Xbox Live's Major Nelson : Gears of War

Join me at next weeks Gears of War event in Seattle

Major Nelson — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:15:00 GMT

If you are in the Seattle area next week, join me at a special Gears of War 2 celebration at The Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. We will be celebrating the sale of 5M copies of Gears of War 2, PLUS it will be the very first chance to get your hands on the one of the maps from the upcoming Gears of War 2: All Front Collection map pack.

Who:	All Gears of War fans
What:	Xbox LIVE presents First to Play: Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection
Where:	Experience Music Project \|Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, 325 5th Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109 (Directions)
When:	Friday, May 15, 2009 from 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Why:	First hands-on gameplay with Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection, Gears of War creators panel and free access to the EMP\|SFM

I’ll be at the event, to hang out and play the maps and to moderate a panel with Dr. Michael Capps and Joshua Ortega.

More details on Xbox.com

Gears of War 2 All Fronts Collection coming July 28th

Major Nelson — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:08:25 GMT

New campaign AND multiplayer content are coming out in July for Gears of War 2. Complete details on the official press release.

Gears of War 2 Achievement Hacking: Banning has begun...

Major Nelson — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:49:00 GMT

As you know, we are committed to keeping Xbox LIVE a safe and fair place to play for the more than 17 million active members. As part of our regular safety monitoring we have pinpointed a group of players who have unlocked specific Gears of War 2 Achievements through an unauthorized hack. Deliberate cheats like these are in direct violation of the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and will not be tolerated. As I post this, we’ve begun taking steps to reset the Gamerscores of the offending players. As I have mentioned in the past, this is something we do occasionally to keep the service free of cheating in order to maintain a fair and level playing field for everyone. If you play fair and earn your achievements without glitching or cheating, you have nothing to worry about. Read my original post that shows what a cheater looks like and head over to Xbox.com to read the Gamerscore correction FAQ that may answer some of your questions.

Gears of War 2 Snowblind Multiplayer Map Pack

Major Nelson — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Content: Snowblind Multiplayer Map Pack
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Germany or Japan
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD AND GORE,INTENSE VIOLENCE,STRONG LANGUAGE] This winter-themed pack brings you four Gears of War 2 maps sure to heat up your multiplayer and Horde action. Hunt your enemies down in the snowy day-lit heights or the dark tunnels of Under Hill. The massive industrial complex of Grind Yard gives numerous bunkers for cover, but watch out for snipers high in the flanking buildings. Beware the falling monuments in Courtyard, where wide-open spaces give you plenty of opportunities to gun down your enemies—unless they strike first. And due to fan demand, the popular Gears 1 map Fuel Depot makes its return. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Add the Snowblind Multiplayer Map Pack to your Xbox 360 download queue

Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 Map Packs release dates set

Major Nelson — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

It’s Massive Map Pack Monday ! Both Gears of War 2 and Halo 3 are each getting new game add-ons in the form of Map Packs.

Gears of War 2: On March 31st the Snowblind map pack will be available for 800 points. The map pack contains four new Winter themed maps: Grindyard, Under Hill, Courtyard, and a frozen version of the “Gears of War” favorite, Fuel depot. In addition, a title update is on it’s way that contains various improvements and fixes as outlined here.

Halo 3: The Halo 3 Mythic map pack, currently only available to those that purchased the Limited Edition of Halo Wars, will be available to everyone on April 9th for 800 points.

Check out the Xbox LIVE Marketplace on Xbox.com for a complete list of Game Add-on for download.

Edit: Bungie.net has posted their update about the Mythic map pack as well as some pretty cool Halo stats

Win 25K in the 13 Days of Gears sweepstakes

Major Nelson — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:22:48 GMT

The headline pretty much says it all, but head over to Xbox.com for the dates, details and rules. Good luck.

Update: To be clear, you can win your part in the $25,000 in prizes

Gears of War 2: Combustible Multiplayer Map Pack

Major Nelson — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:45:00 GMT

Content: Combustible Multiplayer Map Pack
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except Germany and Japan
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD AND GORE,INTENSE VIOLENCE,STRONG LANGUAGE] Explosive action takes center stage in these three new Gears 2 multiplayer maps: Flood, Gold Rush, and Fuel Station. Flood features a rising flow of Imulsion that drives the fight into close quarters. Infiltrate an Imulsion factory in Gold Rush, where multiple levels and volatile materials guarantee memorable encounters. Fuel Station delivers a dangerous battle around an abandoned refueling facility. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Purchase the Map Pack and add it to your Xbox 360 download queue

Be sure to download the free trailer preview:

Content: Combustible Map Pack Trailer
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except Germany and Japan
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD AND GORE,INTENSE VIOLENCE,STRONG LANGUAGE] Explosive action takes center stage in the Gears of War 2 Combustible Map Pack. Discover the three new maps, Flood, Gold Rush, and Fuel Station, in this trailer narrated by Augustus Cole.

Edit: Cleaned up formatting

Gears of War sells 2 Million Units (and we unlocked over 19 million Achievements)

Major Nelson — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:01:05 GMT

In addition to the 2 million copies of Gears of War 2 that flew off the shelves over the weekend, LIVE was pretty active as well. More than 1.5 million people signed into "Gears of War 2" during the weekend, racking up a total 15 million gameplay hours and helping set a new record for concurrent LIVE players. These players also collectively unlocked more than 19 million GoW2 Achievements.

How you can be one of the first to play ALL of Gears of War 2 (and maybe become a TV star as well)

Major Nelson — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:58:38 GMT

Geoff Keighley sent me a reminder that Spike TV is looking for the biggest ‘Gears of War’ fans to participate in a reality TV show where you’ll get to play Gears of War 2 before anyone else. No…not just a level of two…but the entire game. The deadline to enter is this Friday September 19th at 8p ET/5p PT. Details, rules and everything else you need to be know is on the official site. Who knows….maybe if this goes well, you can get Geoff’s job.

Gears of War 2 Campaign Gameplay Reveal

Major Nelson — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:00:12 GMT

The following Gears of War 2 trailer is now available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace

Content: Campaign Gameplay Reveal
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Germany
Dash Text: [ESRB: RP (Rating Pending)] Get your first glimpse into Gears of War 2’s stunning campaign in this clip with introduction by lead designer Cliff Bleszinski. Released May 9, 2008.
Size: 147.44 MB

Reminder: Gears of War 2 trailer premieres today

Major Nelson — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:51:00 GMT

If you’re watching TV tonight, tune in to Game Trailers TV with Geoff Keighley, where Geoff will have the world premere of the new GOW2 trailer. If you can’t pull yourself away from your console (or you have a hot date at that time) the trailer (in HD) will premiere on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace at 11pm PT (2a ET). As usual, I’ll make a post once the trailer is available for download. More details on Xbox.com.

Trailers and Theme: Gears of War 2 (free)

Major Nelson — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:01:55 GMT

Content: "Bare Your Teeth" Theme
Price: Free
Availability: Only in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States
Dash Text: Get ready for November 2008 with this custom Gears of War 2 dashboard theme.

Content: "Duel" Teaser Trailer (HD)
Price: Free
Availability: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States
Size: 62.59 MB
Dash Text: [ESRB: RP (Rating Pending)] This teaser trailer was first unveiled at Microsoft’s 2008 Game Developers Conference keynote by Epic Games’ lead designer Cliff Bleszinski.

Gears of War 2 coming in November 2008

Major Nelson — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:40:42 GMT

Here at GDC, Cliffy B just announced that Gears of War 2 is coming this November. He tells me it will be ‘ Bigger, Better, More Badass.’ Look for a trailer up on Marketplace later today.

Here is a shot of Cliffy B and I backstage before the announcement, and one of me alone getting ready to kick ass.

Reminder: GoW Hidden Fronts Map Pack now free

Major Nelson — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 17:13:28 GMT

The Hidden Fronts Map pack for Gears of War that was previously released for 800 points, is now free.

New “Gears of War” Multiplayer achievements and title update (updated)

Major Nelson — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:01:00 GMT

It has just been announced that Gears of War will be getting a title update tomorrow, ~~June 14th after 0200 GMT.~~ Inside the Title Update, you’ll find eight new Achievements for the "Annex" gametype and the "Hidden Fronts" Multiplayer Map Pack on Xbox LIVE.

In addition to adding new Achievements, worth a total of 250 points, Epic has improved the Roadie Run controls so players have greater control of their movement. The title update will also help squash multiplayer exploits and provide general housekeeping.

The "Annex" gametype is now available for free and the "Hidden Fronts" Multiplayer Map Pack is available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points.
All four multiplayer maps will be available for free after Sept. 3, 2007.

Edit: Correction…the title update will be released June 14th after 0900 GMT/0200 PT.

Gears of War Multiplayer Map Pack 2

Major Nelson — Thu, 03 May 2007 09:01:00 GMT

Name: 'Hidden Fronts' Multiplayer Map Pack 2
Price: 800 Points (now or Free after Sept. 3, 2007)
Availability: Not available in Germany
Dash Details: Get ready to enhance your Gears of War multiplayer experience. Download the four new maps today, including: || 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 players in the dark to fend for themselves against the hungry Kryll. || Garden: This overgrown and crumbling conservatory still has a working fertilization and pesticide system. This system can pose a serious health hazard to anyone who ventures into the greenhouse without first venting the air. || Process: Teams must fight for control of this subterranean Imulsion processing plant, still active despite the cessation of the Pendulum Wars. || Subway: Timgad’s Central Subway Station used to serve as a central hub for commuters. Now the tunnels are crawling with Locust.

Details and screenshots here

Edit: Reminder…as per my earlier post on this, these maps will be free after September 3, 2007.