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Video: Meet Gears of War 2's Snowblind Map Pack
by Dustin Burg 
{ Mar 30th 2009 at 5:00PM } 
.Embedded above is over six minutes of Snowblind footage that's guaranteed to satisfy even the hungriest Gears 2 appetite and quench the thirstiest DLC thirst. So, bundle up, grab a cup of hot cocoa and press the play button ... you're about to get Snowblind-ed.
Gallery: Gears of War 2 - Snowblind Map Pack
Video: Gears of War 2's new ranking system
by Dustin Burg { Mar 25th 2009 at 6:15PM }
Embedded above is a short (and super sweet) video showcasing the new Gears 2 ranking system, including an explanation of those new pop-up "toast" messages. After giving the footage a watch, roadie-run over to the official Gears of War 2 forums to get informed about what enhancements, bug fixes and improvements title update three has brought us.
Gallery: Gears of War 2 - TU3 Ranking System
NYCC 09: Gears has 'ten-year plan', prequel possible
by Dustin Burg { Feb 9th 2009 at 4:30PM }
"You will not be disappointed in the next ten years," revealed Ortega when answering a panel question that asked about a future Gears project being a prequel. "It's a ten-year plan. Gears is long-term. The lancer is the new lightsaber." You know, just replace the glow of the saber with a chainsaw and a few bullets, and you have one accurate analogy.
While Ortega didn't flat out confirm a Marcus Fenix prequel, his talk of a ten year life cycle makes it all too possible that Gears' storyline would (eventually) have to go into prequel territory. And is it just us, or lately, has talking up ten year life cycles been all the rage?
[Via GamePro]
Epic looks to overhaul Gears 2 ranking system with third title update
by Dustin Burg { Feb 8th 2009 at 9:00AM }
"What if, instead of skill rank, we instead showed your experience level," proposes Fergusson. "You would gain experience through your individual performance" adding, that the "higher your score at the end, the more experience you acquire." A system that sounds similar to Call of Duty 4 or even Halo 3. Mr. Fergusson mentions that the max level cap would hover around 99 and achievements could be added to reward ranking progression.
Be sure to know that this third title update has no firm release date, nor are the changes Fergusson mentions guaranteed to be included. But if Epic knows what's good for them - and we're sure they do - a new ranking system will be implemented. We support change!
[Via NeoGAF]
Meet the Gears of War 2 crew at NY Comic Con
by Dustin Burg { Feb 4th 2009 at 4:45PM }
Dom Santiago voice actor Carlos Ferro, writer Joshua Ortega, writer/consultant Eric Nylund and DC/Wildstorm's Ben Abernathy will all be on hand throughout the weekend, signing autographs, schmoozing it up and hosting a special Saturday Gears 2 panel. If you're all about collectibles, NECA will be showing off the third Gears action figure series, including the too-cool 12" Marcus Fenix light-up figure. Feel free to dress up as your favorite COG / Locust character and be sure to take plenty of pictures with the celebrity Gears crew. We're almost positive they'd love to see your enthusiasm expressed through a homemade costume.
Third Gears 2 title update already being discussed
by Dustin Burg { Jan 24th 2009 at 2:15PM }
OrtanaIV of the official Epic Games forums put together a comprehensive list of quotes by Epic members who've been discussing features they're working on for the third Gears 2 patch. Among what's being discussed is toning down of the ever popular "two-piece", re-tweaking of smoke grenades, looking into the lag situation and more. Make the jump to read up on what the third title update may offer, but know that the Epic crew has yet to officially confirm a release date or even its existence.
[Thanks, Faiz R.]
Gears of War 2: Players' gaming habits get statistical
by Dustin Burg { Jan 23rd 2009 at 2:15PM }
Gamasutra with data compiled from GamerDNA's 150,000 Xbox Live members have focused their analytical powers on Gears of War 2, gamers' playing habits and how much DLC affects gameplay. Their analysis of the gaming data shows that more gamers (74%) tried the original Gears after the first two months post launch than Gears 2 (43.4%) during the same period. We also learn that DLC has what they call a "diminishing return", meaning that the spike in player activity after DLC releases slowly trickles back to normal levels.
Make the jump to view even more Gears 2 stats and figures (including a pie chart!) all while pondering whether or not the recent title update will get you back into the mix or if you've permanently shelved Gears.
Video: Cliff explains the Gears of War 2 update
by Dustin Burg { Jan 22nd 2009 at 3:00PM }
Last night, G4TV's X-Play had a change to sit down with Epic's Cliff Bleszinski (via satellite, if it matters) to discuss the recent Gears of War 2 title update, the changes it has brought and where Gears 2 is headed. During the interview, Cliff talks about what sources they use to gather feedback about the game, what balancing issues they're addressing and even discusses the Gears 2 movie. Video after the break and know that it's a must watch for Cliff Gears 2 enthusiasts.
New Gears 2 achievements appear on Xbox.com
by Dustin Burg { Jan 19th 2009 at 4:45PM }
Probably in preparation for the soon to be released Gears of War 2 title update, Xbox.com has posted an additional seven Gears 2 achievements. The new achievements - which aren't unlockable until the patch releases - add an extra 175 Gamerscore to Gears 2's total and all are targeted toward achievements made in multiplayer on the Flashback and Combustible DLC. Thanks for the achievements Epic, but would it be too much to ask to drop Seriously 2.0's killing requirements to, say ... 10,000? Please?
- Skeletons in your Closet (20G) - Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Flashback Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty)
- More Mystery, Less History (15G) - Win a multiplayer match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman)
- Bound by a Shared Past (15G) - Win a Wingman match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps
- Trial by, and on, Fire (20G) - Survive first 10 Horde waves on Combustible Map Pack maps as a team
- The Roof! The Roof! The Roof... (15G) - Win a multiplayer match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman)
- Forged in the Fire (15G) - Win a Wingman match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps
- Annex: Now With Execution Rules (75G) - Win an Annex match on each Flashback and Combustible Map Pack map (public matches only)
Gears of War 2 serves 4 million in two months
by Dustin Burg { Jan 16th 2009 at 9:30AM }
Gears of War 2 continues to sell well, so well that Gears 2 global product manager Guy Welch has given us another sales update. To date, Epic's Gears sequel has sold over 4 million copies worldwide since its release in November 2008. How epic!
Last time we check, Gears 2 just surpassed the 3 million mark, but with December NPD numbers revealing an additional 745K units and other worldwide sales, Marcus and crew are sitting at a comfortable 4 million. In comparison, the original Gears sold "only" 2 million copies during the same period. That's, like, double the sales pace.
Gears 2 patch detailed, adds new achievements, set for Jan. release
by Dustin Burg { Jan 6th 2009 at 9:30AM }
There's no denying it, Gears of War 2's online multiplayer is less then perfect. Ever since Gears 2's launch, the community has been demanding a patch to fix the various (and numerous) game bugs. Finally, Epic Games is speaking out about the patch, what it'll fix and has even informed us that they expect the patch to release sometime this month.
Over on the official Epic forums, Epic's Mark Rein detailed exactly what the Gears 2 patch will fix and the enhancements that'll be made once the patch is released. You can view a comprehensive listing of all the fixes that'll be included in the patch after the break. And from what we can tell, the patch should resolve most (if not all) the Gears 2 exploits we've heard about including that dreadful melee through the wall exploit. Oh, we should also mention that the patch will bring some new Gears 2 achievements based on the DLC. How 'bout them apples?
3 months of Xbox Live free with Gears 2 purchase
by Dustin Burg { Jan 5th 2009 at 10:00AM }
Just thought you'd like to know that the always deal plentiful Amazon.com is offering a free 3 month Xbox Live subscription card with purchase of a $53.99 copy of Gears of War 2. That's a retail savings of about $20. This Gears 2 and free Xbox Live bundle offer is valid through January 13th, so be sure to decide on a purchase within' the next week or so.
Some of us around Fanboy Towers think Gears 2 is Game of the Year worthy and highly recommend a purchase. Just saying ...
[Thanks, Daniel]
Even with new DLC, Gears 2 struggles on Live
by Dustin Burg { Dec 24th 2008 at 4:15PM }
If we were to tell you that Gears of War 2 wasn't the most played Xbox Live game last week, it wouldn't be all that surprising or all that newsworthy seeing that it has failed to knock Halo 3 from the top spot for the past few weeks. What is newsworthy is the fact that Gears 2 has maintained last week's disappointing title of being the number four most played game on Live, even with new Combustible DLC releasing. Ouch.You can view the complete listing of the top Xbox Live games (including XBLA and Community Games) after the jump. You'll notice that Halo 3 is still maintaining its "I'm the coolest game on Xbox Live" crown and both Call of Duty games are still holding strong at second and third place. It also looks like last week's Holiday Deal of the Week helped push Bomberman LIVE into the top five.
Video: Santa gets Gears chainsawdomized
by Dustin Burg { Dec 23rd 2008 at 12:15PM }
What are the holidays without some bloody chainsaw Gears of War fun? Answer: nothing worth your time. So, we bring you XYBA Podcast's short and bloody good Gears of War X-mas video that comes complete with a creepy-innocent girl, some very delicious looking Gears of War cookies and a gift giving Santa pleading not to get ... well, chainsawed. The vid is probably NSFW, but is totally worth the click. Maybe Santa will think twice about eating the cookies.
Video: Gears of War 2 grenade tags and melees ... through walls?
by Dustin Burg { Dec 17th 2008 at 2:45PM }
Here's a video that'll cause even more "give us a darn Gears 2 game patch Epic!" demands, one that shows off a newly found multiplayer game bug that just shouldn't have made it through play testing.
Seemingly, anywhere a wall can be accessed from both sides, players are able to not only melee another player through the wall, but also stick them with a grenade. We're pointing this out because it's actually a BIG and annoying bug rather then a user exploit or glitch. It's in the game and just shouldn't be. Please, "give us a darn Gears 2 patch Epic!"
[Via NeoGAF]
