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Gears of War 2 had it's first map pack revealed at last night's Video Game Awards and is now available for download on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 MS Points ($10). The map pack contains 3 maps: " Flood is a very tight map that's made extra snug when the environmental hazard of Imulsion begins creeping up around the edges. As the playing field closes in, the firefight will intensify as combat is forced to the center of the map. Teams skilled at flanking their opponents will have a powerful edge. Gold Rush takes place in an old Imulsion refinery that now serves as a hotly contested battleground. Players must survive heavy crossfire as they infiltrate the factory and navigate multiple tiers. Breakable glass allows for a clean shot at those who make a dash for the Longshot rifle while bolder players make their run for the heavy weapon. In the right hands, the Mortar can be devastating on this map, so keep those smoke grenades armed as the concussive effect comes in...

If my friends list on Xbox Live wasn't a good enough indication of Gears of War 2 being popular, maybe the press release stating it has shipped over 2 million units in it's first week is. If you were a fan of the first or just looking for an exciting shooter, Gears of War 2 has plenty to offer. After you finish the main campaign (by yourself or cooperatively with a friend), there is always horde mode which pits you and up to four friends against waves of Locus. If you are feeling competitive, you can play some free-for-all or team based multiplayer. Full press release: "LONDON – 12 November 2008 - One of the biggest entertainment events of the holiday season has arrived. With weekend sales topping 2 million units worldwide, “Gears of War 2” is well on its way to becoming one of the biggest releases of this console generation. Over 20,000 retail locations opened their doors at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 7 to celebrate the worldwide release of “Gears of War 2.” After months ...

The final trailer for Gears of War 2 is here and it is great. Gears of War 2 'Launch' trailer HD

So by this time you will have most likely beaten the single player to Gears of War 2 and be wanting to listen to that amazing score by Steve Jablonsky, well now you can. On November 25th Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works record label will release the Gears of War 2 Official Soundtrack. The soundtrack features an original score by Steve Jablonsky, who has done soundtracks for movies such as "Transformers" and "The Island." The soundtrack will also feature the Skywalker Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus at Skywalker Sound Studios. "Epic Games wanted every aspect of Gears of War 2 to be “bigger, darker, and crunchier” than the original game, including the bombastic orchestral soundtrack. Drawing on his extensive experience scoring big budget action films as well as a unique musical repertoire and Hollywood production values, Jablonsky was the perfect match for creating the adrenaline-pumping, emotionally charged Gears of War 2 score." Track listing and ful...

Put a fork in it, it's done. GamerscoreBlog let drop the press release today that Epic's Gears of War 2 has gone gold and is on track for the November 7th release date.  “After two years of pouring our heart and passion into ‘Gears of War 2,’ the team is immensely happy with what we’ve created,” said Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski. "This is Epic’s best work yet, and we can’t wait to see the response from fans and newcomers to the series alike.” “Gears of War 2” tells the story of humanity's last stand against the nightmarish, underground Locust Horde, and is the follow-up to one of the most popular Xbox 360 games in history. “Gears of War 2” is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB and will be available exclusively on Xbox 360 with an M.S.R.P of $59.99 for the Standard Edition and $69.99 for the Limited Edition." Full release after the jump. Gears of War 2 Goes Gold Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad move closer to saving humanity when the highly anticipa...

When you pick up Gears of War 2 you will be able to go on the Xbox Live Marketplace and download the Flashback map pack. The Flashback pack contains remakes of Canals, Gridlock, Subway, Mansion and Tyro Station.  Also, if you attend a midnight launch of the game you will get a code for a gold hammerburst gun (seen to the left). So make sure to head out and pick up the game at midnight!

When deciding where to pre-order many factors can come into play, none seemingly more important than the goodies you can get. People love free stuff so much, that many will pre-order at more than one store just to get the goodies. Well if you were waiting to figure out where to pre-order Gears of War 2, we now have the pre-order goody list. GameStop - Those who pre-order Gears 2 at GameStop will get an exclusive new Gears 2 theme made specifically for the New Xbox Experience (is this a hint at the NXE's release date?). Best Buy - Best Buy has one of the best pre-order goodies in a while. Pre-order here and you will get a remote control version of the Centaur Tank from the game.  Blockbuster - Finally, pre-order via Blockbuster and you will get the first issue of the official Gears of War comic. There you have it, now go out and pre-order!

Remember Game Fuel? The Halo 3 Mountain Dew that tasted bad at first but yet drew you back like cocaine? Well now we have another step up, Microsoft and Demon energy drinks have teamed together to bring you specially themed Demon cans as well as a contest to win Xbox's and various prizes. Just head over to Demon's website to register to win! "The game hits shelves on the 7th of November at Midnight - and we'll be giving away the first copies of the game then. And if thats not cool enough - just take your Limited Edition Demon can or bottle into any Harvey Norman store before the 7th of November and you'll get $10 off your Gears of War 2 pre-order (we'll accept your hot girlfriend as a thank you, don't forget to wrap her in a nice red bow)."

After the sound video from gears of War 2 (now on the Xbox Live Marketplace) we have a new video documentary from Epic discussing mortar weapons and executions. Enjoy! Gears of War 2 'Every Gun Has A Story'

Spike TV and Microsoft are bringing you the chance to be the very first in the world to play Gears of War 2. Spike is looking for diehard Gears fans to audition and tell them why they are the biggest Gears fan in the world. All you must do is head over to the official site and fill out a questionairre and send spike an e-mail with a photo telling them why you are the biggest Gears of War fan. Entrys must be recieved by this Friday, September 19th, so get moving! " THE BATTLE STARTS NOVEMBER 7. WANT TO LEAD THE CHARGE? Be the first in the world to play Gears of War 2, as you fight for human survival against the Locust Horde. Microsoft and Spike TV are searching for diehard gamers to audition for a real-life televised Gears of War 2 adventure. But just like in the game, challenges, tough decisions and sacrifices stand in the path of victory. In a fast paced reality show that feels like an alternate reality game brought to life, your team must work together to reach the ultimate go...

Need a full size lancer to go with your Master Chief helmet? Well you are sure in luck. Amazon just made pre-orders available for their lancer bundle. Along with the lancer itself (see below) you can get the regular edition of Gears 2, or for $10 extra the collector's edition. The bundle will run you $139.99 for the lancer and regular edition of the game, and $149.99 for the lancer and collector's edition. "We've always been envious of Marcus Fenix from the Gears of War franchise. Not because of his cunning or rugged good looks, but because of his ruthlessness when it comes to taking on the Locust Horde. A major part of his weapons cache has always been the Lancer; part automatic rifle, part chainsaw. You've always thought how cool it would be if you could get you hands on a Lancer and now Amazon.com is giving you that chance!"

Gears of War 2 is set to launch November 7th of this year, so what else could possibly get you more excited? Spending more of your hard earned cash on a good looking limited edition! The Gears 2 limited edition retails for $69.99 and contains the following: Collectible SteelBook™ DVD case "Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2," a 48-page hardbound book including character profiles, exclusive concept art, and foreword by Design Director Cliff Bleszinski Bonus DVD including exclusive making-of-the-game video footage, design galleries with audio commentary by Epic Games, and promotional videos including the E3 2008 trailer, "Rendezvous." An exclusive gold-plated Lancer Assault Rifle available during online play

Gametrailers has a plethora of new Gears of War 2 media for your viewing pleasure. With E3 a mere few hours away we are sure to see even more videos. Check out a five minute multiplayer video below and head over to Gametrailers for the rest of the videos.

UPDATE: It seems the video has been removed, hang tight while we find another. The upcoming Unreal 3 for the Xbox 360 was packaged with a special bonus, an exclusive video presenting Gears of War 2. Leave it to the internet to find the video before the game even releases. Check it out below and get ready for some new information and gameplay!

The folks over at 1up (and subsequently GameVideos ) are some lucky people. They managed to snag CliffyB, or should I say Cliff Bleszinski, away from development of Gears 2 for a multiplayer rundown. Check out the video below and fanboys, try to keep it in your pants please, no one wants to see that. :)

Yes, we know, we have not been updating the site. We are now beginning work on the new and improved (blogger-less) site which will hopefully be up and running by late summer. You can see the prototype of the new site in the story below this one. With that being said, I wanted to run an update on some of the big stories from the past month including the GTA launch, Gears of War 2 footage, & Mirror's Edge footage. Hit the jump for more details. First, last night on "GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley" an exclusive look into the single player from the upcoming Gears of War 2 was shown. The video is below: Next, last weeks SCEE Playstaion Day brought us new footage from Battlefield developer Digital Illustration CE's (DICE) upcoming game Mirror's Edge: Finally Grand Theft Auto IV launched April 29th with worldwide success, selling 6 million copies for $500 million in the first week alone. Below are some interesting numbers from the Xbox 360 side of ...

Today, Epic showed off the improvements they have been making to the Unreal Engine 3. Some of the improvements include; filters for better ambient lighting, better character lighting, the ability to display large crowds on the screen at once, much improved water effects, and soft body physics. The soft body physics are really cool. Gears of War is used for this presentation. Source: GAMERSYDE

Microsoft's Press conference ended a while ago at the Game Developers Conference and there were some big news stories, hit the jump for the info. First off, Cliffy B showed up to announce Gears Of War 2 coming this November exclusively on the Xbox 360. (Hit the jump for the trailer). Secondly, Microsoft announced that games made using the XNA developer tool by community members would be making their way to Xbox Live and the Zune. 7 of the games are available over Xbox Live now. To download the Game Launcher and games: 1. Go to Marketplace, Game Store, All games 2. Scroll to the very bottom to XNA Creators Club, 3. Download XNA creators club Game Launcher . 4. Go to games blade, games Library, scroll over to XNA Creators Club 5. Press Y to download games, 6. Download Game 7. PLAY! More news will be coming as it happens at GDC '08, so look to GamePlay Unlimited for more updates soon.