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If you enjoyed part one of the Gears of War 2 Screenshot Extravaganza, here is a bunch of artwork depicting the weapons available when playing multiplayer. At your disposal will be the Hammerburst, Locust Gorgon Pistol and the Locust Poison Grenade, plus we have some Stranded Flame Thrower and shield concept art as well.

Next up will be Part Three: Campaign Artwork.

Enjoy.

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Microsoft and Epic released so many screenshots for Gears of War 2 today that if I were to put them all in one post, the thin silver cord connecting us to the Prime Material Plane would snap and all we know would be lost to us as we floated around in the different Astral realms - that or the Matrix would collapse, or any other sort of nerdy reference to all hell breaking loose. Therefore, my fellow gamers, I have decided to break these up into different posts so as not to wreak havoc or to put it bluntly, get called out by my boss for making a “monster” post.

Part one of this Gears of War 2 screenshot extravaganza contains five campaign screenshots featuring Markus fighting a rockworm, environments, and a couple more.

Check back later for Part Two: Competitive Multiplayer Artwork.

ChannelFlip has five copies of Unreal Tournament 3 for the Xbox 360 to give away. Each of the games include an exclusive preview of Gears of War 2. Gamers have a chance to answer an Unreal Tournament trivia question to be entered for their chance to win one of the games.

The Rules

• This competition is open to all ChannelFlip viewers
• Emails must be received by 11:59 AM BST Friday 4th July 2008 to qualify.
• Multiple entries will be disqualified - please include your forum username in your submission.
• The five winners will be chosen randomly from correct entries
• The Editor’s decision is final.
• Prizes cannot be swapped for a cash alternative.
• Any questions, post them in the comments section below!

As you can see there is nothing in the rules that disqualifies ChannelFlip viewers outside the UK from participating. You just have to be a registered user. To register with ChannelFlip if you’re not already on the list and enter the contest, pop over to ChannelFlip Unreal Tournament 3 competition page.

Marketing did a fine job with Battlefield: Bad Company, and moving forward they’ve got their work cut out for them with Battlefield Heroes. DICE executive producer Ben Cousins gave some insight into the market they’ll be targeting with Heroes, which they call the “frustrated restricteds.”

“So who is Battlefield Heroes for? The marketing guys love to come up with snappy titles for market segments. The market segment they came up with for us was ‘frustrated restricteds’ – people who really want to play full games, and aspire to be gamers,” Cousins said during his keynote at GDC Paris, reports GI.biz.

“But they’re restricted in some way, and this makes them frustrated. Maybe they’re restricted by money, time or skill?

“For example, a 15 year-old boy who can’t afford a PS3 – he’s desperate to play Call of Duty, but can’t afford the console. Maybe a 30-35 year-old guy who is a new dad, who used to play games, but is restricted by time. Or maybe a new gamer who loves the idea of playing games but heard that all people who play multiplayer games are really skilled.”

I hardly fit into any of those categories, and I’m still interested in playing Heroes. And I’m hardly the only one who fits that bill, so won’t all of us self-proclaimed hardcore gamers throw off the curve for the people Cousins is referring to? It’ll be interesting to see how DICE handles that aspect of the matchmaking process.

Great lineup of games for this week’s 1UP Show, with three big name games fighting for your attention. You can expect Dan Hsu to get the answers to your questions about Gears 2 directly from the face of the franchise, Cliff Bleszinski.

If that’s not your thing, then perhaps a little Battlefield: Bad Company talk will interest you? I think the general consensus is that the game’s trailers have been hilarious — who doesn’t like poking fun at Metal Gear Solid, Rainbow Six and Gears of War, after all? — but that won’t count for much if the game doesn’t live up to the franchise’s name. David Ellis and Shawn Elliott will discuss.

And finally, the newest addition to the lineup of 1UP podcasts, 1UP FM, gets a major plug during the segment featuring Atari’s Alone in the Dark.

Now make with the downloading and check out this week’s 1UP Show in the format of your choice:

QT M4V (Podcast)
WMV 640×360
QT 640×360

Next week is pretty sparse in the way of new game releases. Pretty much all it entails worth mentioning is the new Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game from Activision for every console available - there are three other games coming out as well, so I suppose it is only right to mention them as well. The list has left me wondering how many gamers out there actually care about anything being released next week. Very few I would say.

June 29

• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Bundle (PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)

June 30

• Journey to the Center of the Earth (DS)
• Puzzler Collection (DS)

July 1

• Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 (DS)
• Gears of War- Refresh (Xbox 360)

All release dates are subject to availability, so some may be in stores on the day listed, the day before, or the day after so check with wherever you purchase your games because shipping times vary.

Scouring the list of scheduled games for E3 is yielding some interesting titles that should be making an appearance. Right now, there are listings for Kid Icarus Wii, Doom 4, Alan Wake, and Half-Life Episode 3. So let’s see, that’s one game that Nintendo fans have been wanting for years, one game that may or may not push some graphical boundaries while scaring the crap out of people, one game that’s been in development since the last generation of consoles, and one game that should finally finish up a trilogy. We knew there were already going to be some great titles showing up, like Little Big Planet and Gears of War 2, but these ones definitely bump the excitement up a notch. I hope that Half-Life listing indicates they’re releasing that one sooner, rather than later. E3 is already looking to be a pretty exciting time for gamers everywhere.

Good news Gears of War fans. Today Microsoft released new Gears 2 screens featuring campaign and multiplayer aspects and 1Up/EGM has an exclusive interview with Cliff which also features footage showcasing new multiplayer modes, new weapons and tons of lovely gore.

Enough with my rambling, watch the video, check out the screens and remember to read 1UP’s preview here.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

The trailers for Bad Company have been hilarious, particularly the ones mocking games like Metal Gear Solid, Rainbow Six, and Gears of War. The launch trailer for the game is also pretty funny. Plus, it’s got a tank chasing a golf cart, and you really can’t go wrong with that. Throw in some sarcasm, and you’re guaranteed to have a solid game trailer. That’s a little free tip for anyone out there in PR land. Having a solid marketing campaign will help sell your game, even if it isn’t the greatest thing in the world. (Which I still don’t feel like Bad Company is.)

Already having slapped Metal Gear Solid right upside its head in hilarious fashion, two new trailers for Battlefield: Bad Company have been released, each poking fun at another big name game. I’d recommend watching this Gears of War trailer before watching the trailer above as a refresher so that you know what’s being made fun of. As for the Rainbow Six one, it’s simply a matter of having played any R6 game or ever having seen SWAT-style hand gestures being made.

The Gears one was much funnier in my opinion, but they’re both quite good. As I remarked previously, hopefully the game’s humor lives up to this marketing campaign; I haven’t played enough of the game yet to tell if it has, but I’ll say this: I haven’t laughed out loud at anything in the game through the first level, so take that as you will.

Loads of different titles are coming out starting tomorrow, and we have the full list for you right here. Looks like it is going to be an interesting week in gaming, so let us know what you plan on purchasing.

June 22

• Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS)
• Rock Band (Wii)
• Rock Band: Special Edition (Wii)

June 23

• American Girl Kit Mystery Challenge (DS)
• Battlefield: Bad Company (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Battlefield: Bad Company Gold Edition (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath (Xbox 360)
• Supreme Commander(Xbox 360)
• The SimCity Box (PC)
• The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff (PC)
• Top Spin 3 (DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)

June 24

• 1 vs. 100 (DS)
• Alone in the Dark (PC, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii)
• Baseball Mogul 09 (PC)
• Big Beach Sports (Wii)
• Cake Mania 2 (DS)
• Elements (PC)
• Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (DS)
• Gears of War: Refresh (Xbox 360)
• Gourmet Chef (DS)
• Hail to the Chimp (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Hellboy: The Science of Evil (PSP, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Ninja (DS)
• Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian (DS)
• Midnight Play Pack (DS)
• My Weight Loss Coach (DS)
• Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress (PSP)
• Operation Darkness (Xbox 360)
• Overlord: Raising Hell (PS3)
• Purr Pals (Wii)
• Wall-E    (DS, PC,PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)

June 26

• Deadliest Catch: Alaskan  Storm (PC)

June 27

• In the Shadow of the Raven 2 (PC)
• Samurai Warriors 2 (PC)

All release dates are subject to availability, so some may be in stores on the day listed, the day before, or the day after so check with wherever you purchase your games because shipping times vary.

Thanks to a link provided by VG247, we now have a list of developers confirmed for E3 2008 along with what titles they will be showing off at the event. While the list is still updated regularly, as of this post, this is what you can expect should you be attending.

Akella
Postal III (PC, X360)

Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, X360)

Capcom
Bionic Commando (PC, PS3, X360)
Bionic Commando Rearmed (PC, PS3, X360)
Capcom Project #1 [untitled] (other)
Capcom Project #2 [untitled] (other)
Dark Void (PC, PS3, X360)
MotoGP 08 (other)
Neopets Puzzle Adventure (PC, Wii)
Plunder (PC, PS3, X360)
Resident Evil 5 (PS3, X360)
Spyborgs (Wii)
Street Fighter IV (PC, PS3, X360)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PS3, X360)

For the full list, hit the jump.

Read the full article

New Line Cinema has chosen Len Wiseman (”Live Free or Die Hard”) to direct the video-game adaptation of Gear of War for the silver screen.

Set on the planet Sera, the game (and subsequently the movie - if they stick with it) brings to life the battle between a human Delta Squad (as opposed to what?) and the Locust Horde. Chris Morgan (”Wanted”, “The Fast and the Furious 4″) is also on board and will be writing the screenplay.

Considering how most movie/videogame adaptations work out, this is really not something to get overly excited about and the subject is honestly just becoming a the proverbial “dead horse” so to speak. They will suck usually and there is nothing we can do, so we should just either go see it or not and just stop bitching about it because it will never do us any good. Hollywood has never done gamers any favors really, now have they?

However, Cliffy B Cliff Bleszinski seems to think that a videogame to movie adaptation is simple:

“Hollywood needs to take the source material seriously, win over the avid gamers and make it work for an audience that is young and old, male and female.”

Thank you for that mind blowing insight Cliff. No one has ever said that before! How profound and impressive Master of the Obvious!

He goes on to say:

“Disney made a great movie out of a theme park ride, and somebody is sooner or later going to make a great one out of a video game. Having someone like Len really helps the odds. I think we’re going to create something special here.”

The thing about the Pirates movies, although inspired by an amusement park ride, is that there never was a “backstory” to begin with therefore the script writer had carte blanche to come up with something fun and exciting. No “ride” at a theme park has a script to it so to compare it to a game is slightly silly.

Anyway, as soon as we hear more about this upcoming atrocity we will be sure to ruin your day with it.

Via: Yahoo News

As promised last week, two new Xbox games have been added to the Xbox Originals catalog: Guilty Gear X2 #Reload and The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. Both games are now available or 1200 Microsoft points, or $15, each, and the only catch (aside from the outrageously high prices) is that “you may see some minor irregularities with audio/video for brief periods.” They should just attach that note to every game that comes out so that we’re warned in advance that they couldn’t work all the kinks out.

Check out the previous post for most information on both games.

While I’m always interested in seeing each month’s NPD results, what I perhaps like even more is getting to see each hardware manufacturer’s spin on the numbers. Although, really, Nintendo doesn’t need any spin with numbers like these.

Microsoft’s spin on the May numbers hones in on the number of copies GTA IV sold on Xbox 360 versus “the other platform’s version” (Why can’t they just say PlayStation 3? It’s said a number of times throughout the rest of the release) and how much money the system is generating for third party publishers.

Higher Metacritic scores and the Nielsen report that 10-26 year olds play more on 360 than either the Wii or PS3 are also featured the Microsoft press release, so there’s actually quite a bit more variety than they had last month.

Oh, and they might mention that record-breaking attach rate. Again.

Hit the break for the full spin.

Read the full article

Midway and Epic have confirmed that Unreal Tournament 3 for the Xbox 360 will hit stores on July 7.

Included will be five exclusive maps, split-screen capabilities, two new characters and the all-new Warfare mode and no mod support.

Meanwhile, Europe will be getting their copies a few days earlier on July 4th. Maybe they should celebrate with some fireworks, overcooked hot dogs from the grill, apple-pie, potato salad and invite some sweaty beer swilling neighbors over to piss in their pool.

The full press release is posted after the break.

Thanks for the Heads Up: VG247

Read the full article

Despite the drop out rate for the ESA and gaming companies that will be forgoing E3 2008, there will be plenty of upcoming games to get excited over. Microsoft will be featuring both Halo Wars and Gears of War 2. The company’s press conference is scheduled for July 14th.

Gamers can also look forward to learning more on Lionhead’s Fable 2. Rare is coming to the party and bringing Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. There’ll be more on Silicon Knights’ Too Human as well.

Gaming Today will be covering the event live and will keep you posted on the details as they’re revealed. E3 2008 is returning to the Los Angeles Convention Center this year and runs from the 15th to 17th of July.

via Eurogamer

The game’s only been out for several months now, so it’s time for some demo action! A demo of the third-person action game Dark Sector can now be found on the Xbox Live Marketplace. As Jonathan put it when he wrote up his impressions of the game, the game suffers from “Gears of War Syndrome,” which is to say that it tries and fails to do nothing innovative with the formula that Gears perfected.

Overall, the single player game can be fairly engaging, but only for about the first half of the game. The glaive itself is entertaining enough for a few hours, but once the novelty wears off, there’s really not much in the story to keep you moving forward. The whole “Soviet world domination” angle has become a tired cliche by now, and there’s not a whole lot to define Hayden as a character — aside from one defining act in the prologue. He’s just a very quiet man with a whispy hairstyle and an affinity for slaughtering without mercy. That’s kind of creepy by itself if you think about.

It might not be great, but it might be enough to distract you from thinking about Metal Gear Solid 4’s impending release, and you’ll be able to appreciate Gears of War 2 that much more once it’s released.

Microsoft will be bolstering the Xbox Originals library this coming Monday with the addition of Guilty Gear X2 #Reload and The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. As is always the case, each game will be overpriced at 1200 Microsoft points ($15), which is actually how much a used copy of Spyro would cost, according to GameStop.com, although Guilty Gear is a fraction of the cost at $6. Of course, the main benefit of Xbox Originals is having a digital copy of the game, which I’m a big fan of.

From the respective Xbox.com pages:

Guilty Gear X2 #Reload:

In Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, a newly discovered form of energy has been used to create devastating bio-weapons from fused human and animal DNA. Known as the Gears, they are now intelligent, self-aware creatures set loose upon the populace and threaten human control of the planet.

• Game variety: The exciting game modes include Medal of Millionaire (a brutal one-fall, medal competition), Versus (two-player battles to settle scores), Survival (1,000 levels of endurance), Story (multiple endings to learn the truth behind the Gears), Mission (take on opponents with certain rules and specific conditions), and Training (training mode lets you to fine-tune your skills).
• Multiple characters: Choose from regular 20 characters plus hidden characters and EX characters.
• Moves and combos: In addition to Signature Instant Kill moves for each character, use thousands of moves and combos, including Psych Bursts and Overdrive Attacks.
• Rock and roll: Battle your enemies to the beat of the intense metal and rock soundtrack.

The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning:

Explore the origins of the one and only powerful purple dragon in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. Uncover Spyro’s secret history as you embark on a dangerous quest to face off against the ultimate creation of the Dark Master, Cynder.

• Destroy!: Unleash Spyro’s true power, using his fiery breath and devastating combos to destroy menacing enemies and bone-chilling bosses.
• Power-up!: Develop greater firepower as you upgrade Spyro’s breath into a more powerful weapon.
• Gasp!: Experience Spyro’s adventures through stunning cinematics and through voices provided by some of Hollywood’s finest talent.

Guilty Gear received fairly good reviews when it was released back in 2004, but the same can’t really be said for Spyro. I was a big fan of the original Spyro games on PlayStation, but ever since then the quality of the series has dropped off dramatically. That being said, this is far from the worst Spyro game, but $15 might be asking a bit much for a game that’s not much better than “average.”

When I first read that Age of Conan was getting a real-life clothing line, I instantly imagined a store filled with leather bikinis, bearskin pants, and chainmail boots. I was pretty excited, mostly because I’m starting to run low on crocodile-skin loincloths (those 4-packs from Hanes don’t last too long). Sadly, the new clothing line will just feature Age of Conan branded apparel. Inno-Wear, who has also licensed the Gears of War, Trackmania, and Devil May Cry brands, recently announced they would be giving the same treatment to the popular MMORPG. So expect to see some t-shirts and hoodies bearing the symbol of your favorite in-game alliance later this year. And now I’m off to check the panther traps for more “materials.”

Via ShackNews