Group is jointly led by directors, Donald and Geremy Mustard, and CEO Ryan Holmes. Best known for its award-winning Xbox Live Arcade title, Undertow, Chair's previous success includes the launch of its Empire property which has produced an Orson Scott Card-written New York Times bestselling novel and a feature film currently in development with Warner Bros. In 2007, after several years of building games with Unreal technology, Chair entered into an agreement with Epic Games to make Unreal Engine 3 their exclusive technology for game development.

About Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in its Unreal series, recently shipping Unreal Tournament 3 for PC and PlayStation 3. Epic's breakthrough game, Gears of War, sold over 4.7 million copies and was awarded overall Game of the Year for 2006 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Game Developers Choice Awards, GameSpot, GamePro and many others. Epic is also responsible for the Unreal Engine, which is the underlying technology for a wide range of games including the Game Critics Awards' Best Console Game and Spike TV's 2007 RPG of the Year Mass Effect by BioWare and the 2007 BAFTA Best Game and Spike TV Game of the Year BioShock by 2K Games. Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the current holder, and three-time consecutive winner, of Game Developer magazine's Front Line award for Best Engine. Epic was also recognized as 2006 Studio of the Year by Spike TV, 2006 Developer of the Year by Official Xbox Magazine and 2007 Large Company of the Year by the North Carolina Technology Association. Additional information about Epic can be obtained through the Epic Games Web site at www.epicgames.com.

About Unreal Engine 3
The award-winning Unreal Engine is known for cutting-edge graphics and its best-of-breed toolset. Unreal Engine 3 maintains those features while adding massive world support, multi-processor support, next-generation console optimizations, and one of the most mature tool pipelines in the industry. Unreal Engine 3's advanced toolset is designed specifically to accelerate developers' productivity for ultra-complex, next-generation content. Additional information on Unreal Engine can be obtained through the Unreal Technology Web site at www.unrealtechnology.com.

About Chair Entertainment

Founded in 2005, Chair Entertainment Group is an independent video game production company committed to creating blockbuster entertainment franchises through development of its original intellectual properties. In 2006, Chair launched its first original property, Empire, as a best-selling novel written by Orson Scott Card. A feature film based on Empire is in development by Warner Bros. and Chair has future plans for video games and comic books based on the property. In November 2007, Chair launched Undertow, the award-winning underwater action shooter which was named Xbox Live Arcade Game of the Year by Official Xbox Magazine. Additional information and gamer forums can be found at: www.chairentertainment.com.

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CliffyB: Gears of War 2 co-op will be "bigger and better" etc.

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-05-14T14:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

Alright, that's it. Nobody is allowed to describe any aspect of their game as "bigger and better" anymore. Let's try and expand that promotional vocabulary, people. Let's go for, "Hey, my game is greater and grander!" Or perhaps, "My game's online mode is sicker and more substantial!"

That's roughly what Epic designer, CliffyB, had to say about Gears of War 2's cooperative mode when Shacknews asked about four-player action. "We're not announcing anything about co-op at this time, we'll probably get around to it around E3 time, but rest assured, it will be bigger and better," he teased.

On a related note, Bleszinski did tell us that the saw-tastic sequel's multiplayer mode would at least benefit from a party system this time around. "I think that if we were not to have a feature like that, it would probably be a pretty big f*ckup." As for missing out on four-player Locust culling? That would be a bigger and better f*ckup, surely.

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Joystiq interview: CliffyB talks Gears of War 2

Christopher Grant — 2008-05-14T11:35:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Interviews

After briefly discussing our unique spelling and French heritage ("Joy-stique," Cliffy exclaimed!) and commiserating about being confused with other companies (apparently, he gets asked if he works for Epyx, the now long-gone publisher of Summer Games) with Epic designer and Chief Gears Dude Cliff Bleszinski (that's CliffyB to you kids), we got down to the serious business of talking about Gears of War 2: The Gears-ening.

Gears 2. It's coming out. We know it's bigger, it's badder, it's more badass.

Getting tired of hearing that yet?

We've heard it a couple times. Our question is, what was the number one thing in Gears 1 you wanted to change? What did you make that you knew you could do better?

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Gears of War 2 'Assault' screens, plus weapon-specific executions announced

James Ransom-Wiley — 2008-05-13T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Galleries

click to enlarge

Microsoft and Epic dropped a quartet of Gears of War 2 screenshots today, the first, and taken from the roller coaster-like sequence featured in recent campaign videos ("Act One, Chapter Three: 'Assault,'" to be exact). We also dug through the accompanying fact sheet (actually, credit X3F for the dirty work) and uncovered this single, tasty morsel: "new weapon-specific executions." No specific details yet -- but the nasty fantasies dancing in your head right now are probably close enough.

Gallery: Gears of War 2 (5/13/08)

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First Gears of War 2 gameplay video on Xbox Live tonight

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-05-09T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

Update: The video is up.

Man, running through a post-apocalyptic city and sticking a chainsaw into anything that moves is just the perfect thing for a Friday night. That being said, we've decided to stay in this evening and watch the first Gears of War 2 gameplay footage instead. If you want to catch a glimpse of all the testosterone-driven, monster-shooting madness promised in Epic Games' sequel, all you need is an Xbox 360 and enough dexterity to find the trailer on the Xbox Live Video Marketplace. Well, we suppose you'll need an internet connection too. Also, electricity.

Those of us lucky enough to possess computers (and internet and electricity) can also find the video on 1UP at 10:30PM PST -- that's a full 30 minutes before it gets to Xbox Live. When the embeddable Gamevideos clip becomes available at around the same time, we'll be sure to stick it up on Joystiq. We're staying in tonight, remember?

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Mirror's Edge reflects on Unreal Engine 3

Ross Miller — 2008-05-07T16:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Action, First Person Shooters

click to embiggen

Although they have an in-house engine for the Battlefield series (Frostbite), EA DICE has gone with Epic's mega-popular Unreal Engine 3 for the Parkour-inspired Mirror's Edge. According to the development team (via Electronic Arts PR), the reason was that the Mirror's Edge project began early on in Frostbite's development, so they decided to use the more-developed Unreal technology instead.

DICE is also developing "a new lighting solution that truly makes Mirror's Edge stand-out visually." If you haven't had a chance to check out the trailer, do so now. Full statement after the break.

Gallery: Mirror's Edge

"With Mirror's Edge we deliberately set out to create something that was different from Battlefield. Frostbite is a very powerful engine but this project started a long time ago and at that time Frostbite was still being developed and was very closely supporting the Battlefield Bad Company team.

"Because of this we made the decision to develop on UNREAL technology. In addition, because we have a very unique art-style in the game we have been developing a new lighting solution that truly makes Mirror's Edge stand-out visually."

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Got a question for Cliffy B? Drop it here

Christopher Grant — 2008-04-26T02:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360

Our business-savvy pals at GameDaily BIZ asked us to loop you all in on the latest in their ongoing user-submitted-questions interview series. Under the magnifying glass this time is chainsaw-enthusiast (and professional Brumak imitator) CliffyB. Have hard hitting questions about the future of the Gears of War series or his role at Epic? Leave 'em here and BIZ just may use one of your questions. Want to know what happened to his blond highlights? We're just as curious as you are, but we're not sure that's what they're looking for. Sound off.

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Gears of War 2 panel: 'hot chicks,' stereotypes, living cover and more

Andrew Yoon — 2008-04-22T09:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Features, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Video

While megatons were nary to be found at Epic Games' Gears of War 2 panel at this year's New York Comic Con, Epic president Michael Capps and writer Joshua Ortega nonetheless revealed a few tidbits that are sure to pique the interest of the Gears faithful.

Immediately after production on the first Gears wrapped up, the team had to ask itself what it could to make the game "bigger" and "more badass." For example, they saw how people responded to the last-minute addition of the chainsaw. What could they do to improve the chainsaw? Chainsaw duels, perhaps?

Cover, which is admittedly inspired by the oft-forgotten Kill.switch, will also be expanded upon in the sequel. Players have already taken cover behind inanimate objects: rocks, walls, etc. But, what if players could take cover behind moving, living things? What if players could kill a massive enemy and then use it as cover? This ultimately led to the development of massive worm creatures for the sequel.

Dom and his "hot chick" (or, what's the story focusing on?)
Epic discovered that gamers enjoyed playing as Dom, and wanted to flesh out his character a bit more in the sequel. "It's humanity's last stand," Ortega notes. But he still wanted to create a more "human" story for Gears 2. Dom's long-lost love interest, Maria, will play an important role in the new story. A more practical matter was brought up by Capps: "Our game is sadly void of hot chicks." Maria would fill that void.

The heroes aren't the only ones that will feel more "human" in the sequel. The Locust finally gained a (British) voice at the end of the original Gears. Expect them to be slightly more "sympathetic" in the sequel, as we see more of their story. However, Capps notes that the game can't make the enemies too human: "In video game storytelling, you really have to build archetypal characters because in Gears of War, Marcus had a hundred lines of dialog -- it's hard to go deeper into his motivations. Spending that time with bad guys is even harder."

"Graphics is pretty much universally hailed as the easiest way to get someone to take a look."

Graphics, then gameplay
Capps talked about the hierarchy of game development. While Wii fans may argue the point, he puts graphics at the top of that list. "Graphics is pretty much universally hailed as the easiest way to get someone to take a look ... if it looks really cool, it gets them in way, way faster than good controls do because they're not playing it yet." Of course, good looks are simply meant to lure people in. After that, it's all about controls, gameplay systems, and balance. When designing a game, all these game mechanics must come before the story. Capps thinks that any other method may create a game that simply isn't fun.

DLC should be free
Even though the game hasn't even released yet, one gamer in the audience asked about the potential for DLC in the future. "Epic has been doing downloadable content since 1996," Capps reminded the audience. His policy on DLC seems to echo the sentiments of Valve's Gabe Newell: "You can make money in post-sales, but you can also convince your fans that 'I bet if I buy Gears 2, I'll get a lot of free sh*t afterwards.'" The recent trend of charging for map packs is something that Capps doesn't seem to approve of.

Is Cole a stereotype?
Fans in the audience expressed their appreciation of Cole Train. However, Capps wanted to speak on the recent controversy over accusations that the character is merely a stereotype. Morgan Gray, Senior Producer at Crystal Dynamics, said "Cole Train is basically like every other effin' black character in a video game. Like here comes the urban stereotype ... They go really far to do a lot of fictional justifications for this culture that they've built, and they go right back to this urban stereotype for the black character."

Capps insinuated that the criticisms may not be valid from a team that created the Lara Croft character. "That character is so Rasta," Capps added. The voice actor ad-libbed most of his lines, Capps noted as his defense.

What about the movie?
Hollywood has been working on a film adaptation of Gears of War. However, not much is known about the project. Seems like legal issues continue to slow the development of this project. "Working with the movie industry is pretty complicated ... it's mostly legal stuff." Capps is obviously excited for the project. With a movie, there's no technical limitations to worry about: "I don't have to worry about framerate ... there's a lot of scenes I'd love to see in a movie."

"Maybe I'll just find a way to give away the PC version for free."

The brumak no one killed
The Games for Windows version of Gears of War included an extra level, which helped fill a plot gap between the mansion and the train yard. PC players were able to experience an epic fight against a Brumak which the 360 version will never get (due to differences between the PC and 360 versions of the Unreal Engine). Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that this "deleted scene" will ever get its play on consoles. "I'm really proud of that content and I'd love to get it in more people's hands but I can't ... maybe I'll just find a way to give away the PC version for free."

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