Microsoft is sending a special Gears of War Xbox 360 bundle to the land down under. Included in the bundle are copies of the original Gears of War and Gears of War 2.
Sadly, the console itself isn't as special as the box it comes in, for it's of the plain white Pro variety and has a 60GB HDD.
The new bundle will hit Aussie store shelves on June 4 and retail for $449 AU.
“Gears of War 2,” the entertainment blockbuster of 2008, has surpassed 5 million copies sold worldwide, and the overall “Gears of War” franchise unit sales have eclipsed the 11 million unit mark. The momentum doesn’t stop there – to commemorate these milestones, Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games will unleash the “Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection,” a value-packed compilation that combines all previous “Gears of War 2” Game Add-ons with brand new multiplayer and campaign content. Available only at retail, the new collection invades store shelves worldwide on July 28 for $19.99/£14.99/€19.99.
Included in the “Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection” is the “Gears of War 2: Dark Corners” Game Add-on, which features seven new multiplayer maps and a deleted campaign chapter titled “Road to Ruin.” In “Road to Ruin,” Marcus and Dom return to the Locust Hollow in a scene that can be played two ways, guns blazing or in all-new stealth mode.
The seven new multiplayer maps in the “Gears of War 2: Dark Corners” Game Add-on are:
Allfathers Garden: Honor the sacred grounds of the Coalition founders in this explosive map, where powerful weapons catalyze fast and furious action at this COG landmark.
Memorial: Set near the Eternal Flame, which pays tribute to the fallen soldiers on the battlefield, a hard-fought battle ensues at the Tomb of Unknowns. Putting their flank formation and evasive skills to the test, players will fight to control the Boomshot.
Sanctuary: Once a peaceful ground for reflection and remembrance, all that remains of the Sanctuary is the chill of death. Feast your eyes on the arsenal of weapons available as you make your way through the tight paths and blind corners of the Locust-damaged temple corridors.
War Machine: In the abandoned train station that once served as a hub for travel, players will need to master the Longshot, Mulcher and Boomshot weapons to advance the fight while evading fire from the platforms above.
Highway: Take the fight deep into the Locust Hollow in the complex passages of this underground highway system brimming with enemy vermin. Stick together, separate the enemy and have an exit strategy ready or it’ll be a one-way trip.
Way Station: Sitting in limbo between death and “processing” are Locust way stations filled with fallen COG soldiers. Tread lightly and practice patience as it’s better to sacrifice firepower for stealth while navigating this minefield of hidden grenades.
Nowhere: Set in the middle of what was once a destination for weary desert travellers, the land is now barren and devoid of life. Pick off your enemies with the Longshot sniper rifle and make your way to the stairwell with a well-fortified team during this intense firefight.
In addition to the new content, the “Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection” also contains every “Gears of War 2” Game Add-on released to date, including the classic “Flashback” Map Pack, volatile “Combustible” Map Pack and the winter-themed “Snowblind” Map Pack. Also included is an introduction to “Road to Ruin” from Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski, along with a custom Xbox LIVE theme, collectible “Gears of War 2” poster and a strategy guide. Containing over 3,600 Microsoft Points worth of content, the “Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection” is an incredible value at $19.99.
Already enjoying the previously released “Gears of War 2” collection of map packs? Available day-and-date with “Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection” via download from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the “Dark Corners” Game Add-on will be available separately for 1,600 MS Points.
“Gears of War 2” is available exclusively on Xbox 360 and is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB and PEGI 16+. “Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection” and “Gears of War 2: Dark Corners” will be available in LIVE-enabled regions worldwide, where “Gears of War 2” is available.
Oh happy days for Xbox Live and Xbox owners as we get the confirmation on all the most anticipated DLC, of all the info found here i must say the Halo Mythic Map Pack has got to be the best news since the team at BUNGIE seems to be the best at keeping info from the public.
Gamerscore News team reports in this press releas: Spring is nearly here, and with it comes new life for some of this generation’s biggest, most action-packed games, exclusively on Xbox LIVE. With more than 35 million in combined sales, the “Halo” and “Gears of War” franchises have set the bar for multiplayer games on the console. Now players of “Halo 3” and “Gears of War 2” will see the multiplayer experiences made even better by great new Game Add-ons.
On March 31, the Snowblind map pack gives “Gears of War 2” players a chance to cool off with four new, winter-themed environments: Grindyard, Under Hill, Courtyard, and a frozen version of the “Gears of War” favorite, Fuel depot. Hot on the heels of Snowblind comes the highly-anticipated “Halo 3” Mythic Map Pack, releasing April 9 with three new maps: Assembly, Orbital and Sandbox. Both Game Add-ons will be available only on Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points.
In addition to the exclusives mentioned above, Xbox 360 is the only console where you can extend your play with Game Add-ons from many of the year’s top titles. From “Fallout 3” episode The Pitt (March 24) to the “Left 4 Dead” Survival Pack (April 21), publishers from across the industry recognize that Xbox LIVE is the premier online gaming destination, and a one-stop shop for Game Add-ons.
Epic have just announced some huge changes and additions coming this month for Gears of Wars 2 on the Xbox 360. A New map title "Snowblind" will become available March 31, 2009.
The new title update will include new features and achievements plus a brand new map called "Snowblind" and many other enhancements. Here is the full list of upcoming changes for Gears 2.
Some big additions are in the works for Gears of War 2. The first is Title Update 3, which brings a load of improvements and exciting new features to the game, including an all-new experience-based ranking system. That's already cause for celebration, but there's more the Snowblind Map Pack, a bundle of four wintery Gears 2 multiplayer battlefields, hits the Xbox LIVE Marketplace shortly after Title Update 3.
Title Update 3- March 24, 2009
A culmination of the tireless efforts of the Gears team and mounds of player feedback, this latest Gears 2 update is our biggest yet. Title Update 3 contains a bounty of additions ranging from new features and achievements to exploit fixes and matchmaking tweaks, with highlights below:
New experience-based ranking system: The new system gives you 100 levels of player experience, gained through scoring in Public matches. The game still uses TrueSkill to set up the most competitive matches possible, but skill ranks are now hidden. Players who quit matches early see their experience docked as a penalty.
Public Match autobalancing: Bots now automatically join a Public Match to fill any slots left vacant by players who quit early or disconnect.
Improvements: You get region preference for matchmaking, improved standby detection, playlist optimization, plus nine new achievements - six of which require the Snowblind Map Pack - worth a total of 250 points.
Exploit fixes: Title Update 3 eliminates the ability to mantle greater distances by swapping weapons during cover slide and to melee attack through walls while holding an enemy weapon, plus adding many more fixes.
General fixes: These include more reliable chainsaw interruption detection, improved headshot detection for certain character model heads, improved flag AI in Submission games, plus other fixes.
Balancing: Title Update 3 makes changes to Subway weapon spawns for greater balance, reductions to smoke-grenade stun duration, an increase to the forward angle that triggers chainsaw duels, and several other balance revisions.
Of course, that's just some of what's in store for players in Title Update 3. For the complete skinny, be sure to check out the complete patch notes.
Coming 31st March is the new map pack called "Snowblind". Snowblind consists of 4 winter-themed maps named: Courtyard, Grind Yard, Under Hill and a winter-remake of Fuel Depot.
Snowblind Map Pack - March 31, 2009
Don't worry, that rush of cold up your back is just the Snowblind Map Pack, a winter-themed batch of four new Gears of War 2 maps bound to crank up the heat on your multiplayer and Horde matches. The four maps are:
Grind Yard - a massive industrial complex with low bunkers and high sniping positions.
Under Hil - which takes players through snowbound tunnels and beyond.
Courtyard - a wide-open battle royale.
The popular Gears 1 map Fuel Depot - back with a blast of winter courtesy of Mother Nature, aka Epic Games.
As always for more information visit the official website or just keep track on 360-HQ for the latest gears of war 2 news and gaming info.
While i have not had a chance to hop on this game and give it a go i have been paying atention to the talk floating around about it and know the fans wanted some patches to be made and with the list of things fixed i would say you got what you wanted.
Rod Fergusson reported on the gearsforums the following: Hey all, I'm happy to announce that Title Update 2 for Gears of War 2 is now available. It went live this morning at 2 AM PST (5 AM EST) and as you can see from the detailed release notes below, it's a significant update. It addresses a large number of multiplayer exploits and issues as well as makes some balancing tweaks, includes a couple of new features and even adds 7 new DLC-based achievements. Four of the new achievements require the Flashback Map Pack that came free with your new copy of the game, so don't forget to redeem your code inside the box!
Once again, I want to thank our community for their patience while we finished this title update and I want to thank everyone for their ongoing support of the game. Gears 2 sales topped over 4 million copies sold in just two months and when we released the Combustible Map Pack in December, it became the number one piece of premium downloadable content for that month.
We're continuing to work hard supporting the game and you, the community, and we look forward to seeing you online.
This list is long as hell so here are a few but to see the full list select to read more.
Gears of War 2 Title Update 2 Detailed Release Notes
The following fixes and improvements are included in Title Update 2.
Exploit Fixes
Title Update 2 fixes these possible exploits, where under certain circumstances:
* A player could melee or grenade tag through certain walls.
* A player could equip a shield and a two-handed weapon simultaneously.
* A player could make their shield invisible.
* A player could become invisible.
* A player could do a "super" mantle or "kung fu flip," flying high into the air.
* A player could gain unlimited ammo with the Lancer Assault Rifle.
* A player could fire while roadie running (also known as "crabwalking").
* A player could pick up a weapon while sliding into cover.
* A player could walk forward while firing a deployed mortar.
* A player could force an opponent to be stuck in the down but not out (DBNO) position.
* A player could prevent other players from picking up a heavy weapon.
* A player could pick up a dropped meatflag without having to knock him down.
* A ragdolled player could be killed without ever going DBNO.
* A player could roadie run while firing the Scorcher Flamethrower.
* A player could get stuck while evading, though they could continue shooting in any direction.
* A player could concuss themselves under the stairs on the River map.
Here we are in the new year and I must say that one of the biggest complaints game wise has been the huge server issues related to Gears of War 2, but help is on the way and it would seem that the Gears team would like to make it up to you by not just patching the game but adding to it.
Mark Rein posts in the gearsforums:
First of all I hope all of you had a safe and happy holiday season.
As I mentioned before the break we’ve been working on a major title update for Gears of War 2. This update will address bugs and exploits as well as add some new achievements related to downloadable content. We don’t have an exact date for it but all indicators are it will go live within January. If that changes we’ll let you know.
We’re fixing a whole bunch of online exploits. For example we’ve fixed the ability to wield an invisible shield, melee through some walls, gain infinite Lancer ammo and equip a shield and a two-handed weapon simultaneously plus many more.
We’re also making several small changes to improve the overall online gameplay experience. A few of the ones that might interest you are; increased penalties for quitting matches early, adding additional spawn protection against planted grenades and chainsaw attacks, and adding the ability to see the Submission flag carrier destination by using Tac/Com.
We know you folks love achievements so on the achievement side we’re adding achievement progress numbers to the War Journal, increasing the frequency of in-game Achievement progression notifications and adding some new Achievements for DLC.
This is just a very small list of some of the things that will be in the next title update but one more item which has been talked about a lot in our forums deserves a special call out...
About that shotgun...
We fixed the client side hit detection on the shotgun so that in a high-latency (i.e. “laggy”) match, the shotgun will be more reliable. We’ve also fixed another bug whereby shotgun and boomshot rounds could strike the ground when firing from the hip.
So there’s a brief status report on the next title update. At some point I expect we’ll post a more detailed list but I assure you we’re working hard to get this out the door and once it’s done we’ll start working on the next update. We’ll try to do a better job keeping you informed of our progress on future updates and we’ll try to be a little more active in the forums once this update is released.
HQ Network: 8,859 | 
Guests: 5245 |
Members: 0
