"Epic Games, Inc. and Del Rey, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that Del Rey will publish three novels set in the gritty world of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Gears of War video game series. The first novel, GEARS OF WAR: THE BATTLE OF ASPHO FIELDS, written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss, will go on sale October 28, 2008. The Gears of War 2 video game, the highly anticipated sequel to the genre-defining thir..."

"Video-gamers are in for some interesting news. Len Wiseman, director of the Underworld movies, is going to direct the highly anticipated Gears of War movie. While some of you might be cringing right now (and I wouldn’t blame you), hear me out.

In recent years, a lot of video game movies have quite frankly sucked. (Doom and Bloodrayne, anyone?) Whether the reason was bad adaptation, unfaithful storyline, poor graphics, or general lack of interest…something came up short. A lot of these movi..."

"There's been a lot of talk over the past few years about how videogames need to provoke more of an emotional response from gamers, and of how the technology is gradually allowing developers the freedom to evoke those responses. But really, videogames have been expertly tapping into one of our most basic emotions for decades: Fear.

Sometimes, all of that fear is inspired by a single character or creature, and when those characters are realized particularly well, throwing down with them can ..."

"Microsoft has announced plans to re-release Gears of War in North America with updated maps and achievements.

The updated version of Epic's game will be available from June 24, and cost USD 39.99 for the Xbox 360 and USD 29.99 for the PC."

"Rumor has it that Gears of War Redux will be coming in next month. This would be if GameStop's placement would be believed. According to their site, the product is "Gears of War with Maps."

Now, apart from the pricing detail (it is tagged for US$ 39.99) and the pre-order shipment date, which is for June 24, 2008, not much detail is revealed. Although, Kotaku reports that it seems like this reissue will be containing content that were made available by DLC before."

"A popular video game for the Xbox 360 is getting a sequel this year - and it seems to be raising eyebrows with its level of gore and detail.

The game presents the player with a number of projectile weapons, but also features a chainsaw for melee attacks. In the demo, the player can use the chainsaw to cut a person in half, starting at the groin and moving upwards. Also, players can pick up the corpses of fallen enemies and use them as a "meat shield" to protect themself from enemy fire as ..."

"Before you jump on my ass over this column's title, please know that the author of this column is a rabid Gears of War junkie. I've spent countless hours on the original Gears, and I still play the original game quite often. I played the game so intensely at one point, that I even got invited to a handful MLG tournaments (yes, I'm bragging) and had some high spots on the game's online rankings. As you could have imagined, the announcement of Gears of War 2 initially had me absorbed with hype,..."

"The Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 have brought HD gaming into the mainstream. After years of High-Def in the living room being a hazy concept that really only affected A/V aficionados, the more technologically inclined, and the affluent, these videogame machines have made HD Gaming as simple and affordable as “plug n’ play.” But as with any consumer device, the hardware, for all its potential, is just that — untapped potential. What really brings out the true worth of the machine is the soft..."

Some new details were released when Comingsoon.net talked to Twilight producer Wyck Godfrey on the current status of the GoW movie adaption.

Godfrey was quoted on saying

quote

We've got our script on and a director we're about to attach. We'll hopefully make that early next year for the summer of 2010

The announcement of the game adaption movie was announced in March 2007 that New Line Cinema aquired the rights to a Gears of War flick. No word on who the director will be, lets just hope...

"In the first Gears of War, getting chainsawed was an unpreventable means of death once your enemy was in range with their Lancer revved. For the many of you who saw the recent Gears of War 2 Teaser, the first thought that probably sprang to mind when the battle of chainsaws between Marcus Fenix and the Locust enemy occurred was, “So we’ll be able to do this in the game?”.

Yes, yes you will.

More info at the source."

One good marketing ploy would be tell people about a game that has yet to be announced... and it seems that, it is exactly what GamePro did with their latest issue which is to be put on sale just over a week from today.

That's right, the news that you read there is not actually true. There is no special announcement on Gears of War 2 in the GamePro magazine, and the special report, was actually to do about the XBOX360. What GamePro will actually reveal about the game is certainly a mystery...

"What games will be at GDC 2008? The infamous Surfer Girl says three of the above titles will be there, along with four more “definites”. We can confirm seven others.

In a response to a poster who asks what games will be at GDC this year, Surfer Girl says “YES” to seven games. These games are MotorStorm 2, Alan Wake, Too Human, InFamous, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2.

There are three other games that might possibly make it to the event: SOCOM PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4, and..."

"The original Gears of War came and conquered in November 2006, becoming the fastest selling Xbox 360 game in the process back then, handily crushing all competition that dared step in its way. So a sequel to the game was a given since day one. And even sooner according to Microsoft’s Jeff Bell, who said the purpose of the games “Mad World” commercial was to establish Marcus Fenix as the hero of the Gears of War trilogy.

Fast forward about 15 months, and it seems Epic Games is getting ready..."

"Official Release:
NECA announces the release of Gears of War Action Figures, due in stores late spring of 2008. The first wave in an ongoing line of action figures, the first assortment includes main character Marcus Fenix, Augustus Cole, and the villainous Locust Drone. Featuring an unprecedented amount of detail, extensive articulation, and game-accurate accessories, the Gears of War Action Figures will appeal to the most dedicated Gears of War players, as well as action figure collectors ..."

"The book will be a prequel to the Gears of War game and take place at the Battle of the Aspho fields, a setting where Marcus Fenix apparently performed some pretty heroic feats. It is mentioned several times in the game and the book should finally give fans the whole story of what took place there."

"Asked if Epic is categorically never going to release them as downloads for Xbox 360 users, Rein said, "It looks that way."

Never? "Well, never say never, but I mean there's no plans to do it. The problem is the two versions aren't really compatible," he added, reiterating the previous explanation that the PC and Xbox 360 code-bases are too far removed from one another for an efficient patch.

Gears of War on PC introduces chapters that bridge the gap between events at the end of Act 4 a..."

"Xbox 360:

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

F.E.A.R. Files

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War

Scene-It

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Cabela's Big Game Hunter

PS3:

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Wii:

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Bee Movie

Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Mario and Sonic: Olympic Games

My Word Coach

Agatha Christie: An...

"

"Xbox 360:

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Bee Movie

Cars: Mater-National

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja

Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition

Timeshift

The Simpsons Game

Virtua Fighter 5

Viva Pinata: Party Animals

Xbox Live Arcade:

Mutant Storm Empire

PS3:

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Stranglehold

Cars: Mater-National

The Simpsons Game

Wii:

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Battalion Wars 2

Manhunt 2

Bee Movie

Barbie Island Princess

Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey

The ...

"

"Another month, another batch of rumors from EGM's Quatermann.

You know, even though Sony hasn't announced God of War 3, it's coming. In fact, it was already sort of announced. Anyway, the folks at SCEA Santa Monica are already hard at work at preparing Kratos' debut on PlayStation 3, which should arrive during the next holiday season, joined by a little something called Gears of War 2, as well. Oooh.

Epic Games and Microsoft haven't confirmed Gears of War 2 either, but the game's stella..."

"CliffyB, gaming superstar and El Presidente of Epic Games, has been hard at work getting Gears of War up to speed to work for the PC. With some help from Tom and the folks at Gamerscore, we got the chance to hit up Cliffy for a little Q and A."

"Remember some people were bitching about having to pay $10 for four maps when the Hidden Fronts Map Pack was released? And then they said they will just wait until September when it’ll be free? Well now they can join in on the action, because the Hidden Fronts Map Pack will be free to download as of September 3rd. With almost 500,000 downloads so far, Hidden Fronts has become the number one selling piece of premium content over the Xbox Live Marketplace. Four maps are included in the pack, an..."

"In an interview with Eurogamer the Epic Games boss explained that the Microsoft Xbox 360's head start over the PS3 has given the studio time to hone its skills where the Unreal Engine 3 is concerned (UE3 being many developers' first choice as a tool to produce next-generation games), which can only end up "benefiting" PS3 owners:

"We're a little ahead on PlayStation 3 compared to where we were at this time on Xbox 360, and what I mean by that is our code and our level of completeness, and..."

We weren't too surprised to learn that Gears of War was going to be coming to the PC, we were however surprised to learn that there will be no cross platform play between the PC and XBOX360 versions of the games.

People have come up with various reasonings behind why there is no cross-platform play, however ComputerAndVideoGames.com have finally gotten the real reason:- The PC and XBOX360 Gears of War bases aren't compatible.

The PC version uses the [Unreal Engine 3] engine code, where ...

"NECA have announced that it has entered into an agreement with Epic Games to make a full line
of collectible action figures, busts, statues, dioramas and prop replicas from GOW and any
potential sequels. They plan to have a full line of products available in 2008, including many of
the most popular characters from the game.

“NECA has some of the most impressive collectible action figures we’ve ever seen. We’re thrilled
that they’ve chosen to work with us and have great confidence i..."

""It's very unlikely because the two code bases aren't compatible", Rein outlined. "To do that, we would have to patch the 360 version and the size of the patch would probably dwarf all five updates we've done so far. It's just too much work. I can't see it happening... It's not impossible, it's just unlikely.""

"Sumthing Else Music Works announced today that it will bring the original soundtrack to Epic Games' Gears of War to retail stores everywhere on July 31st. The 28-track CD packs more than an hour of original music written by Kevin Riepl and performed by the Northwest Sinfonia orchestra (conducted by Corey Status). Among the 28 tracks are amusingly titled pieces like "I Will Kryll You" and "Fill 'er Up at Chap's."
Sumthing Else isn't a newcomer to the field, having issued more than two-dozen ..."

"Epic Games fired off an e-mail to various press outlets this afternoon to address the suit. "This morning we were served with a lawsuit by Silicon Knights," wrote Epic Games president Mark Rein. "We believe the claims against us are unfounded and without merit and we intend to fully defend against them. We'd love to tell you more about it but unfortunately our lawyers want us to save our comments for the courthouse so we're going to do our best to comply with their wishes. In that vein we'd a..."

"In a "Game Head" video posted on Gametrailers.com, Epic Games' VP Mark Rein announced that a Mac version of Gears of War and Unreal Tournament 3 are heading to the platform. Rein enthusiastically announces in the video, "And don't forget, we're also doing Macintosh. Yes, Gears is coming to the Mac and so is UT"."

"In a move not considered too surprising, Microsoft announced that the popular Epic Games-developed shooter Gears of War will be coming to the PC under the Games For Windows line. Playable on both Windows XP and Vista, Gears of War will feature five new single-player missions, new multiplayer arenas playable via Games For Windows Live, and a game editor.

PC gamers can expect to see Gears of War this holiday season."

"Today it was the birthday of one of our workmates who is very, very crazy about Gears of War (like me!). A week ago, we were all deciding how to give him a surprise. After much brainstorming, we decided to give him his ultimate fantasy, a Gears of War cake!

The only thing was, we didn’t know was where to get it done. We downloaded a picture of the Crimson Omen and ran fast to a lady baker in Mumbai. She was a little bit skeptical about making it. Yeah, it is understood as she mostly gets o..."

"Gears of War's next patch is set to go live tomorrow, 14th June, and introduce eight new Achievements for the "Annex" game-type and "Hidden Fronts" multiplayer map pack, along with adjustments to the "Roadie Run" controls that stop players snagging on walls. According to Microsoft's PRs, "The title update will also help squash multiplayer exploits and provide general housekeeping."

All of which breathless single-paragraph cramming leaves us with little to add other than that the news came ..."

"GameSpy: Gears of War was very successful for you. Does Halo 3 have to beat Gears? Are you aware of fierce competition between these developers to make the top shooter on 360?
Shane Kim: I'll answer your second question first. Yes, there's definitely competition between the teams, just like there would be between sports teams or any creative entity. And that's healthy and good, and we want to cultivate that. Everybody wants to be the best, and I only want to work with teams that want to be ..."

""Cliffy loved the visit, but admitted, "It's frightening when it shows up on my doorstep.""

"The latest Diamond Comics catalog has revealed that Boom Studios will publish an official Gears of War comic book, beginning with a #0 issue this August. There's no info yet on if the comic series based on Epic's Xbox 360 shooter will adapt the game's storyline or will have an original story but the #0 issue will be written by Andrew Cosby who co-created the Sci-Fi channel series Eureka."

"Gears of War's next Title-Update-not-patch is also going to have new achievements relating to Annex and the Hidden Fronts downloadable content, Epic Games' Mark Rein said on their forum a couple of days ago. "We're also going to have new achievements relating to Annex and the Hidden Fronts downloadable content," he wrote (see). "Some of the achievements are tied to things relating to playing the maps in the Hidden Fronts map pack which currently costs money but will be made free in a few mont..."

"This story is complete bull****. I emailed the site and asked them to take it down. We're very happy with our relationship with Microsoft. If it weren't for them Gears wouldn't be the huge hit it has become."

"Oops, was that a bit sensationalist?

Games journalist in 'It's a slow Friday and I'm struggling for news' shocker.

Before you get excited, Gears of War or anything remotely like it coming to Wii is about as plausible as Phil Spector being innocent. However, this is interesting news nonetheless.

Sega have announced that they've licenced the mighty Unreal 3 Engine from Gears of War developer Epic Games, for use in some of their upcoming 'North American titles.'

'SEGA is pleased to ..."

"Bullet Marsh: In this Kryll-infested swamp, an old generator still powers the area lights. A few stray bullets could easily knock out the generator, leaving combatants to fend for themselves against the Kryll.

Garden: This overgrown and crumbling conservatory still has a working fertilization and pesticide system. This system can pose a serious hazard to anyone who ventures into the greenhouse without first venting the air.

Process: Teams must fight for control of this subterranean Imul..."

"Epic Games wants their additional Gears of Wars maps to be free, just like the content they've provided for all their games on the PC side -- but Microsoft isn't down with that. In the effort of promoting a profitable marketplace, however, Microsoft's compromised with the studio by deciding to follow the successful model that Halo 2 pioneered a few years ago: the new Gears of War maps will be available for a to-be-determined fee, and made free a few months from now.
After speaking with our g..."